Interview with Jacek Gettner (music) from GEttNER
GEttNER is the solo project of Jacek Gettner. Drawing inspiration from a diverse range of influences, including Electro-Industrial, old-school Dark Electro, Synth Pop, EBM, Gothic, and Future EBM, this one-man band weaves together a unique sonic tapestry. Based in Central Poland, the artist crafts music that seamlessly merges elements from various electronic genres, resulting in a captivating and dynamic sound. Despite having numerous EPs and albums to his name, he has yet to perform live concerts. His album ‘O U T W O R L D E R’ was well-received among fans of dynamic beats, while his latest singles, ‘Lie to Me Again’ and ‘Fading Lights,’ delve into darker, more solemn tones. In our discussion, we explore his artistic output thus far, his sources of inspiration, and his plans for the future.
Reflections of Darkness [RoD]: Hey, first of all, thanks for taking the time to chat. My first question will be about the beginnings of your artistic activities - looking at your body of work, you’ve been present in the music scene for quite some time now. How did it all start?
GEttNER: Hi. The beginning of this project was the purchase of my first synthesizer (it was a Roland JX-305, the keyboard version of the iconic groove box MC-505) and learning how to use it along with practicing playing the keys. Before that, I played guitars in many bands, but it was playing music that I didn’t even listen to, so I decided to abandon guitars in favour of electronics. There are more possibilities in electronics than playing alone on a guitar or with a band whose music I don’t resonate with, and my musical taste had already strongly leaned towards electronic sounds.
RoD: Your earliest achievements include remixes for bands like DESDEMONA, REACTOR7X, and H.EXE - why these particular bands?
GEttNER: Actually, most of those bands (DESDEMONA, REACTOR7X, there was also the project SYNAPSIS before) chose me, asking for a remix, knowing my own sounds. As for H.EXE, I participated in an open remix contest, and it worked out. All the remixes were officially released. Though I must admit, back then I knew very little about music production, but I decided to meet the challenges. It was one of the first major steps in learning the process of creating tracks.
RoD: Your first “own” album, if I understand correctly, is ‘Architects of Control’. It was released in 2014, but even from today’s perspective, it sounds like the result of a well-thought-out idea and holds up quite well even compared to your later development. When did the idea come to compose music independently?
GEttNER: Thank you for the kind words. The idea of creating music on my own had been in my head much, much earlier, back in the mid-90s when I first heard LEATHER STRIP and asked my friend, “Who is this band?” He replied that it wasn’t a band, but one person doing it all. That idea deeply rooted in me, and I thought, “I want to do that too.” I thought that creating everything on my own provides the comfort of uncompromising control, whereas playing with several people always results in a series of compromises leading to the final outcome.
RoD: Most of your discography consists of singles; a significant undertaking was ‘O U T W O R L D E R’ from 2022. Could you tell me a bit about working on this album? I have the impression that it’s much darker than what you released before.
GEttNER: Almost all singles were released spontaneously. Sometimes creating a track took too much time because I was constantly tweaking or completely changing something, and sometimes those changes didn’t turn out well, and such a track ended up in the eternal folder of rejects, from which I rarely retrieve anything. When I thought a track sounded okay, out of fear of my own interference, which could ruin it, I released it into the world, acknowledging that since its version already had some official character, I would stop making any further changes. As for the album ‘O U T W O R L D E R’, I approached it much less spontaneously. There was a specific plan for it to be a full-length album in a well-planned structure.
RoD: On this album, you decided - not for the first time, by the way - to collaborate with HUMAN STEEL and also with PSYCHOSOMATIK. In what moments do you invite other artists to collaborate?
GEttNER: With Wojciech from HUMAN STEEL, we previously made ‘Wire Transmission.’ I often send him my demos because Wojciech sometimes advises me on technical matters or simply because I’m very curious about his opinion. So far, he’s been the second person with whom I’ve had this kind of contact. I used to communicate more often, now less frequently, with Ad-x from the former REACTOR7X (currently HER OWN WORLD and H.EXE), who also always gave me good advice, which was very useful when I knew very little about music production. Collaboration with HUMAN STEEL also started spontaneously. I just sent Wojciech a track to listen to, and in response, I read that he was recording vocals for it. The second human voice on the album is Michael’s from the French PSYCHOSOMATIK. Here, I simply asked him if he would add his voice to a track that, in my opinion, could suit his vocal colour. Michael agreed, wrote his own lyrics, and his wife gave the track the title ‘No Hope.’
RoD: I also started my journey with dark wave right from DARK ELECTRO (right after my phase with PEARL JAM, NIN, TON, or various metal trips), so listening to your music, I feel like I’ve come home - what are your earliest inspirations? Was there an artist who struck that creative chord in your case?
GEttNER: Inspirations are chosen consciously, but everything we hear influences what we create, regardless of whether we like it or not. Earlier, I mentioned LEÆTHER STRIP. That was the strike from which everything started. I already knew and admired KRAFTWERK, FLA, and of course, DEPECHE MODE, which was often in the media. But when I heard SKINNY PUPPY, I knew there was no turning back, that it was already impossible.
RoD: Speaking of SKINNY PUPPY - because you covered their track ‘Assimilate’ - I’ll ask, what role did this band play in your own work? Were you heart-broken when they ultimately ended up their career?
GEttNER: SKINNY PUPPY is one of the most important bands in my life. I first heard them shortly after Dwayne’s death, and then I was deeply saddened by the fact that they were no longer playing and that I would never have the chance to attend their concert. Several years later, in the spring of 2000, the phone (back then it was still a landline) rang, and I heard the words in the receiver, “SKINNY PUPPY will play in Dresden on August 20th.” One of the best music news ever. I managed to be there, along with people with whom I shared and still share love for SP. Almost a quarter of a century has passed, and I haven’t been and probably never will be at a better concert. Of course, I greatly regret that they ended their career, but I console myself with the knowledge that I was there at Doomsday in Dresden. My dream, which was never supposed to come true, came true. I cannot hide this important source of inspiration, so to dispel any doubts, I made this cover.
RoD: As you mentioned in our conversation once - you are more popular abroad than in Poland - what do you think could be the reason for this?
GEttNER: Perhaps, it’s a fact that I don’t play concerts, and if you don’t play concerts, people don’t know you. I created my first sounds while still living in the UK, and then I rarely visited Poland, so maybe it’s because there was never a strong electro-industrial scene, old-school Dark Electro, or EBM projects here in Poland. I don’t want to mention the existing projects in Poland because despite the small number, I might omit someone. I have the impression that here in Poland, projects of the Harsh / Aggrotech type are the most popular. I didn’t want to go that route. I don’t feel the need to be the thousandth mix of SUICIDE COMMANDO with HOCICO, although I greatly appreciate the work of both bands. I want to go my own way, not the path of what’s popular on the club dance floors.
RoD: You also design the covers of your releases - could you tell me something about that?
GEttNER: I like doing everything myself. Not because I feel that I’ll do something better on my own, but I have greater satisfaction when I do something myself. It’s then entirely mine. With my spontaneous release of singles, there’s no time to ask someone about the cover, so I assume from the start that it will also be my job. Most of it is collages of photos that I took myself.
RoD: Off-topic question - ‘Panzerschokolade’ - was it intended to go towards AND ONE, NITZER EBB, LEÆTHER STRIP, or DIE KRUPPS? It also reminds me of SPETZNAZ, and the atmosphere of Familientreffen. Nonetheless, I had a lot of joy from this track. What was that flirt with EBM stomp about?
GEttNER: The title itself was inspired by DIE KRUPPS with their video about how pilots “assisted” themselves with Pervitin. I’m interested in history, and I also wanted to mention that not only Luftwaffe pilots used such substances, but also tank troops received chocolate containing Pervitin. This enriched snack for tank crews was then called “Panzerschokolade”. I thought that word perfectly suited as the title for a raw EBM track. I like to listen to such Anhalt-EBM, and I also wanted to pay homage to this genre.
RoD: Your latest release ‘Lie To Me Again’ - as soon as I started listening to this track, the intro from ‘Come Alive’ by NITZER EBB immediately came to mind. The second single is ‘Fading Lights’ - very interesting releases. Can we expect another full album soon?
GEttNER: Actually, ‘Lie To Me Again’ has a similar melodic scale, but it’s purely coincidental. I didn’t even think about NITZER EBB when making this track. I plan to release another full-length album, but almost every time I sit down to finalize the mix and mastering, I start playing something, and new tracks are created, so I put off post-production work until I finish the next track. That’s how ‘Fading Lights’ came about. I already had about 90 minutes of recorded material by autumn last year, but even though I’ll probably discard some of it, it will be something really big.
RoD: And the final question - what’s next? How are things with concerts for you, what do you have up your sleeve?
GEttNER: For now, I’m not thinking about playing concerts until I create more material with vocals. I also need to delve into the theory and practice of the technical side of playing on stage. But in the future, I would like to play concerts and feel immediate feedback from the audience.
RoD: And that’s it - for now. Thanks for your time.
GEttNER: Thank you very much.
Pictures by Jacek Gettner
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