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Kosmic Horror
Interviewed by Gary Hill
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Interview with Christian Kumpe of Kosmic Horrör from 2005
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| MSJ:
Tell me about the band - who the members are, where they have come from, the concept, etc - explain it to the readers as they might find this a little "unusual." |
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There is a core of three of us: Mathis (guitar, keys, backing vocals) Kuly(drums,loops, synths)and me(vocals, narration, treatments). Then there is a variety of guests. so we have a structure, not the music, as for example, Sisters of Mercy or Kraftwerk. I love rock music and science fiction - besides a few other things, that don´t belong here. One day, in Kuly´s studio, I produced the TKD, and things snapped. Those were the days, when Laibach and Rammstein used "german" lyrics, to frighten people. I said, let's teach them about the heavy accent! I did some crude beginners translation, of one of our songs, and then discovered my shouting abilities. you may say, that my true genes, started to show. This resulted in a very early version of "Duj tIvoq taH". Then we forgot about it, and I quit music all together. I even sold my Minimoog! Much later Kuly called me, and said, do you remember the Klingon song...?
Meanwhile, I had started thinking about heavy music again, and had also done my homework on cultural studies. That was when KOSMIC HORRÖR hit me. The name was there, Zarkov and the protocol structure. A very elaborate framework, to finally get SciFi and Rock together big time.
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| MSJ: Why did you choose the Klingon mythos? |
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To tell the obvious, rock had an obsession with aliens even back in the fifties. Look at the tlhIngans (that's Klingons in the Klingon language - ed), they´re the bad guys, they wear leather, the hair and all the gear. They are our new global substitute for the huns. Such transformations of the archetypes are potent stuff...and most of all, tlhIngan Hol (language - ed) is the only language that really gives voice to the otherwise rather ridiculous death metal grunt. The tlhIngan bomwI (Klingon singer - ed) can turn it into a shamanistic, beefhaerdian drone, you know.
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| MSJ: What would you see as your musical influences, both personally and also for the project? |
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Well, KOSMIC HORRÖR did a lot of clarification to my listening habits. I used to listen to almost everything except, modern soul or what poses as such and german schlager ( avoid!). To me it all boils down to Tangerine Dream as "Grosse Kosmische Musik" and Blue Öyster Cult as to metal ideology.
For Mathis I guess, that you could determine him by The Police and Pink Floyd, the rest left him unchanged.
That does not mean, that the names that you mentioned are irrelevant, but I prefer older acts in general.
Check out Tangerine Dream´s "Atem" and BÖC´s "Secret Treaties", they are from about the same time. One is very thlIngan in sound, the other in text. A typical example of Earthers getting things wrong.
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| MSJ: Are there any musicians with whom you would like to work in the future? |
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| Zaphod Beeblebrocks of course...but than, I got a crush on Yes´ Chris Squire, he plays his Rickenbacker like a battlecruiser, both with force and intelligence. Have you seen the tlhIngan beard, he sports lately? Thinking about it, I would rather work with him on designing our own brand of menswear. |
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| MSJ: Does your stage show incorporate Klingon themes? If so, how do you do that? |
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| Yes, we have the uniforms, the foreheads, the batleths, and a more significant stance, than the Earthers. Hopefully Mathis will mail you a pic. Every once in a while some fellow warriors from Khemorex Klinzhai (a Klingon fan club - ed) guest in the show. |
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| MSJ: What do you see ahead for the group and yourself? |
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| It is all determined by the decisions at the Imperial Command Center on QonoS'. As far as I can see, the band serves as the spearpoint of the mission, to achieve cultural world dominance, to even the path for complete control. So KOSMIC HORRÖR will continue their campaign in spite of the futile resistance that the Terran music industry, tries to hold up. |
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| MSJ: What was the last CD you bought? |
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Honest? I bought Queen´s "Jazz" album on CD, since my 20 year old tape copy seemed a bit unsatisfying by the time. By the way, does nobody get all the Queen references on "Zarkov vol. 1"?
Also "Get Behind Me Satan" (by The White Stripes - ed) made my jaw drop. Yet this year´s favorite is, ta ta taa! Robert Plant´s "Mighty Rearranger" . The master himself gets back on the rock meets magic subject, and shows us all, how it is done properly.
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| MSJ: What was the last concert you saw for your own enjoyment? |
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| Been some time...Porcupine Tree. I like their proggy-goes-ambient approach very much, yet on record they sound often too pale and British for my liking. So I was amazed, to see that they have a bass player, and a good one also! |
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| MSJ: What has been your biggest Spinal Tap moment? |
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Pretty stiff competition, let´s see...we did the "Karneval Der Kulturen", which is something in between the Love Parade and Mardi Grass in Berlin with 103 waggons and 500,000 plus spectators. Groups from all cultures of this backward planet and us...when we passed the jury we cut off all the pink balloons and most of the TV broadcast wiring. I, being the front tlhIngan, didn´t notice, because I was shouting to the audience on the wrong side of the truck.
It still gives me a good laugh.
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