By Austin Kaus
The two-person Sioux Falls industrial-electro-metal entity known as Infaux is releasing their fourth EP upon the world this month. They’re the aural equivalent of a dance club burning to the ground. Austin Kaus wanted to know more, so he sat down with vocalist/programmer Stien (formerly of De Nethermen) to ask about noise, destruction and being polite.
AK: How did this collision of personalities come to be?
S: Robot and I met when I was looking for a bass player. Now, he plays guitar. After De Nethermen, I wanted to strip everything down and keep it about beats and efficiency. Keep it in my own vision. I wanted electronic rock music that was in your face but could be listened to by others outside of genres.
AK: Do genre classifications bother you?
S: I don’t trust genre-fication of music. Any great song should make you happy, dance, fuck or kill somebody … maybe yourself.
AK: I had a hard time classifying your sound. At one of your early shows, a good friend called it “nightmarish.” I believe he meant it as a compliment.
S: I’ve never thought of our music as being scary or hard-sounding while making it. Only later do I see why others would perceive it that way. I bring a pop sensibility, really, in comparison to the weird things I do listen to. Lyrically, I just lean towards more dark and often epic and historical issues that I find interesting to write about. I write a lot about people put in situations making big decisions because it’s what I feel sympathy and empathy towards.
AK: So, what are your influences when talking about this band?
S: Robot and I have a lot of similar and different influences. We both love industrial noise. I think Atari Teenage Riot was a big connection for us in that we loved harsh techno. We both have a love of noisy music. New Wave. Beats. Melody. We’ve sat around and equally loved Author and Punisher – a guy who create his own machines to make beats – and George Michael. At the same time, in process, I see us as no different than a hip hop group.
AK: Can you describe your music in three words?
S: <silence>
AK: Where do your lyrics come from? That stuff can get pretty dark.
S: My lyrical inspiration comes from history, science, literature and NPR podcasts.
AK: What was the mindset in working on your third EP?
S: Just trying to get the songs done how we wanted them so sound. A mix of dirty electronic sounds that I lean towards but in a structure that people can connect with.
AK: The band has been getting on some interesting bills. Tell me about that.
S: We’re really excited to be embraced by other cities and to play with Hocico and other internationally known bands. It’s an amazing opportunity. We’ve worked on songs with people overseas and that’s been a humbling experience. We have a song with Parasite Unit from England who has DJd us at clubs there. Playing with industrial legends like Hocico is a dream come true. That sort of respect is really a lot to take in.
AK: Do you have a philosophy when it comes to playing or booking shows?
S: As far as shows, we show up on time, we rock, and we aren’t dicks. It goes a long ways.
AK: What’s the future of infaux?
S: Future involves taking over. I want to be prolific with our music and I want people to enjoy it. Even if it’s different, I want to change their mindsets. It’s why we do it. There’s a hole that needs to be filled. I want to take over. I see destruction only as progressive building blocks.
To check out the band’s discography and learn about their upcoming tour dates in Omaha and St. Paul, go to www.infaux.bandcamp.com.
