Diana & Boog of Junksista looks beyond today
Interview conducted on January 24, 2018
By Daniel Locke
When two long-time friends, with totally opposite music tastes and backgrounds, decide making music together, the result can only be eclectic, exploding and absolutely contradictory. JUNKSISTA is the burning sonic firework, resulting from the clash of the two strong personalities.
Hailing from southern Germany, the songwriter/producer-duo offers a fresh and electric mix of catchy synth-pop tunes, explicit lyrics, sensual half-sung half-spoken female vocals, funky guitar riffs and tons of bass and synthesizer filled grooves. JUNKSISTA puts the fun back in art.
From the spanking industrial beats of dark fetish clubs to the distorted synths of an angst-filled orgy of sweatily dancing bodies, JUNKSISTA knows no limits. They explore all forms of music, ranging from good old 80′s dance through laidback electro to harsher sounds. Lyrically they jump from dark/deep/meaningful to silly/dirty/hilarious without blushing.
Unratedmagazine: How do you describe your music?
Diana : That is a tough one. I guess it’s easier to describe our influences! Boog and I come from very different sides of the musical spectrum. He is an old-school rocker, he played in different bands (Reggae to metal, he did it all!). I used to be a techno chick in the 90s and later a DJ, specialized in the 70s and 80s. I guess Junksista is the sum of all that!
I love you website. You have to log into it and there is a ton of info. And how you get fans involve by allowing to submit videos of your songs and you actually post them. Along with that you have you blog posted, music, videos, gigs and a shopping cart area which you call the junkshop. Almost like a self-contained Facebook site.
Yeah, we had big plans for that. It was called Junk Galore and it was awesome! We recently took it offline and replaced it with a stylish but minimalistic website. Yes, we killed it! Even thou we have a very active fan base (that we try to be in touch with as much as possible), Junk Galore didn’t really work out. I think some exclusive Junk Galore videos had 30 plays after one year. We decided to use our time and energy to be available for our fans elsewhere! We’re currently thinking of something else to replace it soon! Stay tuned.
What type of music did you listen to growing up?
Boog & Diana
All kinds of music… just like it is now. I was into Techno, Eurodance and Pop but also into Grunge and Rock and artsy fartsy stuff like Bjork, Tori Amos or Portishead. I think the first musician I ever obsessed about was Madonna. Also there was this German techno „singer“(does that even exist??) called Blümchen. I encourage everyone who never heard of her, to check her out right now. No, I am not ashamed.
Who influences you and why?
For me it’s less who but rather what. I listen to so many different kinds of music, I find elements I like everywhere! I create these schizophrenic playlists where Taylor Swift is followed by Trivium which is followed by Goldfrapp. I find inspiration in all that! No one likes my playlists thou…Boog & Diana
What the music scene in Germany like?
The what? What… ;-)? Well, Boog and I live in the very south of Germany in a small village. The music scene here consists mostly of AC/DC tribute bands… which is kind of disgusting.
Is English your first language?
Nope, it’s my 2nd. The first one is German! I’d love to learn Latin to improve my satanic rituals thou
What do you feel, what direction the Electro/Industrial music is heading?
Hard to say, I don’t consider me or Junksista part of any scene. Boog and I only observe general developments in the music industry. One thing that is correct for any scene: there are huge mainstream bands and underground bands. Everything in between is slowly disappearing. And since people hardly pay for music anymore, the quality isn’t always great… especially in the industrial scene. Except for Junksista – our Junk is premium.
How did you get signed to the label?
It’s either because we are so attractive or because of Lovelorn Dolls! We were asked to remix a track for them. We agreed and apparently our remix was so epic that we were offered a contract by Alfa Matrix.
Let’s talk about your new project Promiscuous Tendencies. In your bio you said that it was 12 brand new songs like 12 thrilling love affairs, waiting to be explored. Can you explain more about this?
Most of the songs have something to do with love. Sex, deep feelings, disappointment, rage and regret… it’s all there!
What are you going to pick for your next single?
We actually decided today but I will be a bitch about it and not tell you.
How did you pick the person to produce your album?
Boog & Diana
Oh that was easy. Back then, when we started Junksista, we took a look at our bank accounts and realized that we can’t afford a producer! True story bro. So since the very first song, we’ve been writing, recording, mixing and mastering ourselves. Boog made a huge effort to improve his skills, so we actually don’t need anyone.
How was it collaborated with people like LayZee (Mr. President), Noemie Aurora (Helalyn Flowers), Emke (Black Nail Cabaret) and Erlend Eilersten (Essence Of Mind)?
We love collaborations in general but those were especially great! We know all those artists pretty well and have worked with each of them before. Not only are they nice and fun to work with, they are all talented as fuck! Nowadays as a musician you won’t get rich, but you get to work with awesome artists! I’d rather be rich thou haha.
You just released the video JUNKSISTA feat. ESSENCE OF MIND // Monday last week. Why did you pick that song to do a video? I love all the old clips of 80s exercise videos. I think they were a lot video from 20 minute workout videos from that time?
We actually had another cool idea for a video for that song but we couldn’t shoot it on time for logistic reasons. Boog and I are both obsessed with the 80s, so the alternative seemed just fine too! I wish I had such an Aerobic outfit! We picked this song for a video because we like it… That’s how we make all the Junksista decisions, usually under the influence of wine.
I watched Life Is Unfair (And Love Is A Bitch) by JUNKSISTA (Official Video) and I love the warning you placed on the video. And how it ended. It seems to me that a lot of your videos are either mini movies or your music is used in movies. Like I will crush you and go to Hell. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PU8QwiXquBI&feature=youtu.be
We take music videos seriously! We sometimes do rather simple, no-budget ones… like shooting during a rehearsal or something. Usually we like to have a concept and create something pretty, exciting, dark, entertaining. If we had bigger budgets, we’d certainly take the whole music video thing to the next level… but we don’t 🙂
I did a google search for you and I saw you listed YouTube as a music service. I know next year YouTube is going live with a music service. Are you going to be part of this new service?
No idea! That’s something that Alfa Matrix handles for us… fortunately!
What made and model of instruments does you play?
Boog plays several different guitars, a nice vintage Gibson Les Paul Custom for example. For Junksista his favorite is a PRS, equipped with a Fishman midi-pickup, it allows us to use the guitar like a keyboard. I play a Musicman Stingray and a Human Base Roxy bass guitar. I use them rarely for Junksista thou, since we prefer to program electronic basslines.
What type of clubs have you played in (size)?
I think the biggest gigs were in Paris so far, especially the sold out one at La Machine du Moulin Rouge with about 1300 lesbians present! I sure enjoyed that.
If someone was listening to you for the first time, what 3 videos or songs would you tell them to look/listen to and why?
Mhh my spontaneous answer would be „Life is unair (and love is a bitch)“, „Paranoid“ and „Ice Cream“ – those songs have nothing to do with each other, they have nothing in common except my voice and if someone likes them all, they might fall in love with Junksista! As a video I would recommend „Sex on a stick“, simply because we’re pretty much ourselves in it. Silly, surrounded by cool cars and alcohol and constantly eating.
How do you see your band in the next 5 years?
Diana
We will have pushed Taylor Swift and Beyoncé off the throne. We’ll be rich and, living in a mansion with at least 25 hot bitches, several cats (one dog for Boog!). If you wonder how we intend to achieve that – have you seen the movie „ Jennifer’s Body “?
What is on your phone for music now?
Tove Lo, Fleetwood Mac, Royksopp, Goldfrapp, David Bowie, Lana Del Rey… to name a few. I’ll spare you the details of my fucked up playlists thou…
How would you define the word Rave?
I’d define it as this 160-180 BPM music that I jumped around to like a moron in the early 90s. Marusha, Westbam, Charly Lownoise & Mental Theo… That’s the names that come to mind. If Rave is something else nowadays, please forgive me. I am old.
Anything in closing you would like to say?
I hope my answers didn’t bore the shit out of you… same goes for PROMISCUOUS TENDENCIES haha! We’re always looking forward to getting feedback directly from our listeners, so if you have something (nice!) to say, get in touch!
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