AGONOIZE are the latest creation on harsh industrial mastermind Mike Johnson, along with his long-time collaborator Olli S, and new frontman Chris L. Several harsh industrial band of note are creation of the boys: Infekktion, Psi-Corp,Virtual Embrace, and of course, Chris’ previous incarnation Dance Or Die..
Their no compromise harsh industrial sound has got many DJs hooked and I know that many have either “Open The Gate/To Paradise” (latest EP) or “Paranoid Destruction” (their debut) on their must buy list or in their top 10 tracks right now. This is music to kill to, and when you have remixes by some of the finest Harsh Electro bands out there (GRENDEL, TACTICAL-SEKT, :SITD:) then you are bound to attract the attention of any DJ worth their salt!

So, now you know a little about AGONOIZE, let’s get to the interview..
In the dark corridors behind the stage at the DARK CITY FESTIVAL I am to meet the guys. Mike is a main contributor, and a big presence. He is tattooed all over, has a big frame and strong, empassioned voice.But he is actually a diamond guy, well spoken and friendly. Olli, tanned and leathery he is the quietest of the band. He is a musician, he does his bit on the keyboards, he looks cool. That’s his job, but he makes sure he is abreast of everything that is being asked by making quick checks with Mike in German.. However, it is Chris who is the most vocal, and with the biggest presence. He is dark, brooding. You feel like he is going to explode at any moment, he is on the edge, ALIVE. He is the frontman of AGONOIZE, larger than life and a real dangerous character on stage.. and is refreshingly honest and passionate in all his well considered responses. I had some tough questions and these boys looked like a tough bunch..

M = MIKE   O=OLLI   C=CHRIS   J=JO aka DJCYBERCHRIST

J – So why did you set up AGONOIZE? Give me a little of your history.

M – Well I have many projects now, many different bands, but I think of them as sounding very different, and so when I looked at the bands that I have been making I see that there needed to be a band that did the ‘ROUGH STUFF’ you know? So we founded AGONOIZE..

J – So INFEKKTION was not rough enough for you then?

M – NO! We needed something much harder! [cue laughter from all the AGONOIZE BOYS]

J – So how do you differentiate between your bands? I think especially with the INFEKKTION and the great success that they have enjoyed this last year, how do you make AGONOIZE sound different?

M – If you listen carefully to the two bands you will see major differences between them. INFEKKTION is much more melodic, with greater use of harmony, whereas AGONOIZE is much colder, more harsh. It’s not typical CLUB MUSIC, it’s not VNV NATION, it is much more straight. It’s not so much dance music.

J – Yeah, it’s not four to the floor, but it IS INDUSTRIAL dance music.

C – INFEKKTION is OLLI and MIKE’s own project AGONOIZE is with me..

J – So you’re the missing link then?

C – I guess..

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