In this week’s 10 Questions we get to know SCHANZ, an alternative rock project from Germany.
Their song ‘Time‘ is currently featured on the NAS Spotify playlists
You can follow SCHANZ on Instragram and Facebook
1. Tell us a little about where you are from.
I live in Kassel, Germany. Musically, I am involved in two projects: a duo called Pitch Black Inc., which makes electronic music in the synthwave genre, and my own solo project, which I launched in 2024 and which leans towards post-punk/alternative rock. After releasing my debut album ‘AD/2’ in June, I am now starting to work on more songs for a new album.
2. What inspired SCHANZ to start playing and making music?
When I was 15, I got an acoustic guitar, but after learning a few simple chords, I bought an electric guitar six months later and started a band to find out what it felt like to play in a rock band – or rather, a punk band, when I first started making music. I liked the energy and the creative process you go through when making music or creating melodic sounds. It was never the plan to sing as well, but after auditioning for the singer at the time a few years later, showing him how I imagined the song, I ‘had’ to sing from then on and he played bass. So, in addition to guitar, singing was added to the mix.
I liked the energy and the creative process you go through when making music or creating melodic sounds.
3. Who are SCHANZ’s biggest musical influences?
New Model Army and Neil Young had the biggest influence on me in my youth. Later on, artists such as Love Like Blood, Hüsker Dü, The Cure, but also Covenant and Depeche Mode came along and made a big impression on me and influenced me greatly.
Personally, I would describe my music as alternative rock/post-punk. It incorporates everything that influences me musically: guitar rock/gothic rock/dark wave/punk…
4. What are your goals in the music industry or as an artist?
The first goal was to produce and release this album – in the hope that some people would like it.
Future goals are, of course, another album and, if possible, playing a few concerts, which is likely to be quite difficult, however, as I am on my own and would need to find some musicians to play my songs for a concert.
So ultimately, it’s not a goal, but rather a wish that this will be possible one day. Getting in touch with other people and gaining some listeners who like my music are also goals, of course.
But first and foremost, it’s about producing my own songs and blasting them out to the world.
5. Tell us about your creative process.
It varies from song to song. ‘The Sun’ was composed on the guitar, and the lyrics had been written long before. “Blind” and ‘Voice and Sound’ started with a simple synth melody that came about while jamming in the studio, and the lyrics were written after the music was composed.
‘X’, for example, was first written as lyrics and then composed with guitars. But I almost always make little mixes for myself during the creative process and then listen to them over and over again while I’m out walking the dog – that’s the best time to try out some vocal melodies (and fail at them sometimes).
6. What is your all-time favorite song by another artist and why?
New Model Army – Where I Am – Ever since I first heard this song, I’ve been in love with the chorus. And ever since then, this song has put a smile on my face every time I hear it, no matter how sad or angry I am. It has a very serious socio-critical background about tourists, consumerism and the landscape that is being destroyed as a result – and yet it’s a song that immediately draws you in and makes you want to sing along.
7. What is the best advice you have either given or received in terms of music?
Be authentic. If you want to make party music or do it for the money, that’s okay. If you want to express your feelings about the world and how much you hate it, that’s okay too.
But be authentic – and don’t take yourself too seriously all the time.
8. What is your proudest accomplishment?
Producing my debut album ‘AD/2’ entirely on my own: composing, recording, mixing, mastering, releasing… I went through all these steps without going crazy and finally finished the album. This has been a really hard and often frustrating time for me (mostly the mixing process), so I’m really happy and a little bit proud that it sounds quite good.
9. What’s been your most embarrassing moment so far?
There have been so many embarrassing moments in my life… but most of the time I can laugh about them myself.
One of the most embarrassing moments was definitely an open-air concert at a party with about 300 people. We had to wait a very long time for our performance and couldn’t do a sound check. As a result, our bassist couldn’t hear anything. During the second song, he simply packed up his bass and left. It’s a special moment when you finally get to play live and then part of the band walks past you and just disappears!
It’s a special moment when you finally get to play live and then part of the band walks past you and just disappears!
10. Tell us about your lowest and highest points in music so far.
The low point was a performance with my old band a few years ago in front of four people standing at the bar. The high point was a gig at the Wave Gothic Festival in Leipzig, where we played at prime time in a sold-out venue called Moritzbastei. It was a truly fantastic show and one of the best I’ve ever played.
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