DIE VERBOTEN

Two years ago, in a villa on the magical White Isle of Ibiza Die Verboten was born, an experimental Krautrock journey with brothers Dewaele - Stephen and David from Soulwax, artist and drummer Fergadelic aka Fergus Purcell and producer Riton aka Henry Smithson. Released on The Vinyl Factory, “Live In Eivissa” is an 18-minute-long space music epic , and audio visual adventure of music, art and film. The music is being kept under wraps, but there is a 30 second teaser here.

Dazed Digital: When did you all first meet?
Fergadelic: Festivals? But the Die Verboten four first came together in Belgium, quite a few years ago, three? I'd met Dave and Steph and then Henry, but the first time we were actually all in a room together, it was in Dave and Steph's studio in Gent. It just totally clicked and we were working on our first piece that same evening.
Dave: Steph and I met Fergus at Leeds Festival in 2003 I think, where he was hanging out with the Zongamin boys. We met Henry in the same year, maybe even same month?
Henry: It was at Plastic People when I first met David and Steph. I was a groupie, Fergus married my sister so, we have two sets of brothers in the group.
Steph: I’ve known Dave for 34 years, I'm Fergus's biggest fan (I have all his t-shirts) and Henry likes to dance shirtless... It was bound to happen.

DD: What does each member bring to the group?
Fergus: All the ideas we can't fit in elsewhere. The group is modular, so that even though some of us have specific instrumental tasks, we divide all the other roles between us on an ad hoc basis. We have no leader.
Dave: We secretly think Fergus is the leader but if the leader says there is no leader, then cool!
Henry: Dave’s the master of guitar, bass and synth so we mainly shout instructions at him from the sofa, occasionally I bring a field recording or two to the table.
Steph: Follow the leader!

DD: What else can you remember from that fateful session in Ibiza two years ago?
Fergus: That it totally ruled! I'll never forget laying down the drum track by the side of the pool, as the sun was setting.
Dave: It made me appreciate the island for the first time, it was so great to experience it without the craziness of the clubs and the people that come with it, and just have the island itself and its collection of freaks and beautiful people.
Steph: Barbeque, short circuit, Phil Evans, Kelly, Dizzy, Herbas, destroyed bedrooms, roofjumping, glass jars with field recorder, palm trees...

DD: How would you describe the 18 minute musical epic?
Fergus: Worth 18 minutes of anyone's time.
Dave: The version I have is a full 19 minutes long, did someone make a 18 minute radio edit? The album is one, almost 20 minute-long track consisting of five “movements” that  hopefully take you on a journey.
Henry: It’s basically a stream of Kraut consciousness. We made it up as we went along and it just kept evolving.
Steph: Four guys with live instruments in someone's Ibiza villa.

DD: What’s forbidden about Die Verboten?
Fergus: At first it was a joke about our situation as a band, given that we have certain contractual agreements... but actually the name to me is more expressive of our willingness to embrace music that's a bit off the radar, a bit forbidden. We love heavy rock action, but we're also very interested in music that's seen as a bit cheesy, a bit forbidden by the taste police. We like that European, soft, electronic funky stuff and that influence is evident in our music, I think.
Dave: The real German translation is actually "Die Verbotenenen" but that didn't sound as good as Die Verboten to us.
Henry: The German influence I guess helped us with coming up with the name. I think it was probably Steph who came up with it.
Steph: Sorry.

DD: What’s next for Die Verboten?
Fergus: Ibiza, the Magick White Island!
Dave: I think we should go for "Live in Evisu" next. Also we have the DieVerbotenDisc (DVD) coming soon.
Henry: More music and another session in Ibiza this year, hopefully.
Steph: I hope Norman Cook will invite us to use his boat so we can sail and record as a live band in the middle of the Mediterranean sea.

Die Verboten “Live In Eivissa” is out on June 29th.