DATAROCK – THEY’RE SCANDI-COOL!

Supercool Scandi band, Datarock have just released a new album after keeping busy with Eurovision and writing musicals, Fredrik explains to Marc Andrews.

DNA: Is your new album Face The Brutality your big global statement?

Fredrik: Not consciously. I took the title from a Canadian heavy metal radio show. I thought it was over-the-top and hilariously pretentious. More than anything it’s an element of humour on a slightly darker album.

Your last album came out nine years ago. What have you been up to?

We’ve actually released tons of music since then – singles, EP, The Musical, three albums on a USB release. Some of the guys worked on solo projects with Röyksopp and Robyn. I opened a restaurant called Lysverket and am opening another one called Hoggorm.

Tell us more about your musical.

I was asked if I wanted to do something with a symphony orchestra and said yes if I could write a musical. Two months later we stood on stage with 60 minutes of orchestrated “musical” music, 87 musicians, and a bunch of friends. It was so much fun we had to release it. The general ambition was to create an alternative, fun rock opera in the style of The Rocky Horror Show.

Your first breakout track was Computer Camp Love. How much of an appreciation for “camp” do you have?

We performed live at the world’s second largest computer party, The Gathering. Now that’s a computer camp where love is bound to happen! Personally, the only camps I ever went to were soccer camps as a kid.

When is Madonna going to call you guys to work on her new album?

Anytime soon. Kylie, too, I hear! [Laughs].

Have you guys played many LGBTIQ events? To everyone’s surprise, just for fun in 2013, Datarock ended up in the domestic Eurovision Song Contest finals. Over here the LGBT community has quite an ownership of that party. Norway used to have more of a gay scene but now it’s nothing special. We still have a few gay bars but everybody just hangs out at the same bars and clubs now. Unless it’s Eurovision. Then the gay bars are on. [Laughs]. What issues are close to the band’s hearts? We grew up so insanely politically correct in the midst of a global awakening of equality – feminism, humanisms, cultural relativism, personal responsibility, environmentalism and the fight for animal rights. So, we took all those topics for granted and became the selfabsorbed generation of slackers and superficial lovers of the bizarre and absurd.

You guys had a thing for red tracksuits. Why? We printed 1,500 and sold most of them. We are now back in black tracksuits, already available as merch. The red ones were unbearably warm on stage in Australia.

Is it true the word data is Norwegian for computer?

Yes, and that’s short for datamaskin like “data machine”. It’s cute.

How much rock is there in your data?

Quite a lot I’d say! [Laughs].

None of my gay friends go to gay bars unless it’s Eurovision. Then the gay bars are on!

MORE: Face The Brutality is released through Footstomp Music. Find Datarock on Facebook and Twitter or at www.datarockmusic.com.