Where are you from and what is your main job?
I live in Denver, Colorado, USA. When I'm not doing music, I'm a geologist, cleaning up stuff.

"The Dignity Of Labour" is an uncommon band name.
What's the meaning/idea of your band-name?
Actually, the name comes from an early Human League EP of the same name. I thought it would make a great band moniker. I liked the fact that it suggests an idea. I've always respected those who have spent their lives creating something brilliant, and do so with a mixture of dignity and humility.
I'm not sure if that's what The Human League intended when they came up with the title, but I've adopted it and it's become more of a calling than anything else.

Your music is characterized by an excellent singing and musical background. What is your musical background?
I started writing in high school, mostly sappy love songs and instrumentals. I took piano lessons for about a year when I was a sophomore but I hated practicing. Then I attempted a music degree in college, where again, practicing became a chore (did I say I hated practicing?). The professors believed that music had certain rules I had to follow, plus I didn't know how to read music, so it was like starting over. I just couldn't see myself in that kind of environment. I did music for a semester and then got into geology. But music is still my true love.

I read that "The Dignity Of Labour" exists since 1994.
Tell me something about the history of "The Dignity Of Labour".
I've never written a song that I'm ashamed of.
Well, I was being a bit clever on this one because there really isn't much to tell about the history of TDOL. I lead a pretty average life by musician's standards. ;-)

What are your reasons for producing catchy but also romantic pure SynthPoP music?
I think SynthPoP gets a bad reputation for being cold and unimaginative, and that's probably true to some extent. Technology is making it so easy to create a song these days, to where the focus seems to be moving away from songwriting and more toward the tools used to create a song. I'd like to think that at least one of my songs will resonate with someone.

Who inspires your music?
Anything can provide inspiration, a homeless guy pushing a grocery cart, the direction of the wind, a etc. It doesn't matter to me where it comes from. I tend to look deeper into the objects that inspire me, so my objective is to make you aware of something you didn't notice before.

What are the sources of your lyrics?
Own experiences, disaffection with existing situations or pure Fiction?
The older stuff used to be purely personal, but lately I've been writing some songs from a third-person perspective, where I have a certain person in mind, and I'm presenting the lyrics from their perspective. Sometimes a more global situation will affect me deeply, such as 9-11. I was involved in some of the post-9-11 response, and many of the people I met in the process were in complete fear for their lives.
Lyric ideas erupt from everywhere during these times. It's a real challenge to write a personal song in a way that others can apply it to their lives, so I try to make it as adaptable as possible without being too vague. And nothing I write is completely fictitious or entirely true.

As you know the 80s and early 90s were formed by SynthPoP music. As you know pop-music, black and soul, hip-hop are dominating the charts, techno and house are still rocking the clubs. So, tell me, what are the secrets behind the comparatively large SynthPoP scene around the whole world?
To be honest, I really don't know how big the SynthPoP scene is, since it seems to exist mostly on the internet, and not as much in clubs and live shows. I think it has the potential to grow into those markets, as word of mouth and exposure increases. I wasn't even aware of a 'SynthPoP scene' until about a year ago, and I'm sure there are many who like this kind of music, but assume that it went out in the 80's.

What kind of audience do you want to reach?
I don't have a target audience, I try to make everyone happy. If you're 70 years old, and you like my music, you've just made my day.

Are you going to have live-gigs in near future?
Nothing is currently planned, but that may change as people continue to request a live show. I'd need lots of practice.

I found the song "XRV" on the promotion sampler of ADD? What are your future plans and especially the plans with the well-known American SynthPoP label "A Different Drum"?
Well, by the time this interview goes online, the single for 'XRV' should be out or available for pre-order at ADD. I finished that and then jumped right into the rest of the tracks for the album, which will hopefully be out by the end of the summer. After that, who knows?

Most of the big music companies are complaining about decreasing profit caused by music piracy. How do you think about the fact that those companies are trying to sell copy protected audio CDs which are not confirm with the Philips red book specifications?
I have a few copy-protected CDs, and they're annoying. I haven't seen any studies that indicate a decrease in pirating in direct relation to copy-protection. If someone really wanted a copy, they could easily make one with proper software. In this case, I think the fans are being punished more than the pirates.

Now enjoy two samples of the single "XRV" by the American band "The Dignity Of Labour".

• XRV (single mix)
• XRV (nevarakka mix)

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