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First of all - can you introduce yourself and your band to us?
My name is Adriaan Pelzer. I do vocals, synthesizer and production for NuL, an Electro-Industrial band from South Africa. Our style fuses quite a lot with other genres like Industrial Metal, EBM and Aggrotech. The other members are: Simon Kruger on bass and production, Mareli Minnaar on analog synth & oscillators, Dawid Kahts on guitar, Niel de Lange on live visuals, Chris Erasmus on lighting and Gerrie Roos, our sound engineer.
Could you describe your opinion and/or views on racism within 1-5 words?
I think most people living in South Africa are quite sick of it. We are too.
What are your views on your own country when it comes to racism? Bad? Worse? Not thát bad? Please explain.
Racism is not nearly as acceptable or widespread as during the Apartheid regime, when it manifested in very visible ways, like physical segregation of public amenities, different "classes" of citizenship, etc, but the extent has worsened. The most radical manifestation of racism in South Africa today is probably the senseless slaughtering of white farmers, as a demonstration against land being owned by caucasians.
It seems some kind of sick ´trend´ these days to bring racism into alternative music, referring to terms such as 'nazi-punk', 'NSBM' and 'right-winged electro'. What are your views on this? Do you think it will become dangerous?
In the light of this, it is ironic how, the higher the racial tension in an environment is, the less likely it is to spark social "trends" or "fads". In the face of real danger, most people tend to not provoke it. So, it is quite difficult to take any of these trends seriously ... there might be long-term effects we are overlooking, but for now, there are way more serious things to tend to.
Did you witness any racist things during local gigs, festivals, etc? Would you reject an offer to play a show together with an outspoken right-winged band?
Often people blame bouncers at clubs & pubs for racism against their own color (whatever it may be) after being thrown out for misbehaving. I'd say that is the worst display of racism being displayed at clubs & pubs where we play. People in South Africa are quite careful not to display any public acts of racism, even if they do lean towards the more race-conscious side in nature. Off the top of my head, I cannot think of any outspoken right-winged bands from South Africa. We would, however, most probably play with an outspoken right-winged band if their music warrants it, but I doubt that a band who put the main emphasis on their political orientation would make music worth listening to. Bands should advocate music, that's what they do.
You're from South-Africa, which is known for a history of Apartheid. How do you remember the Apartheid era personally? Are there still traces of apartheid to be found in today's society?
Growing up, Apartheid was alive and well, and physical separation was quite the norm. I did, however, grow up on a farm, where segregation was not formally applied as it was in cities and towns. In those days beaches, public toilets, for instance, were separated. Most traces of apartheid are still in the process of being eradicated. Currently, the main focus is on changing street names and names of cities and towns throughout South Africa, because of their reference to people, places and events in Apartheid history. To me that means the process of reform is quite advanced.
Are there many right winged bands in the South African scene?
Not openly. It's just not acceptable at all. I'm sure there are bands who, when amongst themselves, would be right winged as a group of people in private, but the handful of people who would be openly right winged are more likely to be into ridiculous warfare (as in, us 15 or 20 against the national army) than into music.
Got any final words?
Racial antagonism is the result of a poorly executed mental process. It is what happens if a critical amount of individuals jump to the first intuitive conclusion to some problem that enter their minds. It is subhuman, and not to be pursued. As a person living in a society largely defined by byproducts of racism, the embracement of racism as a self defining tool is laughable and sad at the same time. Racism kills the ones you love.
Interview by: Gerardo
Answered by: Adriaan (vocals, synths and production)
Listen to NuL at www.myspace.com/nulmusic
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