Lucy had a chat with Ronny about their long career and 25 years of Clan of Xymox as well as the changes over time. Very interesting ideas Ronny Moorings did point out regarding the crisis of the business and put forward very good solutions. So this might be interesting to open up some more discussions in the community. Check it out!

PF: Hello Ronny, many thanks that you took your time to answer our questions about Clan of Xymox. Maybe you can remind us on the current line-up and the responsibilities inside of the band?

COX: I am (Ronny Moorings) responsible for writing, recording and mixing all the music and words of Clan Of Xymox. Mojca does the artwork for each release. When the album is written and recorded I give my band the material to rehearse. Live on stage Ronny plays the guitar and does the vocals, Mojca on bass, Mario on guitar and Yvonne plays the keyboards.

PF: You have founded the band in 1984 and release a hugh amount of records, played big tours and also needed to change the label various times. How did it come that you sign to Trisol now?

COX: It was on suggestion of Steph, our former label Pandaimonium, who knows Trisol is very strong in marketing, something his (smaller) label could not do and knowing our band he thought it would be a wise decision to join Trisol, also because Trisol is a very reputable label with many good bands.

PF: Over time you have made a lot of experience for sure. To ask you about all in detail would lead to far for one interview I assume. But maybe there is one thing you really like to look back and remember it?

COX: I am not really a person who likes to look back, I do not like to revel in memories whilst there are so many exiting things waiting for us. But if you want one, then a stadium show in Mexico city with 30.000 people I consider a good highlight also because of its uniqueness for our band. It was an absolute thrilling experience to hear the roar of the audience after each show and the madness during the show, people crawling over each other to get to stage, just wow..!

PF: You have also changed the name of the band for some time and shortened it to simply XYMOX. What was the reason for this intermezzo and the change back to the origial name Clan of Xymox?

COX: Xymox was there first, then I changed it to Clan Of Xymox and after a while shortened it again for simplicity reasons. After some releases in the 90's the course to me was a bit too commercial in hindsight, so when I got myself and the music on track again it was a logical choice to name it Clan Of Xymox again, to get the message across that the attitude was back to its roots again. That hasn't changed anymore so therefore we are still called Clan Of Xymox:)

PF: Do you think there musical difference between XYMOX and Clan of Xymox?

COX: The division is kind of clear, the Xymox releases were on PolyGram (Universal as they are called now) a commercial label and 2 experimental albums, the rest has been released under Clan Of Xymox, the 4AD years and since 1997 to the here and now.

PF: So your band sees its 25th anniversary these days. Do you celebrate this?

COX: No, I think I am not going to think about it at all. To me I feel I am just starting, strange to say I know, but that is how it feels to me. So maybe I have also the date 1997 in my head as a reawakening of some sorts, so that would make it 12 years, anyway whatever way I look at it I cannot say I feel I made some kind of mark in my career which needs celebrating..

PF: How do you perceive has the time changed the scene over the years?

COX: Music has become more disposable. There are not that many music lovers left who actually collect cd's or vinyl like before the mp3 player became the thing. People cherry pick from an album on i-tunes or so, a shame because most music always has to grow on you, the best tracks reveal itself always later.
People hardly sit and listen really to music and let one whole album run. (or more) It is more the instant gratification we are after these days.
The scene is very fragmented and it seems a lot of people do not go to this or that concert (whilst it is in the scene) because it does not fit in the right category for them (or so do they say or think). The crossover of bands to one fragment of the scene to the other is then unfortunately very little.
Personally I go to see a lot of different bands and buy different kinds of music, as to me variety is the spice of life.
This one movement kind of feeling has gone for a long time, only with WGT I have that feeling when the town is full of people dressed in black.
The good thing is that people can discover so much easier new music or a band they had never heard of, it is all there on the net, photos, music, videos the whole lot!
The downside is that people never do unless they are told by the big record companies in adverts or plugs on tv that this or that band is the latest trend, the same reason why washing liquids always have that "brand new formula" for a even whiter result..

PF: And how did you think about the music business. As it becomes more and more obvious, it get harder for labels, bands and records stores to survive. How do you cope with the current situation?

COX: In a way it should be easier with the vast amount of possibilities to sell music. The thing however is that there is even a greater amount on offer, so basically for the same amount of people who would buy music there are too many things on offer.
I think by building a following is a good way to start securing sales hoping fans will like what you do for years to come, like Depeche Mode or Placebo for example. I don't see these bands suffer. So there is a way to stay above the water although you have to swim;)
That is what we do, releasing quality instead on quantity and our fans recognize that.
The decline of the income for music labels is another matter which can be resolved if they would do the following:
I have told labels many times there is a solution for this problem, if the multinationals would have the internet provider collect the royalties on the basis of the downloads an individual makes, you don't infringe the privacy of the user, the provider just bills them for the amount of downloads each month. The label makes the internet provider part of the music and film industry and gives them a percentage like they do with the Publishers. The downloading is always on an individual I.P. address (which the provider has anyway). The Publishers have to give the music logging programs(to i.d. the tracks downloaded) to the internet providers and all would be back as it was or even better I think. Also better for the consumer, no more creditcard payment or login in on a musicprovider but just get 1 bill each month for the amount of downloads.

Instead the multinationals try to prosecute an individual for putting things online, which is not a smart way to handle this massive problem. In my way it would not matter who would upload because the downloader pays for use, so everybody is happy. So in short, the labels, internet provider and copyright societies have to work together otherwise it will be indeed the slow death of the industry as we know it. (copyright for the idea is Mojca's and mine and I hope we would get 1 cent for each download legally made over the world according to this system:) that will secure our future:)
Unfortunately the labels I told this story are not the multinationals but small indie labels without any negotiating power whatsoever..so we keep swimming..

PF: The scene has grown a lot and technology enables basically everybody to create some kind of music. What advantage did you personally took from that for Clan of Xymox?

COX: Yes, we all can make music, sure, absolutely! I think it enables surely for people to record on a PC with a music program. That is good, but music still needs to be created.
Just like with painting you cannot argue that because paint and brushes are available to everyone, that does not mean everyone can paint! certain qualities one has to posess.The same goes for making music, one is just better at it then the other, the same goes for painters and any other profession you need to have a skill.

For me technology was important from day one. All my instruments were vintage synths, rythmboxes, 4 or 12 track recorders, my 8 bit Atari computer, so even then I could create music on my own. My advantage was also that I played guitar, with playing the guitar you also can play the bass, so easily a track is made on your own. Now you can do the same only with less equipment, just all in your PC (I hate that word, I prefer my Mac) but still nothing changed, you still have to write music, think about a song, write the words and melodies etc etc.
If crap goes it, crap comes out, the same goes for painting;)

PF: What recommendation can you give newcomer bands to stick out of the vast amount of releases?

COX: Write average to extremely bad songs and ask the prettiest girl in the class to sing. Make a kinky youtube video with a stupid title, so millions will just see it out of curiosity, call the tv station you have so many hits on youtube and a multinational will offer you a great rip off deal which you gonna regret later on in life;) but at least you got your 15 minutes!
Any other road is now blocked because of the non existing sales (due to the piracy) of quality indie labels who cannot run their business anymore, so the last thing they want is to sign another new unknown band to lose money on.
So, sorry, but the future looks bleak.. for all of us

PF: And what do you do for your own band to save it from the collapse?

COX: Actually totally nothing. I just do what I do, I trust a few percent on this planet might recognize what I am doing with my music and so far that has worked for me. The actual work behind the scenes is always the label, in this case Trisol which has the knowledge how to reach our potential listeners who do not know our band yet.

PF: Clan of Xymox is surely a very time-consuming project, but do you have any other muses you like to dedicate time to?

COX: In a way there is not much else for me but music. If I have spare time left then I actually take time to relax, which I find very important as well. Relaxing I do with a good book/movie or friends, music and wine.

PF: Okay, let's talk about the new album «In love we trust». The song «Emily» has been released recently as the accompanying single to it. How is Emily? Is this a real person or just pure fiction?

COX: Like always it is a fictious name. I would never pick a real persons name. It is for me a simple love song, a feeling you are infatuated with someone, in this case a girl called Emily, and what goes on in your mind. This is of course a topic which has been touched a thousand times and over but to me it sounds fresh and to the point. The main chorus Emily says it all..

PF: And what was the reason for selecting this song as single?

COX: Simply because it just sounded like a single and had the right time length for a single. We played this song already before its release live and I could not help noticing that people sing along very easily. Some friends of mine who have kids want to hear this song every day at home, so if even kids pick up on it then it is a natural single ;)

PF: A second female plays the keyrole in track no.2. What can you reveal about the background of this one?

COX: In English you say your Hail Mary's (Hail Mary, which is the title) when you pray for something you want or ask forgiveness etc. So it has a biblical inclination ;)

PF: Is there a Leitmotiv on «Love we trust» that is the red thread through the songs?

COX: There is one track on the album called "In Love We Trust" which is actually cynically meant, because it is about splitting up, not trusting in love at all, but more in lust. Many songs are about these theme but of course there are a lot of tracks with other topics like: " Morning Glow", "Home Sweet Home" and "On A Mission"but yes, most lyrics are about the inner workings of love, betrayal and splitting up.

PF: Why did you name the album after track no.5 "In Love We Trust"?

COX: Because I thought the title was cynical enough for me to put with big letters on the album sleeve;)

PF: The Track "Home sweet Home" seems to be quite concerning. What is this about?

COX: The lyrics are about an OBE, an out of body experience. It describes the ascend and descend of the spirit out of the body, realizing in the end the the best place is back in your body.. hence" Home Sweet Home"

PF: And what mission is the final track "On A Mission" all about?

COX: The lyrics cover US politics intertwined into the game Shadowrun. Shadowrun is a pen-and-paper role-playing game set in an imaginary future where huge corporations control the lives of their employees and the return of magic has altered people, politics and power. It was written in the time the biggest idiot on the planet was in power.

PF: Your albums always have a very distinguished and unique sound, but they always achieve to sound very up-to-date. And maybe this is the unique about Clan of Xymox: To succeed in putting new hallmarks and giving new impulses in your music without denying the roots. Is this something very demanding and a conscious process, or do you do that out of your intuition?

COX: I think my music just reflects my taste in music as it is today. Because the music is personal for me I always take my personality into the music so I guess that will guarantee a constant factor throughout my musical career. Sounds are always a very inspirational factor for me, so I am always on the lookout for new things or I simply make them myself. Combine these two factors together and you get Clan Of Xymox's sound, with a very personal stigmata.

PF: You can you describe the album in a few own words?

COX: To me it is just again an end to a period, this time 3 years since the last album. In these years I have been writing on and off as time would allow on the new tracks. To me it is again a natural progression into the development of Clan Of Xymox. I like the darkness as the overall feel and sound.

PF: What are your plans for the near future?

COX: The last DVD came out last year and I did mostly all the editing. It was very time consuming and I will never do that again. I will not think to far ahead, all shows have been booked for this year and next year, well, we will see what that brings..

PF: Talking about touring: What place on earth do you like most or where do you like to play once?

COX: You better ask me about a place when we are not on tour. Then my answer would be South Africa.
Touring means that mostly go in and out of a city. Luckily in South America we stay longer as it is impossible to fly and pla, you have to have some days to get over the flights. So in that perspective I really like the South American countries, the strange hybrid of cultures and architecture, the good food and wine.

PF: Many thanks for answering our questions and we congratulate to your 25th anniversary and hope, that we can enjoy Clan of Xymox another 25 years!!

COX: Thank you, best wishes!


Other articles:

• Castle Party 2016 - 2016-08-04 (Live reports)
• Amphi Festival 2014 - 2014-09-25 (Live reports)
• M'era Luna 2013 - 2013-10-01 (Live reports)
• Interview with Clan of Xymox - 2013-05-08 (Interviews)
• Nocturnal Culture Night 2012 - 2013-01-14 (Live reports)
• Amphi Festival 2011 - 2012-04-18 (Live reports)
• Wrocław Industrial Festival 2011 + Clan of Xymox concert in Łódź - 2012-01-27 (Live reports)
• Shadowplay Festival 2011 - 2011-08-04 (Live reports)
• Interview with Leszek Rakowski - 2011-03-20 (Interviews)
• Castle Party 2010 - 2010-10-20 (Live reports)

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