Bill Leeb has been an important and prolific figure in the realm of post-industrial electronic music, with his influential FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY project. Hes also achieved much success with his more soundtrack-oriented DELERIUM project. And theres always his other projects INTERMIX, NOISE UNIT, and SYNAESTHESIA.

We spoke to Bill on 02/19/96. T-Todd Zachritz B-Bill Leeb

T-WAS HARD WIRED A REACTION TO MILLENNIUM, SINCE SOME OF THE FANS DIDNT SEEM TO LIKE THE GUITARS (ON MILLENNIUM), ALTHOUGH I THOUGHT IT WAS GREAT.

B-You know, its kind of weird. I still think Millennium is one of our best records. When we were in Europe this last tour, almost every show, we had the biggest audience ever and we played the Millennium songs like Vigilante, and everybody was freakin out, so I dont know. Its kind of bizarre the way that whole thing kinda went down. As far as Hard Wired goes, I dont know if it was a reaction. It might have been to a point. We still used some guitars, we just went about it a bit different. I still think Hard Wired is probably the densest sounding record weve ever had, like for samples and stuff. If you actually sit there and listen to it, its got a million samples, you know, flying around in the background. And I dont think anybodys ever used that many samples and stuff. I still think were experimenting again, cuz we bought the Emulator 4 sampler, which is probably the best one you can get now. I think we were experimenting, again more with sounds and we slid some guitars in. I dont know, its kind of strange, its kind of weird. You never know how theyre gonna react to your music.

T-IVE HEARD AND READ SO MUCH ABOUT MILLENNIUM BEING NOT FLA, AND SUCH, BUT I THOUGHT IT WAS COMPLETELY FLA.

B-Yeah. Rhys was really pissed off. He goes like, Fuck, just listen to it. It doesnt sound like anybody else but us, right? Its got all the string lines. All the electronics are still a major part of it. I think sometimes people are just waiting, I dont know why, people are just waiting to jump all over you and either bail or... People get in their minds what they want you to become and were trying to grow, we want to grow as a band. I dont compare myself to Nine Inch Nails or Ministry and that, but, you know, I guess for the amount of time weve been doing that, we do think, to some degree, were starting to sell a lot more records than we do. So we thought, well, theres no harm in experimenting with new sounds, to move forward, but I guess its like a small group of people want you to stay in one sort of place. Its kinda stupid to do that.

T-IT WAS CLOSE ENOUGH TO FLA THAT IT DIDNT DO WHAT, SAY, LIKE SPK DID.

B-We never sold out. I still think Millennium is one of the hardest records around. I still think its better to react than not at all. I think thats why Puppy was successful, too. It was a real love/hate thing, you either really liked the band, or you didnt. I think its better to get that kind of emotion from people than, These guys are okay, their stuffs not bad, middle-of-road. And I think youre more likely to get forgotten. I think maybe if we pissed on peoples parades with Millennium, I still think we gained new fans, definitely. Like, I get a lot of people that never liked us before Millennium, and after they bought that, then they went back and bought our back catalogue. I guess its a trade-off. But yet, I think its better, yet to have people go, like they were doing the big discussion on the Internet, Oh, theres too many guitars. I think its still better that than us just putting out another Tactical record, and everybody just goes, Well, it sounds just like Tactical and whatever. Thats just my impression of the whole thing.

T-HOWS IT BEEN WORKING WITH OFF BEAT? I KNOW THEY PUT A LOT OF PROMOTION INTO YOU GUYS. ITS BEEN REALLY GREAT TO SEE SOMEONE PUT THE ATTEMPT IN, WITH THE LIMITED CD BOXSET AND THE CD-ROM STUFF.

B-Yeah. To me its really frustrating because I think if Roadrunner would ve been on the ball on Tactical or, if we wouldve had a real label when we did Caustic Grip, I mean, Caustic Grip was put in the same kinda albums as Joy Divisions Closer or DAFs classic album. They said it was a classic record, right, but Third Mind was such a small, dinky label. We had no promotion, it was so independent, the record, even though it sells now, it had no profile. And I think, if we wouldve had Off Beat 5 years ago, we would ve been leaps and bounds ahead of ourselves. Same with Roadrunner. They did what they had to do, but they really bailed ship on Millennium. I think (with) Tactical, they didnt even know what to do because we were a totally new concept to them. When we gave them the video Mindphaser, they should ve pushed that way harder. I think its one of the best videos in that whole genre, and its kind like Hitlers war. You go back, if you were a tactician, you start looking at all the mistakes and where things were dropped. Thats why were probably still so far behind some of these other bands. Like I said before, because theyve always been on a major and theyve always had that stuff that we never had. I just feel like such an outsider all the time, struggling to get somewhere.

T-WELL, IT SEEMS LIKE YOURE AMONG THE LEADERS IN THE GENRE, THE PUPPYS, KMFDMS, AND ALL THE LARGER GROUPS. B-Yeah, I know. T-ALL THESE BANDS ARE COPYING YOU GUYS NOW, ALL THESE LITTLE EUROPEAN BANDS.

B-Yeah. Its funny, we go to Europe, its amazing. They all want to sound like us or Puppy. So I guess, who knows what it is? Maybe sometimes when youre just doing things a little bit before everybody, even with Puppy, it just takes everybody a little longer to get around to it. Except for the realthe people like yourself & others who are sort of always on top of the whole thing. But hey, I guess theres no point in worrying about it, whats done is done. I guess its more important whats in front of you than whats behind you. Usually in the music biz, youre only as good as your last record. You can put out 6 classic records, but when you put out one stinker, everybody only talks about the stinker, you know?

T-ABOUT TOURING, I KNOW YOU PLAN TO TOUR AMERICA. WILL THIS BE THE FULL BAND THING YOU HAD IN EUROPE?

B-Yup. Its a big sort of industrial rock show. We got a guitarist for some of the songs. If theres anybody that moans and groans, so be it. You really cant please everybody.

T-I THINK THAT MAY BE DIFFERENT HERE IN AMERICA AS WERE MORE USED TO THE INDUSTRIAL ROCK THING. B-Yeah. Well, Hard Wired s really not a rock record. If you listen to KMFDM or something, they dont use stuff like we do. Theyre still way more straightforward rock, good time kind of music. I think were way more darker, experimental. I dont know, itll be interesting to see. I really wonder, like I said. We went to Europe and I couldnt believe the response we had, so Im just wondering if its been good that we havent toured like 6 times a year and thats why people are more interested in seeing you.

T-IT SEEMS LIKE IF YOU DONT TOUR, YOU JUST GET BUILT UP SO BIG. EVEN LIKE PUPPY. (THEY) DID THE SAME THING WITHOUT BEING OVER THERE. ITS GOTTEN TOTALLY HUGE, IT SEEMS LIKE.

B-Well, yeah, the mystery grows. If you were over there every 2 months, I think the novelty kinda wears off.

T-HOWS IT BEEN WORKING WITH NETTWERK AND WHAT DO YOU HAVE COMING UP? B-With Nettwerk we do Delerium now. And Semantic Spaces was Nettwerks best-selling record last year. It was like a surprise record. It was a hit for them, it was a hit for us. So theyve been really good with us. So were basically right now finishing, weve just finished the new one. And were going to have the girl from Dead Can Dance sing on it, and Sarah McLachlans doing a track and Kristys doing some and so, when we come back from the American tour, then well mix it. Actually right now were starting our Die Krupps remixes today.

T-OH YEAH? YOURE MIXING THEM? B-Yeah. And theyre doing some for us. That should be kinda funny.

T-WHAT, YOU DONT LIKE DIE KRUPPS MUCH ANY MORE?

B-No, theyre nice guys. I think it was funny to see what they do. What I really like is, our second single, Plasticity, and we did a video for it which is pretty cool. Theres a remix on there by a band called Haujobb.

T-EXCELLENT BAND.

B-They did an awesome, awesome remix. They say its their favorite thing. So, when you hear it youll know what I mean. Well talk about it again. They did a really great job on it.

T-WHAT ABOUT SOUNDTRACKS? I KNEW YOU HAD SOME PLANS LAST TIME I TALKED TO YOU ABOUT SOME THINGS. ANYTHING AT ALL CONCRETE?

B-Well, nothing that weve been hired especially to do. Weve had things used and stuff, but we dont have time right now anyway.

T-WHYD YOU BEGIN SYNAESTHESIA?

B-That was done with a friend of ours. We just helped him out.(Since this interview, Bill finally admittedon a Seattle radio show(thanx Douglas!)that Synaesthesia is in fact one of his projects.)

T-WHAT ABOUT NOISE UNIT? I KNOW THE LAST CD (DECODER) WAS QUITE A BIT DIFFERENT THAN THE PREVIOUS DISCS. WERE THOSE SONGS (FROM) THE LOST FLA LP? (Bill and Rhys recorded another LP after Millennium and prior to Hard Wired that they scrapped and never saw release.)

B-Not the lost one, they were just outtakes, we were just trying to pay our rent. (laughs) They were just like old songs kicking around and that...

T-JUST HADNT BEEN USED SOMEWHERE ELSE.

B-Yeah. I dont know if its a good idea to do that kinda thing or not, but we did it so...

T-WELL, IT WAS A SMALL RELEASE ANYWAY ON DOSSIER.

B-Yeah. Thats another thing. Everything that comes out on there is like, jesus, if you dont really set to look for it, youll never find it.

T-HOW ABOUT INTERMIX? IS THAT TO BE A CONTINUING THING FOR YOU OR IS THAT PRETTY MUCH DONE FOR NOW? B-Intermix. I think the last one is really good. I think its as good as Leftfield or any of that stuff. I know Roadrunnerthey just put it out and then it died. Records just dont sell on their own, right? It was kind of a too bad thing. It couldve been okay but again, it sort of fell between the cracks. Yknow, people still write and like it, people still buy it, so itll just probably be like a low-key thing.

T-WHAT ABOUT YOUR ORGANISM SERIES ON DOSSIER? ANY MORE PLANS FOR THIS STUFF?

B-Probably. Im sure therell be something new sometime down the road. Like I said, right now were really just so busy with all this Front Line and Delerium. And it seems both are really starting to do really well and stuff. So thats starting to really consume all our time.

T-ANY PLANS FOR CD REISSUES OF STUFF LIKE THE NERVE WAR DEMOS OR MUTUAL MORTUARY OR THE LIVE LP?

B-I know what weve got coming out is going to be really nice--the big boxset. Its going to have like all the videos weve ever done, plus live video clips, an interview that was shot for the whole thing, and I think it comes with this really nice looking steel pin with this double live CD and photos and a really nice collectors box. I think that ll come out just before December.

T-THATLL BE ON OFF BEAT TOO?

B-Yeah. Metropolis will probably license it in the states. And we have these Die Krupps remixes coming out some time. Theyre doing 3 songs and were doing 3, so itll be like a 6-song (tradeoff).

T-DO YOU LIKE DOING REMIXES FOR OTHER BANDS? I KNOW YOUVE DONE QUITE A FEW IN THE LAST FEW YEARS.

B-Yeah. Its starting to pay off. If its the right band, it can be fun. (Talk moves to the upcoming tour with Die Krupps and another excellent Vancouver band, Numb.)

T-I SAW YOU ON THE CAUSTIC GRIP TOUR IN ST. L0UIS.

B-Oh right. I remember. We have a lot bigger show now.

T-OH, I EXPECT SO. IVE HEARD A LOT ABOUT IT FROM MY FRIENDS IN GERMANY.

B-Well, I hope you come up and catch us somewhere, say hi to me and stuff.

T-YEAH. ID LIKE TO, PLUS I LIKE NUMB A LOT TOO.

B-Yeah. I think the whole bill will be pretty good. I think Die Krupps are pretty good, too, you know?

T-YEAH, THEYRE GOOD NOW, AFTER THAT METALLICA THING THAT KINDA STUNK

B-Theyre still maybe a little bit too metal for some of the kids but I think, at least its a big night, right? 3 bands, its more of an event, I guess. You get your moneys worth, anyways. At least your ears will be hurting by the end, right?

T-THATS OKAY, THOUGH, ITS GOOD STUFF.

Thanx to Bill for taking the time to talk so early in the morning. Also thanx graciously to Michael Mahan at Metropolis.

FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY DISCOGRAPHY

Total Terror 1 CD, Total Terror 2 CD, The Initial Command LP/CD, State of Mind LP/CD, Corrosion LP, Disorder MLP, Convergence CD, Corroded Disorder CD, Gashed Senses & Crossfire LP/CD, Digital Tension Dementia 12/CDS, No Limit 12/CDS, Live London LP, Caustic Grip LP/CD, Iceolate 12/CDS, Provision 12/CDS, Virus 12/CDS, Tactical Neural Implant CD, Mindphaser CDS, The Blade CDS, Millennium CD, Millennium CDS, Surface Patterns CDS, Hard Wired CD, Circuitry CDS, Live Wired 2xCD, The Remix Wars:FLA vs Die Krupps CDEP, Reclamation CD (collection), Colombian Necktie CDS, FLAvour Of The Weak CD.

For details on these and all side projects, visit FLA on the web at: http://www.mindphaser.com/