Jesu

IN THE FLESH met up with Justin K. Broadrick, for an exclusive interview, at the end of the first Jesu US tour, in San Luis Obispo.

Interview conducted by Jma689. April 7th 2007. San Luis Obispo, California.
All text and photos: In the Flesh 2007. All Rights Reserved. Thanks to "el" Kerr, Sherrie, Mark Thompson, Joris, Chris Mono, and of course Justin, Dave and Danny.
 
So the US tour is almost over, how did it go?

Justin: It's been great, but I was ill for about 10 shows in the tour, so that's about half of the tour, so ill that it really affected the performances, everything, my well being, the way I felt... It's so upsetting to come out and do a tour, after people waited so long to see us, you come and do it and you're ill for like half the tour... you miss half the tour, and for half of the tour you do do, you're ill for half of that... and Dave (Cochrane, bass player during the US tour) got ill as well... we must have played 8 shows when we felt fine and that's it, of all the shows. But it's been a brilliant tour for us. It's been really really good. We're going back to the US... soon.

Do you think that touring with Isis brings you in front of the right audience for Jesu?

J: I think so, yes. I think a lot of people who are into Isis, either know of Jesu or have heard of Jesu. Maybe it's slightly preaching to the converted a little, but I think it's still a good thing. But Aaron (Turner) is such a big fan of us that it's a pleasure to tour together, because we're all good friends. But really, coming back and headlining is what we really need to do. At least, give the public a full length set.

So you've been doing this tour with Dave and Danny. It's the first time you're playing with this line-up. How did that go?

J: Really brilliant. I've been surprised. With Dave, I had no concern, as we've known each other for the past 22 years. so I don't have to worry about Dave... And Danny (Walker)... We got to New York. 2 hours later, we were on stage, playing at least 2 songs we didn't play together before, I mean me and Dave had, but not with Danny, and Danny was so on it, that it was perfect. So it was like "wow". No complaints. The band has been great.

So when Jesu come back to play in the US, is the line-up going to be the same?

J: It's probably going to be exactly the same. Yes, because for Diarmuid, it looks like it's going to be impossible for him to make it over here. There is a good chance he might never be able to... And Ted can't really do big tours, for many many reasons, which is a real shame.
So this line-up might be pretty static for America from now on. I mean, it's brilliant working with Dave. It seems like we've been destined to be working together during different slots of time for the rest of our lives. Haha.

And for this tour, you've been trying to play a mix of old and new songs...

J: Yes, trying to cover 4 records in one set, a 45min. slot which is like crazy.

Does it allow you to see the progression of Jesu, depending on which song you're playing?

J: Yes, to some extent, because you really feel the different period of the group within one set, really. Even tho the band, next to Godflesh, has existed for only a short period of time. But because there has been a lot of material, you really feel the transition between some of these songs. I like that. I mean, I wish we would be playing headliners, we could cover a lot more of the songs, you know. Hopefully when we come back as headliners, we can cover a whole range of the tunes. Conqueror is still getting around people, even tho it's our biggest selling record so far, it's still getting around.

Biggest selling record?

J: Yeah, surprising actually.

So do you think Conqueror indicates the direction Jesu is going toward?

J: I think it will always switch around, to be honest. I mean the next couples of releases that are coming out are pretty a bit shocking as well actually. The split with Eluvium, I don't think there is one "shuggy" guitar on the whole record. It's just myself and it's very oblique songs, very strange tracks. I think it's always going to be exploring, always going to be changing, but always emotional, melancholic music, whichever avenue it explores. It's just that it's not always going to be a rock band, you know what I mean... I think some of the next releases are more electronic and stuff. And I explore more and more of that, electronic sounds meeting Jesu. There is a huge range of options that you can do with these sounds. I want to explore every possibility, you know. The sound will be essentially the same, the way the songs are.

I guess it will always sound like it comes from you, no?

J: yes, exactly, you'll always know it comes from me somehow. Even tho some people dispute that , like some Godflesh fans who can't handle it. And that's fine. I knew that with Jesu, I will probably lose 50% of the Godflesh audience, and I've gained another audience as well. Some of this new audience doesn't even know Godflesh existed. And that's fine, I don't wanna be known only for the music I made with Godflesh...

As opposed to a few years ago, when you had tons of projects going on at the same time, you seem to be focusing now on less projects, mainly Jesu and Final... Don't you miss the opportunity to explore different genres, like pure electronic projects?

J: Yes, I've been trying to focus on just a number of things instead of spreading myself amongst so many projects, trying to own everything into single things so I can try to utilize every sound from all the stuff. I am trying to breathe more into what I do. Having all these projects before allowed me to learn about different avenues, what I like and what I don't like. Experimenting with things, which eventually has reached its peak , with a whole new way for me to look at things. It's all changed.

You seem to be willing to collaborate with more people now, like Jarboe....

J: Yes, I am producing her new album. That's literally just production really. She wants me to produce the record, and shape it, dealing with the sound, this sort of stuff. Her new album she's doing, which is going to be pretty brutal, pretty heavy shit I think. I won't be playing on it.

A few months back, you've been touring with Sunn o))) as a guest guitarist. What kind of experience was it, and what did you get from it?

J: Hmm... drinking too much red wine. So much drinking, hahaha... It was really really good fun actually, working with Sunn o))) is really great. This is so open minded. It's like some improvised jazz version of this reduced version of metal which is really open. I couldn't really guest with hardly anyone but them. It's really easy for me to fit my own sounds and textures into what they do within a live capacity. I was meant to record with them, the next couple of days after the end of this tour, but we got to get straight back home. I was going to do some recordings with them for their next album. It still might happen but I think I will play with them live quite often from here on end. Become like a floating band member if you know what I mean. Because we had a lot of fun together. It was really exciting.

About collaborations, there are rumors, I don't know if it's a joke or not, that you would be collaborating with Ferry Corsten?

J: who?

Ferry Corsten, some techno trance producer?

J: I hate trance... a trance producer? I am working with a trance producer?? hahaha holy shit, that's absolutely hilarious. Yeah, somebody must have made that up... Trance producer? TRANCE? probably my most despised form of electronic/dance music going is trance, probably the single most despised form of music... Somebody must have done that as a complete fucking joke, knowing that I hate this kind of music. That's hilarious. No, I despise trance music, on every level, I hate that form of music. hahaha.

I heard that, during a Final live show, you played with Chris Spencer from Unsane?

J: oh one show, yeah, in France, a festival in Orleans... Unsane were playing too, and they're friends of us anyway, so we just did it.

About the upcoming releases, what is planned besides the split with Eluvium?

J: yes, the split with Eluvium, a split with Battle of Mice, Grey Machine is still in the process, Dave is going to record his bass when we get back. Aaron Turner is going to be in Grey Machine as well. It should be out on Hydrahead or something like that. There is going to be some other guests as well, like Stephen O'Malley from Sunn o))), Aaron Harris from Isis, Roderic Mounir from Knut, It's like every friend is gonna get involved, but the core is me, Dave and Aaron Turner.

Are you going to get a drummer? or is it going to be beats / drum machine?

J: On the record, we're using iDrum (a drum sequencer for Mac)... iDrum on every track basically, Dave is coming in on the bass, Aaron Turner on electric guitar and vocals, I am doing vocals as well. Some of the tracks will be me and Aaron doing raging vocals. It's pretty full on, it's pretty brutal and fucked up. It's really improvised, quite really nasty, psychedelic, really something that people don't expect from us anymore. It's not metal sounding at all. There is a few chuggy things going on but it still abstract. Very physical, very surreal. But there is still big drums and bass lines in it, so it's got all these elements, all this stuff in it. There is a bit of Techno Animal in there...

Do you have any plan to work with Kevin Martin again?

J: Hmm... nothing immediately. Probably in the future, we'll do something together, I am sure, but there is no immediate plans for anything. Because we're so busy with our projects. Because he is so into that scene, and probably the same with me and Jesu. We really wouldn't have the time to work together anymore. We used to make time before, because we had a lot of things we were doing, but we haven't focused on any project together for a long time. I mean, there surely will be something in the future, maybe a couple of years, you know.

About Jesu, when you're recording, you can layer as many tracks as you want, but in a live context, you're trying to play the songs with just 3 people. Do you think it's enough or do you wish you could have more people on stage?

J: I really don't want more people on stage. We would need a sampler player and a 2nd guitarist, or maybe even 2 more guitarists, you know... Probably if we could afford it, if we were a bigger band playing in front of a few thousands people, we could afford to have seven people on stage, because that's what it would take, really. But I don't make any of these records thinking about how they could work live. Because on record, it's not the rock band. I don't think when I make these records how it's going to be live, that's the last thing on my mind. That comes after the event. I don't like making records thinking about the restrictions of "how would I do this live?", it's not important, really. I know that some people would like to see a hundred people playing the parts, but these are mostly keyboard parts anyway. Everything that's layered is keyboard, it would sound the same anyway with a laptop. You have one guy standing there with a keyboard, what difference does it make?

What's your perspective on the internet thing, with on one side, the ability to be directly in touch with people, like on Myspace for example, and on the other side, with albums leaking before the release date, and probably hurting CDs sales?

J: Nobody sells records like they used to anymore. The whole industry pretty much changed. You pretty much have to deal with it, really. It's a bit infuriating when you see an album released on the internet, 2 months before the release. It's annihilating really. But it proves, it works in strange ways, because like I said, Conqueror is the biggest selling Jesu record so far, in a matter of a month or so. And it leaked way earlier than any other record I've done. And I think that more people downloaded it more than any record I've ever done. But we still sell the record, and more than usually, so somehow it still works. But as an artist, you just have to deal with it. It's just the age in which we're living. You have to survive off the music still, but that's a problem. It's like one out of 4 people bought it, the other 3 got it on download.
I expect people to buy more commercial music in mp3 format, but not our music, really. Probably because it has to do with the packaging, the aesthetic.. it's probably what keeps on selling records to some extent, people like the sleeve, the packaging, things like that.

Especially with labels like Hydrahead, where they put much attention to the artwork and packaging?

J: Totally, which is really really beautiful you know, it's like the opposite of labels like Earache, churning out like a piece of shit, you know. Hydrahead actually care about every level of making a record. They're great guys, brilliant label. I can't say bad things about them. As friends, as business people, it all works really well. It's really human, these people actually care.

Also, most people who work for Hydrahead, also play in bands, no?

J: Exactly, and that's what makes it refreshing. It's run by really optimistic passionate people. And younger than me as well, you know what I mean. After my experience with Earache, and countless bad experiences with labels. Obviously, I worked with some great labels as well, like Matador, people like that... So Hydrahead is a refreshing thing. And besides the things I mentioned before, like the split with Eluvium, there is also 2 new EPs of brand new songs, that should be out this year, but we're still talking about it. There is still so much more music to come.

So you still have some music ready to go?

J: yeah, tons! I need to clear it all out this year, basically... I need to clear out all the stuff that accumulated, and then start again with Jesu. Also, I might even release, on the website, an album of old unreleased Jesu tracks that didn't suit any album, which would be a highly limited edition. There is so many disparate songs that existed, that should have been on certain records, that didn't fit the final record. So I was thinking of releasing this collection of songs that doesn't fit any of the records. So that should be on the Avalanche website. A little shop thing going on again. That should happen in July probably. Limited edition things, special releases, a few nice things coming out like that. It's about time we do it again, you know. A bit more for the people who really want it. Just private releases, web only limited things. So there is lots coming. This is barely the beginning of this band as far as I am concerned, really, it's just starting. I am really excited of what's coming, besides what's been done...