A conversation on political urgency, studio methods, and collaborations behind the 2024 Give/Take release

Transmission 237: Interview with En Esch

En Esch is a German industrial musician who became a key member of KMFDM, one of the most influential acts in the industrial metal scene. Born Nicklaus Schandelmaier, he joined KMFDM in the mid-1980s and played a crucial role in developing their signature sound through his vocals, programming, and songwriting contributions. After departing KMFDM in 1999, Esch continued his musical career with various projects including PIG, Slick Idiot, and his solo work.

Title: Dance Hall Putsch
Artist: Dance Hall Putsch En Esch GIVE/TAKE Records Guenter Schulz KMFDM Raymond Watts
Genres: EBM, Electronica, Industrial Music
Label: GIVE/TAKE
Description: En Esch discusses Dance Hall Putsch, his first solo LP in eight years, shaped by war, past collaborators, and evolving production methods.

His latest album “Dance Hall Putsch,” released in 2024 via GIVE/TAKE Records, marks his first full-length solo effort in eight years. The album emerged from material gathered during the early pandemic period, though its direction shifted significantly following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Living just 500 miles from the conflict in Berlin, Esch channeled his response to the war into what became a politically charged work addressing the brutality of contemporary conflicts.

The album features collaborations with longtime associates including Raymond Watts, Guenter Schulz, and Mark Durante from his KMFDM days, alongside contributions from Vas Kallas, Mea Fisher, Hope Nicholls, and others.

Featured image: Berry Behrendt

What pushed you to start working on Dance Hall Putsch during the early days of the pandemic?

During the pandemic I gathered a lot of musical material that was sitting around waiting for me to finish it. I was trying to make a more positive upbeat album and then the Russian invasion happened. That made the whole production more political. Fact is, the conflict is just 500 miles away from Berlin where I live. It impacted me and that came out in the work.

When you first began making music, what drew you into industrial rather than any other genre?

When I started out making music there was no genre like industrial music. This term was created by my friend Genesis and THROBBING GRISTLE. I started out like a lot of musicians, being an outcast in school and after getting involved in music, developing a special persona while performing. It freed me from being the weirdo par excellence. I was drawn into being a new waver at a certain point using electronic instruments, influenced by bands like CABARET VOLTAIRE and D.A.F.. Back then I didn’t like the harsh punk attitude. New wave is a post punk thing and after all, the mother of industrial.

Was there a specific moment or performance that made you realize this would become your life’s path?

I started my first band when I was 14, rather than a school cover band, but at 16 I had my first real band with people playing their instruments very well. With this band I experienced the impact and excitement one can have with an audience. I gained a new status and felt the satisfaction of me being popular all of a sudden. The musicality was something I had in me all my life, even as a child, but the social support and love for me as a person was a change to my path.

How did the proximity of the Ukraine war affect your writing on this album, both lyrically and emotionally?

Like I mentioned before, the war is only 500 miles away from Berlin and it is the most brutal event on European soil since WW2. It has a big influence on Dance Hall Putsch and it is so unbelievably sad that the conflict is still going on….no end in sight.

What was the first track that really clicked during the recording process for Dance Hall Putsch?

The first track that “really clicked” was “Do It” featuring my good old friend Hope Nicholls from Charlotte, NC. I toured with her in PIGFACE. She’s also known from her bands SUGARSMACK and FETCHING BONES. I sent her a track a long time ago when I was still living in NYC for her to record her voice on. She sent me back a cassette with the stuff she came up with and I arranged it and added my vocals etc. Then it went into the miscellaneous drawer for a longtime and I came back to it for Dance Hall Putsch. The original music she sang on was totally different. I put her and my vocals onto a totally new track and it “clicked”.

You’ve worked with Raymond Watts for decades—what made this collaboration on “Push” and “Wumms” different?

I worked with Raymond also on the two previous solo albums Spänk and Trash Chic. Raymond and I were always very successful jamming out and writing together, starting with the first KMFDM release WDYKD. We were and are very good at coming up with stuff on the fly. We have both a similar feel for rhythm, groove and chaos. It is always a pleasure working with Raymond Watts, especially on my German tracks. His affiliation with the German language, after he lived in Hamburg and Berlin for years, makes him always interested in singing German with me.

“Yum Yum Beauty & The Nasty Thief” brings back Guenter Schulz. How did that track come together?

It is a significant track on Dance Hall Putsch, starting out as a dance track turning into a political track after the historical events. A Russian friend of mine in Germany helped me to translate my lyrics into Russian and recorded the spoken words in the breakdown part of the track. Then I thought nobody other than Guenter Schulz could play guitar on that, so I asked him and he recorded a bunch of cool guitar tracks in Vancouver, Canada.

What are your most-used pieces of gear or software in the studio these days? Do you still work with analog machines, or has your setup gone fully digital?

The setup in my studio changed quite a lot in the last few years. Twenty years ago we had tons of outside gear and synths and huge MIDI boxes to drive all that. But the computer in recent years got so fast that to stay digital and to use a lot of virtual instruments is faster and more convenient. I have a few analog things still around, like good tube preamps, my old Nord Lead, Doepfer Synth and other special electronic hardware.

What role does visual presentation—artwork, photography, layout—play in your album concepts?

It is always important to me. From the early days on I was in bands and projects that created their own visuals and cover art. We all know how to work Photoshop and run video editing apps like Final Cut and Premiere, btw I took a lot of the photos for Dance Hall Putsch in my Berlin neighborhood. For the cover I got help from Josh Lexvold from GIVE/TAKE and the photographer Gerda Barker who took the main Esch pic in Austin, TX.

Are you already writing or recording material for a follow-up to Dance Hall Putsch?

I have a lot of tracks lined up for a new album. The hardest challenge is not in creating the initial lyrical or musical idea, but in reaching the “polished” and balanced final mix down and…to be happy with it. I will be done with a new album at the end of this year.

Matteo Damiani

Matteo Damiani is an Italian photographer and author. Curator of the sites Retrofuturista.com; weirditaly.com; china-underground.com and others