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Interviews with Discord Aggregate

Interview by Annie Vox for NakedPoetry.com (cir 2000)
An October 2001 Interview (we are trying to find out the interviewer and will credit if/when we do)

The following interview was conducted on 6/14/98 by Jerome Schmidt of ART ZERO, and first published in a French translation.  A Spanish translation  was published in margen magazine #15.
 
 
1. First, regarding your name, is there any link with the Zappaesque/Avant Garde /Rock In Opposition American Band "Absolute Zero"? They play almost the same music as you do...
S.B. Reda: The only link seems to be the coincidental use of words. A friend purchased the CD, assuming that it had something to do with our project. My curiosity piqued, I asked if I might be able to take a listen. Well, that evening, Discord Aggregate sat and listened to the first minute before it was stopped – we were not impressed. There really is no connection with the non-opera, either conceptually or stylistically.
 
2. How would you define yourself your music. I'd say a cross of Rock In Opposition and avant garde sound. Would I be right?
SBR: I would say it is a cross between A. Molotkov, Pamela Zero, and S.B. Reda. As artists, our first and foremost obligation to our work (and ourselves) is to create something original. As far as we are concerned, the only thing we have in common with any other piece of music is that we used conventional, traditional instrumentation and a recognized language.
A. Molotkov: I would not define it in any way. Styles and directions are defined by art critics and the audience to make the perception of art an easier job, but any serious artist’s responsibility is to disregard all such definitions. In our art projects, we attempt to create new rules and relationships – basically a new style. (This does not imply that this new style has nothing in common with the existing ones; in fact, most often the new style is a regrouped combination of existing styles. In the case of the non-opera, such existing styles include, but are not limited to, free jazz, opera, spoken text, etc.)
Pamela Zero: Fortunately, one of the wonderful perks of leaving the mind-numbing world of mainstream music behind is abandoning things like labels and definitions. "The Attack of the Absolute Zeros" does not match any known type of music.
 
3. You seem to have a rather funny obsession in your music about "Zeros". What is its primary meaning and maybe its allegorical one?
SBR: In the story, the zeros come to Earth, attack, multiply, and devour – they are the epitome of all that is empty, all that is vacant of thought – relying merely on stimulation. But it is just a word –the concept is what is important. So in this respect, the word could have been "doorknobs" and the obsession with the concept it represents would remain the same.
AM: "Zero" is a multidimensional word: it has a number of distinct meanings, and this is why it was used in "The Attack of the Absolute Zeros" - as a mathematical value, a measurement of temperature, and (in its allegorical meaning) a reference to the empty-mindedness and spiritual bankruptcy of the overwhelming majority of humans.
PZ: "The Attack of the Absolute Zeros" is only one of the artistic projects that Discord Aggregate has worked on. The repetition of Zeros in the CD is merely because the whole disc is one large non-opera with the same subject. "The Texture of the Sky" (one of our current projects involving an interactive novel, CD-ROM, and musical CD) has no mention of "Zeros" in it. However, after experiencing "The Texture of the Sky" one could claim that Discord Aggregate is obsessed with dreams and the inevitable vampirism of any omnipotent entity.
 
4. What is for you the "Absolute Zero"?
SBR: A doorknob.
AM: An individual whose concerns do not extend beyond the daily, mundane events, thoughts, and actions. (See No. 3.) Essentially, every person belongs to one of the two unequal groups: those who want to be like others, and those who cherish their individuality. The former are nothing but zeros.
PZ: Eurodisney.
 
5. Your texts seem to be rather politically connoted... Do you think that any artistic action is "directly political"?
SBR: Unfortunately, most artistic actions seem to be politically driven, since it is much easier to have your work recognized if you pin it on the sleeve of a cause that many people are passionate about. Artistic confusion such as this has absolutely no place in our work (in fact, we really couldn’t care less about any political situation – we’ll leave it in the capable hands of the politicians!).
AM: I think that any truly artistic action is non-political. An artist is a servant of the future; a politically active person is a servant of the present, and thus not an artist. I don't mean to say that being politically active is always pointless – just that it is pointless for an artist. A true artist rejects politics as an irrelevant game of greed and power that has nothing to do with reality. This century has seen many a talented artist reduced into mediocrity by their own desire to be politically correct (or politically incorrect). My personal belief is that any political structure is an insult to humankind, and it is only due to our general idiocy that we still have to use them.
PZ: Any political interpretation of our work is the responsibility (and fault) of the listener.
 
6. Could you present us your collective work as a multi-artistical ensemble: what are your goals and actions?
SBR: Our goal, quite simply, is to create an original piece of work, regardless of genre, which is driven by the desire to be original and progressive, in a world where originality and progression is looked upon negatively. We want to shake the heads of the world and show them that there is more to life than what they have constantly been exposed to, that the horizon lies much further away than they had previously known.
AM: Our goals as a multi-artistical group (I presume the question is about our work in a number of genres) are to expand our horizons, to create a lot of amazing art in various art forms, to invent new art forms, to introduce a precedent of uncompromisingly innovative attitude to art, and an image of artist as an all-powerful Super-Being. We would like to escape the ancient paradigm of artist as a highly specialized professional (as in writer vs. painter vs. musician vs. sculptor etc.) without compromising the quality of each component. This, in my opinion, is a worthwhile life plan.
PZ: Discord Aggregate is a group of artists dedicated to stretching the limits of art. Embracing all art forms, the members of Discord Aggregate are willing to explore the edges of known art and create work that challenges themselves and others. The result of such a fierce commitment is a large body of art, including several novels, a book of short stories, a non-opera, countless musical pieces and various paintings. Current projects include "The Texture of the Sky" (an interactive novel, CD-ROM, and musical CD) as well as "Living Backwards" - an a-cappella musical CD exploring various details of time and physics.
 
7. Where do you come from musically: background, influences, etc...
SBR: I am completely influenced by not being influenced at all by the music that I have heard.
AM: Personally, I come from nowhere: I have just recently added music to my list. Influences very diverse, so it is impossible to name.
PZ: I began studying voice at the age of 4 and grew up influenced mainly by early Renaissance European music. After spending several years in LA opera companies, I studied at the California Institute of the Arts and then began focusing mainly on avant-garde a-cappella choral composition.
 
8. I'd say that your music sounds to my French ear very American-rooted though very counter-cultural. How would you explain my reaction?
SBR/AM: This we cannot explain – perhaps the jazz in the band sections sounds "American" but we do not hear it anywhere else (except for the fact that it is in English. Counter-cultural? Sure, like anything else that is worthwhile.
PZ: "The Attack of the Absolute Zeros" is loosely based on a free jazz style- hence the American feel to it. As far as counter-cultural, the idea of working against any established culture seems as limiting to me as working for an established culture.
 
9. Musically speaking, you are rather close to Absolute Zero, 5Uus, U Totem, Motor Totemist Guild, Henry Cow, etc... Do you feel close to those bands?
AM: Of these bands, we have already discussed the first. Henry Cow is the only other familiar name, and of course everything that has to do with Fred Frith is inevitably interesting. In fact, I believe him to be one of the most significant musicians today. But feeling close - musically - no! The work we do is designed, first of all, to be screamingly original. We try to make it as unlike anything else as we can. So, the question is of feeling apart, not close!
PZ: I'm afraid I've yet to find a band or musical artist that I "feel close to" as an individual or a member of Discord Aggregate.
 
10 What is the reaction of the American listeners. What is the situation of such uncompromising music?
Discord Aggregate: The situation of "The Attack of the Absolute Zeros" is fortunately independent of listener reaction. However, the response is generally rather excited. People like the fact that the CD is a strong production from the music right down to the insert. Situation in general? We don't have a final answer yet: this is our first CD, released 8 months ago, and although it has not made us rich yet, it is too early to be disappointed. We are hoping for a groundswell of underground opinion that will slowly and steadily educate the music scene around the world.
 
11. In fact this nothingness you quote in many of your lyrics in some of punk/anarchist (you also say "no future"!) way, isn't it nowadays America and worldwide mass-culture that you point out?
SBR: Today, it is just as certain that there will be no future as it was certain 100 years ago or will be 100 years from now. As long as the individual’s artistic standards continue to lower, the future (and the past) will be littered with watered-down, spoon-fed entertainment that caters to the lowest biological organism. "The Attack of the Absolute Zeros" (like any Discord Aggregate work) is a fight against this calamity, a fight to preserve a hope that future societies might have something intelligent to look forward to.
AM: Definitely! But it's more than that. Throughout history, we can trace that all societies had a minority of bright minds concerned with the life of spirit, and a majority of day-to-day individuals quite content with simply living. This is why "The Attack of the Absolute Zeros" would be as relevant in Ancient Rome, as it will be two millennia from now. This is what I meant earlier when we touched upon the political: the CD is abstract enough to present a personal face to each listener. Your interpretation is possibly quite different from ours, yet it is just as valid. Art should never be too clear!
PZ: When writing the music for "The Attack of the Absolute Zeros" I strove to display the numbing sameness of the "Zeros" world and the pitiful results that such conforming banality produces. I believe that whether one finds such an environment in America or in your own town on the train to work, recognizing the feeble nature of surrounding social norms is the first step towards actually living a real life. "The Attack of the Absolute Zeros" is a wake up call to the world. How alike do we want to be? How much do we really want to conform? And if we do conform, where will our true humanity go? Tough questions, and for the truly awake and aware listener, very easy answers.