TripOutNY meets Analog Pussy

By Ari (arid@djcentral.com)

November 2004

 Jiga and Jinno of Analog Pussy have taught us to always expect the unexpected when it comes to their take on psytrance. From mega-raves to trance stomps around the world, for over a decade, they continue to roll out the freshest sonic wares and just rock it! They take on trance never letting go of the raw sounds of analog synths and punk rock guitars, both of which define their musical roots. And their distinct approach does not just end there. Ever since the early 90’s, they’ve toured all the time and harnessed the growing reach of the internet, both to build worldwide recognition for Analog Pussy that goes far beyond the usual psytrance fare. Now owners of their label AP Records while living in the countryside in Germany, Jiga and Jinno find themselves enjoying total creative freedom. Their latest release is a set of remixes of their popular track “Future” by the likes of Son Kite, SBK and Indica. Here are some thoughts Jiga and Jinno have just shared with us.

So several months after the release of Trance N Roll album, how has it been received in Europe and elsewhere in the world?

Jiga: It was received well especially in Europe. We weren’t sure how will a

Rocky-Punky album go down in a scene where generic boom boom trax are the trend makers.

Then when we played ”Future” and “Psycho Punko” live on stage for the first time. People were singing the lyrics with us, and we knew we changed something in the face of the Psy Music.

This album has a new direction compared to your previous work. Did your fans appreciate it as much as you had hoped? Have they come to expect that AP will stay fresh and on the cutting edge with each new release?

Jinno: People who appreciate our work know they can expect the unexpected from us.

After releasing our first album “Psycho Bitch from Hell” we were labeled as a full-on goa band. Then we came out with “Underground” - groovy minimal Trance album and some people were disappointed as they expected us to sound the same.

Later on people just realized we do what we do, what we want, when we want.

We don’t care for the fashionable sound in the market. Having a record label of our own helped to solve this issue completely. We owe no explanation to anyone and we have a total freedom to create in different fields of inspiration.

“Trance N Roll” sounds like the simplest and most fitting title for this album, but I bet it wasn’t easy to settle on this name…

Jiga: Actually it was. Since the concept was very clear – Trance and Rock motives, so we were standing in the kitchen thinking – roll and trance, rock and psy, and then together we shouted – “Trance N Roll”!

Analog Pussy is unconventional in so many ways... in music, in personality and in approach. Do you find that all this helps you reach out to people beyond the traditional trance communities around the globe?

Jinno: we do reach people and factors beyond the Psy-Trance scene, and I believe it has a strong connection to being independent artists and label owners. We can release a track with vocals on it, without being afraid to be rejected, and thus be widely exposed in other communities as well. We can decide to release computer games based on our music or a DVD with our videos; we just keep our minds open, learn from the industry and implement our knowledge in the business while maintaining our integrity as artists.

You understood very early that you were pretty much powerless against people copying your music through bootlegs and the internet. You’ve found a formula to deal with this. How has your “If you can’t beat them, join them” attitude affected the business end of your work, specifically promotion and finances?

Jiga: when it was time to write the traditional copyrights warning on the CD I thought; why, that is so missing the point. If one downloads this music over the internet, they will never see the warning anyway. And even if they did, they wouldn’t care. A more elegant approach was to grant permission to copy if you’re broke and encourage you to promote our band in return. It’s too soon to tell how it has affected the business side, but my overall feeling is that it was a smart move.

Your live performances are in sharp contrast to what most have come to expect at a usual psytrance party. Does it work like, the more personal energy you give, the more feedback you get?

Jiga: Normally yes. The more heart and soul I put in the more excited the audience is.

Sometimes it doesn’t happen. I’ve had shows where I gave it all and people didn’t get it, or didn’t want to. In these cases I learn to appreciate even more the magical shows where it does work.

Jinno: I can’t formulate what drives what. For me it just happens and I prefer not to analyze it or think about it. One of the things we do that is quite unusual is rehearsing before our shows. Just like any other rock band. So that when we come to play, we don’t have to constantly worry about technical details. We can be reassured that everything is working perfectly and we can concentrate on how we feel. I believe that’s the main magic of our live show.

That moment during a live performance, when you’re at the climax of a massive build-up and a great crowd is really feeling it… then drop! Is the rush better than sex or what?

Jinno: not better than sex… but definitely a rush. Doesn’t matter if I feel sick before or tired, during and after a show we feel on the top of the world physically and mentally.

Jiga: it’s different in my case – the chemicals in my blood go nuts in my system.

It comes about half an hour after the show ended. I call it “the big down”, the greater the adrenaline in the show, the better the party is, the more I sink into an empty nothingness later on. It takes about 18 hours to get my natural chemicals back to normal.

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Every performer has that one silly moment on stage they’ll always remember. Yours?

Jiga: sliding on the floor from a wet stage, falling on my ass with a synth in my hands,

But keep on playing it laughing.

Jinno: seeing Jiga sliding on the floor.

What else are you two into besides the music? It’s hard to imagine anything can bring you as much joy…

Jiga: I like anything that has to do with network, I would probably be a network consultant if I wasn’t a musician. I also like eating food with my hands.

Jinno: nothing.

What have you heard about our US trance community and party scene?

Jiga: heard that it’s very small, narrow minded and concentrates mainly in NY. Can’t say for sure before we play there ourselves.

Jinno: we played a few time in the US in non Psy-Trance events. Mainly in raves across the US. That was nice because it was very different than what we are used to.

The way people dance and dress and react was new to us and it was interesting to experience that. It also gave us a chance to play for people who never heard of us or Psy-Trance before.

Where is your tour schedule taking you over the coming months?

Jiga: Switzerland, Tokyo, Germany, Chile.

Your upcoming release is a remixes CD to “Future”, taken from your last album “Trance N Roll”; what kind of experience is it for you to hear your work combined with other people's perspectives?

Jinno: besides the joy this project brought to us, it was a learning experience.

It’s one thing to have your track remixed by another person and it’s another thing to have one track remixed by 10 different artists. Each remix is unique with a different interpretation and touch. It showed us once again that music isn’t about a clean production and expensive studio gear. It’s about feeling, it’s about soul.

You can find out more at www.analog-pussy.com