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“A good MOTOR track kills the dance-floor and works equally well in the live context . . .”

As the title suggests, Motor’s new album ‘Metal Machine’ is abrasive metallic music, combining tough techno beats and raw rock riffs, underscored by ‘relentless mechanical grooves that spit blood’ (as Bryan Black puts it.)

All ten new album tracks retain Motor’s trademark industrial/ rock elements previously showcased on albums Klunk and Unhuman, though this time round the emphasis is firmly on the dance-floor.

“We wanted it to carry on the spirit of those first two records, but at the same time we had to break new ground and we knew after producing just a few rough demos that the new record was going to be seriously raw and off the wall,” says Bryan, “We wanted to get back into the clubs with a fresh sound.”

Fittingly, Metal Machine comes out in the summer in Europe and Japan on T. Raumschmiere’s punk-techno independent Berlin label ShitKatapult Records and in North America on DJ legend Steve Aoki’s rockin’ label Dim Mak. preceded by new single ‘Death Rave, an acid techno monster of a track that rocks. Hard.

LIVE:
“Whenever possible, we perform live. We love the thrill. And it allows us to be true to the whole MOTOR concept . . .”

Motor’s natural environment is on stage, where both generally mild mannered protagonists morph into strutting, snarling raucous rock gods, spewing take-no-prisoners techno prowling and pacing around.

“We know once we get on stage we become someone and something else. It’s not forced or staged and we can even do it sober,” says Mr No, “It helps that the music is so bonkers,” he laughs, “It keeps us on edge.”

Relentlessly touring the world since forming in 2005 the band has played superclubs and giant festival stages even fitting in a pan-Europe/ Stateside road trip with proto industrial heroes Nitzer Ebb, last year.

Dodging rabid skinheads who tried to attack them in Germany (‘because we weren’t Nitzer Ebb’ Mr No explains) the duo will soon be setting off on the road with Depeche Mode, an experience both plan to embrace reasonably sensibly.

“I think most of Depeche Mode are off the drugs and alcohol,” Mr No quips, “When we started MOTOR, we partied every day and night and we still let loose on occasion, maybe more than we should, but certainly for us non-stop partying is no longer part of the formula,” he claims.

Their high-energy onstage personas are also created organically, Bryan insists, with groupie games, group meditation and even group hugs all practises they strenuously avoid.

“We don’t believe in all that hippie shit,” says Bryan, “We just smash beer cans over our head and do a few push ups. Nothing too crazy.”

‘Performing is our bread and butter. Always was, always will be,” Mr No adds.

THE MEN:
“We used to fight about anything from looks, music, personality, videos, and ideas . . . it was a total nightmare.”

First teaming up in 2005, New Yorker Bryan Black and then London based Frenchman Mr No forged an immediately fruitful if intense friendship with misunderstandings a frequent issue.

“We never had physical punch-ups but I remember having hundreds of manic tantrums and imaginary fights with Bryan, arguing solo in the streets and pulling fucked up faces while doing the shopping,” Mr No recalls.

“To resolve this I was eventually banned from checking my emails and thinking negative, if I had to open my mouth it was only to say something nice or find a solution instead of a problem. I still use this method today, it works well,” he laughs.

Bryan (the quiet, silent type compared to Mr No’s volcanic personality) sees it differently.

“We use to fight like mad in the beginning, each of us having monster egos. and each of us are talented song writers in our own right. But after 2 albums we found a balance and we learned what we like and we write now with each other in mind. It works.”

“It took a little time to adjust to writing together but that’s nothing out of the ordinary for being in a band but we always knew we didn’t want to end up like Bauhaus or Pink Floyd and so many other great bands who fall out and ultimately break up over songwriting disagreements.”
“It was only after hearing the finished product of the first album Klunk that we realized how strong our material was as a result of the collaboration.”

More recently Motor was a threesome featuring (now departed) Spanish lothario Hugo Menendez, as a babe magnet frontman with additional peace-keeping duties tossed in when required.

“Hugo was the spark which kept myself and Mr No from beating the shit out of each other,” Bryan smiles, “and for a period he was pivotal in creating the MOTOR live energy which is essential to MOTOR live. But there was one gig which Hugo couldn’t do, and we didn’t want to cancel, so we did it as a 2-piece, sans Hugo and it worked. We were pleasantly surprised.”

The result was that the notorious ladykiller suddenly left the band, though with no hard feelings, Bryan insists.

“Hugo is too talented to not pursue his song writing, so he started his own band. It all worked out in the end. We still love him despite the fact that he’s Spanish. It’s not his fault,” he chuckles.