How did Transmission0 come to be?

Mischa (guitar/vocals/producer) and I (bass/design) played in another band before, called Reveal. When that band ended we decided to start a new band. We had this idea of making dark, heavy and atmospheric music. We wrote some stuff, but after a while Mischa decided to focus on his other band, the Void. I went traveling in Latin America for some time, and when I got back Mischa found the energy to restart transmission0 again. He wrote some more stuff and when there was enough to start rehearsing, we asked Michiel (keys/vocals/sampler) to join the band. With the 3 of us we recorded the album, Mischa played all the drumparts. After the recordings we started searching for a drummer and when we found Bart, we were ready to take the band serious. We started playing shows, made a website, and that’s how Go-kart found us.
Then when the Void quit, we asked Leon, he used to play bass in the Void, to come and play guitar with us.


What is the music scene like in the Netherlands? What is it like compared to other countries?

We have a healthy music scene over here. Musicallywise, it’s probably like in a lot of other places, there is not so much original stuff. But there are a lot of bands and we have a lot of people putting up shows, etc. I don’t think people really know what to do with our music over here, because it’s not 100% metal, nor hardcore.

Compared to other countries the conditions over here are pretty good. I mean, there are a lot of decent venues and when you play a show, people take care of you. You get food, drinks and some money, which has been different for us in some other countries.


When did you decided to dedicate your life to music?

Well, to say that I dedicate my life to music is a bit to much to say. I mean, we all take the band very seriously, rehearse twice a week, try to play a lot of shows and each of us puts a lot of money in transmission0, but I still have some other stuff next to music. I have been playing in bands for 12 years now, and ‘till this day it is one of the most important things in my life, because I can get so much out of it.


I love the eeriness, originality, tones, & atmosphere that was created on "Transmission0", did you find it challenging in the studio?

Yes, because we only had this idea of how our music should sound like, and because it was just the 3 of us recording the album. I must say though that Mischa did by far the most. He produced the album and wrote almost all of the stuff on it. The album and the mood it has, is completely his accomplishment. I don’t know much about the technical stuff in a studio, of course I have an opinion on how it should sound, but most of it is Mischa’s work.


How do you come up with your sound recordings? Do you use Pro Tools and a lot of PC editing? Analog?

In the recordings of ‘0’ we didn’t use any computer. We have two 8 track recorders on which we recorded the whole album. Besides that we have some compressors, limiters, etc. When the recordings were finished we took them to a studio of a friend of us, Audioworx, where we did the mastering.


I hear so many styles in your music, where do you get your influences from?

Main influences are the Cure, Sonic youth and old metal stuff like Iron maiden and Metallica. When we recorded our record we had never heard of bands that they compare us with now, such as Isis and Cult of luna. We just wanted to create the same atmosphere as the Cure does, but then in a more heavy way.


I see you recently did a video, it turned pretty cool. (readers, check out this link http://www.transmission0.com/html/news.php ) What was the video shoot like? How did the premier on German TV go?

The video was a fun project to do, because a friend of us made it. I had some ideas, which I told him and then he came up with some other ones. Together we drove through Holland, filming the stuff that’s in the video. We had so much fun doing that, just a couple of guys on the road with some weed and a camera… was cool.


What do you like to do when you are not in creative mode?

I have some businesses that I like to work on, sometimes I put on my PS2, and a lot of times I’m just hanging around with friends, going to concerts or whatever.


Do you have any good stories to share?

Last summer we got a call from Austria to play a show there. They called us on a Monday and the show was on Friday, so only a couple of days later. We said yes and that Friday we started traveling. After a 12 hour drive we came to this Alpvillage in Austria, but we couldn’t find the venue. We asked a lot of people, but no one seemed to know. Then we asked a guy who was walking his dog, and he explained the way. We followed his directions and after a while we got to this crossing. He told us that we needed to go right, but there was nothing there, only a dirt road and cornfields. So we thought he made a mistake, and went left. After a while we came to the conclusion that this was also the wrong way and we turned around. When we got to the same crossing there was the same guy again. He told us that we took the wrong direction and that we really needed to go right. So there we went, into the cornfields. After some time we came to this barn, and somebody made a joke that it was in there. Because there was no building near, I decided to check it out, and it turned out that it was really there. They turned this barn into a venue. There was a poster on the door for that night, which said ‘4 bands from Vienna’. In the end it was just us playing there in front of 15 locals… but they took really good care of us, free drinks, pizza and a nice hotel… still it was so strange, traveling all the way over there and then playing for 15 people in the middle of some cornfields…was funny though.


What bands are you currently favoring?

Blut aus nord, Dinosaur jr., Isis, Johnny Cash, Sage Francis, Grayskull, Eyedea and abillities.


What kind of guitars & gear does the band use?

Mischa: a couple of guitars, but his most interesting is a baritone. He has a peddleboard with maybe 12 different effects. A lot of the stuff that you hear, and of which you think is a keyboard, is in fact Mischa’s guitar.

Leon: also a couple of guitars and a lot of effects.

Michiel: he uses a Korg keyboard and a sampler with an extra keyboard.

Bart: a basic drumkit

I use a 5 string bass and play over a Mesa Boogie 400+ and I have also a peddleboard with 4 different distortions, a chorus and a compressor.


Are you all able to concentrate 100% on the band? Or do you have other jobs to support your music and living habits?

As far as financiallywise, we have to concentrate on other stuff as well, since the band doesn’t make much money, and all the money that we make, goes immediately back into the band. So all of us have something else besides the band, but no one works a ‘regular 9 to 5’. I for example have a business together with a friend of mine in Guatemala and I’m starting a record label, called ISCLEAR records.


Care to share your views on current world events?

The world is a fucked up place and most of it’s inhabitants may die. Therefore, I try to keep as far away as possible from the ‘normal world’ and have created my own world, in which I feel completely happy.


How do you come up with ideas for track titles and lyrics?

Both Michiel and I write lyrics for the band. All the lyrics on ‘0’ that I’ve written, I wrote while traveling. Being in a completely different environment really helped me writing those words….


What was the greatest show you have ever seen?

 The first time I saw Isis, the Roots when they were touring for ‘things fall apart’, Iron maiden at Graspop (3-4 years ago), Sonic youth and a show of Cannibal ox featuring Aesop rock.


What do you want to accomplish with Transmisson0?

World domination

Bitches, complaints or closing thoughts?

Nope, not really. We are really happy with how everything worked out so far for t0. At the moment we are working on our new album, which we hope to release around September/October. Be sure to check that out, because if you liked ‘0’, you’ll be blown away by this one. On the first one we were still looking for our sound, now that we have found it we are really ready to turn some heads… 
 

Check out the Photos page for pictures of Transmission 0

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