1/ Do you see your first release 'Item' (2004) as a 5 track extended play (EP) CD to accompany your forthcoming debut album or as a 5 track maxi-single for the song 'Sister'?

Paul Humphreys - The idea behind releasing 'Item' was really to begin the introduction of Onetwo by releasing a 5 track CD of EP length. We had hatched the idea of experimenting with an 'internet only' release and decided to use eBay as our main outlet really to see what would happen. We also released 'Item' at this time as we felt it was the right time to release something but also we wanted to buy a little more time to complete the album, so it seemed like a good idea to test the water if you like, with a few songs.

Claudia Brücken - Also, when you approach things in a non conventional way, you can throw away those 'industry invented' conventions of 'single' released to radio 'x' number of weeks before it's in the shops, followed by the album 'x' number of weeks later. With the internet you can release anything between a double album or single song as download, whatever you want, whenever you want. In our case we had several songs ready so we thought, hmmm, how about releasing 4 of them and hey, I like that other version of 'Sister' we experimented with, why don't we put that on too!!

2/ In the liner notes of 'Item' it says you will be donating some of the profits from the song 'Sister' to Asthmas Research, why did you choose Asthma Research?

PH - The song 'Sister' was actually written about and for my sister Sue who tragically died of asthma when I was very young so it has always been my No. 1 charity for donation. Asthma has been an unfortunate thread running through my family but it's also becoming a huge worldwide problem as asthma suffering is on the increase. I wrote the song as a kind of therapeutic way for me to finally deal with what happened to my sister and how it affected me long term as it was a topic I had spend decades unhealthily avoiding! It was one of the most difficult songs to get right that I'd ever written before, as this subject, particularly in a song format, can often be either uncomfortably awkward or overly sentimental. Anyway, I hope we got the balance right.

1/ Item's second song 'Cloud 9' was co-written with Martin Gore of Depeche Mode and also features him on guitar. How did this collaboration with Martin Gore come about?

CB - Cloud Nine was originally written for my solo album in the mid to late 90's. Martin Gore and I had a mutual friend who used to invite me to Depeche gigs and after show parties. This is how I got to know Martin. One day I was writing a song on guitar, and I thought , I need a little bit of help as I'm not the best guitarist in the world! Martin at that time, was living around the corner from me so I just dropped around and asked if he'd help me. He really liked what I had started and consequently co-wrote the song with me. I then put my solo album on hold as I had been in touch with Michael and Suzanne and we hatched this idea to try Propaganda one more time. I 'loaned' Cloud Nine to Propaganda but then withdrew it when Propaganda ground to halt for the second time. So, its been through many different versions, it's only now though, with the Onetwo version, that I'm completely happy with it.

2/ Any other collaborations planned for the forthcoming album?

PH - There will be a few more collaborations with Jon Russell who we will be working closely with throughout the album, some of which are not far off being completed. There will also be a song which is a 3 way co-write with Claudia, OMD's Andy McCluskey, and myself called 'Anonymous' which will definitely appear on our album. It's a beautifully luscious choral piece that has a kind of OMD meets Brian Eno flavour to it. Nothing else planned though. Claudia will be continuing to collaborate with other artists outside of Onetwo, she is currently working with Andy Bell (Erasure) on tracks for his solo album for release next year.

1/ Are there any other musicians/artists that either of you would like to collaborate with in the near future?

CB - I have just finished an album with a former ZTT label mate, Andrew Poppy. It's a 12 track album of cover versions and was produced by Paul with us. It's one of the most radical records that I've ever done as each track is just one instrument and one voice. Two performances merging. The song choices are from artists as diverse as Radiohead, Franz Schubert, Kate Bush and Elvis Presley! We will be releasing it on our There(there) label and will be found in a variety of outlets, also from our website. It's finished and has gone into manufacture which is always a good sign! We will be making an announcement on it's release shortly from our website www.theremusic.com

PH - I'm always interested in working with talented people as it makes you grow as a writer. One thing is for sure, I wouldn't say no to David Bowie, Brian Eno or Ralph and Florian!!!

2/ Do you have any details as to the name and release date of your debut long playing (LP) CD?

CB - All we know is that we want to get the album out before the end of the year, we have pretty much decided on the songs but we don't have an album title yet. We have a few things that kind of 'getting in the way' of the album, which are a couple of gigs! We have to rehearse!! Not done that for a little while!! Onetwo are playing a debut gig at the Islington Academy, London on the 30th September and I'm also playing Wembley for the Princes Trust - 'Produced by Trevor Horn' on November 11th as Propaganda with Suzanne Freytag, doing several numbers!!

1/ When you formed Onetwo, did you see a void in current electronic music?

PH - I'm not sure if there is a void in electronic music or not. We certainly didn't form the band to fill one! I personally feel that I've taken many steps back towards electronic music again. I think towards the end of the eighties and into the nineties I became far more influenced by more organic things, which was probably important for me to develop as a writer. Perhaps I'd become a little bored with electronics and I sort of broadened my self imposed blinkers out a bit and let other forms of music inspire me instead. We''ve recently been working a lot with writer/programmer Jon Russell who has inadvertently and also consciously helped me to re-discover my roots again. He is a massive fan of all things electronic and of Kraftwerk there is no bigger fan! As a result I'm thoroughly enjoying experimenting again! My renewed enjoyment of electronic sounds has definitely been enhanced by advances in technology also. There are some fantastic new computer 'toys' on the market now that are totally inspiring , as a songwriter there is nothing better than to have a brand new pallet of sounds to explore!

2/ Do you make music for yourself first before the general public?

PH - At my very beginnings of making music, I made it totally for myself! Although Andy (McCluskey) and I made electronic music, we came out of the punk era and we were playing mainly punk clubs. So as you can imagine, playing electronic music in punk clubs, we got spat at quite a bit! But our attitude was really based a lot in punk, you know 'This is the sound we make, it's electronic, we know it's different, and f*** you if you don't like it!!! Things tend to change however when you start to sell records, you begin to need staff and also management to help you, who then rely on you to pay their wages, you get married and have kids, you need a mortgage, kids need clothes etc. Now this is the point at which, unless you are totally kamikaze, you kind of let outside things, like the general public's tastes, influence you, at least to a degree. It can't not do really. You then have a difficult choice, do you turn into Abba, or Abba from hell???? Joking apart, there is a middle ground to be had. In all the times that I tried to write a hit single, it never really worked. (With the great exception of 'If you Leave' for the movie 'Pretty in Pink") In OMD we adopted the philosophy of trying as best we can to not repeat ourselves and to push our songwriting boundaries as far as we could and hope that our natural based instinct to have catchy melodies would shine through, which did kind of work for us on the whole. I do think it's the classic dilemma of the musician though! "I really want to do a hyper experimental album that features the sounds of cows mooing through backwards reverb, but my kids need new shoes!!"

1/ How does a Onetwo song come together? Do you work from a sound on a synth or a lyric from an in progress song? Do you work independently, then bring your ideas together?

CB - So far, as the Onetwo project has relatively just begun, we haven't yet developed a definitive working pattern. Perhaps that's also a good thing! Because we have worked before as writers together (For my solo album and for Propaganda version 2) and because we have also worked separately with other people too, we have amassed a lot of songs that haven't ever been released. So the first Onetwo record 'Item' and our first album will be a selection of songs that we've amassed together with some brand new songs we've recently written.

PH - What will give it it's sense of cohesion I think, is the fact that we have re-recorded/programmed all of the slightly older songs in a new and fresh way and all at the same time with the newer songs so that it all works together. Jon Russell has been very helpful in this process too, as he brings some of the slightly older works a fresh approach. I do think Claudia's favourite way of working is to have a backing track delivered to her without any vocals or melody on it and then she walks around London with it on her iPod as she gradually works out the optimum melody!

2/ What do you like the most about making music as Onetwo? How is it different from when you were in OMD and Propaganda?

PH - I think that everyone you collaborate with, approaches songwriting in a different way, and I think that writers feed off each other. I have learned so much from everyone I've ever worked with. I also think that having worked with quite a lot of other writers, working with Claudia is the closest I've come to the way Andy and I worked in OMD. Claudia, like Andy, is a natural melody writer, in the sense that if you give her a chord sequence she will find with relative ease, the 'natural' melody that fits into the chord sequence and as a music writer, this is a godsend! She is also a good lyricist which helps!

CB - In the 80's working with Propaganda, was basically a team of 7 people (Band plus Stephen Lipson, Trevor Horn & Paul Morley) all being responsible for the noise we created. Every member of that team had their own defined roles, and without that we wouldn't have made that particular sound. What I find most intriguing about Onetwo, is how we merge our roots and song writing experiences to create our particular sound. I particularly like Paul's sense of melody and chord progressions, also his soundscaping skills and I'm learning a new approach to song writing which I find very rewarding as my point of view is that it's important to keep progressing as a writer. I also like the fact that Paul and I often write and hone the lyrics together.

'Item' is limited to only 2,000 copies and is an online exclusive. In a way you're truly being electronic, in both content and in presentation. Where your music isn't just a sound, but an acknowledgement and statement in and of our ever changing electronic society where online and offline interaction is becoming seemly seamless.

1/ Will all future releases be limited edition and sold exclusively online?

CB - We will be selling all of our future recordings online but they won't all be exclusively on eBay. We will be selling everything from our website shortly, but we have also approached iTunes and several other download sites too. Esprit has been selling 'Item' online and was it's no.1 best seller for two consecutive weeks! We also haven't ruled out conventional record shops too for some point in the future.

2/ How did working with Übersonik and eBay come about?

CB - In 2000 Paul was offered a gig headlining a festival in Salt Lake City called Synthstock. I went and played it with him as his special guest. Anyway, the promoter of the festival Jimm Kjelgaard also worked for eBay. We became good friends since the show, and kept in touch. Jimm set up Ubersonik which is a distribution company set up by 3 eBay workers and asked if we would be interested in being their first release and it just kind of appealed to our sense of trying out new things and as we were looking for alternative distribution anyway, we though hey why not???

1/ Is 'Item' a reference to eBay or is that coincidental?

PH - Yes it was an intentional reference to call our first record 'Item'! We thought that it was entirely appropriate to call an item exclusively released on eBay, 'Item'!!!

2/ What was your involvement in the package design of 'Item' and your website?

CB - We basically started out with several meetings with our design team Ian Hazeldine & Figurehead, and established the boundaries and reference points of the kind of things we want and like, Êthey then went away and came up with the design ideas for both 'Item' and the site. Our main role after that was then to say Yeah or Neah!! One of the reasons why we liked the eBay way, and to a degree, the traditional way of selling records over the modern download way, is that we are still of the generation that like the record to be a thing, an item to hold, to read, to look at, and to design.

1/ Will there be an international Onetwo fan club in the near future?

CB - Probably not, but people can always find out what we're up to via our website and can contact us from there too. We have a much more extensive website that we are about to launch at the same URL: www.theremusic.com which I'm sure will be up and running when this goes to press.
The first Onetwo fan site has sprung up though: http://www.onetwo.omd-germany.de/start.htm

2/ Is there anything you'd like to say to fans that are coming to your music for the first time without having listened to your previous works in OMD and Propaganda?

PH - I think that the music Claudia and I make as Onetwo, is a product of everything we have learned as songwriters and artists and I think we bring uniquely different signatures to our work together. I'd be interested to speak to a new fan who had no idea of our reference points, to hear how they would view it. For us , our music is a natural progression from where we have come from, it's just the next step on a musical journey. I would also say to these fans, if you like this than there is a huge catalogue gone before, of songs and ideas waiting to be discovered!

1/ Velle would like to thank both Claudia and Paul of Onetwo for this exclusive interview and for their(there) dedication to making some of the most influential and gorgeous electronic music out there.

PH & CB - You're very kind!!

2/ Thank you Onetwo. Electronically yours, Velle.

PH & CB - It was an absolute pleasure, we found your questions as stimulating as they were thoughtful.
Very refreshing, thank you!!

Details

Onetwo/ Item
1/ Sister
2/ Cloud Nine
3/ Element of Truth
4/ Signals
5/ One and Only (Sister)

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