The Cyber-Sonica festival was an exploration of the latest digital music-making. DJ Spooky also performed at the festival, showcasing his 'digital free jazz' performance, which used a laptop, two decks, effects boxes and a projector showing the film version of a French philosophy text. The ICA was the perfect place for this festival because it has long been a bastion of the avant-garde, breaking new ground in the arts and media. 

Bomb 20 employs cut-up techniques to deliver a radical anti-establishment message in a hip-hop framework. His live performance at the ICA was so abrasive that several members of the audience left covering their ears within the first five minutes. If you have a penchant for noise (or a Sonic Youth fan) this is your sound! 

Bomb 20 has a release out on famed underground label Digital Hardcore, which is also home to fellow noise-makers Atari Teenage Riot and Alec Empire. Field Manual was released in 1998 to some acclaim. It also contained a scary seven-page 'manifesto' within the liner notes. 

If you think electronic music is all about polished bleeps and beats,  think again. Even fans of the hardest techno will take awhile to get used to Skiba's stuff. Bomb 20 is out there and he will blow your mind. No joke!

What's your musical background? What bands do you like, what bands did you start listening to?
I started listening to rap as a kid when a neighbour kid gave me a 2live crew tape. Which proved to be a good way of learning english. Next up was ice cube, ice t and everything else i got into my hands... mostly people with impressive names or looks...Its good to have people like booya tribe to look up to. Growing up i learned more of the diversity of hiphop and music and life in general. But i still stick to pretty much hiphop, at the moment i really like stuff like nonphixion or company flow.

How did you get started on your current musical direction? How would you describe your music?
I started making music with 15 or 16 when i got a music program from a guy, we met because we wanted to swap computer games but he also had this music program and i checked it out. It had a preset song coming with it which was "every breath you take" and i could a take a look at how the composing was done. After that i was hooked.
First I started manipulating "Every breath you take" then i took the samples and made a new song. It soon proved that the instruments used in that song didnt quite match with the music i wanted to make. So i sampled other stuff and made songs out of that. I developed this specialty on sampling from movies&trailers and cutting them together which i havent seen anyone doing before (at least in that extent). And i have no idea how to call it, im not good at making up names for styles..
Usually 3rd persons tend to come up with something.. things like "cut up sample sonic terrorist" or other impressive variations.

What tools do you use to achieve the desired effect?
emotional attachments

I think i want them to react somehow and i think can feel it when they get it or when they dont. Some dance some dont, i like it when people dance but some parts of my show probably dont animate to dancing.. like the cutups ..and theyre too important for me to stop.

Besides Bomb 20, what other projects are you involved in? (club nights for example)
Ive got a label called audiochocolate which im doing with some friends and i do djing and producing for the puppetmastaz.
watch out for upcoming releases!

What do you think of the international club scene, superstar DJs and the dance music culture in general?
i hate moby.


What new material are you working on at the moment?
I just finished producing puppetmastaz and im working on my 2nd bomb20 album now which will come out approx. by the end of the year.


What direction do you see your music moving towards? A more multimedia/live element to shows?
I see myself producing for other people and doing bomb20. Basically i wanna go more live with extra tracks for liveshows which work different then my studio tracks. You just cant do the same on stage as you can i a real studio.

Genetical superiority has always been a german specialty. I think in one of the richest industrial nations of the world the people simply have more time to do art instead of beeing busy making a living. But i dont know... the swedish make good furniture, the french good house and the americans good wars. every nation seem to have its own talents...
Seriously, this is a question for someone like our cultural minister or so...besides im not german.

How would people in Asia get access to your music? Any plans to do a show in the region?
Yeah, they should start booking me!! Plus we got distribution with our label audiochocolate over there...soo buy the records.

-Joon, July 2002

thanx to David!

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