Interview with Hard Wired

HW: I'd like to start with an introduction to the band and its history.
Sakari: Glenn and Patrick are the original masterminds, planning and making material for two years before contacting the rest of us. The sound and scene was not negotiable when the rest of us received our respective posts. And there was no need – we’re all dedicated to doing this just so, for as long as it takes.
This is not to be confused with static parameters and pose-prone maintenance of a sound. We’ve just agreed upon a way of doing things that demands forbiddance of some behaviour, on and off-stage. Compared with our charts, there is no history yet to be spoken of. We’ve just started. Square one has received us well.

HW: I've just heard the "Bunker" e.p, how did the title come about?
Sakari: We wanted to give a hint as to the bands whereabouts and just how close we’d like to let the listeners come. The Bunker release was hurried, and we see ourselves capable of a long run of massive soundscapes, allowing eventually for the intimacy we neglected this time round. Also, the various basements housing our operation makes you think in this concrete and steel, humid sort of way.

HW: My first impression of the e.p was how much your sound reminded me of Nine Inch Nails. Do you regard these as a main influence?
Sakari: For some of us, it might well be so. But I trust this association will weaken when more of our work is available. And when we have the resources to flesh out sessions as envisioned.

HW: What was the thinking behind the atmospherial track "Weeping Wall"?
Sakari: We have a good share of ambient along in everything we do. Weeping Wall is just a teaser here – in shows we’ve used it as an intro/outro. We’ve thought about an ambient-only release, or series, and also seen that guitarless gentle noise is appreciated at longer gigs.

HW: There is a new album scheduled for a summer release. Can you shed a little light on what you have to offer with it?
Sakari: First – the release is late. We were close to done, when we found a few adjustments needed, then this turned into a want for new material, which we’re working on now. It might just be hubris or impatience. Or getting closer to what we wanted in the first place. You’ll just have to wait for it.

HW: I was recently at a gig in London, when a DJ played "Nothing" between sets. How does it make you feel when you hear of your music being appreciated in other countries?
Sakari: It would have to be so, as there is no market for this back home. So it’s been in the equation from the start, and not really much of a surprise. But still appreciated when it came to be, of course.

HW: Are you keen on playing live, I believe you are appearing at a festival soon?
Sakari: Yes – of course. There is nothing better.
We also seem to handle live acts better than studio work - this far. People who graciously award us a sound or other need to hear us up front, prior to concluding. Now Arvika will be more of a relaxed act – One could be tempted to say ‘fun’. Thus we’ll allow ourselves to present some new material.

HW: What subjects are Zensors lyrics based on?
Sakari: We’re exploring some thoughts and trauma - which were much of the nerve and motivation for this all in the first place – so it’s an ongoing story. An absolute machine/man/function interdependency scenario. No escapism or pre-solved wake up calls.

HW: What do you consider to be advantages and disadvantages to being a full five piece band?
Sakari: There’s the possibility of a larger sound – more units to vary the output. More heads with opinioned viewpoints and stories – More resources. We couldn’t have made this sort of product with a smaller number, either.

HW: Describe to us the mind of a typical Zensor fan?
Sakari: Our influence has not been present for long enough for anyone to be purely a Zensor addict, but eventually, there should be a crowd considering themselves nodes in a viral complex idea – a grid of strategies to allow full frontal living, an urgency in presence – a want to “Take It On” – whatever the nemesis proves out to be – and prefer defeat to ignorance. Acknowledging every shitty deficiency, rather than some velvet untouchable or glossy deicide.

HW:: What was the reaction from Angel Productions when you approached them with your demo?
Sakari: They’d already heard us live – And presented us with the possibility of a contract. So it was a done deal in advance. Transcribe this to “They were very keen on signing us and showed great interest in our approach”.

HW: Are you content with how the media treat the Scandinavian scene?
Sakari: No – of course not. You’d get the idea that there is no scene at all – at least not the electronica infected kind – or that it concerns only a few asocial anti-adepts. This might well be changing now. At least there seem to be a growing tolerance to noise.

HW: Do you have a message for our website?
Sakari: Keep up the work, yeah? And thanks for having an ear out.