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Over the years Shikhee has managed to capture the hearts, souls and mind of adoring fans with rhythmic and melancholic music that she pours from her soul. After releasing The Dividing, Shikhee was embraced in a new world of acclaim and success. Wildly popularized by critics and fans, The Dividing broke barriers in the electronic world, it broke barriers in the conventional pop world and it broke barriers in her own personal revolution. The Dividing is clearly astounding with its blend of punk, classic rock, industrial, synthpop and many other sounds. When I interviewed Shikhee, I had a chance to discuss the ideas behind Android Lust and to ponder the band's future, hopefully a future that lands her in the history books as one of the most innovative and influential artists of any time.

What led to your signing on Projekt Records?

Shikhee: A few months after "The Dividing" came out on Dark Vision Media, Sam approached me about re-releasing the CD on Projekt. Sam was moving it through his Darkwave Distribution already as he had done with the "The Want." So we started talking, and here we are.

With the release of The Dividing, Android Lust has charted new territories in music. How do you feel about Android Lust's progression?

Shikhee: I feel pretty good about it. I feel I have left the electro-industrial tag behind. Although people are still calling Android Lust industrial, I think it's much more of a hybrid now, with elements of rock and punk in it.

Android Lust has gained much critical and consumer success with The Dividing. How do you feel about the warm embrace you've received from the musical community?

Shikhee: Relieved. I was prepared to get a lot of negative feedback from people who loved Resolution, because it sounds very different than that. I wasn't disappointed, I got a good deal of that, but I received much more positive feedback than I expected. The Dividing also appealed to a new set of people that Resolution couldn't reach for various reasons. So yeah, I feel pretty good about that.

Android Lust has definitely created its own niche in music since Resolution was released, even more so with the release of The Dividing. Where do you see Android Lust fitting within contemporary music?

Shikhee: I don't see Android Lust in any one specific genre. I want to be flexible enough to try different styles. Right now it probably fits in with moody, yet aggressive style of bands.

Android Lust was recently played on MTV's Road Rules, how did that come about?

Shikhee: That came about through Projekt. Sam sent the disc off to his contact in MTV, and they loved it. They've used Android Lust tracks in three episodes of Road Rules, and one episode of Real World so far.

Are there any more plans for an MTV/Android Lust union?

Shikhee: We just submitted a video to MTV2 for the track "Stained." We shot it earlier this year. I am very excited about it. I worked with Dan Ouellette. He is an amazingly talented artist. He directed the video and did all the set and costume designs. If MTV plays it, that could potentially open a lot of doors for us. We also want to release the video on DVD at some point.

How do you feel about Android Lust's contact with this specific group of listeners? Is it something you'd like to see go further?

Shikhee: I think it's great. It gives us a chance to reach a lot of people that wouldn't know of Android Lust otherwise. Some people are probably horrified by this. I find this sentiment quite prevalent in this so called underground scene. People don't want you to get more than a certain level of exposure, because somehow that equals 'selling out' in their view. Some people were calling it 'troubling' that Android Lust got played on MTV. Why shouldn't bands get recognized and compensated for their work? Musicians seem to be held at a different set of rules than other artists. We are expected to work 9-5 jobs to support ourselves, and produce quality work, buy gear, tour and manufacture CD's with money from our days jobs and not expect to make any money from our music. Somehow, we should just do this for the love of music. Those people need to realize that it is because of the love of music I want to do it full time. And making money does not equal selling out, unless you compromise your ideals for monetary gain.

The Dividing has a wide array of sounds, from completely rootsy vintage sounds, to down right perverse synth sounds. Where does this particular fusion of tonality come from?

Shikhee: I wanted to make an album that has depth, and a diverse sonic palette. I look for that in music, and want to deliver that in my own. I also reached into my rock roots and pulled some influences. The place where I have tried to keep a consistency, has been in the drums. I've used sounds from soft synths to live instruments, depending on what worked on a particular song. I am my own producer, so whatever I could make work, I did. For live sounds, I went to another studio that is better equipped to record them, and brought the tracks back to tweak. It was a learning experience and a lot of fun to do. The most painful song was "Fall to Fragments." The click track had bled into the flute track, and it was hell to remove them. I spent an entire month micro-editing that track to remove the clicks.

It is also noticeable that Android Lust uses really natural-sounding drum kits versus the 'high q' kits that are common in the industrial scene. What makes you use that certain sound of percussion to this level?

Shikhee: Processed acoustic samples sound more aggressive and just plain better to me. At least they worked for this CD. A good amount of the samples I used came from a sample CD. Not loops, just hits. I never use loops. Also, I went in to another studio with Christopher Jon, who is my live drummer, and recorded some of my own live sounds. A lot of the cymbals and snares came from that session. An couple of songs that did have more electronic type drums were "Stained" and "Unbeliever." I used LinnDrum samples on "Stained," and Reaktor on "Unbeliever."

You're one of the very few truly independent electronic artists, creating every aspect of your music down to the artwork. Why is this important for you?

Shikhee: I think every detail of an album says something, carries a certain vibe, that is part of the whole package. When I look at a cover, it should convey something to me that is connected to the music, that is expressing the music in a visual way, as much as a still picture can.

Why did you choose to put yourself on the album cover?

Shikhee: The Dividing is a very personal album. It needed me on the cover.

The Dividing is dripping with all forms of emotion. Are there times when you say, 'No, I should not put that out for people to see'?

Shikhee: Yes and no. Yes, because it is personal and I am a very private person. And no, because to me art should be honest. My music is what it is coming from me?raw, honest, and visceral. If I try to cover some of it up, it would change its character.

Not only does each song have its own unique mixture of sounds, but also the album in whole has its own mixture. There is no track like the other. How easily do the ideas for each song come? Is it a process in which you feel you must diversify or is it simply what happens, happens?

Shikhee: For a chunk of the time while working on The Dividing, I suffered from writer's block. I was also very depressed, which made it much harder for me to write. Once the block passed, I felt strangely liberated to try different things. A lot of the diversity comes from that, just trying to create new situations and possibilities in sound that I never tried before. I just let things happen as they did, without trying to force it to go in any direction.

The Dividing begins with "Division." It is a very climactic song, with rolling organs and very well harmonized vocals. How did this sequence of sounds originate?

Shikhee: That was one of the later songs I worked on. I wanted to create something a bit epic-like, dramatic, to start the CD. After I wrote it though, I wasn't sure it belonged on the album. I toyed with the idea for a while before deciding to keep it on the album. This is one of the songs that came out with a more rock feel. The heavy organs were influenced by some early Bowie stuff.

"Kingdom of One" has far more punk energy in it that any other track. Is the punk genre something that you follow actively or is it a sound that you have always liked?

Shikhee: I like punk, but I wasn't necessarily looking to write a punk song. I wanted to do an aggressive track, different from what I'd done with Android Lust before. The idea started with the noisy bit that opens the track. I don't remember the original sound, but it was processed through a freeware utility program called Thonk. I was just experimenting with different setting when I came up with that. I laid it on a track in Digital Performer and started playing with it. Then I thought, 'Hmm, maybe it would be cool if I played some guitar over it'.

Is there a specific approach to songwriting that you use, or is each project or phase a new method of writing?

Shikhee: Each song has its own method really. There is no set rules. Some songs start with an idea, some after I've been playing around with a keyboard, or simply from processing sounds. Some just happen accidentally.

"Follow" was the first song that I heard on local college radio, its sounds are epic, chunky, and unique; mainly the harpsichord-like synth that is of the more prominent synth sounds. It seems you have a feel for classical instruments. Are you classically trained in any field of music?

Shikhee: When I was young I had some classical vocal lessons?very briefly though, I didn't enjoy it. I just stopped showing up for the lessons. The teacher's wife had committed suicide and he remarried within three months. I was 9 or 10 years old , but I thought he was an asshole for marrying so soon after his wife died. I never wanted any lessons from him after that. As for instruments, I am pretty much self-taught. I dabble in everything and can't play anything well.

"The Want" is one of the tracks on The Dividing that shows a danceable and aggressive structure. It even resembles some disco textures at times. How did it come about?

Shikhee: It came from a guitar line I processed through a plug-in called RiverRun. I love that plug-in, it can generate some amazing textures and sounds. You can also manipulate it to create rhythmic loops. The song opens with that line. It has a bit of a funky feel I suppose.

"Stained" has the most incredible vocal loop that I have ever heard. It is, as a matter of fact, the first song on The Dividing that I connected with. How did that catchy loop come about?

Shikhee: "Stained" is an older song. It was in the original Android Lust demo "Foreign Body" back in '96. There were three songs on that demo, two of which ended up in comps. "Stained" was never officially released, and it was my favorite track then, so I thought I'd give it a proper release on The Dividing. The vocal loop you're talking about, was originally a synth line from my old TS-10. But in the re-recording process I thought it would work better as a vocal line.

"Stained" is also infected with a rhythmic loop that reminds me of the many droning chunky guitar lines of the grunge days, yet somehow, it chugs along more powerfully than any Les Paul through a Marshall stack. Do you ever approach a synth with the feeling that you're going to show the power of electronics?

Shikhee: No, I know that I can get some mean sounds from my synths if I want to. It's really a matter of what I want in a given song.

How much hard work have you put into Android Lust to get where you are today?

Shikhee: Eight years of hard work, since the project was born. There's not a day goes by when I don't think of how I can take the project further.

What has been the biggest negative influence on your life?

Shikhee: I was always very sick growing up. I had really bad asthma. I used to miss school for weeks and a time. It made me not want to talk to other children because that's what they would ask me about, and my aunts and uncles always wanted to inquire about my health. I guess they meant well, but it made me not want to talk to people at all. I just wanted everyone to leave me alone. I still do.

What aspects of your personal life do you feel need the most musical catharsis?

Shikhee: I can't pinpoint one thing. Nothing particularly horrible happened to me, I am just generally unhappy most of the time. Music purges a little bit of that which I feel always.

What kind of obstacles did you have to overcome while growing up?

Shikhee: Tremendous amount of sexism. Although my own parents were liberal, it was all around me.

Can we expect any more shows before the year's end?

Shikhee: After our show in Boston I am back in the studio full time. Playing live and working in the studio are different heads for me. I find it hard to to write when I am playing live. I'd like to focus my attention to just writing for a while before we start playing again.

Also, are there any future studio plans for remixes or new material?

Shikhee: I wasn't interested in doing a remix E.P. at all, but I got some great mixes in that deserve a proper release. We are thinking of combining those with some acoustic numbers we've been doing live, and put out a limited edition E.P.