DIETRICH

Photo by Hernán Corera

Walls of sound.
Walls of sound and images, details flickering before your eyes, different smells, different points of view, an explosion of light sound, a journey thru your head and beyond.
That is Dietrich, and much more.
Hakinen and Frisco tell us all about it.

Hattie Carroll: The first time I heard about you was during 2008. When was Dietrich born? How old is it?
Dietrich: We don't know where it comes from or how old is it. We are receptors of energy that inhabit the Universe. Energies older than men. Dietrich is the imperfect decodification of these energies into music and other arts.

H.T.: When I read the band's name, the first thing that came into my mind was Marlene Dietrich. Why did you choose to call yourselves that way?
D.: Because Dietrich is dead in the woods and it's not coming back.

H.T.: Since you begun, have there been changes? Or was the formation of the band as it is now?
D.: There were fomation changes but always around the creators and producers Haniken and Frisco. Now the band is formed by Hakinen, Frisco, Orca and Makinwa.

H.T.: You guys name a lot of bands that are an influence to you, bands such as Joy Division, Interpol, Nine Inch Nails, Sigur Ros among others, which Latin American bands do you guys identify with and why?
D.: With Sumo and Patricio Rey, because they were amphibians.

H.T.: You also name many visual artists, and when listening to Dietrich one gets hit by a strong sense of cinematography; like a different visual story in every song. If Dietrich had to be the Soundtrack of a movie, which would it be?
D.: Any Michael Mann movie.

H.T.: The design and photography of Dietrich are exellent and they reflect Dietrich's world perfectly. Do you work with other artists outside the band or you take that into your own hands?
D.: The photography, film and literature that exists in Dietrich is created by Dietrich.

H.T.: At the shows I've seen live you ususally change instruments and with that and the low lights, the band gets completely mixed, making you realize that you really don't know who's playing what. Does this have to do with what you seek to transmit (I personally feel a unique sound full of details that strikes you from everywhere). Is it deliberate or is it something that just happens?
D.: We believe in the imprefections of one self, making us unique and unrepeatable. This concept we apply when we play our instruments and songs. Thru that, we can transmit the sensations that the primitive energies produce, and that we feel and liberate when playing live, thru different ways of playing that nobody could repeat, even when they are technically imperfect and limited.

H.T.: And if you had to define your shows in 3 words, which ones would those be?
D.: Intense, primitive and danceable.

H.T.: How do you define Dietrich's sound?
D.: Diffuse.

H.T.: How is the process of composing music?
D.: A song is composed and produced by Hakinen and Frisco, and then is shared and finished with Orca and Makinwa.

H.T.: The songs you have recorded; do they belong to any EP?. Were those songs recorded independently or do you have the backup of a label?
D.: The songs you can hear at our MySpace were recorded independently and live at our rehearsals, they don't belong to any EP in particular.

H.T.: Any news on an upcoming LP in the near future?
D.: We would like to honour our songs thru an official recording that would belong to the DIETRICH TRILOGY (HELSINKI - INTERLAKEN-TANGER) before this year finishes.

H.T.: What do you think of the underground scene in Buenos Aires? Does it exist? What part does Dietrich play in it?
D.: It exists, but it's fragmented. We don't know what part we play in it, time will tell.

H.T.: You guys have a lot to do with "70 Seconds before Knock Out", can you tell us more about it?
D.: "70 Seconds" is an idea that was born from the Dietrich concept to justify our early performances. With time the concept mutated and gained independence from the band becoming something bigger.
At the beggining of 2009 together with Juan Irbalucia from POMMEZ and SADNESS DISCOS, we organized "70 Seconds before Knock Out" that was a multi-disciplinary event that puts the viewer at the centre of the action.
Two bands (lit with LEDS and placed opposite to each other) and a screen surrounding the viewer create the experience.
In September 2009, we will have the 2nd "70 Seconds before Knock Out" and instead of having The Baseball Furies, Mujercitas Terror, Serial and Colonia de Siervos who played at the 1st event; we will have Humo del Cairo, Hacia dos Veranos, Fiesta Animal, Kirlian, Dietrich and Pommez; and we will also add a 3rd stage where Borrador, Carmen Baliero, Proyecto Gomez, Tulus and Los Palos Borrachos will be playing.
All of this plus visual artists, photographers, short movies, lighting and atmosphere artists. Every September's thursday at Castorera (AV. Cordoba 6237), 23:30hs.

H.T.: What will the future bring to Dietrich?
D.: The same that it will bring to everybody, the unknown and uncertain, the absolute.

+INFO:
Dietrich at MySpace
Dietrich at Facebook
70 Segundos antes del Knock Out