Agathocles

Agathocles



By Erin Fox

A strong, highly productive work ethic forms the foundation of the original “Mincers,” Agathocles. Melding politics, wit and grindcore in order to create a revolutionary message and sound comes natural for this critically intense outfit. Jan AG describes the band’s stance on the turmoil in the Mideast and fills us in on the vast array of all-new AG releases that have recently hit the shelves…

”Mincer” is your first full length in five years, why did it take so long for the band to produce a new full-length record?


We had many offers for other releases such as split 7”s, split CD’s and all, so we concentrated on recording stuff for these releases. Also in August 2002, Roel joined us on drums so we needed some time to rehearse older songs to play live. Alll three Agathocles members work full time with difficult hours, so it is not that easy to find good time to rehearse with all members.

What factors do you feel have improved on this latest effort? Do you think that it is fair to compare this album to your past work?


I don’t think any AG stuff must be compared to each other. Some stuff is recorded in studio with more possibilities, some is recorded on a 4-track recorder, some is recorded live and some of it is just rehearsal tape with an old tape recorder. I like the way the “Mincer” album came out. It sounds fresh and loud, without forgetting the raw edge that Agathocles is all about.

What was it was like recording “Mincer?” After making records for so long, how is it different for the band as opposed to when you first started?


First of all, it was difficult to find dates to record the album because of work. Also in the studio, we had many possibilities to experiment compared to recording on a 4-track recorder. In studio, we first recorded
the drums and bass, later the guitars and vocals, and after that the mixing. When we record on 4-track, there’s not much of a possibility to record in this way, but still, I love 4-track recordings. Every way of recording is fun, but I am not a big fan of sheer digital recordings. Analog recordings are way better, and much rawer.

How did you come to describe the groups musical onslaught as “mince-core?”


Well, at the end of the 80’s, gore-grind bands began to pop up and later porn-grind bands. Agathocles plays socially and politically aware grindcore. Zines, media, whatever, become a lot more interested in gore and porn-grind and not much later, grindcore was only associated with gore and porn, things that AG does not stand for. So we choose to use the name mince-core, just to let people know that Agathocles stands for socially and politically-aware grind, not gore and porn.

You’ve spoken about writing lyrics in a cynical, sarcastic manner…


I guess that comes with age (laughs). Maybe cynicism and sarcasm are not that nice, but when writing lyrics, the undertone of cynicism and sarcasm pops out. But I think the content of the lyrics are still very much understandable without being too cryptic.

You have been outspoken against the US waging a possible war on Iran. What’s your perspective on the current political scenario?


We have been speaking out against US GOVERNMENT, not the US population. That’s a difference. The Government of the United States is quite hypocritical, claiming that they want to make the world safer, but in fact, the only types of dialogue they use are threats and violence. This is no way to be a peacekeeper of the world. “Radical” movements everywhere around the world have just had enough of all these threats and the violent way of US government sticking their nose in all kinds of business. Does the US government really want to make the world safer? Or just their wallets?

You’ve also recently released a DVD with extensive live footage. What can you tell us about this release?


This DVD has the show of the “Superiority Overdose” album release party in 2002. It’s quite a long show, the second longest we have done so far. Our guitar player knows some friends which could record some nice footage and on that footage, we put the recordings from the soundboard. It was released by our guitar player and I think 500 copies were pressed of that one.

You have yet another new release, "Mince Core History 1993-1996.” What can you tell us about this compilation?


This CD was released a month ago on the Polish label Selfmadegod Records, you can check them at www.selfmadegod.com This CD is the third one in a series of CD’s compiling old AG 7”s. This 1993-1996 one has around 70 minutes, 10 EP’s from that period. The sound varies a lot because of all the
different recordings. And I like that a lot. Like said before, you can not compare AG recordings with each other because of the different way of recording and the various dates when the stuff was recorded.

Tell us about the grind scene in Bulgaria. Do you find there to be substantial interest for your grinding madness in that country?


I was in Bulgaria 3 years ago, visiting some friends active in the underground. I met over 100 when I was there. Just amazing. Bulgaria has a very nice DIY scene. Despite the fact that money is a big problem over there, people find ways to spread the noise. You have to know that people get paid around eighty-five U.S. Dollars for a months work over there. So you will also understand that they can’t buy records released in the west. Anyway, when I was there, we jammed with Bulgarian noise-freaks and released the stuff.
Also, I met a guy who has a record shop and we talked about releasing cheap AG CD’s in Bulgaria. Up until now, he has released our “Mincemania in Bulgaria” CD and AG/FAHRENHEIT AGX split CD.

You have released an incredible amount of material since 1988. Can it be difficult for you to keep track of all of the music when planning a live
set?


We don’t play all of the Agathocles songs anymore. That would be impossible. Due to the line-up changes, we have a bunch of songs which we rehearse and play live. Together with these old songs, we make new ones to be recorded and also to play live. I guess we got a list of around 50 songs from which we choose to play live.

What is it about playing grindcore that appeals to you the most?


Grindcore is protest ! It’s protest against conformity in music business, its protest against several situations around the world. But it is much more than just “against”, grindcore is pro-taking up your responsibilities, pro-building up your personality, pro-building a network of like-minded people, pro-expanding your creativity. These things have always appealed to me. And hey, they can also be found in several other kinds of music styles and artist movements.

What is one thing that you most want to accomplish with Agathocles?


To be a source of inspiration for others to start a band, to start a ‘zine, to be creative and active, without jumping on the bandwagon of trendy one-day-flies, without kissing the asses of scenesters, managers, record labels, booking agencies. In other words, it’s inspiring people to spread the ethics of
DIY (Do It Yourself), and autonomy.

Agathocles

>Displeased Records

>Selfmadegod Records