PK: you guys are here due to your asian tour, how is it so far?
FRICK: so far, it's been a jet-setting experience. we were in beijing 2 days ago, then shanghai, now seoul, and tomorrow hong kong. we will stay 2 nights in hong kong. so far you have to imagine that we didn't sleep the last two nights. but it's an amazing feeling because each night is totally different and great, great crowds. each concert has been a totally different show.
PK: any negative experiences?
BRAUER: no, not at all, only that we don't have time to stay for very long in all the places we visit. we get there and then we leave. we get sad.
BRANDT: but that's touring
BRAUER: that's touring by definition. [laughter]
PK: for this tour, it is not with the whole ensemble. i'm guessing that to bring your ensemble is an insane amount of work. how much work is it just to run it?
FRICK: at the beginning it was loads of work but right now there is such a good structure of positions and we've all become friends. we also have a tour manager and somebody that organizes all travels so by now it's actually not so much work anymore.
PK: so which do you guys prefer: trio or ensemble?
BRANDT: both are great. the ensemble is more classical, and with just the three of us, we are more accurate. it's also more of a jam session style. we like the difference; having both is refreshing.
PK: the new song pretend features the singer, emika.
BBF: yes, sometimes.
FRICK: actually it's not that new of a song. it's from last year. we have a new album out next year and tonight we performed only 3 songs from the new album. on the new album, we have a lot of singers; 6 of the 10 songs are with singers.
PK: so you don't mind branching out? because you guys as a trio are very percussive.
BRANDT: yeah, we are not so attached to one thing. i mean, basically the music is always very percussive and rhythmical.
BRAUER: maybe pretend is kind of…an exception because it's the most melodious song that we've got, i guess. it's very poppy.
PK: it is, but it's very chaotic and intense and then when you're watching the video, it's more chaotic and more intense. are there any stories to this concept? why you guys are pursuing so much… destruction?
FRICK: that's just something we don't think about…i mean…
BBF: [laughter]
FRICK: i mean one level of music is what we are interested in and what we listen to, but the other level is just what we experience, so you can imagine that we don't have a normal life. we have a really different life, so our music reflects that and a lot of it is…
BRANDT: chaos!
FRICK: …subconscious. i think we all have some kind of darkness.
PK: for your inspiration, is it more just everyday life or do you have muses?
FRICK: muses? like girls?
BRAUER: like idols?
PK: kind of. people that you always have around.
FRICK: oh, you're not talking about women?
PK: no, we’re actually talking about women.
BRANDT: you mean "people" who are around.
BRAUER: always around.
BRANDT: yeah, of course, we always have people around us, but not when we're touring.
BRAUER: there are a lot back at home. [laughter]
BRANDT: the good thing about our lives is that the touring part is just crazy. and then it’s different when we go home. we kind of have to get into the normal style of all of our friends, do our normal job. on monday we are completely destroyed, and tuesday we start being a part of the week, so it's very strange because we always have the shift of different things going on.
FRICK: of course, we have our muses, but i think our muses don't want to be named publicly.
BBF: [laughter] they will remain our mystery.
PK: you guys are always together because you guys are making music and touring. there're a lot of sayings such as "being in a band is the best way to ruin friendships…." do you guys ever fight?
BRANDT: it’s very seldom.
FRICK: yup, that's one of the reasons that we can't really separate. i mean the social level is part of the music. if the way we hang out together is not the way it is, the music would be totally different. of course there are moments when we understand that we aren’t liking each other, but we're pretty honest. it’s a bit of a miracle. it's destiny.
PK: fate?
BBF: yeah.
PK: lady luck?
BBF: yes! [laughter]
PK: lastly, three adjectives for your sound or your group as a whole that you guys want to conquer. when someone hears these three words, they will refer to BBF no matter what.
FRICK: ideally, energetic, emotional…
BRAUER: endless.
BRANDT: fourth one would be beautiful.
FRICK: forget about that, daniel.
FRICK: the last word would be apocalyptic.
CONTRIBUTED BY RACHEL CHUNG
