Treibhaus interview: This was sent to me by Maud who did this interview via e-mail with Curt Doernberg. Thanx to both for allowing us to put this up here, it's very good & incredibly in-depth!!! Words in italics are foreign terms (even if they don't look foreign) to English readers, & should be viewed as such. Also, if anyone has any questions regarding this interview please let me know & I will pass the questions along :) -Mikki 5/05

DML: What qualities of your music are implied in the name Treibhaus?

CD: I don’t know--what do you think?

DML: Ok: if I tell you what I think, will you tell me what you think--what the name Treibhaus means to you as a reflection of your music? Here's my impression: thinking about what if feels like inside a greenhouse (to use the common English translation for Treibhaus), I think of music that is hot, vibrant with life in an intensely concentrated form, and loaded with controlled power. Your album delivers all that and more. So, now it's your turn ;-).

CD: In my mind, the name Treibhaus is a combination of "drive" ( the English word for "TREIBen"), like the music, and a Treibhaus, what you could define like a disco (You remember the first long scene in BLADE 1?). This combination with the hard- speaking word TREIBHAUS  is like our music.

DML: It's cool that whichever meaning of the word "treibhaus" you start with, you can find accurate connotations about the music.

DML: How did you meet the various members of the band?

CD: Ok, let’s start with Martin, the best guitar player I know! The first time I met him was 15 years ago. I was looking for a new band, and in Hannover was a thrash band who looked for a drummer. The guitar player of the band was??? . . . right; it was Martin. The band died 3 weeks later. . . . No, it wasn’t my fault ;-) ! Three years later I went to my local tattoo-studio for a new tattoo, and who was the tattoo-artist??? . . . two points for the right answer. . . . Yes it was Martin again. Since that time we are friends to today. At the beginning of Treibhaus, I asked him to play the guitar in the studio. He loved the music from the first minute, but he wasn't able to play in the live-lineup because he had two other bands (Hate Squad and Tribe13). So he played the guitar on the “Unsterblich” album, and Frank was on his own for the live-set. Eight weeks ago, he told me that he left “Tribe 13” and one second later he was a member of Treibhaus. Matthias is an unbeliveble drummer; he is a clockwork! I've know him for 12 years, I think. We both played in different bands in Hannover. Since this time, we met several times at concerts and parties. He was the first one who was listening to the Treibhaus songs. At that moment he said that I HAVE to call him if there is anything to do on drums. I called him. . . . Ulli is the bass player of HappyGoPukey, the band of Frank. I know him because I visited Frank many times at their concerts. He told Ulli that I was looking for a bass player. He came, played and won my heart. . . . Frank and Kai are not longer with Treibhaus so I’ll save my words for the next question.

DML: As a musician, are you self-taught, or have you had formal training?

CD: I think I was 10 years old when my brother Ferdy showed me my first drumbeat. Since this time, I’m infected with the virus. I taught myself in everything I liked. “Learning by doing” was the way for me. If you are attentive, you can learn everywhere and anytime. I like to try something again and again . . . and again to find out something new.

DML: Prior to starting Treibhaus, you played drums in a number of bands, including Rough Silk and Donnerkopf, and are still involved with the latter. How has it been, juggling Treibhaus and Donnerkopf? Is playing drums with Donnerkopf a nice outlet or diversion for you?

CD: First of all, I have to say I left “Donnerkopf” two weeks ago. [DML: Ah--big news; not yet announced when I visited the Donnerkopf site just before our interview.] It was fun to play drums in this band. They do a kind of Motörhead-Style with German lyrics. Now I need all my time to push Treibhaus and there is no longer time for other things. I started to write new songs, we do live-practice, I have to take care of my new record company “Kneeve Records,” I start to book Treibhaus-Concerts, and so on. I think I’ll never stop playing drums because it is an amazing feeling, but this time is Treibhaus-Time.

DML: Is Treibhaus the first band in which you’ve been the vocalist?

CD: As I started to write the first songs, I realised  I have to sing this stuff. In the beginning it was a strange feeling for me, but now I feel fine with it. It’s fun to take care only for one microphone. . . . In the past it was hundreds of drums, stands and cymbals!

DML: Why did you wait so long to assume this role in a band?

CD: I never had the chance for it. The reason to start this band is because, if you are a drummer, you are lost in beating and grooving. You do not try to say something like “hey, I think it’s better to play this part in D” or “I have an idea for a melody”--everybody looks at you like “wow, it speaks.” If I could go back 10 years, I would do it different.

DML: Has it always been a goal of yours to be a lead singer, and were there people who encouraged you to use this obvious talent?

CD: If you never have the chance to try something out, you never will find out. Deep in my mind I had dreams like this, but only deep in my mind. You know, the situations where you are thinking about something special. Now, it became true and I enjoy it very much.

DML:Well, anyone who's heard you sing must be very glad you decided to pursue this dream. 

DML:What equipment do you use to produce the synthetic elements of your music? And specifically, how is the sound of a bass created? 

CD: All songs are recorded and produced with a hard-disk recording system based on Cubase SX 2.0.  For the electronic loops and beats I use the plugin “Battery” of Native Instruments. This drum sampler is easy to handle and I can use my own samples in all variations. I've collected all kinds of drum samples for years. Most of the Treibhaus-drum samples are recorded at studio sessions with me and my drumkit. You can’t have enough of this material! I mostly modify natural sounds for Treibhaus. The keyboard sounds are taken from VST-plugs and samplers.

The bass guitar is a different instrument. All songs have programmed bass parts in the beginning. I have a sample-CD with excellent natural bass-sounds on it. I program the bass lines by the computer mouse to work out a new song idea. Later on, I do the exact editing to make it sound natural and human. Only with one song I wasn’t happy. For the song “Erzengel” I played a real bass guitar. This song had not enough power with the “canned bass." To record the bass guitar, I use my guitar equipment. It is a “Line6 POD Pro” over a “SPL Channel One” in the hard disk.

DML: One of the aspects of your sound that is most immediately apparent is the perfect balance of “traditional” or “organic” rock instruments and electronic elements. Is this symmetry something that you consciously strive for?

CD: Oh yes! This is my big love! I like to mix these two elements together. Combining these two styles allows each one of them to grow bigger and to become more interesting than they were using them separated. If you have a heavy guitar – it sounds “only” heavy. If you are listening to a tekkno-synth, mixed with this heavy guitar, it sounds “wow”! This music is like an exhibition of paintings. Every song has its own spirit for me; it is music made for me.

DML: That's a really beautiful description. . . .

DML: Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age) stated in an interview for "Guitar Player" magazine that he “writes around drums. The beats write the music to me—I just start twisting riffs around them.” As someone who’s spent most of his career drumming, do you approach songwriting and recording in a similar manner, with a drummer’s sensibility?

CD: Yes and no. Most of the time I start with the guitar. It’s fun to play guitar! Often I sit in my studio with headphones on and play guitar so loud that my eyes are ready to blow out. I press the record-button and play for fun and then . . .“ups . . . this is a good idea, cool”. After finishing the part, I leave it on the hard disk and wait for the next day. If it is good enough for my fresh ears, I start to work with it. You are right--the influences of the drumming time of my life are a big part of Treibhaus. Everything is rhythmic and clinical, and there are clear structures. These are my priorities to play drums and to make music.

DML: You began writing the songs on “Unsterblich” some time ago, around the beginning of 2003. How has your songwriting evolved over this time?

CD: I think in every way. As I started in 2003 to record the first songs, I spent most of the time with the recording-system. Later on, I had more and more time to make music, and everything started to become faster. I had the same experience with the way I have to record something or what can I do to reach this result. At the beginning a song needed to be finished in 2-4 weeks. Now, a good song doesn't need more than 3 days to be ready to produce. . . . Learning by doing!

DML: Is there a song or group of songs that you feel, in both songwriting and performance, most fully capture your ambitions for this band when you began it—what Treibhaus is all about?

CD: All single songs show the ambitions I had and still have for Treibhaus. I can’t say there is one or more songs more special than the other.

DML: Are their particular songs that presented special challenges in either the writing or recording process?

CD: No not really. . . .

DML: Some of the major themes I’ve noticed in your lyrics are (a) the need to be realistic about life in general, and (b) the idea of lost opportunities, and the need to not let opportunities (or life itself?) pass you by. These two related concerns seem to be central to your treatment of broader subjects such as love and death. Could you comment on the way your lyrics express these and other important themes?

CD: It is important to have enough space in the meaning of the lyrics. Everybody has to have the chance to create his own understanding. You will find out that the lyrics reflect you in many different moods. The audience is welcome in the world of Treibhaus. Life, Love & Death, these 3 words are present in everybody's life. My lyrics are the back door. . . .

DML: I would especially appreciate hearing you speak about the lyrics to “Erlösung” and “Erzengel.”  

CD: I don’t like to explain lyrics like “Erlösung” because they are made to think about it. “Erzengel” is about the rebirth of the archangel – I’m the archangel ;-).

DML: Cool. With that in mind, I'm going to enjoy further pondering the details of that song.

DML: There’s a cool twist at the end of “Wer Weiss,” in which “wer nicht fragt bleibt dumm,” part of the song’s opening line (which is derived from the theme song to the German version of Sesame Street) is repeated, and then followed by the song’s refrain of “Nur du du und ich,” but this time ending with the addition of the all-important word “nicht.” This seems to add to the song’s ambiguity—any comments?

CD: Yes, you are right. It says: every wisdom is relative if you don’t understand the words. To know something is one thing - to internalize something is totally different.

DML: In a previous interview ("Dark Heart" e-zine), you describe the song “Die Kugel” as being inspired by a scene in a movie in which a gun shot is filmed in slow motion. This song, you explain, takes place in the time between the firing of the gun and the hitting of its human target, and presents the point of view of the bullet. In addition to this intriguing depiction, are you also, in this song, developing an extended metaphor, comparing the hitting of the target to a romantic conquest (as many lines would suggest)?

CD: “Die Kugel” is one of my favorite lyrics. You are right if you are saying it is romantic. It sounds like a true love story. May be life is dangerous???

DML: Yes, maybe so . . . ;-). And did you intend from the beginning for it to be a spoken rather than sung piece?

CD: The spoken lyrics are a part of this song. Vocals are a kind of instrument in every song. . . .

DML: Of course--that's always true, whether the lyrics are spoken or sung.

DML: In the aforementioned interview, you also refer to a song called “Deine Wunden.” Is this song actually “Das Licht,” but existing under a different title at that time? Is the name change the only alteration that occurred, or were there more extensive revisions, possibly ones which led you to rename the song?

CD: In the beginning, the name of this song was “Das Licht.” One time I thought the name is not the right one and I changed it to “Deine Wunden.” I thought the name could be too positive for the lyrics. A short time later, I changed it back to “Licht” because it was and is the best name for it ;-). Sometimes I think too much. . . .

DML: In the cd’s title listings, you’ve shortened or revised the names of some songs (in comparison to the original versions on the website). Most of these changes are minor—omission of definite articles; do those involving more significant re-wording (“Glaubensbekenntnis” - “Bekenntnis”; Bis der Tod Uns scheidet” - “Nie Wieder”) reflect changes in your perceptions of the songs?

CD: This happened because of the music. As I finished the recordings and was listening to the whole thing, it was the first time I realised the result of the whole CD. So I had to match the impact of the song titles with the impact of the music. Now it is “one thing” for me. The meaning is the same but it is more perfect all together. “Glaubensbekenntnis” changed to “Bekenntnis” because I didn't want to have it too religious.

DML: I understand--though I always assumed that the "faith" you referred to wasn't necessarily the conventionally religious type, except maybe in an ironic sense.

CD: The title name “Nie Wieder” gives the lyric much more effect. For me it is important to name the songs in the same way as I write lyrics.

DML: I completely agree about the appropriateness of the title "Nie Wieder." The idea of "never again" parting does seem to be at the heart of the song's meaning. And each time you sing "nie wieder gehen," it's a dramatic moment, a surging point in the song.

DML: One song that didn’t make it onto the album is “Hoffnungslos.” Why did you decide to leave it off, and do you anticipate releasing it at some point?

CD: This song was already finished but there's something (I don’t know exactly what it is) I don’t like. This song will come on the next album in a different version. Two weeks ago, I started with the songwriting for new songs. So if I’m back in the right mood, I will make this song perfect. I will let you know.

DML: Great, thanks! And it's also exciting to hear that you're working on some new songs.

DML: The song sequence on the album is remarkably effective: wonderful juxtapositions of contrasting tones and moods (the solemn intensity of “Traumwelt” / the buoyancy of “Treibhaus;” the delicate beauty of “Nie Wieder” / the strutting, brash, insistent beat of “Jetzt”); and dynamic sonic segues (the perfect transitions from “Wahnsinn” to “Lauf” and from “Lauf” to “Licht”). Did the song order fall into place effortlessly for you, or did you go through many dilemmas in determining the sequence?

CD: For me it was important to find a way to put all songs in one piece together. I checked out many different variations to get this result. I’m glad to hear that you noticed this kind of work. I like to listen to a whole album in one piece and I recognize how important the running order is.

DML: So do I--song sequence is a dynamic I'm always very conscious of when listening to albums or when making cdr mixes.

DML: What’s your reaction to the fact that so many people outside of Germany have a passion for listening to the sound of sung German, even if their understanding of the words might be limited to either a large or a small degree?

CD: First of all I have to say that I was surprised because of this fact. I didn't notice this before. One reason could be the hard sound of the words. It makes music different and special. A big point is that the kind of music here in Germany is differently made. It is its own style of music and that is the bigger reason, I think. A lot of my favorite songs I like because of the music. I don’t know the meaning of the lyrics up to now. . . .

DML: That's true for me also--even with songs that have English lyrics.

DML: Besides the appeal found in the sounds of the language itself, there are also simply a lot of great singers in German bands—you, Dero of Oomph, Till Lindemann, Der Graf of Unheilig, and probably many others whom I don’t know yet—all of whom would be pleasurable to hear in any language. Do you notice a higher importance placed on the art of singing in some music communities of Germany (and perhaps Europe as a whole) than in the U.S., for example?

CD: No I don’t think so. You have a lot of brilliant singers in the US. The special thing for you, I think, is they are singing German.

DML: It is a special thing, of course, but not the only reason--the style is a major factor, as you mentioned earlier. And of course Dero, for one, sings in English too, with no diminishing of appeal ;-).

DML: Despite all the love for German bands exhibited by people all over the world, relatively few groups have achieved what could be called major worldwide success [much to the dismay of U. S. fans, since we’re dying to see these bands live!]--what will it take for other German bands to reach the level of success that Rammstein has—or is Rammstein just a fluke?

CD: Rammstein is a special thing! They are big and successful out of Germany like no other band of this style. They do a perfect job. I like this band very much because they do what they want to do. The other bands in this style are not this big in Germany too. Our music isn’t popular on planet earth . . . but times are changing ;-).

DML: Absolutely.

DML: Who are some of your favorite current bands—German or otherwise?

CD: At the moment my favorite band is Filter. They are unbelievably perfect. I can’t wait for the new CD any longer. . . . I like many different styles and bands. It depends on my personal mood. One day I like to listen to “The Rat Pack,” one day “Meshuggah” is the one and only, another day “Billy Joel,” the next day “Pantera,” the next “Covenant” and so on.

DML: You’re preparing to tour in the near future. What sort of stage set-up will you have for your live shows; how will the electronic elements of your music be produced on stage? Will you be playing an electronic keyboard, for instance? And can you give us any other previews of what the live show will be like?

CD: The final live-lineup will be Matthias - drums, Martin – guitar and Ulli – bass . The electronic elements will come from a multi-channel hard-disk recorder. It will be a perfect mix of human power and electronic sound. Matthias is playing the drums like a clockwork and he is the perfect connection between these two elements. Another part of the live concept will be a videobeamer.

DML: By "videobeamer," do you mean a video projection, like ones used in presentations?

CD: I mean a beamer that you use to show video clips or sports games to many many people. We like to fix the ears and eyes of the audience for Treibhaus. It will complement the light show. We don’t use keyboards on stage because I hate keyboards on stage. . . . Keyboards are gay. . . .

DML: But you wouldn't mind an acoustic piano, in a different setting, right? Are you still attracted to the idea of Treibhaus songs being done, in an alternate version, with a bar pianist, as you once said? I think that could work, and have this vision of you draped across the piano while singing.

CD: Oh yes, a piano is totally different from a keyboard. I like pianos and I would do something like playing Treibhaus songs with a bar pianist. Maybe sometime there will be the right time for this. . . .

DML: What are your future plans for your label, Kneeve Records. Do you anticipate releasing recordings by other bands?

CD: Kneeve Records is a new step in my life. This company is first of all made for Treibhaus. I think there could be some more bands on Kneeve in the future. But this is something I don’t know now.

DML: And what about the website—will you be adding areas for photos, reviews, etc.?

CD: Yes, this will come for sure. In the coming weeks we'll do a photo session for the promotion work. I will create a gallery-area [DML: and, indeed, there is now a photos page at the website] and a press-area with more information and reviews for the website. I do the homepage on my own too and everything takes a lot of time because of the “learning by doing” thing. . . . I also will do a “live” area where people can check out what stuff we need and how they can book us. Much work to do!

DML: Those additions sound great.

DML: You have some very impressive body art. Please describe some of your tattoos—what they depict.

CD: I like tattoos very much. They are one of my big hobbies. I will do a “tattoo section” in the gallery-area too. Tattoos are a big art and you have to watch them like you have to listen to music if you want to understand it. Take a look later. . . .

DML: I certainly will. And what a cool idea for the gallery!

DML: Do you design the tattoos yourself and then convey what you want to the tattoo artist, or is there more of a collaboration?

CD: It is a long growing process to find a motive for your life. If you know it, you have the way it has to be in your mind. Then it’s up to the artist to make it like this. Like I said before, Martin is the best tattoo-artist I know, so I ‘m glad to know him. He is putting it from my mind on my skin. He is the best!

DML: What’s the first tattoo you ever got?

CD: The first tattoo was an Indian motive. I did a cover-up of this because it wasn’t that style I like at present.

DML: You list your nationality as German/English. Do you, in fact, have dual-citizenship; a parent or grandparent who is English?

CD: My dad is a German but he was for 20 years of his life in England. This long time gives you and your children the right to live in England whenever you want. So they add an English nationality to the existing one. That’s cool, isn’t it?

DML: It really is!

DML: You’re also a hardcore football fan. Is your emotional well-being strongly affected by the fortunes of your favorite teams.

CD: I think you call it soccer or English football right? [DML: Yes.] It is my big love next to the music but there are no emotional reasons for me to like one club more than the other. In my opinion, the English premier league is the world's best. The German “Bundesliga” is not bad but they are playing much slower. Every 2 weeks I go with my friends to the Hannover-Stadion where “Hannover 96” are doing their home games. It is fun – many crazy people, good entertainment and a lot of beers. . . . I like to be drunken in the afternoon ;-)

DML: :-D

DML: Are there any other pro sports you follow?

CD: No!

DML: Such vehemence ;-)!

DML: The four elements, water, fire, air, and earth, are mentioned in the lyrics to “Jetzt.” Is astrology an interest of yours?

CD: Astrology is not my cup of tea. I think it is very interesting but I never checked it out. These four words I used are full of power. They have the meaning of everything we need and everything we are afraid of. 

DML: That's a great statement on which to conclude an interview with someone who makes music that is, itself, so full of power and the ability to enthrall. But is there anything else you'd like to say to those reading this interview, especially ones who might not be familiar with your music?

CD: Thank you. I think this interview includes so many interesting questions where I had the chance to say everything I liked. I hope the readers of this interview will find an interest in Treibhaus. This is something I really hope. . . .

DML: And thank you, Curt, for your time, thoughtful responses, and, above all, awesome music.

For more information about Treibhaus, downloads, etc., visit http://www.treibhaus-sound.de and http://www.kneeve.de