Praga Khan is back with a new solo album, Twenty First Century Skin, as well as a Lords of Acid remix album.
How is doing a solo album different from your work within Lords of Acid?
“The thing is that when we do Lords of Acid, it’s like a corporation between myself, Nikki Van Lierop, and Oliver Adams. At the end of the day, when it comes to the ideas, songs, and musical direction, it’s a decision made by the three of us.
For the solo album, the Praga Khan material, it comes more from my own experiences and my own musical direction. It’s something more personal.”
Is there any overlap? For example, do ideas rejected by other members ever end up in your solo work?
“Lords of Acid has always been more sex-oriented, with a lot of humor. I try to keep that separate from the Praga Khan material. I make sure they’re not close musically or stylistically. There’s a big difference between the two projects. Lords of Acid is heavier and more grungy, while Praga Khan is more dance-oriented.”
How did you initially get into this type of music?
“I was working with bands like The Neon Judgment. Back in the mid-’80s there was a style called electronic body music that was very popular in Belgium, Germany, and across Europe. I was really involved in that scene.
Around 1987, computers started getting music programs, and that’s when I began writing my own music.”
Do you keep up with the latest musical technology?
“Yes. I always make sure I have the newest equipment and technology. A lot of the sounds we use—filtering, drum loops, and textures—can’t be done without it.
Drum and bass, for example, wouldn’t exist without this technology. You just can’t play that style manually.”
Does learning new equipment ever get in the way of creating music?
“I work with engineers who help a lot. When new equipment comes in, I want to start using it immediately, but to really understand it you’d have to read the manuals—and I don’t have the patience for that.
So the engineers do that part, and then they explain what’s possible. It makes things much easier, because I don’t want to spend my whole day reading manuals.”
Is it a problem playing live with all the equipment used in making the CDs?
“What we do live is work with tapes. The basic rhythm is on tape, and everything else—basslines, guitars, vocals, and some keyboards—is played live on top of that.
That’s actually more than what many bands do. A lot of bands just run two tracks and sing over them. We do much more live.”
Are you satisfied with the current state of musical technology? Are there ways you’d like to see it improve?
“It’s changing every day. I’m constantly surprised by what new machines can do. I don’t think there’s really a limit.
Ten years ago we had maybe one second of sampling time. Now we have half an hour or more. I don’t know where it will end, but I just go with the flow.”
Have you been performing the solo material live?
“Yes, we did a European tour starting at Glastonbury, one of the biggest festivals in England. We hope to tour America soon—people keep asking when we’re coming over.”
Do you use a full band?
“Yes. Right now we’re a five-piece: myself on vocals and keyboards, Oliver Adams on drums, plus guitar, bass, and a backing vocalist.”
How does the live sound compare to the CD?
“It’s very different. When we play live, especially at rock festivals, we add more guitars, different beats, and new synth lines.
On the CD there aren’t many guitars, but live we push it further. The vocals are also quite different. Some people are surprised because many bands just play the CD and sing over it. We take a completely different approach.”
Are you thinking about live performance while creating music in the studio?
“No. In the studio I’m only thinking about how it will sound on CD. But when we play live, I’m often surprised—in a good way—by how it turns out.”
There’s a new Lords of Acid remix album with a few new songs. Why do an album like that now?
“Because of the success of Praga Khan in Europe, I had to do another album this year. I talked with Never Records, and we decided to do a remix album for Lords of Acid.
The plan is to start working on the next Lords of Acid studio album in September and have it ready for release in February or March.”
Are there any mixes you especially like?
“Yes, I really like the remix of ‘Pussy’. It sounds very different from the original. I like what they did with the vocals—it really stands out.”
Do you ever do remixes for other artists?
“I’ve done some in the past—Alice in Chains, White Zombie, Gravity Kills, and others.
I don’t really like doing remixes because I prefer putting my energy into my own music. A lot of people do them just for the money, but if I do one, I want it to be really good. That takes a lot of time and energy, and right now I’d rather put that into my own music or Lords of Acid.”
