SHAMEBOY - JULY 2009 ENGLISH VERSION

CM>>>>Let's kick off with maybe the most boring question, but what's was the idea behind the name Shameboy?
Shameboy/Jimmy>>>> In the first track we ever made together, we used a sound that reminded us of a Gameboy. In the Logic (music software) window we changed the name to “Shameboy”, was it a typing error, or a lousy attempt to be funny, who knows ? Later on, we needed a name for our band, and “Shameboy” was the only thing we could come up with. Zzzzzzzzz ….sorry for the boring story… zzzzzz

CM>>>>So when do met first and when have you decided to make music together?
Shameboy/Jimmy>>>> Both being in the music bus for quite some time, we met backstage somewhere, years ago. Every year I DJ on the Werchter festival somewhere in the back of the festivalground. During the Werchter festival 2004, Luuk gave me a CDR with a track, while I was DJ-ing. It was the track “Psychedelic” – last track on our first album. I liked it straight away, I played it straight away, the crowd liked it straight away. So there, on that moment we decided we would make some tracks together. Which is what we did, that summer.

CM>>>>Jimmy when you worked as a DJ did you already created own tracks or have you been inspired making own music after meeting Luuk for the first time?
Shameboy/Jimmy>>>> I’ve been making music since I was a teenager, have bought noise making machines and synths since I’m 15, but it’s only after working with Luuk that it got really serious …or that it got any good…. Before that I was more into making edits en remixes and stuff for the radio, more as a support for my dj-work

CM>>>>Luuk you've been a part of the group Buscemi as a drummer before which was trio. Do you feel more comfortable by playing in a duo today – I mean is it more creative for you because you can concentrate you more on the other person and interact more with the other?
Shameboy/Luuk>>>Not really, it’s a totally different set-up. With Buscemi I was playing a full drumkit like a “proper” drummer , but with Shameboy I play more synths, so that requires a different approach which is great as well. But it’s true with shameboy I have a much bigger impact on the overall sound than with buscemi for that reason.

CM>>>>Would you describe your cooperation as a friendship today?
Shameboy/Jimmy>>>> I would say that we are a great hybrid form of friends/colleagues. There has to be a kind of friendship involved, we are “forced” to spend lots of time together, so it requires some serious mutual appreciation. We also share a great love for music, in all its different sizes and species. On the other hand, we don’t see each other if it’s not Shameboy-related, which is kinda cool, and keeps the pressure of our working relationship.

CM>>>>I remarked on the press shots that you both hold some vintage gear in your arms a Roland synth and a Korg Sequencer ... or is it a drum machine? Are you both vintage synth addicted? And do you collect old synths, sequencers and drum machines?
Shameboy/Jimmy>>>> That’s an old picture, and it’ s a korg DDD-1 drummachine by the way. We have some great analogue gear, and we do love the old stuff, and in an ideal world everything would be analogue, but we are not analogue-fetishists, we use both analogue and digital stuff. (But we are always interested in great vintage bargains, so if any of your readers has something to sell, let us know…)
Shameboy/Luuk>>>Yeah, it’s true. If we stumble across some old gear we’re always tempted to get our hands on it, but still I think it’s really great nowadays to produce music using the best of both worlds. When it comes to recording and editing music digital is just very practical. It wouldn’t be very practical to record a whole dance album on tape and stuff. But we always mix our tracks on a proper analogue desk with a lot of vintage outboard gear to add a bit of “oldskool magic”

CM>>>>Shameboy stands for me for a very unique rough but not aggressive dance sound? So what kind of equipment do you use to get this sound? And is there a difference between the equipment between you use in the studio and on stage?
Shameboy/Jimmy>>>> It’s a mix of analogue and digital stuff, combined with the genius frequency-analysing-brain called Luuk Cox. Simple as that. We use quite basic stuff, we don’t have an overloaded studio with millions of synths and gear, the difficult thing is to make it sound right, to make the sounds blend together. The thing that distinguishes us from the rest, is the fact that we have one band-member whose brains function as an analogue Neve-desk.
Shameboy/Luuk>>>(see my earlier response) I’m very much in love with the sonic qualities of a lot of 70’s records, which is all typical analogue. And I find that a lot of dance music these days sounds aggressive without any warmth added to it, which is exactly what I try to do while mixing. So it’s really nice you people hear it !

CM>>>>After releasing last year your brilliant album “Heartcore” you now released a DVD “Live At The Pyramid Marquee”. A live DVD/CD representing you live on stage at the famous Rock Werchter tent. When have you decided to record this gig? Did you already played at Rock Werchter before?
Shameboy/Luuk>>> Well I did a couple of times actually, but with shameboy it was our first time. Normally all the shows are recorded there on 24 track. So immediately after the show we decided to get the 24 track protools session and see how useful it could be in the future. When I listened back to it I was amazed with the quality of it and the response of the audience. The vibe was really captured quite nice. So then we decided to mix the tracks properly and release it as a CD, but when we looked at the footage of that gig we had the same feeling about it so in the end we decided to release everything in one go.

CM>>>>I must admit that I've been often to Rock Werchter and I know about the great atmosphere there, especially at the Pyramid Marquee. But I think people who never been there must be blown away by the atmosphere of this venue. Do you think this atmosphere is typical for Belgian festivals? And what do you think is the secret behind this lust for life at festivals in Belgium?
Shameboy/Jimmy>>>> It has to do with the Pyramid Marquee itself, I think. People have been investigating the power of pyramids for centuries, and the Pyramid Marquee is one of these mysteries to me…. The vibe in that place is always special, even much more special than the main stage of Rock Werchter..
Shameboy/Luuk>>>Yeah I agree, I also think it’s the way it’s built. The roof of that place reflects the sound of the audience so loud that the minute they start screaming they hear themselves very well so they start screaming even louder (laughing). And while being on stage you feel really enclosed by the audience, which is a great vibe!

CM>>>>Did you made a kind of script before the gig? And who was the one who filmed the gig for “Live At The Pyramid Marquee”? And have you been involved during the cutting process of the film?
Shameboy/Luuk>>>Well as a matter of fact we played a lot of gigs last summer so we felt very comfortable with the set up, so we decided to have no extra special features for that show. But we had an extra videodirector with us to overlook the filming of the show. And when it came to editing the DVD we were there because we had our views on that obviously.

CM>>>>”Heartcore” was a very intensive and pathbreaking album for me, it owns the lost energy of the glory Rave and party days and merges it with a new positive sound. I think a lot of people felt like that – so is it right to say that “Live At The Pyramid Marquee” is besides a wonderful live recording a gift for the people who love your music?
Shameboy/Jimmy>>>> First of all, thank you very mucho for the beautiful compliment.
Shameboy/Luuk>>>It’s true that we kind of felt the DVD being a “present” for the people who were there that night, it was special for us anyway. On the other hand we also find that people who don’t know our music very well or never show one of our live shows now have a nice opportunity to see our live set.

CM>>>>Have you been in your youth often at Rock Werchter? And did you ever dreamed of rocking the Pyramid Marque like that?
Shameboy/Jimmy>>>> I don’t live that far from Werchter, so yes I had been there many many times before, as a visitor, and at that time I could never have imagined playing there one day.
Shameboy/Luuk>>> I went there only to play to be honest as I’m not from that area I always went to other festivals, but I always wanted to play nice festivals while I was young and playing in bands as a drummer.

CM>>>>Can you describe your feelings you had during the gig at Rock Werchter? I mean the reactions of the audience are really breathtaking.
Shameboy/Jimmy>>>> It was indeed a breathtaking experience, not only mental but also physical. Due to the form of the Pyramid Marque, the sound in there is very “condensed”, and stays in there. If the people all shout at the same time, you can really feel it, physically. A very intense moment it was for me.

CM>>>>What kind of reactions have you received about “Live At The Pyramid Marquee”?
Shameboy/Luuk>>> To be honest, everyone who saw it, being a fan or even hating our music, has the same reaction: they’re amazed by the response of the audience and the intensity of that show.

CM>>>>Do you already work on new material? On a new album?
Shameboy/Luuk>>> We’re always thinking about it off course so I think we start working on it very soon, but we’re all the time kind of collecting song- and sound ideas. And the in the end we just compile it to proper songs.

CM>>>>This question sounds really typical for boring interviews – but when I ask you what inspires you to create your music I mean it honest – because I am really totally amazed about the high wire act you make with your music merging such intensive powerful sounds with intelligent dance music?
Shameboy/Luuk>>> It’s all about the feeling music should give you emotionally and I don’t think it has to do with styles, because to some people singer/songwriter stuff is very emotional, to others the darkest of metal does that job for them. So for us it’s all different kind of genres, it’s a bit like pick of the day though. Sometimes it’s really pumpy/punky dance stuff and the next day it might be very chilled songs from the 70’s we’re into and then that just inspires us to write or produce something.

CM>>>>What do you do besides creating music?
Shameboy/Jimmy>>>> I DJ, I make radioshows for Studio Brussel, and I cook warm meals for my family every day.
Shameboy/Luuk>>> Well that sums it up quite well. I just produce and mix music everyday. If it’s not for Shameboy it’s for all different bands who ask me to produce/mix their albums and I’m really happy with that!

CM>>>>Can we expect some Shameboy gigs in Germany this year?
Shameboy/Luuk>>> As a matter of fact, we’re working on it now and we have some stuff confirmed here and there, but as soon as I is a bit more together you’ll hear from us

CM>>>>What do you need for a perfect day in your life?
Shameboy/Luuk>>> have some great time with my family and working on some great music does the trick for me.