Rave On
“Some people still don’t get what we’re all about so let me explain just a little. When we started out in Copenhagen in 2001 our initial intention was to hire 2 stand-up drummers and an additional guitarist. We wanted the stand-up drummers because of our fascination with the raw and primal beats of The Cramps. We actually wanted female drummers who had a certain burlesque feel to them. Unfortunately we didn’t have time to find 2 drummers, cause we had a tour lined up, so we settled on one really amazing jazz drummer instead. For years we toured as a 4-piece and then as a 5-piece. When that started getting out of hand and the initial idea behind The Raveonettes seemed to get lost in drunken days and drugged-out nights, we decided to start all over again and did some touring as a duo and then finally as a 3-piece with the stand-up drummer we always wanted. Our beats have always been ridiculously simple cause that’s the way we like it, so when people write that we use “…boring, old drum-machines…”, they’re partially right. Boring is just a shitty word for simple and the word old refers to that the fact we pretty much only use old jazz samples from Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich and Max Roach. We do however use many electronic drum samples as well. We love Suicide too hence the use of simple, raw electronic beats. Everything we do is made with computers and samples. We perform live using an Alesis HD 24 which runs all the beats, various percussion and sounds. We love electronic music such as Atari Teenage Riot, Primal Scream, Miss Kittin, Trentemoeller, Shizuo, Alec Empire and Nic Endo’s solo stuff. We’re 50% electronic and 50% organic(sorry I have no better words for it) and that’s the way it’s always been. We also have a deep fascination with surf music and the Pacific Ocean. The American West symbolizes a mystic and restless notion of the end of the world, perhaps the end of everything and the beginning a something new, a state of rebirth, if you will. It is the theme of many of our songs. We love the simple and powerful songwriting style of Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens and a lot of our sound is borrowed from these two geniuses. If you listen to “Everyday” by Buddy Holly, you’ll hear the familiar glockenspiel and the simple “hands on knees” beat which is basically what we’re all about. Our fascination with noise comes from Sonic Youth and Atari Teenage Riot. We sometimes use noise as a background layer(Attack Of The Ghost Riders and Sad Transmission)like The Mary Chain used to do so beautifully but mostly we use noise as another solo instrument like Sonic Youth. Sometimes we go all out like Atari Teenage Riot and in my opinion ATR will always be the masters of noise, no doubt about it! Having said all this, I wanna make it clear that we’ve never been opposed to change either so whatever happens, happens!
These are exciting times in the music industry as the old regime has been torn down by newer and better powers. The worlds have changed and the artist is finally back in control of everything, the way it should have always been. This means that if you’re a prolific and creative band you can really please yourself and others by letting everything flow in a continuous stream of interesting music and that’s exactly what we intend to do! Why wait another year or two for new material from your favorite band when we now have the opportunity to release new tunes whenever we feel like it? That’s right, 2008 will see the release of not only “Lust Lust Lust” but also an additional 3 EP’s each containing 3-4 new tunes. The first EP is set for release in September, then October and the last one in November.. We have no idea what direction these EP’s will take as of yet but they’re all gonna be fucking brilliant! Basically think about the glorious year of 1977 when The Ramones released two of their best albums “Leave Home” and “Rocket To Russia”, I wish bands would still do that. we’re taking it all back from the man! It’s time to be in control! Rave On!”
-Sune Rose Wagner, April 6th 2008.
No real criticism meant whatsoever, but I actually thought the Raves were relatively flat when they were touring during this Lust Lust Lust era. The three tranches of touring after that have seen something sparkier, more punchy, less restricted; for a band who have no real creative limits to impose them anyway always seemed a bit of a shame. I do still love Lust Lust Lust though. It captures a really primal conflict between euphoria and brutality, and only Sune and Sharin could ever have made it.
