Posted on Jun 19, 2006

by Anders

A new progressive force has risen, this time from Germany. Red Circuit is the child of Markus Teske, which many of you know for his production skills. Though he does also know how to write, arrange and play music. Red Circuit consists of known and lesser known names as Chity Sompala, Frank Bodenheimer, Tommy Schmitt, Oliver Noerdlinger and of course Teske, and on top of that the album is guested by Stephan Lill, Stephan Forte and Patrick Rondat. I got in touch with Markus and got answers to all my curious questions.

Hi there, how are things in Germany as we speak?

Well, not to bad, 95 days till the soccer world championship. And it's getting a bit warmer after this long winter period.

Will you please start off by introducing yourself and tell us how you got into progressive metal?

My name is Markus Teske, I play keyboards and I'm responsible for writing most of the songs. I produced and recorded "Trance State". I guess because I play keyboards I've been interested in music that contains synthetic sounds. At the age of 15 I was a fan of AC/DC. Then I heard a Canadian band called Saga and I was really impressed. Why did that feel so great for me? I had to find out how they arranged and composed their songs. That's how it started.

A small introduction of the rest of the band and a bit about their roles in Red Circuit will be appreciated as well!

Because of the fact that working in my own studio is my normal daytime job I worked with all the musicians, except Chity the singer, before, so I knew them well. I met Chity in 2000 in Paris when I recorded a Symphony-X show. He played there with his former band Avalon. I was really impressed by his performance. We kept the contact over 2 years before I sent him the first Red Circuit demos and asked him how he felt about it. He really liked it and so we started to work together. Tommy, the bass player, is maximum metal and a great musician, Frank and Oliver are a bit more into modern rock and Christine likes everything that is melodical and punchy. All musicians know how to play their instruments well, the mixture is really interesting and I'm happy that they are part of Red Circuit. By the way, all the band members are nice persons, which is important to me, it makes life easier.

Your album "Trance State" has been released for a little while now, how has it been received?

We had great reviews so far, for example 6 of 7 points in the German Metal Hammer Magazine. Although the record company is very pleased about it.

How do you in the band feel about it?

We appreciate this, you can say the first step is done. We are curious about the question, where this may lead us.

What do you expect of the album?

Of course a megaseller. Okay, stop joking. "Trance state" is the most important and personal album I ever wrote. It contains so much of myself, it is like revealing my soul to the audience. I think a lot of open minded people will like the material, and with the ballad 'Where You Are' we have a radio compatible song which could be successful even outside the metal genre.

The title "Trance State" what does that cover and what are your thoughts behind the title?

We're all living in circumstances that are making it difficult to decide what is the truth and what's a lie. It's a very thin line. Sometimes it feels like living in the middle of nowhere. Who can you trust, who's just telling bullshit, who's a freak and who is just a great actor? Aren't we living in a trance state?

Who are writing the lyrics in the band?

Chity, the singer, and me.

The inspiration for the lyrics is taken from Klaus Kinski's poetry, why did you choose to do it like that and is all the inspiration taken from one specific publication?

I liked the mood of these poems, I liked the madness about it. This really influenced me. But in the end I had to work a lot about it to make it fit to the music, so you can say it helped to start but it took its own direction.

Is the entire album a concept built upon the human dishonesty Kinski is writing about?

"Trance State" is not a concept album, I just found out after finishing the lyrics that they are all about human dishonesty in all its variations. Since the lyrics are describing very personal inner thoughts and feelings, it can be difficult to understand, but everybody who reads between the lines can see what it is about. I guess for me it was some kind of getting rid of dark shadows from the past. 

If you feel like it, you are very welcome to guide us through the album, and tell us about the lyrics and how the idea for the music originated and so forth!

'Under The Sun': Modern metal flavoured metal song with a great intro, great epic middle part. The only song without backing vocals. The song is a uncomfortable way to find out the truth, because just under the sun you might see light.

'Is It Gold': Uptempo rocker with a solo by Stephan Forte. Concerning the lyrics: you get betrayed by your best friend and finally you're asking yourself from a psychedelic point of view "What the fuck are you looking for?"

'The Veil': A slow heavy rocking tune in an oriental style. Solo by Stephan Lill. It's a song that has just one riff, its variation is just created by the dynamics. The lyrics are about an oriental dance-whore (like always, from a psychedelic point of view).

'Where You Are': The ballad of the album, this one could be successful, expanding the borders of metal. One of the strongest songs of the album. For this song I used real violins. And again, Chity did a world class vocal performance backed up by a great female chorus part by Christine.

'So Hard To Be Like God': This song was an old one of Tommy's (bass) former band Zeus. I asked him if I could work on this song and he agreed. So I took the chorus, which I really liked, and wrote a complete new song with new parts around it. Lyricwise it is about one of the greatest liars and cheaters alive, the current American president. From a cynical point of view he gets the insight that it is so hard to be like god.

'Search For Your Soul': A slow and heavy rocking song with some new metal influences. Solo by Patrick Rondat. The lyrics: "The time has come, pay for your sins". Everybody know what this might mean.

'You Might Have Been Queen': Midtempo rocker with some sitar licks. An experience most of us know, he/she said one wrong word and spoiled the whole thing?

'The Screen': The first song I wrote for Red Circuit, it's a slow three dimensional tune, could be great in a huge movie production. A lyrical trip to the cyberspace.

'Go Straight': Uptempo song with a half time chorus, sitar samples and, once again, a great middle part. The lyrics are about a psychedelic way to find out, in what direction to go.

'Trance State': A mid tempo rocker with a cool solo by Oliver Noerdlinger. Another lyrical trip into the abyss of the human mind.

Who are the main songwriters in the band and how do you work when you write and arrange music in the band?

All the songs are basically written by me. The way I work is different, it depends, most times it is a riff or just a melody. Sometimes it is some words which are stored in my little book. The basic idea needs something that feels fascinating to me. It is the combination of simple grooves with tricky harmonies and ideas that I need.

Where is the inspiration for the music found?

To be honest, I don't know. But if you're asking for my favourites, I don't have a favourite band or something like this, it is more the song. I guess the influences are a combination of all the stuff you listen throughout the day.

But to mention some names: I was really impressed by the debut album of Masterplan, I love the song writing of Vanden Plas. There are a few songs by Marilyn Manson, Ozzy Osbourne, Adagio, Nickelback, Mel C, En Vogue, Destiny's child, Billy Idol, Frank Sinatra, Christina Aguilera, Soilwork, Faith No More and others which struck me. I know this is a funny collection of bands and artists, mentioned at the same time.

The music is a good blend of old/classic progressive deeds and newer more technical inspired elements, how did it end up like that?

I like the electronic touch, I love working with samples and stuff like that, but I do like although the rocking guitar. So you might say that it is a combination of all these things.

How important are the lyrics compared to the music?

It depends from one song to another, and I'm not sure if a percentage can tell how important lyrics compared to the music really are. But first of all I consider myself as a musician, not as an author or writer. That's why the music is definitely more important than the lyrics.

Red Circuit is made out of 6 talented and pretty experienced musicians, though you are also being guested by 3 well-known gentlemen, who all are delivering a guitar solo, namely Patrick Rondat, Stephan Forte and Stephan Lill, why did you choose to utilize the talents of those 3?

Patrick Rondat, Stephan Lill and Stephan Forte are musicians I worked with in the past, so I had a friendly relationship with them. They are all different personalities and brought other influences into the songs. Oliver, our regular guitar player, could have done it too, no question. Just listen to his solo performances, they are really great. But I had the option to involve these guest guitarists, so I did it. It was funny to send, for example, Stephan Forte a MP3 of 'Is It Gold', and get an uncompressed solo-file a few days later back over the internet. I imported it into the song and it worked! I love technical things which are working. With Patrick it was the same, but I sent him a CD, and he sent me a CD back. Just Stephan Lill was at my place. We did same guitar parts for Ian Parry's solo album, when I asked him if he wanted to try the solo part of 'The veil'. He just played a few takes within 10 minutes and that was it. It's important to me to mention that the basic idea was to color up the album, not to deal with big names and try to sell more CDs that way. I don’t think that this might work.

The producer of the album is also a quite known man within the progressive scene, Andy Kuntz, the singer from Vanden Plas, why did you choose him and are you satisfied with his work?

Andy Kuntz is involved in the production because I asked him for this. I mean, I could have done it alone like I did it in the past, but I know Andy and I have a great respect for his musical eye. I wanted his influence. I sent him all the songs and asked him how he felt about it and what he would change. Concerning the question if we're satisfied with Andy's work, I just can say that I would do it again, the same way.

The press-sheet says that Kuntz contributed some ideas for the music/songs, how much did he offer and how big a part did he have on the final output?

Andy had ideas about hooklines, arrangements, the all over sound and tons of other spots. You can say that we took 9 of 10 suggestions he made. It is hard to say how big his influence is, I mean the demos were not so far away from the final product. But the changes Andy suggested were really important, maybe just little changes but they had a huge impact.

What would you like to accomplish with your music?

First of all it is very important that we like what we're doing, that's the basic thing. If we like it, then there's a chance that other people might like it too. But the basic reason for creating music is not to accomplish anything. I can't speak for my bandmates, but as a creative person I have to play, compose, arrange and so on. I would go mad if wouldn't do that.

Are you going to embark on a European tour in support of "Trance State"?

Nothing's confirmed so far, we'll see. You know how it is, if the album is doing good you are, more or less, forced to play to promote it. In this case I would love to be forced. You should check our website out regulary.

How do you look upon the future of Red Circuit and what can your fans expect of the band in the future?

Nobody knows what the future might bring, but I hope to be so successful that we'll continue the band for a long time with a positive prospect. An important aim is to compose and produce a second and a third album that is at least as strong as this. And I can't hardly wait for the first time we're on stage. I'd like to see people after the show at the merchandise-booth, talking about the show and spending money on "Trance State". Everybody can tell you that he/she really enjoys it, but when she/he's spending money on it, it is a kind of true and honest acknowledgment for me. An ultimate aim would be to place a few Red Circuit songs in a huge action movie production.

Will you share your 5 all time favourite albums with our readers?

AC/DC – Back In Black
Saga – Images At Twilight
Marilyn Manson – The Golden Age Of Grotesque
Vanden Plas – Christ 0
George Gershwin – Rhapsody In Blue

Thanks a ton for answering my questions, if you have anything to add, feel free to add it now!

Be fully equipped, get your Red Circuit album, have fun with it and sign the Red Circuit guestbook at Red Circuit's website. Anybody who is interested might check my studio website Bazement-Musikproduction too. 

Review of "Trance State"

Buy the album at

Buy merchandise at