LED BY THE FANTASTIC FEMALE VOCALIST PATRICE

BY ORPHAN

1998

OB. Firstly tell us what you are up to at the moment.

R. Well, we're slowly recording songs for our next album and collecting material for our next single "One Chance" hopefully to be released in the Fall.

OB. Tell us a little bit about your history, who are the members ofÊ Regenerator and what do you do?

R. Wrex and Patrice met in the underground gothic and industrial clubs in Los Angeles in the early eighties. Wrex was part of various musical projekts and Patrice was a deejay and club operator during that time, so we were both part of the L.A. music scene pretty deeply. Wanting something more, we moved out of the area to the remote desert where we began creating music together. We met up with Gear who's influence came from more of the English electronic pop background.Ê The roots of Regenerator are Wrex and Patrice. Wrex is the main creative force handling the majority of the programming, the mixing, producing and fine tuning. He is the lyricist although Patrice will on occasion contribute a lyric idea as well as a keyboard part. Of course, she is the female vocalist in the band. Gear does additional keys and synth sounds.

OB. You were originally on Hyperium records but for the new album SoulSeeker. You have moved over to Synthetic Symphony, how did this come about.

R. There was very little support or enthusiasm from from Hyperium and decided it was time to find a new partner. We had several offers, but SPV was the best one. So, we went with them. So far, so good!

OB. Do you see yourself in any particular field, ie electo/gothic/Industrial etc ... R. All and none of the above. We have elements of all. Most people who listen to one of those mentioned, usually listens to all of them. So, we're lumped in with that genre of music that's truly "alternative". OB. Was it a conscious decision to make the beats a bit more modern technoish rather than the older ebm sound. R. Yeah, sure. Keep up withÊ technology. OB. How long did it take to produce SoulSeeker?

R. About 1 1/2 years total. It was off and on, in between life.

OB. Was it originally meant to be as long as 16 songs !

R. It was meant to be lengthy, but the actual number of pieces was not determined beforehand.Ê We were actually surprised ourselves by the length when completed, but we decided to include them all on the album since it had been a while since our last release. Give our fans something extra for the wait.

OB. Are any of your songs club hits. I really don't know.

R. We really don't know either! The Front 242 remix of Everyone Follow by Daniel B. has been played quite extensively we've beenÊ told.Ê It seems that the favourite from our current album is "One Chance". We are starting to see it on alot of playlists from radio and clubs. We have been to a couple clubs that played it while we were there. Strange feeling to dance to your own song, but nice! When we put out the single, hopefully even more dj's will get their hands on it.Ê It will have alot of dance track options to offer.

OB. Have you had much feedback on the song 'Megawhore', I think it is really funny and it always brings a smile to my face!

R. Glad we've amused you!Ê A lot of people wonder what the heck we're talking about with "Megawhore". Basically, with this song we're saying that many of the organized churches are similar to the worst relationship you can have with a lover. She's such a spiritual slut! It's a play on words...

OB. Are you playing live, and who have you played with in the past?

R. We did a show in GermanyÊ the first time we were there with Love Like Blood (German gothic). This last tour in Germany was with Mentallo & The Fixer and the Seven Trees. Lots of fun!Ê Also, in the L.A. we've played some shows again with Mentallo.Ê Prior to that we played with THC/BodyDivide and Betsy from Caterwaul and the upcoming Purr Machine.

OB. What kind of band and live scene do you have in your part of the country?

R. It was pretty dead here until recently. With the resurgence of classic bands such as Kraftwerk and Bauhaus it has become exciting again. We also had several good bands playing recently such as Curve, Garbage, Bjork, Morcheeba, Sneaker Pimps and Portishead. Wow, I guess we like female vocalists, huh?Ê Also, the European bands make it over here usually with the likes of Haujobb coming soon and Front 242 with Project Pitchfork. I guess the live scene is pretty active at this time here.

OB. Ive noticed an upsurge in popularity for electro/industrial bands with female singers. Do you feel proud being one of the first bands to do this?

R.Ê Yes, sure.Ê We feel fortunate that we were noticed before it became popular to use female vocals in this genre.

OB. Do you have a stance on the USA v Europe as far as electro/industrial/wave music goes.

R. In general, we feel alot better music comes out of Europe. Americans are still so hooked on rock and roll. There have been some creative techno coming out of the U.S. lately such as the Crystal Method. Having been to Germany, the scene there seems to be much stronger. There is not enough interest in electronic music here in the states. We heard about a recent study with teenagers in California which stated that 80% of them say television is their main interest! That's the kind of electronics they're into. You will occasionally see a commercial on television with cool music in the background such as Fluke or Prodigy. So maybe at least people are starting to notice.

OB. Are you influenced by any of the 4AD records stuff.

R.Ê The older stuff like Cocteau Twins and This Mortal Coil.Ê We kinda stopped looking to that label for new music anymore.Ê Really don't know what they're up to these days.

OB. What other music are you into at the moment?

R. Ahhh, this question again... Well, there are so many.Ê We like alot of different types of music actually, but in this scene we especially like alot of what C-tec does and the latest Neuroctive.Ê We like alot of the techno stuff such as Prodigy, Crystal Method, Fluke, etc. We're always buying lots of cd's to keep up on what's out there and keep our collection(s) strong and stimulating. A good one recently is Esthero. Nice female vocal stuff.

OB. You remixed Collide on their 'Distort' album, have you produced remixes for anyone else?

R. Yes. Upcoming Attrition remix of "My Friend is Golden" and Inertia's "Mind Energy". As well as past remixes ofÊ !Aiboforcen<Ê and Good Courage.

OB. Do you have any sideprojects.

R. Lots of ideas for this but only one serious at the moment. It's called Hybrid. This is a project of Wrex and Patrice and features female vocals withÊ trip-hoppy, erotic dance grooves.Ê Very nice, if we dare say so...

OB. The last time i checked your webpage it was a bit sparse, although what was there was very nice! is it going to be completed soon?

R. Hopefully so!Ê we are so busy with everyday life responsibilities that alot of other important things such as the website seem to get put on the back burner.Ê We will add live footage, lyrics, interviews, links, etc. So, please don't give up on us, we will definitely update it soon.

OB. Do you watch any of the american talk shows, which do you think are the best and which hosts should be nuked! R. No. They should probably all be taken off the air. We really don't watch much television at all. How boring, huh?Ê The stuff we usually watch is history and nature documentaries as well as world news and for comedy we rarely miss a Saturday Night Live episode. It's kinda become a Regenerator ritual.

OB. Do you know if Howard Keel is dead, this has been puzzling me. R. Who? I guess we're out of the loop on this one.

OB. What is your favourite kind of chocolate?

R. White, although German chocolates are pretty good. Never eat chocolate when you need to sing though!

OB. Who is your tip for the world cup in France.

R. Sorry, we're not familiar enough with the event or the teams to give an honest opinion.

OB. In five words how would you describe Regenerator.

R. How about in syllables:Ê RE - GEN- ER- A - TOR.

OB. Any last comments/thoughts.

R. Thanx for your interestÊ in Regenerator and the interview. Also, thanx to all of the fans and deejays out there. Keep on listening!

OBLIVION WEBSITE

Note: Since this Interview was published, the project originally named "Hybrid" was subsequently changed to "She". Although this project issued it's first recordings in 1995 and had it's first public performance via radio in 1996, it was renamed to avoid confusion with another musical outfit which later released material under the same moniker (with major label backing, of course). The first "She" album will be at least seven years in the making.