Spanking Machine 23.04.2006 (United States)

Please tell us a little bit more about the band "Spanking Machine" and the band members.
MVK: That's a big question.
LS: The shortest answer: Spanking Machine are a group of people who love dark culture, intense clubbing and elevated states of mind – and we want to make music for like minded souls around the world.

Where are you from?
MVK: We all live in downtown Los Angeles now but I'm originally from a part of California loftily called the "Inland Empire". It is an eastern suburb of Los Angeles usually known as a more rugged area of California. It's closer to the desert, surrounded by mountains which make the smog unbearable. It’s generally more extreme in people and climate. Los Angeles is extreme too but in a different way. Substitute Hummers for rebel flags.
LS: I'm originally from Reno, Nevada. One of the few states in the U.S. where gambling and prostitution are legal, but you can get 12 years in prison for marijuana. It's a land of strange contradictions and constant battles between people who want to act like adults and the religious zealots who see us all as children.†
Kiki: California Raised. Currently residing in Los Angeles.

Since year does the band exist?
MVK: We began in 1997 as a group of friends wanting to experiment. As the band got more serious other people came and went until we got down to the heart and really focused our efforts. For the last couple of years LS and I have been determined to take this project as far as it can possibly go. We stayed in Los Angeles way too long. You can only play the same people for so long. Now that we've toured the South and got a taste of what it is like, we are hungry to continue.

Where did you get the name "Spanking Machine" from?
MVK: It came from the practice of people standing in a line with their legs spread and someone crawls underneath while the standing people spank them. It is a perfect way to express what we are doing. It is provocative and cold. Human and mechanical. Plus it has the added fetish factor and great initials.

How would you describe your music?
MVK: We are dark electronic dance music. Solidly fitting into a genre has always been a big problem for us. We're not easily categorized although I've heard us described as EBM, Industrial, Electro and any other number of genres. It is a fine line you have to walk between doing what you hear in your head, what works to get your body moving and what a record company thinks is marketable. We’re obviously leaning more toward the side of pleasing ourselves because we are still doing this all on our own just to prove it can be done. And so far we’re finding that even in the smallest towns people are putting on their collars and spanking each other on the dancefloor. It means the world to me to see people who have kept themselves hidden let loose at our shows.
LS: I think record labels, and some DJs, care more about the various classifications of music than the people on the dancefloor. EMB? IDM? TBM? It's all just about what gets you moving. It's so boring when people limit themselves to the confines of a genre.
Kiki: Warm fuzzy vibrations in your ear .

Where do you normally play your shows?
MVK: We've been focused on Fetish Balls, Dominatrix Conventions and Goth Clubs. You'd be surprised how many there are. But we always knew we needed to branch out.
LS: Lately, we've been taking the show on the road and playing a true variety of clubs and events – everything from industrial, to fetish, to gothic nights.

Is music the most important thing in your life?
MVK: Second only to my husband. Music has always been incredibly important to me. I've been clubbing since I was 13 and have basically been in a club every week since, sometimes several times a week. Lately though it has been hard to find one that plays the latest music. Those that do really impress me. 80's clubs feel really outdated. I can't believe today's youth would be satisfied with living in the past like that. They could never get me to go to a 50's sock hop when I was a teen. That was my mom's era. I'd rather live in mine.
LS: We eat, breathe, drink and intravenously inject electronic music. In all seriousness, music is a part of everything we do in life.

Who writes the lyrics for the songs and who is reponsible for the music? †
MVK: I write the lyrics.
LS: And I come up with music and handle the synth programming.
Kiki: I help the blood flow thru the cables with my bass rythums.

What do you like more? Playing live or being in studio to create and record new songs?
MVK: I'd rather be on stage than in a studio any day.
LS: Both have their pleasures. Nothing can compare to the energy you get from a good audience. But there's also something quite incredible about making a synth create a sound you've never heard before or coming up with a melody line that gives you chills. Of course, when working on a new song, it's always the thought of the effect it will have on the audience that really gets you excited.

I love your new CD "Now Lie in It"! The cover is also really intersting! Who designed the cover and who decides which songs will be released on a new CD?
MVK: Thank you. I designed the CD. It is meant to represent the different ways we can live our life. The cover represents those that chose to live their life uncomfortably. I prefer something much more cozy, so that is why I am pictured on the flip side relaxing on a bed. But we all choose a bed of nails from time to time. The album is meant to subtly be a concept piece both with the photos and the music. On the inside each member is pictured on the same bed. This is meant to be how we all have a set amount of time, a life, but what we surround ourselves with is how we end up with such different experiences. Each one of us chose our own fetish and acted it out on the bed. I leave those up to your own interpretation.
LS: Deciding which tracks are going to be on the CD is sort of a natural process. We don't strive to have a certain number of fast songs or slow numbers. If we really love playing a certain song, it will make it to the CD.

Did you ever shoot a video? If not: Do you want to shoot a video one day?
MVK: We have not yet shot a video but yes, we want to shoot one badly. Time and money are the main factors holding us back. It certainly isn't a lack of ideas.

Are you getting much support from radio, TV or magazines in your country?
MVK: Internet radio and web magazines love us and offer a tremendous amount of support. But American radio is shite as is TV. MTV doesn't even play the latest videos here unless they are rap or "alternative" rock. I think you have to first be a Christian group in order to get a video on MTV here. Magazines are great, we've been in quite a few.
LS: Fortunately, there are also a few independent radio stations out there who have not been bought up by big companies. There's also college radio. Both have been supportive of our music. We're also hoping that some opportunities open up on satellite radio. It seems very promising.

Which music do you like privat? Do you hear your own music at home?
MVK: I've been listening to a lot of Trance lately. Right now I am very much into Armin Van Buuren and Marcus Schultz. Occasionally I listen to the CD but I'm far too critical to really give it a good sit down.
LS: At home, we put on a lot of internet radio stations and listen to what's happening in Europe on the trance, industrial and synthpop scenes. When we listen to our CD, it's usually one section of a song, looped over and over, while we are thinking of remix ideas or how we could do something differently for the next release.
Kiki: Having the pleasure to be a Spanking Machine fan before i joined the family a few years ago, i cant help but to reach into my CD collection and slip it into my player.

What do you thing about Myspace?
MVK: Best promotional tool ever invented.
LS: It's the savior of independent artists. In fact, I would say it's the radio of our generation. We recently played a two week tour and every date was booked was through connections made on MySpace.

What are your further plans?
MVK: We are currently very busy putting together tours. We do everything ourselves so it ends up being a lot of work. The obsession right now is to tour the US and in the fall hopefully make our way into Europe. We are also working on new songs and a new album.
LS: We'll also be releasing remixes of songs on our current CD. We're putting finishing touches on a Rectify remix. And there are a number of DJs around the world who are doing remixes. We hope to get some out later this year. Then, this winter, we'll be diving heavily into working on tracks for the next CD.

Will you ever play in Germany?
MVK: Touring Europe is our number one goal. Getting into the festivals would be wonderful!

Thank you so much for the interview! I hope I´ll see you one day live!!!
DaniK

Spanking Machine on myspace: www.myspace.com/spankingmachinemusic

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