Interviews: Binary Order

On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Alternative Metal artist Binary Order from the UK. Check out the interview and follow the artist on his FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name, you plan it or come out just like that?

The name Binary Order came from the NIN song Zero-Sum from the album Year Zero. There’s a line that goes “and all we ever were just zeros and ones” and I always interpreted that if we are zeros and ones (or binary) then our life is the order of the zeros and ones – Binary Order.

2. What was the initial inspiration to play this specific genre?

It was just an obvious way to match my two main musical loves. I’ve always had one foot in the metal camp and one in the electro camp, as I loved the aggression of metal but the instrumentation of electronic and industrial was a really good foundation to explore mixing those sounds together and beginning to create my own sound.

3. The latest album is due out in November. Are there any central themes that run through it?

Yeah definitely isolation, segregation, and a feeling of being other to the world around me. I kind of got to a point in my life where I just don’t relate to anyone or anything I see going on in the world. The noise from online discourse over the very nature of discourse is so deafening that it feels incredibly alienating. Maybe I’m just seeing what I want to see but as the world seems to get angrier and more violent I don’t see a place for myself in it at all. A lot of what I touch upon, if not everything, on The Future Belongs To The Mad is a reaction to this. It’s part of why the album title – taken from the Fury Road tagline – and the themes of Fury Road fit so well with what I was creating, “as the world fell each of us in our own way was broken, it was hard to know who was more crazy; me, or everyone else”.

4. What is a favorite artist of yours perhaps outside the industrial style?

It has to be Radiohead, it took me years to get them but once I did they became one of my favorite artists of all time. I adore their work and their ability to defy conventions and write music that they just think is cool is so inspiring to me. The amazing thing about Radiohead for me is their central sound is Thom’s voice while everything around them changes from song to song, and there are only a few bands I can say have a similar appeal to me. Other than them I’m a huge fan of Bohren and Der Club of Gore, they’re this amazing German jazz group that plays the coolest noir-sounding stuff. I would absolutely love to one day create something similar but it’s a lifetime away from what/how I write.

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

The tragedy of being. That and my never-ending fascination with music and its ability to mean so much to so many different people. I’m constantly finding new music, old music whatever but I’ve always got a plethora of ideas and genres I want to try out. I’ve been lucky with Binary that from the start I didn’t try to force myself into a niche and that’s allowed me to continue to experiment and find new and interesting ways to express myself through music

6. Where was your last gig and how did it go?

Any “Spinal Tap” moments? I’ve yet to play live with Binary and I have never seen Spinal Tap (although I’m well aware of it), so I guess…. I can’t answer that

7. Have you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tip for beginners on how to beat that?

As I mentioned I haven’t played live with Binary but I’ve played live with other outfits throughout the years. My thing with nerves is I don’t get nervous till I’m just about to do whatever it is that’s making me nervous, so luckily I don’t get too worked up over it. I suppose the best advice is that most people at a venue aren’t dickheads, I’ve seen bands, comedians, all sorts of live acts screw up and the crowd never reacted badly. The last time I saw Thrice Dustin forgot the words to The Grey (it was the first time they performed it live I think) and more than anything that felt endearing, so I always try to remember that. 

8. What bands have inspired you the most?

Initially, it was really Trent Reznor/NIN. The fact he was mixing electronic and more traditional sounding metal elements was hugely inspiring for me, along with the fact it was his project that made me feel like I could not only make the sound I wanted to but it could be done by myself. Outside of that I’m a huge Papa Roach fan and their resilience throughout the years I’ve always found hugely influential. As a band, they got a lot of unwarranted hate but just kept going releasing an album every two years or so since Infest, and are now probably bigger than they’ve ever been.

9. Have you had any interesting fan reactions?

Yeah, speaking of Papa Roach I covered their song Thrown Away earlier this year and had one guy say he hated it cause it didn’t sound like Papa Roach was performing. Which I guess is fair – every opinion is valid after all – I just don’t know what he was expecting from a cover that had no involvement from the band haha.

10. What’s the most important thing you’d like a fan to take away from listening to your music?

That the fact they’ve taken the time to listen to it is more important to me than I could put into words.

11. Something add?

Yeah my new album The Future Belongs To The Mad is out November 28 th, it’ll be free/streaming everywhere, and till then I’ve got multiple singles out and I hope people get something out of my material