1. Congratulations on the release of 'Solid State Chemicals.' Can you tell us about the inspiration behind the album's title and its overarching themes?
I (Christian) kind of nicked the title from a super smart mate of mine who is a chemistry doctor and professor at the university in Hamburg. He was telling me about a book he was publishing called “Solid State Chemistry”. I loved the sound of it and when I tried to repeat it, being the simpleton that I am, I misspoke and said “Solid State Chemicals”. Which sounded even better, and I immediately knew I had to use it. I also love how it works as an album title giving association to many things all at once (drugs, love, politics, etc.). And rest assured I got my mates blessing to use it (haha).
2. Your decision to make the album available on streaming platforms for only one month is quite unique: What motivated this bold distribution strategy?
Alternative, indie and independent artists like of us have very little to lose be exploring new distribution methods… Because one thing is clear. The current model is broken. When you hold up the costs of creating against the financial and promotional rewards of basically giving away music and content for free on spotify, youtube, instagram, etc. it's clear that the current web2 music distribution model is killing diversity and is ultimately bad for non-mainstream culture. That’s why we’re taking it off the likes of Spotify and making it available in the Web3 space (NFT’s), it can also be purchased on iTunes, Vinyl and CD. What we love about Web3 is that it enables us to claim value again. For example when we sell 50 limited digital versions (so called NFT’s) of a single or album and the real fans can collect them and they will get something special on top that you can’t find anywhere else (b-sides, etc). Making your art limited and valuable again. And it works. We’re making more income via web3 platforms like Lens than we are on Web2 giants like Spotify. But we’re of course a tiny indie band with punk attitudes. So it's not sure that our approach would work with artists with broader ambitions…
3. Working with Flemming Rasmussen must have been an incredible experience. How did his influence shape the sound and production of 'Solid State Chemicals'?
We’ve worked with Flemming as our producer since day 1 (also on our EP and debut album) and we count ourselves very lucky to have him onboard. Flemming should be an inspiration to us all. Still as motivated and curious to find the right sound as a 20 year old would be, but with 40 years of experience and an incredibly well equipped studio (Sweet Silence Studios) to turn all of those ideas into reality. It always feel like the perfect creative space when we enter his studios. I think Flemming’s greatest strength is to guide us into to get the most out of ourselves. He has a real knack for that.
4. The album incorporates some unique elements like the Turkish Sazguitar and whistling solos; Can you share the story behind these choices and how they contribute to the album's sound?
Both Flemming and the band are well into layering and wall of sound productions (there’s often 50+ things going on at the same time on the tracks, although you will only hear it if you listen very carefully). Re. the saz guitar I just had the spontaneous idea that maybe we should make use of Günes Turkish heritage and bring the saz to the studio. Once Flemming and I heard Günes lay down the iconic opening picking on “The Hurricane” we were sold (we ended using the saz on half of the album). The whistling was also very spontaneous and another “wall of sound” idea. Fun fact: We’re currently recording our 3rd album and I can safely say that we’re only using more elements like the saz and whistling now. We love the psychedelic color it adds to our sound….
5. Your debut album 'Too Many Too Much' was recorded during the lockdown and led to major festival performances - How did that experience impact the creation of your second album?"
The debut was such a great surprise for all of us - we had wanted to start a band for some time and finally we had the chance to write and record. The fact that Flemming joined us was so surreal and surprising. So in our case something good did come of the lockdown… the international interest, touring and shows that followed definitely rooted DEAD STAR TALK in reality, and is probably the reason why the band became more than just another lockdown project. Thank God for that. I believe we’re in it for the long haul regardless of where that takes us.
6. With the limited release on vinyl and NFT, what do you hope to achieve in terms of connecting with your fans and the broader music community?
Primarily we want to walk the talk. We all started in punk rock, and we’d like to believe that we still have some of it left in us. So many creatives are complaining about the streaming realities of releasing music in 2024 but most people do nothing about it. I also believe that the real fans will buy your art, and that we don’t necessarily need to make all of our music available to the casual listeners. But let’s see…
7. The lyrical content of 'Solid State Chemicals' draws from the Pop Art movement - How do you blend these artistic influences with your music, and what message are you aiming to convey?
We love over-using big bold “words and sentences” such as the album title “Solid State Chemicals” in our songs and building the rest of the lyrics around them. Like an Andy Warhol piece - but sonically speaking. It can be so deceptively simple. It's very accessible but leaves a lot of room for interpretation. We owe a lot to Pop Art in the regard.
8. As a band with diverse cultural backgrounds, how do your individual experiences and influences come together to create the unique sound of DEAD STAR TALK?
I think the beauty of it is that we all see that world and music through different lenses, and bring a diverse pallet of cultural heritage to the mix. Such as the Saz-guitar. It’s however also clear to us that nationality is probably more of a label than anything else. Because at the end of the day it’s about the people and not their passports. The deep and long-standing friendships that led to the creation of DEAD STAR TALK is a real testament to that…
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