LeveL – 1 interview

11/19/2016 – Hot off the interview with POWERCYAN and Tommy ’86, Slickster reached out to LeveL -1. The Boys from Berlin are back with a new #SYNTHWAVE album.  In a steadily growing genre it can be difficult to stand out.  Especially in electronic music. (#EDM)  We caught up with Level -1 to discuss, Human X Machine, and see what else they up too.  We had a good chat on the EDM scene in Berlin, Germany as well.

Let’s start with the band name, LeveL – 1. It’s pronounced ‘Level Minus One’, what does that mean? Why the uppercase ‘L’ at the end of LeveL? Does the palindrome mean something or just look fucking cool?

First, thank you for inviting us to this interview!
In 2012, we decided to do some chip/8-bit influenced music ’cause we both are into old school consoles (c64, Atari 2600, Amiga 500/but also Sega, Nintendo, etc.).

All in all, we were quite happy about our development but hadn’t a band name. One day, we remembered the game-glitch on Mario for the NES, where you are trapped in a level that goes on and on and on and has no ending – that’s “level -1.” So, we basically thought it would be a cool name and a nice analogy for – let’s hope – “a never ending story.” haha 🙂

Afterwards in 2015 we evolved with our music and wanted to combine it with 80s-based synthwave/retrowave/cyberpunk-esque/industrial music.

Like you interpreted correctly – it’s just for the aesthetics! 😉

Human X Machine is the third album you guys have created, correct?

Not quite.

1. VR Dystopia (EP)
2. VR Revolution (EP)
3. VR Apocalypse (Album LP)
4. Human X Machine (EP)

So, the first three releases are one section of a “kind of” concept/story.

More on Bandcamp: https://levelminusone.bandcamp.com/releases

Advertisement, hurray! 🙂

One thing I noticed right away is that you use chord changes that keep the listener guessing. Whereas a lot of synthwave or chip tune music stays fairly well within tonal boundaries, you guys use more chromatic chords to keep it interesting. Can you talk a little about your use of harmony in the tracks?

Sure, we’re quite into specific harmonies that underlines the scenery. So, the changes are sometimes necessary to keep the blood pumpin’! 🙂

Whether it shall highlight the aggressiveness the atmosphere in general or the beauty.

The song arrangement and structures otherwise are sometimes very classic – but it depends on how we decide to process with the song.

There are some great sound bites on Human X Machine. For example the open track uses the signature line from 1988 Sega game Altered Beast, ‘Welcome To Your Doom!’ Where are the samples for Motor X5000 and Die Auferstehung des Technomancers from?

Motor X5000 contains samples from the anime “Akira” and the beginning/interlude speech from “Die Auferstehung des Technomancers” were spoken from my companion and me. 🙂

Staying on the topic of sampling you have the great line of dialogue from The Terminator (1984) at of track 6, Human X Machine. It is the scene from the James Cameron movie when Kyle Reese is sent back from the future and describes to Sarah Conner what a terminator is. There is a very precise sync point when Reese says, ‘…And it absolutely will not stop, EVER! Until you are dead.‘ How did you guys get the music to crescendo and drop the sick beat at the precise time?

Well, basically these quote-samples (especially “Terminator” is at least one of my favorite movies that has cyberpunk influences) are sometimes a good source to emphasize the buildup of a song.

We wrote the basic intro for it and I came up with the dialogue idea (i have to admit that I watched that movie now like 40-50 times and I’m not exaggerating, haha). So, i had an intuitive idea that this COULD work.

OK, track #2, “Mechatron,” it uses some samples from Castlevania series. Am I correct?

Actually not.

The interlude to the bridge, the beginning and the chorus has some SFX from various 80’s animes. Mainly, from Mecha-Animes like the old “Gundam”-Series. 🙂

But it could be that some of these SFX were also used in some “Castlevania” games, ’cause they’re quite common in -especially old- Japanese animes and games.

LeveL -1 is from Berlin, Germany. How is the electronic music scene in Berlin now (2016)? What are some ways it has changed over the past decade?

Well, unfortunately, in my opinion the scene NOW has become quite decadent, even though there’s a big boom in the scene itself. But referring to the music the minimal-techno genre is the dominant genre that keeps it all alive.

I think it’s a bit sad because other subgenres in electro have a lot to offer. When I think about techno and electro in the early 2000s or end of the 90s there was definitely more power and more creativity.

I’m really missing the times when I watched on “VIVA 2” the segment “2Step” containing all kind of stuff that you never heard before. There was Minimal – but it was somehow better arranged, there was a big boom in the big beat scene, digital hardcore came up with some rad tunes from alec empire/atari teenage riot, DJ Company and a lot of UK DJs brought finest DnB and Two-Step music etc. etc.

Oh man, nowadays it somehow stagnated. BUT: there’re always exceptions – and it’s just our opinion! 🙂

Can you give us a quick rundown of your music making equipment and what software you use to create the tracks?

We are composing and creating our stuff with various software.

But we mostly stick to Imageline. We have 1 – 2 analogue gears, but it is just for us to listen to some chords and intervals.

Has your music ever been featured anywhere else? For example a game trailer, short movie, etc.?

Our friends from “Neon Dystopia”(https://www.neondystopia.com/) featured our track “Battle at Tannhauser Gate” for a T-Shirt Ad that they made.

Is there anything you would like to promote to your fans? Do you have any upcoming live shows or tour dates?

We can say that we are working on new stuff and we will try to exceed every time we write a new release.

This time it will be a full album but we will take our time. So, it could be that in the end of 2017 this baby is gonna see the light!

We are thankful for each support! 🙂

Yeah, on the 13th of January we will spin some of our tunes @Urban Spree in Berlin as a support act for “Robert Parker”!

Thanks for answering all or questions. Be sure to check out LeveL -1 and buy their new album, Human X Machine. Last question for both of you: Name your top five 80’s movies or video games. GO!

We will do BOTH – even though it’s difficult to decide! 😉

Movies:

1. Terminator
2. Akira
3. Manhunter
4. The Fly
5. Kickboxer I (Insider from me and my companion – there HAS to be at least one van Damme movie 😉 )

Games:

1. Shin Megami Tensei series
2. Castlevania I – III
3. Snatcher
4. Shadowrun
5. Ys

…. And a lot of other JRPGs – but these were more 90’s releases! 😉

Thank you, dude!