In the dark pop formation Symphonic Noise Cult, we find three experienced musicians who have joined forces to prove that the whole is more than the sum of its parts. We spoke with Winus Rilinger and Scott Mick about their respective careers, how they met and the band’s projects. Their first album, Behind the Curtain has been released on CD by the prestigious German label VUZ Records.
—Winus, you were member of the synth pop duo Neue Jugend back in the 80s. Was this your first band? What can you please tell us of this duo?
—Winus: It was founded by Sir Percy and me at the beginning of the 80s and we had a small chart success with it in Germany with the title “Nur Mut” (Cheer Up) and we were even in the New York disco charts with the song.
—Later you were also part of the Eternal Afflict. You were part of the band from the beginnings, right? How was your experience in this band? I guess this was the most successful project you have been involved.
—Winus: Yes, it was certainly my most successful project to date… The guys came to my studio back then and wanted to record their first songs and then together we created the scene hit “San Diego” which is still a long-running hit in dark clubs around the world today. I worked with them first as a producer and later as a member of the band through the years…
—Then you were in Inside with Psyche. The band was a kind of supergroup with people from the Eternal Afflict, Darrin Huss and Julia Beyer from Technoir. Can you please tell us a bit about how was this project born?
—Winus: After taking a creative break with The Eternal Afflict, Markus and I met with Darrin (Huss) from Psyche and decided to work together. Later Julia (Beyer) from Technoir came along and we recorded a total of two albums and a single. It was a nice, interesting time.
—With Psyche you have worked on some of the albums of Sara Noxx, although not together. She collaborated in some songs of Inside and The Eternal Afflict. How do you feel composing songs for others? How was writing songs for Sara Noxx?
—Winus: I have to correct a little bit: Not with Psyche, but I worked with Sara Noxx and produced all of her previous albums and singles. The songs were – with a few exceptions – written by Sara herself and I did the sound design and arrangement. It was always pleasant to work with her in the studio.
—You also created Form Follows Funcion in 2017. What happened that you left?
—Winus: FFF was a very interesting experiment to combine my electronics with Bianca’s extravagant vocals. Bianca (Stücker) is a wonderful person, but creative differences arose over time…
—Scott Mick, you were part of Panic or Pain although I could not find much information about this band. What can you please tell us of this formation?
—Scott: P.o.p had a few different line ups through the years. We were a band for ten years but unfortunately never had a physical release. There is a bandcamp page but it’s the last inception of the band and we went through many changes in those ten years and never sounded like the sounds that were in my head. But it’s a good representation of our work together in Detroit. The last line up was Howard Bryant- bass, Gary Adams- Guitar, Vernon Lee Warren –Guitar, Cliff Hill- Drums and me on vocals. Per Kurenbach added his synth to the recordings later.
—Ulrich A. Beutgen, the third member, is a pianist and composer of soundtracks. Can you please tell us more about him?
—Winus: He’s not on board for this interview, but I can tell you, he’s a veteran of the music scene. For example, he also played in the late Neue Jugend and later he played with Clang, their single “Hurry Up Boys” was produced by Colin Pearson (producer of all hits from Alphaville). Then he found his interest in producing music for films, like the German Ruhrpott – Area film “Industry – Ikonen” (Industrial Icons) and more…
—Scott, why did you decide to relocate to Germany?
—Scott: Love, both to a woman and the country. The second I arrived I fell in love with the country. And in the second show of the Theatre of Shock Therapy tribute, in the Matrix in Bochum, I met the woman I would eventually marry. I went back to the States after the tour and made it my goal to move to Germany the next year. So here I am.
—You have been part of Theatre of Shock Therapy, a kind of tribute band with the original members of Shock Therapy. What did this band mean to you?
—Scott: The original band Shock Therapy was a huge influence on me. Itchy was a musical genius. We were acquaintances and before his passing we were becoming friends, though I was in awe of him as an artist. In life he terrified me, he was a unique person to say the least. When I was offered the spot on the tribute tour from both Per and Cliff Hill, who was an original member of ST, I didn’t need much coaxing to do it. It was an honour to pay homage to a hero of mine. Sadly, it was the only time this tribute happened. It was managed badly and that’s all I will say about it.
—Since the late 80s Germany has exported a lot of synth pop bands. Why do you think this genre has been so popular there? Any band that has influenced you?
—Scott: Many in fact, not just ST, but there were bands like Kraftwerk, Project Pitchfork, Camouflage, etc. All good German influences .
—How do you meet and think on creating the band?
—Scott: When I arrived in Germany, I had the pleasure to see Winus perform with both Form Follows Function and The Eternal Afflict at a show in Essen. He knew my work with Per and The ST tribute and we started talking and decided to experiment a bit with our sounds and SNC is what has come out of our collaboration.
—Winus: And at that evening I met a nice and wise Guy from the States 😉
—Why such a name as Symphonic Noise Cult?
—Scott: Because of the mix of electronic and orchestral sounds. That we found make a fantastic combination. Including also a bit of noise that a possible cult might emerge from. At least we are hoping a cult will start to follow us… 😉
—How was working together in the composition of the album?
—Winus: Initially I developed the music and later, when we began to add orchestral elements, I remembered my old friend Ulrich Beutgen, who is classically trained and also works as a composer for film music, and he liked our ideas… the lyrics are the sole responsibility of Scott as an native speaker 😉
—The album includes a cover of The Cure’s “Lullaby”, why did you choose this song? I remember watching the scary video when I was just a kid.
—Scott: Anything by The Cure is worthy of covering. We collectively love the song, so it was easy for us. There are a few more bands that we will end up showing our respect with a cover now and then.
—Scott, I guess you are worried with the advances in new technology and specially A.I. That can see in the track “My Figment.” What can you please tell us of your point of view about this?
—Scott: I think AI is possibly the worst thing that can happen to humanity and unfortunately, we are getting to experience it in real time. Those who play with it and think it’s all good fun, are going to be rudely awakened one day sooner than later. Once we’ve all been replaced by some sort of robotic nightmare of our own making, we won’t be able to just say oops! I guess those afraid of it were correct.
—The single Into the Light, came with a few remixes, I guess it was logical to count with The Eternal Afflict, but can you please tell us more about the selection of the rest of the remixers? We really loved JL Marchal take on your track.
—Winus: You’re right, it was logical, to do a T.E.A. – Remix 😉
—Scott: And Rodney Orpheus of Cassandra Complex did an enthusiastic remix that was truer to the original track because he liked it so much. The minimal mix is in fact a massive honour to us in that he felt it was already a good work of art. We love all of the remixes done for this album, JL Marchal‘s remix is a standout, very impressive. Shade Factory also gave a great remix.
—Scott, you have another band called Dark State, what can you please tell us of this other project?
—Scott: That is more an industrial/synth-pop band, with Per-Anders Kurenbach, and possible other guest musicians. Also, we will have an EP, out at the beginning of 2024 on Intrapop Records. You can find a couple of teaser singles on YouTube. Just look for Dark State and you will find them. Dark State had an opening spot in February on the Empire of Darkness festival.
—What can we expect in the future of the band? Any plans of touring?
—Scott: As we progress as SNC, we want to add new elements to the live show, to be visual as well as electronic, and organic instrumentation. We want to present our music live as often as we can.
