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Since the 90s, he has been considered an avant-garde figure in the electro scene, and now Anthony Rother is back with a new album. „Future Kids,“ which was released on Christmas Eve through his new label 3MULATOR BOY on Bandcamp, promises to be an exciting mix of techno and electro – or as he calls it: Technobeat-Electro. A first glimpse into the futuristic sound universe of the work was already given with the track „We Are Futurists“ and a matching music video from Timo Schlenstedt. In the interview, the Offenbach-based artist talks about the creative freedom of self-distribution, his pursuit of innovation, and escapism as a guiding motif. How does one manage to define a new genre within a year, critically reflect on the digital world, and still keep the focus on the music? We spoke with Anthony before the release of the album and here is a profound insight into the mind of an artist for you.
The future cannot be predicted, it is invented.“ How does this idea reflect in your new album, and how does it influence your approach to music and art?
Artistically, this statement is of course an overstatement and an exaggeration, but at the same time, it contains a kernel of truth. In the world of corporations, this statement holds true, but in the world of creatives, other laws apply. The creative person finds their way. The way they search can ideally be determined by them, but what they find lies in a realm unknown to the world and is not an invention. In the creative realm, talking about invention means someone has searched geniusly and was highly attentive in the process of finding.
You mentioned that you are still in the middle of mastering and might want to add a track. How does this open, experimental process influence the final vision of the album?
In commercial distribution, your album must be completely finished six months in advance. I’ve never been a fan of boring album promo texts full of superlatives. I love spontaneity. The freedom to work so intensely on my album, I only have through digital formats and because I release my music exclusively on Bandcamp. This allows me to work on details for a long time, refine the sound in mastering, and experiment with the cover design. I changed the cover and the new album name „Future Kids“ just two weeks ago, which was a change coming from the creative flow – and that’s possible without problems because until the last minute before release, much can remain open. This also applies to the music video for „We Are Futurists.“ Timo (Schlenstedt) worked on the video until the very last moment before release, and I worked on the mastering of the sound.
The music video for „We Are Futurists“:
Many of your new tracks like „Take Me to the Future“ or „I’m Not Real“ seem to address escapism. Is this a guiding theme for you? How do you define escapism in our digital present?
It’s important to me that the music creates an emotional world that feels real and, like a good movie, lets the listener dive into a world. When producing music in the studio, I try to capture the mood of the music and figure out what world is being heard. Once I have an inner vision, I work intensively to ensure that the music, sounds, and vocals tell that inner film as well and authentically as possible. That’s escapism for me and an important factor in music-making. I myself, and hopefully later the listeners, should dive into another world with the music.
How has your focus changed since albums like „AI Space“ and „Robo Pop“? What differentiates the creative process of „FUTURE KIDS“ from your earlier works?
During the pandemic, I had a brief, interesting conversation with Jeff (Mills) where we talked about the intentions an artist has and how they bring their individual purpose into their work. This conversation first confused me but then inspired me to think further. After that, I changed my approach in the studio, shifting from productivity to focusing on consistently pushing the boundaries of my creativity. I’ve been doing this since „AI Space,“ „Robo Pop,“ and now „FUTURE KIDS.“ As a result, my production process has become extremely slow. First and foremost, I’m about finding something fresh, and that takes time. You create a huge mountain of material and then hope to find that one special element in the big pile that shows you an interesting path. This way of making music is drastically different from intuitive music production, where you just compose. Metaphorically speaking, I fail 99 percent of the time in the studio to then find that one thing.
“AI Space” by Anthony Rother was released on December 23, 2022:
The term „Technobeat-Electro“ comes up several times in the context of the album. How would you describe this concept, and why is it a central element of your current music?
Last January, I heard DJ Mell G playing at the Human Club in Barcelona during a Mechatronica label night. We had played together for the first time at Lehmann in Stuttgart and had discussed Electro in the club during the artist dinner. Her set in Barcelona inspired me to explore my own version of Technobeat-Electro. I coined the genre term „Technobeat-Electro“ for my work on the album „FUTURE KIDS.“ It’s a way for me to create my own thematic world in which I can then creatively explore Technobeat-Electro.
You are continuing to develop your hybrid Electro set, integrating Technobeat-Electro. What new elements or technologies are you using in this?
While working on my album „FUTURE KIDS,“ the idea came to me about how I want to integrate the Technobeat-Electro tracks into my hybrid Electro set in the future. This will be a longer process with the goal that in my two-hour hybrid set, the last hour will be entirely filled with Technobeat-Electro. With the next albums, I will continue exploring this style and hope to reach my goal within the next two years. The process is as follows, like the last few years: make music, play it in my hybrid set, and then go back into the studio with experiences and impressions from the club. It’s a cycle of creativity and performance. It’s a studio idea shaped by real-world events. Create/Perform.
Anthony Rother with one of his hybrid electro sets:
With your focus on the future: Do you believe technology enriches or limits human creativity? And how do you see the role of artificial intelligence in music production?
I think technology both enriches and limits. The freedoms that artists have today also come with their limitations. Through digital mediums and the way music is distributed today, the economic value of music has drastically decreased. The constraints that come with current technology, in which artists find themselves, are sometimes very oppressive. Not long ago, corporations enforced rights that then benefited individual artists. Today, corporations simply become stakeholders in the business model of their opponents. Problems are solved by becoming business partners with the problem and profiting from it, instead of fighting for a fair solution for all. This is made possible by today’s technology.
I don’t use AI in my music production. I enjoy making music too much to imagine having AI create something for me. Last year, I used AI to separate a vocoder voice from one of my tracks to make a remix from it. That’s the extent of it. I use ChatGPT for small tasks, calculations, or outputting phoneme sequences for my speech machine. I am still open and very interested in technological progress; we’ll see what happens.
Tracks like „I’m Not Real“ invite a discussion about reality. Is escapism a way for you to better understand the world, or more of an escape?
Our reality has suffered a lot in recent years. Escapism, for me, is at best an immersive experience through music. It can be escape, but also an engagement with oneself and the world. My music is the result of my life and the impressions I gather every day. Additionally, music and thinking while composing always provide me with something new to understand, a new thought, or a new perspective on the world. I approach reality with the help of music. I find the topic of reality very interesting – especially in relation to artificial intelligence – as well as the different theories of reality. It’s an inexhaustible source of inspiration. When I was younger, I had some experiences in self-experimentation that still make me question what reality is, whether scientifically or spiritually. I had already dealt musically with the topic of simulating the world.
Vinyl seems almost like an act of resistance in today’s digital age. What does vinyl mean to you, and why do you rely on exclusive self-distribution via Bandcamp?
The significance attributed to physical media today is a tragic illusion. The music itself is valuable, not the medium in the form of a vinyl record or CD. During the pandemic, pressing plants required prepayment, and pressing times were up to a year. That’s when I decided not to make vinyl anymore and only release digitally on Bandcamp. Now I plan to release some older releases with new remixes of mine on vinyl. I had gathered offers from pressing plants all of last year, negotiated with record distributors, and calculated everything in detail, and I concluded that I will release my vinyl via self-distribution on Bandcamp. With the small editions I make, self-distribution is the only economically viable option. In March, I will release a double-12″ with the originals and new remixes of my classics „Redlight District“ and „Destroy Him My Robots,“ plus a few other tracks, eight in total. This is the beginning of producing vinyl regularly again. However, my new albums will always only be released digitally.
Bandcamp enables a direct connection with your fans. How important is this direct exchange to you, and how does it differ from other distribution channels?
A large part of the music business is a clever exploitation machine. When you look at statements from distributors and professional record companies, you have to say that nobody really understands the numbers, and sometimes it feels strange what is being charged. Bandcamp is my home. It’s the only place where my new music is available, but also my entire back catalog. The Datapunk stuff is additionally available on the major streaming services. But my new stuff is only available on Bandcamp. This is a conscious distinction from the commercial mass market. I refrain from being present in this market in order to have an economic framework with my music that makes sense for my small artist world. My music is not a means to an end or a promotion tool to get gigs. Music is the most important thing for me. With Bandcamp, I have direct contact with my people and the freedom to release what I want, when I want. The price for this distinction is that I’m nonexistent for the streaming listeners. That’s how it is with subculture, but it’s the most fun for me this way.
How do you keep your creativity flowing when you are simultaneously producing music, developing new ideas, and keeping an eye on technical details like mastering?
It’s like life itself, sometimes it works better, sometimes not as well as you’d like. Through consistent continuity in the studio, I build an imaginary time buffer that I can use during creative down phases. I always take care of office work and administrative tasks immediately so that I feel free. I procrastinate almost nothing. With these small tactics, I create the largest possible inner space to be creative and experiment in the studio. Order is just a means to an end for me. I’m tidy to have more time to make music, to be better at being creative, not because I’m a tidy person.
Your fans look forward to a new album every year at Christmas. Does this annual rhythm have special significance for you, or is it more of a creative challenge?
This rhythm came about by chance years ago, and over the years I’ve noticed that the twelve-month cycle works perfectly for me. I practically never stop making music, and I’m happy with that. I always have at least one goal: my album in December. Unless I’m touring, I’m in the studio every day, and it brings me great joy. All my creativity and my attitude toward project inquiries are subordinated to my annual goal. It gives me good structure and helps me recognize what’s important to me. The Christmas album is my boss telling me what to do, my guiding principle, and a gift for my people.
Here, you can listen to the album „Future Kids“ by Anthony Rother and purchase it digitally:
Tracklist „Future Kids“:
1. Take Me To The Future 05:55
2. Programmed And Televised 07:45
3. Technobeat-Electro 06:16
4. Do You Love Me 07:43
5. I’m Not Real 07:15
6. 3L3C7RONIC 07:14
7. I Feel Love 07:44
8. We Are Futurists 06:59
9. Lifetime Memory 08:12
The album „Future Kids“ by Anthony Rother was released on December 23, 2024, via 3MULATOR, exclusively on the artist’s Bandcamp page.
Text: Rafael Da Cruz
Credit: Timo Schlenstedt
Web: www.instagram.com/anthony_rother