Dark rockers. Unzucht was started out as a project that would develop into what it is now. Over that span of time, the band has played shows, toured, written and recorded material for numerous releases including their most recent being "Venus Luzifer" with new material a work in progress. Drummer Fuhrmann discusses that release, the new material, and wanting to tour, tour, tour!
1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.
Fuhrmann: Unzucht started out as a project from De Clercq (Guitar, Programming) and Der Schulz (Vocals). I later joined as a manager and then live drummer. We played our first show in December 2009 and our second one in April 2010. That was when we knew it would become a real, proper band - so we're almost 5 years old now! We started playing lots of festivals, got our new bass player Blaschke in 2011, signed a record deal - and now we have already released three albums, an EP and several singles and video clips. We just finished our second and so far biggest headline tour in Europe with Death Valley High from San Francisco as support.
2. What’s the story of the band’s name?
Fuhrmann: I don't know who came up with it, but we just thought it's an awesome sounding word. It's really old school German language, nobody really uses it anymore, and it has some really creepy connotations. It's about sexual things you're not supposed to do according to religion.
3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
Fuhrmann: One half of the band is based in Hameln, where it started, and the other half in Leipzig. Hameln is kinda small, but still both cities have really vibrant music scenes. Of course, Leipzig is known for it's annual book fair, which is ones of the biggest ones in Europe, and for the annual WGT (Wave-Gotik-Treffen), a huge gathering of the worldwide dark/gothic scene with like a hundred live bands and tons of events. Local bands I recommend are Annisokay from Leipzig (www.facebook.com/annisokay) and Sonic Skies from Hameln (www.facebook.com/SonicSkies).
4. How would you describe your style? Which bands influenced your music?
Fuhrmann: It's basically rock music, sometimes very dark, with heavy guitars and electronic elements. Our influences range from all kinds of metal to pop music, like At The Gates to Katy Perry. Nine Inch Nails is a band we can all agree on, but that doesn't mean we try to sound like them.
5. What's your favorite song on "Venus Luzifer" right now?
6. Do you have any new music in the works in terms of a follow-up release to "Venus Luzifer"?
Fuhrmann: Yes, definitely! The music never stops, there are new riffs and lyrics being written in Hameln as I type this in Leipzig.
7. How do you promote your band and shows?
Fuhrmann: We have a street team called Triebwerk and a fan club called Das Kommando. They do a great job passing out flyers and spreading the word. We obviously have a website (www.unzucht-music.com), are pretty active on Facebook (www.facebook.com/unzucht) and also have a webshop with t-shirts and stuff (www.unzuchtshop.com) that ships worldwide. Other than that, we try to do as many interviews as we can, which are mostly set up by our label. And, of course, we have our own channel on YouTube (www.youtube.com/user/unzuchtofficial) with more than just the official video clips: We create our own show called "Das Gothic Internat" (the gothic boarding school) which is already more than 100 episodes in that you can all view online! We film a lot, backstage and at almost every show. Lots of drunk shenanigans and stuff.
8. Could you describe your shows, visually and musically for those who may have not seen you before?
Fuhrmann: It's a really intense rock show and the crowds does get really involved. Lots of singing and clapping and swaying along. We have a great female light engineer from France, Nasa, who also does lights for our brothers Lord Of The Lost, and she does an awesome job to enhance the mood.
9. What have you done to prepare yourselves for this tour?
Fuhrmann: Record a great album, Venus Luzifer, and then try to play as many good songs as good as we can by locking ourselves up in our rehearsal room near the Weser river and just play, play, play.
10. What can the fans expect to hear on this tour?
Fuhrmann: We had a full length set with songs from all three albums, no complaints as far as I know.
11. Do you have anymore plans to play more shows and go on tour?
Fuhrmann: Yes, we're preparing a couple of special anniversary shows. These will take place in Hameln on April 30th in Goslar on May 1st. Special extra long sets with special guest The Fright (www.facebook.com/TheFrightOfficial). Then we'll play some great festivals during the summer like Hexentanz, Blackfield, and M'era Luna with Nightwish and Rob Zombie. And after that, we'll tour even more, but that is still being planned.
12. What should labels/zines/promoters know about your band? Why should they be interested in it?
Fuhrmann: We're one of Germany's most up and coming underground bands! Actually, we're not that underground anymore, since we've already entered the charts with our albums twice. But we're one of the most interesting bands in the dark scene right now, crossing over into metal and all kinds of other scenes. And our show in London last month was really great, too, so we're not limited to just Germany. Fuck the language barrier, it doesn't really exist!
13. What plans do you have for the future?Fuhrmann: Write new songs, put them out, and most importantly: Tour, tour, tour! We want to go to Russia, Belarus, Sweden, Finland, Spain, Canada, Mexico, the US... there's so many places we need to play!
14. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
Fuhrmann: You can listen to Unzucht on Spotify and Last FM and YouTube, you can buy it on iTunes and Amazon and EMP! If it's not available in your country yet: we're working on it.
15. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?
Fuhrmann: "Once I started to really listen, I was hooked!"
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