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FAQs
Questions to Ultraviolence writer and producer Johnny Violent |
| Q/
Why are you called Ultraviolence? A/ Primarily because it sounds cool. Also, the obvious influence of "A Clockwork Orange" (film and book) and the Sigue Sigue Sputnik "Love Missile F1-11" track that sampled the film - I was a big fan of theirs in the late eighties before recording under the name. It also sums up much of the music - whether the violence be sonic, emotional or both in nature. |
| Q/
Who is Ultraviolence? A/ On all the albums so far it has just been myself with hired performers (see performers section of this site.) Currently band member Allezbleu does angle grinding and vocals and Charlie Sanderson is our regular live singer. |
|
Q/ Where can
I buy Ultraviolence CDs and vinyl? |
| Q/
You recorded an album called "Shocker" as Johnny Violent.
What is the difference between that and Ultraviolence? A/ I recorded a track entitled "Johnny is a Bastard" just for fun, really. I like what I do as Ultraviolence to be long lasting and to have some kind of depth - this just didn't fit in so I decided to release it under the name Johnny Violent. I recorded an album's worth of such material (gabber with a sense of humour, really) and that's how the project came about. |
| Q/
What musical equipment do you use? A/ See the studio section for full run down. |
| Q/
On the "Shocker" album does the track "Burnout"
really reach 20,000,000bpm? How was it done? A/ Yes it does, more or less. My software at the time went up to 999bpm and the bars could be split into 384ths, so this reaches around 96,000 bpm. I then sampled it as a break and pitched it up (3 octaves = x8) then resampled it until approximately 20,00,00 was reached. At the time it seemed to be considered an achievement in the gabber genre to make tracks as fast as possible - the point of the track was to poke fun at this and end any "I'm the fastest..." style of debate. |
| Q/
Why don't you use back projections in your live shows? A/ Because I think they look a bit cliched and uninteresting and I think if the audience start watching them then they can't be enjoying the gig very much. I tried it on one tour and the hassle and expense really wasn't worth it. |
| Q/
What is your favourite colour? A/ Anything metallic - especially blue, gun metal, brushed titanium and black. Except for on shite cars which should all be made in dildo pink by law. |
| Q/
What is the classical music sample used in the tracks Darkroom and
Airbreak? A/ "Montagues and Capulets" from Prokofiev's "Romeo and Juliet" ballet. Some may know it from Disney's Fantasia as well as other sources. |
| Q/
Why do you use female vocals and shit? I preferred you when you were
hardcore. A/ I can't stand to listen to just fast bass drums and abrasive noises for too long - it simply doesn't sound harsh, fast or aggressive any more - just a wash of noise. I really like writing lyrics and melodies and they break up the harder elements beautifully. To me, any music is about pace and if it's just the same all the way through it's like travelling on an aeroplane - you might know it's doing 500mph but there's nothing interesting about it. Apart from the take off and landing. |
| Q/
Yeah, but it's alot happier as well. A/ Not all of it is. Again, I find contrasts interesting. I used to write mostly about sadness and anger but I find it alot better to add other elements as well otherwise everything becomes dull. |
| Q/
You named an album "Killing God" and God also features in
some of your other works. Are you religious or maybe some kind of
Satanist? A/ Neither. To me the concept of religion is a bit weird - like believing in ghosts, elves and shit. The use God in my work is as a symbol of power - a universal symbol that is easy to understand. |
| Q/
Your sounds are quite visual. Are you influenced by films? A/ Yes, I love films though it's hard to say what influence they've had on my music. Some of the soundtracks that were an early influence on me include "Day of the Dead", "The Burning" and those by John Carpenter. So mostly horror. Lately, the most interesting score I've heard was that of "Ichi the Killer" which should be compulsory listening due to it's sheer "out there" qualities. This is probably due to the fact that the director had the composer write forty pieces of music based on the "Ichi the Killer" cartoon and then inserted them into the film at seemingly random intervals. |
| Q/
Are you a Nazi? A/ No! Alec Empire from Atari Teenage Riot once said I was in an interview - he also said I'd approached him to remix one of my tracks which is also untrue. People with crappy political agendas normally tell lies. I used a sample from a Hilter speech in the track "Searching Hell" from the "Psycho Drama" album - the music is set in hell and Hitler is referred to as an "ogre of history" in the sleeve notes. But perhaps that gave him the idea. |
| Q/
What is the most bizarre question you have been asked in an interview? A/ "Which would you prefer? To live in a techno hell or the prison of a Gameboy?" |
| Q/
What did you answer? A/ I didn't. The interviewer's English wasn't very good so I just mumbled on until he got bored and concluded the conversation! |