Jean-Luc De Meyer interviewed about The Cyber-Tec Project

The following is an interview with Jean-Luc De Meyer, vocalist for Front 242, The Cyber-Tec Project, and now, Cobalt 60. Originally, it was meant to be an in-person interview to have taken place before The Cyber-Tec Project’s New York show in February 1996. Unfortunately, technical problems at soundcheck prevented Jean-Luc from doing the interview. So instead the interview had to be done by fax.

How did you get involved with The Cyber-Tec Project?

Jean-Luc: “I knew Paul Green, the manager of Cyber-Tec Records, since a long time. He sent me tapes with material of some of his artists. There was some cool stuff on there, and I proposed to sing on some songs. I had no other project at that time, and I knew it was going to be fun. And indeed it was.”

Going into the project, did you have any specific ideas of how you wanted it to turn out?

Jean-Luc: “I had no idea in mind before we started, I just liked the songs. In fact, I made it very clear since the beginning that I didn’t want to be involved in anything more than the writing and singing of the lyrics. And for the production of the EP, the remixers were given total freedom. There are the ones responsible for the sound.”

Paul said you were having technical problems at the recent NYC show. Does that happen often with the electronic gear?

Jean-Luc: “Well, we did have technical problems BEFORE the show that prevented us from doing a decent sound-check and didn’t help us making our performance easier, but that’s the way things happen during concerts. We never really had many breakdowns with 242, the last I remember happened during the Lollapalooza tour when a roadie threw a cable over the Macintosh computer running the basics of your live show. The cable hit the space key and caused the immediate stop of the song!”

What’s the status of Front 242?

Jean-Luc: “242 is dormant. We all enjoy our separate projects. We’re still friends, we still talk. But we don’t feel the need to work together again right now. We might in the future. 242 was a dinosaur, we had/have our own studio and tons of equipment, constantly worked under pressure, while CTP works with little equipment in a totally relaxed way. In fact, CTP makes me rediscover the meaning of FUN.”

When can we look forward to a new Cyber-Tec project release?

Jean-Luc: “The LP is written. We only need to record it. It should be out on the end of the year.”

You also sang on BiGod 20’s “The Bog.” How did that come about?

Jean-Luc: “Just like with CTP. I heard a tape, liked the song, phoned, took a train, recorded it.”

Are there any particular types of collaborations you’d like to do in the future?

Jean-Luc: “I would like one day to sing with a female vocalist but at the moment I feel there are already too many people doing it.”

Why doesn’t the current Cyber-Tec CD have a tracklisting?

Jean-Luc: “I think the record company didn’t receive any, or forgot to print it! Here it is.”

1. Let your body dis (Birmingham 6 ‘Convulsive Dance Mix’)

2. Human (original mix by Cyber-Tec & Tim Woodward)

3. Cauterized (K-Nitrate ‘EBM mix’)

4. Let your body die (original mix by Cyber-Tec & Tim Woodward)

5. Radience (original mix by Cyber-Tec & Tim Woodward)

6. Let your body die (Cubanate mix)

7. Cauterized (original mix by Cyber-Tec & Tim Woodward)

8. Human (Machine Manitou ‘Body-Tec mix’)

9. Let your body die (Television Overdose ‘Overdosed mix’)

10. Let your body die (K Nitrate ‘Body-Tec mix’)

11. Human (Maff Evans ‘anar trance mix’)

12. Let our body die (K-Nitrate ‘Allied forces mix’)

Are you currently working on any other projects?

Jean-Luc: “Yes, the first is what I consider as MY new band now, called COBALT 60. It’s a fast & melodic combination of techno rhythms and sampled guitar that I could define as a kind of techno-Ramones. The second is the next Birmingham 6 LP to be recorded in April 96 where I wrote the lyrics and will sing on several tracks.”

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