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An Interview with Laibach
Posted: Sunday, March 25, 2007
By: Ilker Yücel
Editor

In 1990, Sinead O'Connor refused to perform at the Garden State Arts Center due to the venue's practice of playing a recording of the American national anthem before the show, because of the country's imposition of censorship on artists. A belligerent move to be sure, and one that led to the venue permanently banning her, ironically proving her point. So when the Slovenian art/music collective of Laibach released Volk, an album of reinterpretations of national anthems across the globe, including the USA's own, did they too fall under the same iron hand of American censorship? Perhaps not, but then again, Laibach has endured their own share of controversy over the years, having been banned in several venues across Europe. Their approach to music and visuals has always been one of simultaneous shock and awe, possessing elements of militant totalitarianism, both lyrically and musically, while always working within yet stretching the boundaries of the acceptable pop music format. Their intent has always been clear: they are the question, not the answer. They've always turned the mirror back onto society, beckoning us to contemplate the very nature of our values, our politics, and our very lives. With Volk, they do no different, reworking these national anthems into lyrical commentaries that challenge the notions of patriotism prevalent throughout the world. Collaborating with fellow Slovenians Silence, Laibach continues their mission in fine form! With the media as their podium, and ReGen as their megaphone, Laibach rallies their audience and brings us up to speed.

Your latest album, Volk was done in collaboration with Boris Benko and Primoz Hladnik of the band Silence. How did you come to work with Silence on Volk?

Laibach: Silence is a brilliant musical duo from Ljubljana. Since we heard their music for the first time, we wanted to invite them in a joint project. With Volk, we have created a concept where their expression would fit perfectly and such collaboration would make good sense. Silence accepted the invitation, they did great work on the record, and they definitely helped us to create the album the way we wanted it to sound.

As the members of Silence composed and produced 13 of the 14 tracks on Volk, how did Silence's methods of working differ from that of Laibach? In what ways were they similar? How difficult was it for you to combine your efforts?

Laibach: National anthems are a very tricky subject; most anthems have male and female character, emotional and militant sides. Silence were taking care of the female side and Laibach everything else. Silence did a lot of work—practically almost half, or to be precise, 46 percent of material on the record was written and produced by them, but don't get confused, this is still a pure Laibach record. Laibach was never obsessed by authorship and we always collaborate with different people and musicians. Musicians are like instruments; if you choose the right ones and if you know how to 'use' them, you can get great results. And that is basically also the whole purpose of collaboration.

The new album is a collection of songs inspired by the national anthems of varying countries around the world, but without actually being covers of the national anthems. As Laibach is known for combining opposing viewpoints and reinterpreting various forms of music, what drove your decision to explore these national anthems in this way for Volk?

Laibach: This record is first of all dealing with pop/folk culture. Songs on Volk are not anthems themselves; they are 'pop' songs based on national anthems, which already are in fact sort of pop(ulistic) songs themselves. Laibach was always interested in pop culture and specifically in the complexity of the relation between culture and politics. For many years we were fascinated with the idea of an anthem, a song which people of the whole nation stand up, hearing it and singing it from the heart. Originally, the anthem was a composition to an English religious text. The term has evolved to mean a song of celebration, usually acting as a symbol for a certain group of people or entire nation. Today, national anthems are, by definition, songs the majority of a nation identifies with on an emotional basis. They are generally patriotic musical compositions that are evoking and eulogizing the history, traditions, and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's governments as the official national songs and trademarks, or by convention—through use by the people. In a way, these are all basic characteristics of a pop song as well, and this is what we do on Volk, showing the analogy and dichotomy between the two.

Much of your past work was rather heavily layered with lots of bombast and industrial production, while Volk and your last album W.A.T. have been much more minimalist electronica, with light touches of noise and classical pomp. Why would you say your sound has progressed in this particular direction?

Laibach: On this album, we have decided to adjust the formal language and the whole sound of music to the chosen content, because national anthems are a very tricky subject which should be treated with special care. Besides, we are fed up with bombast industrial production, at least for awhile. Anyway, this time we maybe speak softly, but we still carry the big stick behind...

It was hinted that Laibach was working on two different albums, and there's news of an album of classical music inspired by J.S. Bach. What more can you tell us about this release, if it in fact exists?

Laibach: It exists but it is not yet being released. Last year we were invited by the B.A.C.H. (Bach Alternative Compositions on Historical basics) festival, organized in collaboration with Bach-fest and Bach Archive from Leipzig, to do a special tribute project linked to Bach. This festival is entirely dedicated to J.S. Bach, and it is happening at the same time as the notorious Leipzig Wave Gothic Fest (Wake Gotik Treffen), trying to bridge the gap between the two worlds. We decided to do an electronic version of Bach's Kunst der Fuge, because when he wrote it, he didn't specify any particular instrument for it. We also understand this Bach's work—beside Scarlati's compositions—as the very foundation of electronic MIDI music. It was fun doing it and we are planning the release later this year on Mute Records. Its title will be LAIBACHKUNSTDERFUGE.

While Laibach has always been a combined group effort, the quartet that many remember has since changed, with Ervin Markosek apparently departing once again, as well as Dejan Knez, who had been in the group the longest next to Ivan Novak. What were the reasons for Dejan's departure from Laibach?

Laibach: Laibach members always were and still are Eber, Saliger, Dachauer, and Eber. These are official names; all other names are wrong and irrelevant. Laibach works as a quadruple principle and therefore there are only four members all the time, although membership of the group is flexible. Each member name can unite many identities and collaborators within itself. 'Real' Laibach members don't use their 'private' names (and sometimes not even bodies), and their public presence and action can be very or completely anonymous. People are constantly asking us why that is so, but they are not ready to accept and understand our answer and they keep on disrespecting our decision to stay anonymous, attributing us with names which are not even correct. We are dedicated to collectivity and anonymity and we believe in the universal mystery of creation, which has nothing to do with individual ego and its creative frustrations; universal mystery is not constructed to fit a man, it is constructed to fit Universe. A man can no more posses a private mystery than he can possess a private sun or moon. Mystery, if it is universal, cannot be privatized. Laibach, therefore, works as a team-collective, following the example of technological production. We reject individuality as meaningless for the evaluation of our work, which, as we believe, should be examined only on the basis of the laws of which it is made. We do not believe in the originality of authorship and we also claim that plagiarism does not exist. Why should we then use our individual names?

Ivan Novak had stated that the group's method of composing changes from record to record. Besides the integration of Silence, how would you say the techniques used on Volk differ from those used on W.A.T.?

Laibach: It differs in absolutely everything. We were using a different process of work, different computer programs, sequencers, plug-ins, interfaces, different studios, and we worked with different people. All these differences were results of different concepts, which dictated different ways of thinking and of course different methods of composing. But at the end of the day, we always return to the same unifying and universal factor, which is Laibach, and Laibach really only pretends to change from time to time.

Laibach has been in existence for more than a quarter of a century, and has long been known for challenging people's social and historical perceptions. In the years since you first started, what sorts of changes have you seen take place in the American audience's perception of your music?

Laibach: Since 1987, when we toured the USA for the first time, America was involved in five or six wars abroad, not to mention the constant war against terror on the American soil, so on a big scale, they got it all wrong. On the other hand, our American audience seems to be generally a very good audience, a very perceptive one; it has high demands, and that means a constant challenge for us. The bad thing is that America is culturally, socially, politically, and economically further and further from Europe, and to do a decent tour in the USA for Laibach is not an easy task.

What about your home country of Slovenia? Having faced a great deal of controversy over the years, what sorts of changes have you seen occur in your native audience's perceptions of Laibach? How would you say it has influenced your approach to your music?

Laibach: We don't adjust our approach to music or anything else we do because of our native or foreign audience's changes of perceptions.

Also included on Volk is an anthem for NSK, which utilizes an arrangement similar to one found on your Opus Dei album. Why the reuse of this arrangement from one of your past works?

Laibach: We like to quote ourselves.

Also, why is the NSK track much closer musically to a traditional anthem than the rest of the album, which seems to veer more towards a pop music form?

Laibach: We already did a 'pop' version on Opus Dei back in '86, so we decided to do a more traditional one for this album.

On the NSK track, in a synthesized vocal, are quotes historically attributed to Winston Churchill. What is the reason for these quotes? How do you feel they philosophically or thematically fit in with the NSK ideals?

Laibach: It is a great statement, projecting the very idea of the nationalistic 'Blut und Boden' logic and imperialistic state policy in only a few words.