Lawrence book when I was younger and I knew then somebody had to make a pop album that goes by that name. MD: Well, for example the title, We Fucked a Flame into Being, I read that line in a D.H. it’s the same with melodies that aren’t catchy .ĪJT: In your press release you say, “I love contradictions.” What is it about contradictions that intrigues you? I found that if you have something that doesn’t groove, if you repeat it enough, it starts grooving. I love the voodoo vibe like on Dr John’s Gris-Gris. I’m experimenting with more african rhythms now, it’s something you can hear hints off on this album but I want to explore it even more on the next. MD: Yes, I like the rhythm to go on and on until you get swallowed in. In The Good Lie, for instance, the drums are very trance-like and reminiscent of a dance. I love Blue Velvet, I don’t like Mulholland Drive.ĪJT: There’s also a strong rhythm in each song’s beat. But at the same time I’m exposing myself as a exhibitionist.ĪJT: There’s a real sultry charm in your sound that mimics the city soundscape, it conjures up images of New York at night… a candlelit underground jazz bar, very Lynchian. There’s a paradox in there because I hate to tell people what the songs are about because I tend to think that’s something private. MD: All the songs are based on things that’ve happened, they’re probably romanticised or exaggerated but I can pinpoint them all to a certain moment or person. MD: It’s the name of the boat, I have no idea where it comes from but I liked the sound of it.ĪJT: How much of the character in the album is you and how much is fictional? I just kept making Warhaus songs and kept them in my vault at home until now…ĪJT: Why did you choose the name Warhaus?

There was never a rush in completing the album since for a long time there was never talk about a Warhaus album. I spent six months on a boat I borrowed from a friend here in Ghent where I did most of the work though. Recordings have taken place in living rooms, tour busses, real studios.

MD: All of this has been taken place within the timeframe of about six years. it felt like the right time to step out of our comfort zone and widen our perspectives in another project.ĪJT: There’s a very tight theme that runs throughout the album, did you write all the songs within one time period or are they more spread out? We all decided that we could use a break or that the audience would get bored of us. MD: I’ve been touring non stop over the last five years with my other band Balthazar.

Maarten Devoldere: He’s the nice alter ego of Maarten Devoldere, a Belgian asshole.ĪJT: You’ve been using this pseudonym for a while, why is now the right time to release an album under the moniker? We were amazed from the quality of the studio, sound and of course the work of sound engineer Thomas Plec Johansson and are really happy and excited with the result.Alex James Taylor: So, introduce us to Warhaus. After that we travelled to Sweden and in the studio we recorded everything, adding and removing, as a lot of work is done there into finalizing a song. The ideas were sent back and forth up to the point that a base and structure was decided, along with all the little ideas, melodies and lines that make up the song. Thankfully, the internet makes this kind of working from a distance easier. We exchanged our views and then we started rehearsing, coming up with ideas. He visited Cyprus back in November, we met, talked about what and how we think the song should be and immediately we realised we were on the exact same page with everything about it. The song was a collaboration between us and Thomas G:son. Wiwibloggs spoke with Minus One ahead of the song’s release.

Alter ego band songs