Can you give a short introduction to SinMasters?
SinMasters comes from Finland, and it is a band with a format of mixing two scenes, rock music & fetish culture. SinMasters started nine years ago as a three-some, Jan Yrlund, Jyrki Witch and TimV.
The first MCD, Seducer, came out at autumn 2000 and the title song went straight to the top of the Finnish Industrial/Gothic Chart (gathered by Finnish DJs/ journalists) and kept the position for ten weeks early 2001.
The second MCD "Crashing Down" saw the daylight early summer of 2001.
At the end of 2002, Russian label CD-Maximum released 7-song minialbum called Seduced.
Then we kept a few years break.
The second SinMasters album was called “innocence.lost” and it was released via CDC Finland at early May 2007.
First gig took it's place at Lumous Gothic Festival with Suicidal Romance and Das Ich at Klubi, Tampere, at the end of June, 2007. Three became five when two sexy femme fatales, Zynthexia and Rodionoff, joined the group with their live performance. Two months later the band supported Two Witches, Doppelgänger and Silene at Klubi, Tampere.
Between 2002 and 2007 is a gap from 5 years, what happened in that period?
I was pretty busy with Two Witches. The whole band moved from Finland to Berlin, we toured as much as could and I was working for a record label and toured as a roadie for some bands.
Örkki was living in Amsterdam and played for many bands at the same time and TimV was busy with his work.
I guess the main reason was time, we just didn’t find any place for the band.
Who are the members of SinMasters and what is their musical background?
Jan “Örkki” Yrlund (guitar, programming) is playing also for Imperia, Satyrian, Angel, Delain and many other bands. Earlier he played also for such bands as Lacrimosa, Prestige, Ancient Rites and Danse Macabre.
Jyrki Witch (vocals, percussions), the main-man of Two Witches and also playing for dark ambient project Gravehill Paris Witch (with ex-Christian Death/ Shadow Project keyboardist) and Bauhaus-coverband Double Dare.
TimV (vocals, guitar, programming) has his solo-projects Shade Factory and Dei6. TimV is also helping for Two Witches on studio.
Zynthexia (liveshow, live percussions) is pretty well-known DJ is EBM/gothic scene.
Rodionoff (liveshow, live keyboards) is playing only for SinMasters.
Why did you start with SinMasters?
I wanted to play industrial music as well. I have always wanted to play different types of music. Then (at that time) I wanted to have a side-project without deadlines or permanent line-ups, just for having fun. Of course it didn’t work and a little by little the “project” became a “real” band.
Why do you wanted to play industrial music, was it like a new challenge, were you always attracted to industrial music?
TimV has been playing electronic music his whole career (he’s been one of the original members of Neuroactive, then his own projects Shade Factory and Dei6) and even Two Witches started as an electronic act 1987, when there were only Anne Nurmi (knowadays known as a keyboardist of Lacrimosa) and me.
How would you call your music?
EBM with rock attitude and fetish lyrics.
Most of the time when electronic music and loud guitars are mixed each other people call it “Industrial metal” but I don’t think it fits you, the term Dance Metal sounds better?
Maybe this Dance Metal term fits with our first minialbum “Seducer” (CD-Maximum, 2002) but not anymore. The new album innocent.lost was already more EBM and the next album will be just… EBM with rock attitude and fetish lyrics. One thing is for sure, there won’t be any metal the next time.
Does this mean the guitars will be gone or will they still be part of the SinMasters sound on the next album, what can you tell already about the album?
No, of course not, but there is so many ways to play guitar.
How do you manage to play ebm and give it a rocksound?
Pretty easily, we just use EBM background but play rock’n’roll. I think it suits for us much better this way than playing only EBM or just rock’n’roll.
I guess also the theme, sex, drugs and rock and roll fits the concept perfectly?
I do not do drugs.
SinMasters was formed originally in 1999 with TimV and Örkki, later on extra members were added, you had a break but started again with TimV and Örkki, what made you decide to restart the band with the 2 original members?
I was living a few years in Berlin and Örkki was living in Amsterdam. When I moved back to Finland I was thinking of SinMasters again and a bit after me Örkki also moved back to Tampere. I seemed to be the best line-up again and we restart the band.
In what way do you feel personally connected to the so called fetish scene and what is Fetish for you?
It has been an important part of my life since my teenage years. Earlier I use to organize fetish parties as well, but nowadays I’m too busy with gothic/EBM scene (as an organizer for parties and Lumous Gothic Festival) to take care fetish parties also.
I’ve been pretty open with this subject, talking about my fetishism (especially sexual fetishism) for the magazines and of course it has been important theme for my lyrics, both SinMasters and Two Witches.
These days SinMasters also has 2 female members, Zynthexia and Rodionoff, what do they add to the band, both visually as musically?
Visually both of them are giving a lot of new elements for SinMasters, because they are so gorgeous women, but they are giving new ideas musically as well. They are also mentally perfect women for this band.
How do you manage that both female members are not just objects on stage?
Aren’t all of the musicians more or less “just objects on stage”?
Do you feel like an object on stage, I always prefer to think there are real people on stage?
Of course there are real people (as much as it ever could be “real”, because most of the artists are having some kind of role on public), but when you are on stage and people stare at you… hhhmmm… you are a kind of object anyway.
Is there any difference in you feelings between performing with Two Witches and SinMasters?
With Two Witches I’m only singing. This gives me more freedom to move around on stage but it also means I should do most of the show while others could just concentrate to play. With SinMasters we have two vocalists and also the girls are taking their part of the liveshow. Actually I like it both ways. With Two Witches is a kind of “my show” and with SinMasters I’m feeling more like being a musician with the other musicians.
Besides several ep’s you have a cd available called “Innocence Lost” What can people expect from this album?
Good EBM-tunes with catchy choruses.
What is your personal favourite track to play live and what can people expect from a live show?
Sinmaster and Control. We are offering a full show with a real band and some fetish-elements as well.
Of all sins, what is your personal favourite one?
Sex in general.
What are the plans for the near future?
Innocence.lost will be re-released for Russian markets with new lay-out and a lot of remixes later this year. We are also planning for some concerts and a little by little we start to record the next album.
Any last words for the readers?
Live your life, don’t just dream of it. Let SinMasters seduce you :)
We also did an interview with Zynthexia from SinMasters!!!
www.myspace.com/sinmasters