Photo: Klaus Mellenthin
by Stina Isabel Gavrilin
German synthpop legend returns! On November 22, Camouflage are bringing four decades worth of legacy with them to Alexela Concert Hall, supported by our own Bedless Bones. In anticipation of their fourth show in Tallinn, it was our great privilege to be able to exchange a few words about the tour, new songs, the band's inner workings, and what they're looking forward to most in our city...
Since the postponement the jubilee tour, what did you manage to achieve in this extra time?
We went to the studio and wrote, or worked on new songs. 3 of them you can hear on the show!
It’s been nine years since your last LP. You’ve always been open to experimentation with no boundaries – what kind of sounds have you been exploring on new material? Do you easily take in new technologies or prefer to stick to more traditional methods?
We were not seeking for new sounds or experiences. First of all it was about finding ourselves again within our friendship and music. Sounds and stuff are the next step during the production, which is a floating process happening at the moment. We will see, what finally comes up and what will stay till the end…
Which one would you say Camouflage leans towards more – innovation or nostalgia?
Is a new song that sounds like the 80s innovative or nostalgic? We have a certain style – as individual composers and as a band itself. We always look, what’s the best for the song and this is leading us to the sound. Finally it can be interpreted as innovative, or nostalgic, but we never started a production with thoughts in our mind regarding these questions.
Do you let yourselves be influenced by modern-day trends in pop music?
Sometimes, or you can say that it can happen, but it is not planned. We are not living in a cocoon, so influences are everywhere!
I know you’re big fans of science fiction and Heiko also makes film scores for a living. Are there any film soundtracks in particular that have consciously or subconsciously influenced the compositions of Camouflage?
The work of Vangelis, or Sakamoto is a huge influence. Movies like Dune, or Blade Runner, or even Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence are visual and acoustic trademarks!
Does being together in a band for so many years ever create tension between you as friends?
You always have ups and downs – we’re just humans! But friendship, the awareness of the common heritage and the will to continue is the basement of our work together. But without friendship it would only be a business and we’re not interested in that.
What does Camouflage strive toward these days? Do you still find excitement in things that you’ve never done before as a band?
Of course there are things we never did before, like a whole concert just with an orchestra, or a tour through the U.S. Musically we tried out a lot – in an electronic, or acoustic way. It is still the interest of the input from the other ones, which leads us with quite an excitement right to the next song!
How do you arrange and fit 40 years of music into the setlist for live shows?
This is hard to handle and you have to look at it in a dramaturgical way as well – we want to reflect 40 years of creativity, but it is also still a concert, which has to entertain the audience – and US as well! We believe that we found the right mixture and the fans who already had the chance to see the show will more than agree with that.
How much have Camouflage crowds changed throughout the years?
The audience didn’t change that much. You still have the hardcore fans, who also represent the Goth or electronic music scene, as well as the so called mainstream and it is still growing as we just found out, when we saw people from 18 to 60 dancing and celebrating our music.
Who’s joining you in the live band on the Baltic leg of this tour?
First of all there will be Jochen Schmalbach, our friend and live drummer of more than 20 years. Our longtime companion Volker Hinkel can’t join us this time, but we have Stefan “Snöt” Fehling who will perfectly replace him.
This will be your fourth time in Estonia. Do you have any fond memories of the shows in Tallinn?
We can’t name the dishes, but it was always very, very tasty and we’re really looking forward to eating your specialties again!
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