Lisa Selvaggio: How long have you been working on this project, and what was the inspiration behind it?
Ricki Gunz: Me and Angi have been working together on Man and Machines since 2002. In the beginning, Man and Machines was just me doing live Techno/Industrial shows at clubs. Then in early 2002, Angi Gunz joined the band to help write lyrics and then would later become the second vocalist. In the beginning, the theme was very theatrical with many props. Later on, from 2003-2008 the sound changed to a more polished EBM edge. What inspires us is life, politics, and the dark side of the human mind. The new sound of Man and Machines will be very different from previous works.
LS: How would you describe your image and your sound?
Ricki Gunz: In the beginning, I guess you could describe Man and Machine's sound as Dance Techno/Industrial. Later on, Man and Machine’s sound turned to a more harsh, abrasive sound with a tendency towards EBM elements. The new sound will be something even different and we are excited about that!
Angi Gunz: Our new sound is going to reflect our love for different genres of music, and will showcase live instruments. We made what we feel is an amazing EBM album with Analog Hearts, Digital Minds, so now we're working on making something no one has heard before. In addition, to Industrial, Rick is a huge fan of Glam and ‘70s Rock, and I love Rockabilly and Psychobilly, and we're going to put elements of just about everything in the new album. Probably something we can't really describe!
LS: Who are you most influenced by musicially as well as lyrically?
Ricki Gunz: What inspired me to do Electronic/Industrial music was bands such as Frontline Assembly, Skinny Puppy, Front 242, The Human League, Nine Inch Nails, and so many others to mention. Lately, I am really inspired by bands such as Goblin, Libra, Alice Cooper, and a lot of ‘70s Rock.
Angi Gunz: Lyrically, I am inspired by bands that have the capacity to send a message and to make a song that is fun and makes people have a good time. I believe a good band sends you through a lot of emotions in one album. KMFDM, Demented Are Go, Atari Teenage Riot, KLF, Morrissey, Siouxsie and the Banshees. Even though a band may not be the genre you're making, you can still take some influence from the way they make songs and perform.
LS: What excites you and/or scares you the most about the music industry as we know it today?
Ricki Gunz: What is most exciting is being able to re-invent ourselves after years of musical experience. In these times, things can seem negative with the economy and all the free downloading going on. Man and Machines is looking forward to making up for that by doing many live shows, giving the audience the best stage show for their money and time, and maybe selling some music as well. We just love being creative and expressing that through our art.
Angi Gunz: It is both scary and exciting that anyone can start a band by just posting some photos on Myspace with a couple songs, but it's even more frightening how much work it really takes to stick around. There isn't much that can be done about people downloading your music for free. There are other ways of being successful that take an enormous amount of work, and we will never stop!
LS: What do you have coming up in the near future (ex: album, tour, etc.)?
Ricki Gunz: We are working on our second release The New Flesh, which will be out sometime in early 2011. With the release of the album, we will book a tour supporting it, look into making videos for some of the songs. Our fans will notice on The New Flesh a lot more talent we have as musicians, given there will be a lot of acoustic instruments as well as mixing of electronic ones.
Angi Gunz: Our stage show will be explosive, and fans will get a full show with live instruments. Our new music will be genre-busting and innovative!
Visit http://www.manandmachines.com/ for more on this band
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