Vi tog ett snack med Psyche‘s Darrin Huss med tanke på nyss släppta hyllningsalbumet till Dwayne Goettel – “Re-Membering Dwayne”. Läs vår recension av albumet här. Vi gjorde även en intervju med Darrin Huss i samband med Psyche‘s sverigebesök i våras som du finner här. (Intervju publiceras efter önskemål på originalspråket.)

ElektroSkull: Hi Darrin, so how are things?

Darrin Huss: Hi Jens! Well, crazy as usual actually, just getting ready to fly home for the EBM-fest (Canada).

ElektroSkull: Great! So, how is the good old heart? Still ticking?

Darrin Huss: Yeah, it’s been 1 year since the OP. But it does have it’s interesting challenges. My performance is not affected though so far.

ElektroSkull: That sounds great! So it’s been a few months since the last interview with us at ElektroSkull – Synthportalen. At that time you told us briefly about the upcoming “Re-Membering Dwayne” release. And now we finally got it in our hands. This release must have been very special and emotional for you. In what way would you describe it? What’s it been like to dive into that vault again?

Darrin Huss: It’s actually hard to do in a way. I don’t like to look back too much. I tend to get very melancholic with nostalgia, but listening to the demos we made with Dwayne again was actually very worthwhile, and inspiring as I have actually not been to creative with new music the last five years. It was good to hear what Psyche started with, and I am still a fan of my early work.

ElektroSkull: Is it all just nostalgia, or are there any reminders that could be inspirational for forthcoming stuff?

Darrin Huss: Actually yes, I mean I still relate to my lyrics for Krieg, and tracks like Torture and the Crawler are still very unique, so I hope maybe I will find a way to follow this sound a bit closer than i have in the past.

ElektroSkull: That sounds interesting. So you’re saying that making this album of all those old demos could actually give us a retro-Psyche-kind of sound on future songs? Or atleast give you that kind of inspiration through your work you with the old recordings?

Darrin Huss: Yes, I have been looking for the right continuation for a while. I’ll be honest I have made compromises, with The 11th Hour I was slowly finding my way back, but it was much too dark and Psyche is in fact synthpop with a psychedelic twist. I think it would be great to follow up “Re-Membering Dwayne” with the right sound, but keeping it relevant for now.

ElektroSkull: Yes. But the minimal synthpop of the eighties sure is coming back even on the mainstream scene. Even Robyn is doing minimal electropop now. So are there thoughts of actually getting another album out soon? Anything floating around in there, new songs, ideas and so on?

Darrin Huss: I’m still a born rebel, I hate the fact that Robyn and La roux are hip now. Robyn even sample DAF, but that doesn’t make these people great. I mean sure I would love it if Yazoo came back, but like I said one must still move on and not become a pastiche of their old sound. I want to surprise people, but at the same time continue with something that can be discovered years later. We’re definitely in strange times. But electronic music means too much to me not to try and continue to be challenging.

ElektroSkull: No I guess you’re right there. But I think you’ve managed that very well with Psyche over the years. You’ve kept your sound but the development is obvious and ofcourse you have to find new ways of doing things as an artist. What about the side projects and guest appearances? Have there been any since the guest vocals you made for Red Industrie’s “My Victory”?

Darrin Huss: I did a remix and a bit of a vocal for Plastikman. I believe that will be out in October. There’s a few other things, but mainly it’s time for a new Psyche album soon.

ElektroSkull: How would you decribe “Re-Membering Dwayne”, from a fan point of view, listener point of view and from a Psyche point of view? What do we get here?

Darrin Huss: As for “Re-Membering Dwayne” I just love the atmosphere it creates. It’s before people cared about club hits, and all that nonsense. It’s pure atmospheric electronic music. I figure Krieg is a song people of any age can relate to.

ElektroSkull: And then Michael Arthur Halloway (Dead When I found her) and a couple of others actually made brand new remixes of a couple of the old songs that make them live further into the future. I’m actually putting the DWIFH remix in a DJ-set soon positive it will work fine at club-level even in 2010, that must also be inspirational?

Darrin Huss: Thanks, yeah I really like the DWIFH mix, it’s clubby but tasteful!

ElektroSkull: I chose not to grade “Re-membering Dwayne” in my review, because as a huge Psyche-fan I didnt want to grade it, because there are different sort of grading to this kind of work. To me it was more of a interesting kind of background. A look into what started it all. What do you think of the reponsen so far to this album?

Darrin Huss: We’re playing Krieg and The Crawler now in our set. I am having fun reliving these songs as a part of our present repertoire. It gives me a feeling of security, like a homecoming to what you’re all about. A nice way to feel young again as well. The response has been quite good. I hope it appeals in general to people who just like to discover what makes synth music so unique without an agenda.

ElektroSkull: Great stuff! So what are the plans as for right now? Any special things planned? And could you give any hint about when a new album could possibly be around?

Darrin Huss: Well, we’ve been doing special shows under the heading “Electronic Legends” with NO MORE (famous for the song Suicide Commando). The combination seems to be working well for both bands, bringing in slightly different audiences. I will be at the airport tomorrow on the way to Canada for our one off appearance at Toronto’s EBM Fest. I am making demos for a new album, but first we will re-release “Insomnia Theatre” on vinyl!

ElektroSkull: Vinyl! OOH! Damn, it is all coming back isnt it? I went to MediaMarkt the other day and there was a 20 feet shelve with vinyls and record players!

Darrin Huss: We’ll play with DAF next year. Yeah, I’m kinda riding the nostalgia wave a bit while I gather my thoughts for the new Psyche.

ElektroSkull: Great stuff! DAF and Psyche would work for me for sure!! So, any last words for the fans?

Darrin Huss: Definitely! I am grateful that despite never being in the charts that we’ve always had such a warm welcome in Sweden and that so many have supported us in the last 25 years. It does my heart proud to have given people something with my music, and I continue to enjoy it. Hope to see our Scandinavian audience again soon!