SAD

Following the release of their single She's Gone earlier this year, Julian Marszalek chats to the enigmatic fruity goth duo about BDSM, fashion and rejecting all notions of freedom

Something dark lurks in the deepest recesses of East London, something that shuns daylight and convention and seemingly keeps human contact at bay. It's something divinely decadent and mired in a glamorous and pansexual sleaze. And that something is S.A.D.. Formed by DJ and producer Sebastien Bartz and musician Alex Wolf, the duo claim that their project is a reaction to the "archaic sounding bands and pretentious leftovers from the indie scene", and if that in itself isn't enough to pique interest, then the fact that they revel in a demi-monde of darkly deviant delights where the lines of pleasure and pain are not so much blurred as totally rubbed out, should.

Their sound, an unholy fusion of black matter and insistently pulsing electronic beats topped off with a fetishistic fashion sensibility is accompanied by a manifesto that reads like a declaration of war: "We are not your favourite TV show, we are not your favourite poster," they intone. "We will not substitute your lack of self worth, or inherit you with any sense of individualisation. We are not here to be added to your list of ones to watch. We are not a band. We are a militant organisation and you are our target. We have buried you in a hole and we are armed with stones. We are not another number in your system. We are your enemy, offended by your stupidity. We will fight until we win. We hate you. We are S.A.D."

Indeed, S.A.D. are so seething with fury and rage as they prepare to release their single, 'She's Gone', that they refuse to meet the Quietus in person, instead choosing only to communicate via e-mail.

How and why did S.A.D come together?

S.A.D.: We met while DJing techno together around East London. We were talking about how there is an absence of good guitar music and how everything surrounding how bands are represented was becoming plastic.

S.A.D have issued a manifesto. Is this a means of liberation or is there a danger of painting yourself into a corner?

S.A.D.: The manifesto is based on escapism, a need to escape from a world of vapid platitudes and niceties, thinly veiled by a collective drive to succeed. Our manifesto is a rejection of all inconsequential, self-righteous notions of freedom.

Your manifesto states that you are a "militant organisation". How does this manifest itself in practical terms?

S.A.D.: Our tone of militancy is a satire on self-worth, masculinity and the constant drive for purpose in a world filled up with abstraction and arbitrariness. This manifests in practical terms through our aesthetic. The way we look and present ourselves is a rejection of purpose, and centred on the accumulation of objective worth.

What role does fashion play in your music?

S.A.D.: We wear nice clothes and play good songs. In the past we have worked with fashion designers on soundtracks for their movies and catwalk shows. We keep fashion close to our hearts, and are always seeking new ways to express ourselves.

You played your debut show at celebrated fetish club The Torture Club. To what degree does BDSM inform your output and your lives?

S.A.D.: We are inspired by militant aesthetics and the discipline involved in BDSM sessions. For at least the last five years the music scene has seemed recycled, like the same samples are being used over and over again. We are opposed to that trend and aim to create a new space. We reject passivity, we are not trying to homogenise ourselves into something easily digestible. We believe that this parallels living in a world that is on the edge of consistent global conflict.

Do you view S.A.D as an end in itself or a means to a wider objective?

S.A.D.: The notions of a "wider objective" are found within our drive to create a movement with relevance. We want to bring substance back to sound, in a scene that has become a basic 1:1 generic copy and paste culture. We also aim to scrutinise all notions of masculine authority in a patriarchal society through our own visual representation.

Where is your natural environment? Is it the studio, the stage or somewhere else altogether?

S.A.D.: We don’t have a collective natural environment, Sebastian will be found in the studio, working on one of his multiple projects and pushing the envelope as it is. Alex will usually be hidden behind a book, or writing something. We could both be described as isolationists who have eschewed social convention for other worldly pursuits, namely making music and educating oneself.

You've stated elsewhere that "life is dark”. Does anything make you smile?

S.A.D.: Playing with modular synths and analog sequencers make us smile. It doesn’t matter if you stop breathing, the machine will carry on. We enjoy the concept of the fleshed dying, yet the continuation of the machine. This sentiment we feel comes across in our music.

You're fond of cold and non-human elements in music. What do you find disappointing in humanity?

S.A.D.: By non-human elements we mean an involvement of machines, and automatisation of the music making process. No matter what genre of music everything is on the grid.

What's your ultimate ambition for S.A.D? S.A.D.: To help create a super intelligent AI in order to not be punished by that AI (which may already be in existence, creating our reality as a simulation). I mean, it's Roko's basilisk. We believe that if we help the AI, it might make us famous or bless us with eternal life.

'She's Gone' is out now - The Quietus

S.A.D premiere their brand new video today exclusively on Gigslutz. Scroll down to view.

The East London duo (DJ and producer Sebastian Bartz and musician Alex Wolf), have shared the visuals for the excellent ‘She’s Gone’, directed by Photographer Fiona Garden, who recently worked with artistes like Maya Jane Coles, Peaches, James Blake, Aluna George, Grimes…

Although S.A.D are newly formed they played a debut show at famous Torture Garden and supported Legendary Clan of Xymox.

There is certainly a uniqueness about this duo that we love. This is summed up in the bands manifesto. Check it out:

THERE IS NO APP FOR SADNESS, THERE IS NO WEBPAGE FOR SADNESS. THIS IS NOT ANOTHER BEDROOM PROJECT INTERNET PUSSY-ASS WONDER. WE ARE NOT YOUR FAVOURITE TV SHOW,

WE ARE NOT YOUR FAVOURITE POPSTAR.
WE WILL NOT SUBSTITUTE YOUR LACK OF SELF WORTH,
OR INHERIT YOU WITH ANY SENSE OF INDIVIDUALISATION.
WE ARE NOT HERE TO BE ADDED TO YOUR LIST OF ONES TO WATCH.
WE ARE NOT A BAND. WE ARE A MILITANT ORGANISATION AND YOU ARE OUR TARGET. WE HAVE YOU BURIED IN A HOLE AND WERE ARMED WITH STONES. WE ARE NOT ANOTHER NUMBER IN YOUR SYSTEM. WE ARE YOUR ENEMY, OFFENDED BY YOUR STUPIDITY. WE WILL FIGHT UNTIL WE WIN. WE HATE YOU. WE ARE S.A.D. - Gigslutz

Androgynous newcomer...
You might well know Sebastian Bartz even if you've never set eyes on him.

A hugely experienced producer, the beatsmith is responsible for club tracks under the name Venice Calypso. Also gaining work as a model and actor, Sebastian Bartz appeared in the video for post-punk legend Mark Stewart's track 'Stereotypes' last year.

Fusing visuals with an idiosyncratic musical approach, Sebastian Bartz now seems ready to step out under his own name. The beginning of a new project, 'Stiletto' is an androgynous piece of electro rock - darkly seductive, it features Bartz purring and preening over a writhing, seething backdrop.

Available as a free download, the track seemingly betrays the influence of infamous occultist Alessandro Cagliostro in its sensual collision. “I consider myself synaesthetic. When I hear the sound I can see the images" he says. "When I look at visual content I can hear the sounds”.

Just for yourself. ClashMusic have been handed the video for 'Stiletto' - shot in glamour black and white, it features Sebastian Bartz in an effortlessly stylish pose.

Watch it now.

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Download 'Stiletto' HERE.

Sebastian BartzStiletto - Clash Magazine

After watching this, there is no justifiable reason why Hedi Slimane has not locked onto Sebastian Bartz yet. He is literally the perfect Saint Laurent muse. I say that in the broadest sense, because obviously Sebastian has been wearing Ada + Nik and even Ada Zanditon fitting perfectly with his super masculinized androgyny. There is literally no artist out there like Sebastian – this awesomely beautiful heterosexual androgynous man…who plays guitar and has the essence of a true rock icon.

Either way, here is the self-directed video for Suicide Girlfriend. The track is actually a cover of legendary Georgian artist Dada Dadiani. Sebastian told me that he the track for the first time in Dada’s London studio while he was working on his debut album and fell in love with it instantly. “To me, the track embodies the feeling of total war and the need for change during a time when so many nations around the world are forced to grab a machine gun and fight for the future while elitists don’t really care about the state”. - Karl Is My Unkle

London-based, polish born, Sebastian Bartz is a solo artist but multi talented artist. Turning his full attention to his new project under the Sebastian Bartz banner, he now steps into the limelight, with a wealth of new material, as singer, performer, multi-instrumentalist, and frontman of a five-strong band. With regular shows under their belt already, in London and beyond, the Sebastian Bartz band have built up a reputation on the live circuit, and now Bartz is set to self-release the first single and video under his own name.
Although “Sebastian Bartz” sounds new to most of the people, he is not rookie to this game, having released many studio-based side projects in recent years; most famously, under the Venice Calypso moniker he has won the appreciation of sweaty ravers and blogs including Resident Advisor, XLR8R, Earmilk and Liminal Sounds, for a strain of vibrant, filthy club music released on trailblazing indie Senseless Records.
Explaining the difference between the each projects, he says, “What I do as Sebastian Bartz is completely disconnected from what I’ve done as Venice Calypso. Like most of my generation, raised on the internet, I have a bit of schizophrenia in a music sense. As Venice Calypso I simply record music which I like to hear when I’m in the club; when I work as Sebastian Bartz I’m expressing my feelings, emotions and moods.”
Barz is now due to having a US tour this spring and also releasing a new EP, as a Venice Calypso 3rd on March.

Sebastian Bartz Facebook

www.sebastianbartz.com - LA Substance

Polish born Artisan Sebastian Bartz has taken the performance art and music scene by storm in recent months with his multi-moniker shifting presence on the club circuit and as an audio-visual artist.

His dark, uncompromising music is as sonically stark as it is emotionally compelling, exploring the internal and external conflicts surrounding sexuality, androgyny, identity and getting on in todays social scene.

Although his real name has, until recently, been relatively under wraps - Bartz is no stranger to acclaim, having released a handful of studio-based side projects in recent years. Most famously, under the Venice Calyso moniker, he has won the appreciation of sweaty ravers and blogs including Resident Advisor, XLR8R, Earmilk and Liminal Sounds - and all for a strain of vibrant, filthy club sounds, released on trailblazing indie 'Senseless Records'.

As much a muse as a creator himself, Bartz's presence and striking outsider style recently saw him starring in the video for post-punk figurehead Mark Stewart's “Stereotype” featuring Factory Floor and Keith Levene, which was premiered by Fact magazine. Deeply embedded in London's cutting edge creative scene, Bartz can also be found DJing regularly, under his own name and various aliases.

Bartz has a heavy involvement in the fashion world - from modelling and sound design for catwalk shows by designers Ada Zanditon and Sade English, to his plans to establish his own label – it's no surprise that the influences on Bartz' music do not necessarily come from other musicians, but from numerous inspirational sources both visual and sonic, stylistic and idealistic.

“I consider myself synaesthetic. When I hear the sound I can see the images. When I look at visual content I can hear the sounds”, says Bartz. He cites infamous occultist Alessandro Cagliostro as a major influence: “I'm influenced by the life of people who can create a reality to suit them, to fit around them.”

Turning his full attention to his new project under the Sebastian Bartz banner, the gifted producer has once again stepped into the limelight with a wealth of new material and donning a wreath of different roles - now a singer, performer, multi-instrumentalist, and frontman of a five-strong band.

Explaining his new musical direction and the dichotomy between his self titled moniker and his club handle, he says,
“What I do as Sebastian Bartz is completely disconnected from what I've done as Venice Calypso. Like most of my generation, raised on the internet, I have a bit of schizophrenia in a music sense. As Venice Calypso I simply record music which I like to hear when I'm in the club; when I work as Sebastian Bartz I'm expressing my feelings, emotions and moods.”

His new video under Sebastian Bartz, for the “Stiletto” single, premiered in February, with the song being released as a free download through Bandcamp. Rough asked him to sum up his observations on Stiletto, Bartz commented,

“I'm inspired by my personal experience of the fluidity of gender and the illusions we create to enforce an idea of masculine and feminine. I always feel genderless. The double meaning of the word Stiletto, expresses this concept for me, as a knife it is

designed as a weapon to penetrate deeply, as a heel on a woman's shoe it is the ultimate symbol of sex.”

With a host of gigs already booked in London, Berlin and Paris, and a US tour in the works, 2013 promises much for Sebastian Bartz. Stream 'Stiletto' above.

Photographer : Sonja Kranz
Stylist : Irene Manicone
Make up artist : Harriet Hadfield
Stylist : assistant Fabio Merche

MORE IMAGES

ImageImage - Rough Magazine