Speck | Interview | New Split Release
Speck are Vienna-based “krautrock” trio performing high energy space rituals since 2019.
The band released ‘Unkraut’ in 2021 and a brand new split release with Interkosmos.
“Worship amps, not gods and be kind to each other”
Would you like to talk a bit about your background? What led you to the formation of Speck?
Sure! We grew up in different parts of Austria and like most young people do, we moved to Vienna which is the capital city of Austria. Lisa and Patrick have already been playing together for some time with other people, but nothing too serious. Marcel and Lisa met in 2019 and shortly after Marcel also became friends with Patrick. At that time Patrick was playing in another project, but their gig got cancelled in Vienna because someone got sick, so a slot had to be filled. We decided to jump in and jam together. In the first place we had never intended to start a project together. The people from Dazed & Confused Shows were attending our gig and booked us two weeks after as support for Ecstatic Vision which was amazing. That was our launch to do a project together and just jam the hell out of it. And it has been working very well so far.
I love the simple name, is it connected to the way you sound, haha?
Haha, well Speck has many different meanings and everyone has another association to it. Kraut is great with speck. Speck in the Czech Republic is a funny cigarette. In Austria it’s slang for an uplifting substance. Around Vienna there’s also the so-called Speckgürtel where we live and/or grew up. Also Speck (bacon) is greasy and fatty and maybe you can put that mark on our sound. In the end it started as a joke, but it stuck.
Tell us about the gear in the band. What amps, amplifiers, effects, pedals etc are you using?
Since the beginning we have already run through changes and are always trying to improve. It’s a never ending quest, but at the moment we feel very good about it.
Patrick is using a Gretsch Kit which is very Bonham Style. 24” Kick, two Floor Toms, one Tom and an array of different Snares and Cymbals. At the moment he is in love with wooden snares. He’s also doing a lot of rimshots. It’s not too complicated but always with a tweak. And of course double kick pedals.
Lisa is using a vintage 1971 Hagström Bass and a vintage 1970s Univox Hi-Flier Phase 3 Bass and an Acoustic Control Corp 450 Head with an Ampeg 4×10 cab. The first album and the Metz Session was recorded with an Orange Bass Head though. For effects, an EQD Plumes and switching between a ProCo Rat and the Fuzz War by DeathbyAudio. A little bit of compression and sometimes a wah pedal. No picks, just fingers.
Marcel is mostly playing a FGN Neo Classic Goldtop Les Paul but is also playing a vintage Greco Super Sounds Strat from 1975. At the moment he is experimenting with a stereo setup, but so far it has always been a modded Fender Blues Junior as the basis. For pedals, he is using a Xotic XW1 Wah pedal, a Boss SD-1 into a Jam Rattler followed by a loop switch which is connected to a Freeze by EHX and a MXR Phase90. The freeze can be used to feed the modulation pedals which come after but can also be added or taken out of the loop easily. It’s nice to do some ambient stuff or noise with it. After the Freeze comes the MXR Phase90, a Boss DD-7 Delay and a Strymon El Capistan Tape Echo. And a tuner! The pedalboard is always evolving.
Would love to hear about your debut album? Where was it recorded and what can you tell us about the material on it?
We wanted to do an album, but writing is not our specialty. We tried to replay and work on themes and put them in frame, but in the end it got boring and also it just didn’t have the spark of something just created in the moment. At least for us. So we got in contact with Alex Vatagain to do a recording weekend at the Beardy Mountain Studio in Pressbaum in Austria and just do one-take jams. We had put together a lot of material after those days and the best jams (in our opinion) found their way onto ‘Unkraut’. To be honest we had some issues with some things but it turned out great and we learned a lot from it. Alex Vatagin was also doing the Mastering. We did the mixing on our own and had additional help from Alex Vatagin. Then we took some money and did a self-release with 200 copies. We had no clue about how well received this album would be going to be. We just wanted to do a record. It helped us play very cool shows, tour around, get to know very cool people from all around Europe and just having a blast. The debut was sold out very fast and shortly after we found a new home at Tonzonen Records who did a repress of the record which is also sold out or at least there are very few copies left for the live shows. The artwork was done by Lony Mathis and it’s wild, haha!
“The underground is very alive”
Are you doing a lot of shows? What’s the local scene like in your opinion?
We all have day jobs but we try to play as many live shows as we can and also do recordings and stuff. The local scene in and around Vienna is on fire! There’s so much incredible underground shit going on! The underground is very alive and it’s not going to disappear any time soon which is great! You can not really compare all those different bands. Everyone has their own take. There are bands like Ryte, Liquid Earth, Lurch, Grimm’s Eye, Half Baked Cheese, Hypnotic Floor, Inspector Deniz, Bumshelter, Mothers of the Land, Kobudai, Johnny and the Rotten, Salami Recorder, Minus Green, Lupus, Ando, Atom Womb, Triptonus and Melt Downer just to name a few. Of course there’s more! There are some unique locations as well. The scene is not too big, but big enough to flourish. Lots of artists as well! Also there are people who organize great events for the local scene like Dazed & Confused Shows or Roadtrip To Outta Space.
How did you get in touch with guys from Interkosmos and what led to the Split release?
Marcel is a longtime admirer of Sula Bassana and Electric Moon as a whole. The others got into contact with their discography a little later. When we had the chance to support Interkosmos we immediately said yes. Everything just clicked. We had some Curry and Mango Lassi together and ever since we have been friends. Pablo Carneval also lives in Vienna and occasionally we see each other but having barbecue together is overdue haha. It was just a natural fit. There was not so much thinking or worrying behind the process of making a Split LP together. We, Interkosmos and us, thought that this would be a great idea. Dave Schmidt aka Sula Bassana was organizing everything and then it happened and got released on Sulatron Records. It’s a beautiful release. The artwork by Cosmik Havik is stunning and the vinyl is recycled. Every copy is unique in color and there are still some left.
Are you planning to release a new album?
We have already recorded a new album which is coming out in autumn on Tonzonen Records. With the help of our beloved sound engineer and dear friend Lukas Goedhart we did the recording on our own and we can’t wait for it to be released because we think it’s a whole step forward in our creative process. Unfortunately pressing plants are very busy, so this takes time. The artwork is finished, mastering was done by the legendary Eroc and there’s also going to be a goodie inside but for now we don’t want to spoil more information so you have to stay tuned.
Are any of you involved in any other bands or do you have any active side-projects going on at this point?
Marcel is playing drums in a band called Psychatog and there’s also going to be a record in the future. He also did a studio weekend with Sula Bassana (Zone Six, Interkosmos, Electric Moon) and Tommy Handschick (Kombynat Robotron, Earthbong) this year and there’s also going to be a record of that. Everything is still in the making so no more information on details at the moment.
Patrick has been playing drums in a cover band for many years and is currently working on a black metal album for some time but also no further information on details either.
Let’s end this interview with some of your favourite albums. Have you found something new lately you would like to recommend to our readers?
There’s so much music on this planet it’s unreal! Our musical taste cannot be broken down to a specific genre or era. We all agree on Sabbath but that’s the obvious. We are big fans of Sleep, OM, Earthless, Hawkwind, Radiohead, Ecstatic Vision, Led Zeppelin, Electric Moon, early Queens of the Stone Age, Kyuss, 35007, Earth, Aphrodite’s Child, Neu!, Can, Dhidalah, Minami Deutsch, Kombynat Robotron, Earthbong, Psychic Lemon, Arctic, Harsh Toke, T2, Amon Düül II, Papir, Endless Boogie and many more!
Be sure to check out all the other Austrian bands we have mentioned before! They are amazing! Also we had the pleasure to tour with Smokemaster and Der Neue Planet last month. They’re also on Tonzonen Records and we always have a blast together! Very worth your attention! Great music, lovely people!
Thank you. Last word is yours.
First of all, thank you for interviewing us and thank you guys out there even more for supporting us and listening to our music. It means a lot to us. Thank you for being part of it! We are very privileged and this must not be taken for granted. We appreciate it very much. We can’t wait to release the upcoming album and there is even more to be announced. If you happen to be at one of our concerts don’t hesitate to have a chat with us. Worship amps, not gods and be kind to each other. Kind is the new cool.
Klemen Breznikar
Headline photo: Speck | Photo by Through the Haze
Speck Facebook / Instagram / Bandcamp
Sulatron Records Official Website / Instagram / Facebook / YouTube
