Thomas Rainers’ vision is pretty huge. His music as Nachtmahr conjures up images of vast Industrial landscapes, a world war started from the dancefloor and the essential bleak, dirty and sexy nights. We talk to him about his latest album and his upcoming stop in the UK.
“I never relax, I just prepare”
S] There’s an obvious sexual undertone to the record, what other themes are you trying to convey and how do these represent the progression of Nachtmahr?
T] The new album is my reflection about greed in all its forms, may it be the longing for power, lust, pain or success. This topic is omnipresent in our society. Media suggests that everybody can become everything at anytime, by just working hard and wanting it, but that is just not the case, so everybody strives to become the next superstar or Donald Trump instead of being happy with achieving something within his or her natural boundaries, so they will end up unhappy – and as such they will all become strippers.
The sexual component featured in the artwork was my idea to best visualise the greed, the longing, so everybody can get an idea of this feeling I am talking about more easily. I mean, who wouldn’t crave these girls?
S] What are you looking forward to most about playing here in the UK?
T] We still have the screaming of the very euphoric crowd from last year’s concert at Slimelight ringing in our ears and we hope to get the same energy from our audiences this time. Not to forget seeing all our lovely friends from the UK again.
S] What is your opinion on Industrial at the moment, we read that you became bored with it at one point, what rekindled your passion?
T] When I came back into listening a lot more to it whilst I was starting to DJ again three-to-four-years ago, we had a quite interesting phase going on. In the last year, the number of releases I have liked has been very low, so let’s hope there will be more creativity in this scene soon.
S] Does the duel personality you have talked about before come across readily on this new record?
T] It’s always there, Nachtmahr is the expression of the dark side of my personality in all it’s different forms, whilst my work with L’Ame Immortelle focuses more on the light, romantic side of myself.
S] When you were dreaming up the military-orientated image for Nachtmahr what concepts and ideas first came to you?
T] Nachtmahr is an army of sound-soldiers who shoot with mighty bass drums instead of artillery! The whole idea came as I discovered the similarities between the life of a musician and the one of a soldier. Think about it.
S] If you could sit someone down with you (dead or alive) for dinner to listen to ‘Alle Lust Will Ewigkeit’ who would it be and why?
T] I would sit with every single critic of my works and watch them have their ears bleeding whilst tormented by the harsh industrial pounding.
S] How has your opinion of the music industry changed since you began in music with L’Ame Immortelle in 1996?
T] Its not the same anymore. In the 90s the labels still had money for supporting newcomers or signing young fresh talent, now everybody is just hunting for profit and repeating the same recipe all over again. I hate it.
S] You are a man of many ideas so, how will you be expanding the live show in the future?
T] If only my budget could keep up with my ideas (grins) I want a tank on stage, or better two!
S] You seem to never stop working, how will you be relaxing (if that’s possible) following this international tour?
T] I never relax, I just prepare.
S] What inspired you when writing the new tracks ‘War On The Dancefloor’ and ‘Sklave’?
T] ‘War on the Dancefloor’ is my take on industrial club culture, describing what goes on in a filthy sexy industrial club when the song is playing whilst ‘Sklave’ was inspired by sexual domination and all of its dark aspects.
For more information visit the official Myspace. Read our review of the new album here.
