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Malte: Definitely. We have changed a lot in the last two years, DDieter has joined as the new bassist, and I haven't been around much longer either. New people, new ideas; plus a lot of new (musical) freedom, you can hear and feel that, and that's how we came up with the title.
Wuschel: This and your predecessor were released on NIX GUT RECORDS. Was that your first choice, or did you not even try with other labels?
Malte: For "Alles unter Kontrolle" we were already looking, and NG was very interesting for us. For "Leinen los!" it was a mutual wish; NG wanted to make the record and fully supported us, so there was hardly any choice...
Wuschel: The music of KOLPORTEURE cannot be pigeonholed into the typical German punk corner. How would you best describe your music? And do you have specific influences in your songwriting?
Malte: I believe that everyone has absolutely different influences, which makes it difficult to find an accurate description for our music. Punk rock with many influences from other directions, from pop to metal.
Wuschel: You live in Berlin. Isn't it sometimes difficult to build a loyal audience due to the large number of bands and music?
Malte: Yep. We've been working on it for 11 years...
Wuschel: Your first albums were released on AMÖBENKLANG, which was also responsible for the first DRITTE WAHL releases. How did this contact come about?
Pat: Back then, we won a rock competition in Marzahn, and as a result, we were able to record a tape (yes, that’s what we did back then). We then sent it around a bit, and Alge was actually the first to immediately say, "Great, I want you." We only found out later that DRITTE WAHL was also there, although the guys apparently liked us and recommended us to Alge. That was in 1996.
Wuschel: The Berlin district of "Lichtenberg" has been in the headlines a lot lately. Right-wing terror seems to be the order of the day there. Does this situation concern you, and do you see yourselves as a political band?
Malte: I wouldn't go so far as to call us a political or even propagandistic band, but we certainly have our standpoint, which we express when we feel it is necessary. It’s clear that this situation concerns us.
Pat: Well, we have actually made it clear from the beginning where we stand. Our background alone made a clear positioning necessary; songs like "1995" speak a clear, unequivocal language: Fight against fascism!
Wuschel: Your lyrics are rarely direct. You avoid clichés and slogans. Is that your intention? Do you want to distinguish yourselves from other German-speaking bands?
Malte: We wanted to avoid censorship ;) It's not about calling out, "Onward to battle!"—there's already enough of that. And it doesn't make things better. Many things that move us start quite simply and small, and from such simplicities arise many of our lyrics.
Pat: A conscious "distinction" from other bands was never intended. But every band finds its own words to sing about its little world... so do we. At least I always had a strange feeling when the lyrics were too easily interpretable...
Wuschel: With the piece "FREIHEIT" by Georg Danzer, you made a very unusual choice. How did that come about?
Malte: Patrick brought the text, and we were thrilled with it.
Pat: It just so happened that DDieter, as an old Austrian, liked Danzer, and the suggestion to interpret "Freiheit" came from both of us. I've had this record for about 15 years and just really liked it.
And besides, you don't have to cover something that everyone already knows, right?
Wuschel: I really like all the tracks on the current album. Were some tracks created only in the studio, or was the recipe clear from the beginning?
Malte: Thank you, thank you! Actually, all the songs were already there beforehand, but still, a lot of things, especially small playfulness in the studio, came about. Here a melody, there some effects... The only song that really came about spontaneously was "Swing in sie hinein"—it was actually just a gag; we gave our drummer Jan some brooms and persuaded him to play "Tief in sie hinein" with them. And suddenly it was totally beautiful, and everyone knew: this thing has to be on the album!
KOLPORTEURE
