Interview with Neocracy
Father and son Pannek plus Franziska form the group Neocracy from Germany. Their connection of different styles in the compositions into a single whole make a very interesting musical project, which probably not everyone is able to comprehend. But if you listen to the work without keeping a distance, you will find that they are a very interesting group.
Alan - Hi to everyone in the band. Neocracy formed in 2020? Or ?
Volker - NEOCRACY has existed in this constellation since 2020. Volker has previously released two self-produced albums under this name. Everyone found it interesting to make music under this name. The meaning of NEOCRACY is a play on words standing for ‘New Democracy’ or ‘the reign of the new’.
Alan – Eeee you are a trio of musicians with a drummer. So who makes up the Neocracy? And who is a rental player?
Volker - NEOCRACY consists of Volker Pannek, Tim Pannek and Franziska Stolze. Volker and Tim are father and son, Franziska is the singer who was in a cover band with Volker. Someone played the drums according to our ideas, he is not part of our band. Volker recorded the guitars, Tim plays the bass and is also doing the male counterpart in the vocal section on our album ‘Pure Organic’, while Franziska is taking on the female lead vocals.
Alan – As we said in the biography (which readers can find on our website) you initially just wanted to make music for fun, but as time went on you found that you liked the whole thing and it wouldn't hurt to start a band and play in public. Tell me a little more about it with data.
Volker - Each of us invested so much energy into the project that we felt we should not withhold it from the public. At the beginning of 2022 we released the album Pure Organic to draw attention to ourselves. We have succeeded in doing this well so far. The current status is that we have collected enough material to be able to release another album at the beginning of 2024 and before that we will release a single & video from the new album.
Aaln – For me, you are a very interesting band who are not locked in one musical genre, but floats through. If I narrow my eyes slightly, you actually play rock, metal, ballads, crossover, punk, and you can also find rockabilly with country elements in your work.
Volker - That's right, there are several styles combined on Pure Organic. However, Franziska and Tim's vocal lines are somehow the common thread in the songs, with a high recognition value.
Each member has brought their own musical background to the table and we felt that it is cool and fair to mix the favorites of everyone.
Alan – After reading a few thinks in German that wrote about you, not understanding your work is a bit of a problem of theirs, and they are at a loss. So me (Alan) in the editorial office, the older I get, the better I like it. Variety. And I'm willing to listen to hip hop too. So hey, what's ur opinion bout it.
Volker - We accept every opinion about our music. We approach our work very critically. The production also stems from the fact that we come from different areas. For example, Tim is the singer of a NuMetal band, I (Volker) am more rooted with classic Heavy Metal and was in a cover band with Franziska for many years too. Every member of Neocracy has equal rights and can realize themselves in this project. Why shouldn't you combine genres? We definitely find it very interesting and mainly received positive reviews for doing so.
Alan – Playing, touring. You probably won't get everywhere, a lot of clubs or festivals are orthodox and want the given genre, which is a bit of a problem for you. But if the listener is either tolerant or likes to experiment, you will come in handy. So how is it with you? And where are you most often invited as a band?
Volker - Lacking a drummer, we didn’t play live yet with the band. But after our second album we will try to implement our music live. I do think that there are also people who are adventurous and tolerant and want variety.
Alan - During your existence. Where did you play, where did you wentt? Have you traveled through Germany? And abroad? Like Austria, Switzerland?
Volker - As I said, live activities are still on hold. The coverage about us is very broad, you could say that NEOCRACY is played on the radio worldwide and our music is presented in magazines, blogs and podcasts quite frequently thanks to the Internet and digital exchange.
Alan – your first album has been out for some time. In general, it took quite a long time to work on it. So the turn of 2023/2024 what can we expect?
Volker - We plan to release our single “Torment” by the end of 2023, including a music video, and the second album should be released at the beginning of 2024. This album will contain fewer different musical styles but it will never be boring.
Alan – I always ask bands this question. Funny/hilarious moments of the group while playing, filming? It's a bit funny in itself that you played first and then decided to start a band.
Volker - It's always funny when presenters and interviewers mispronounce our band name, that's the case 80% of the time. Once we break it down, the ice is broken and we can talk to each other informally.
Alan – Czech Republic - Slovakia, do you know any groups? Any clubs or festivals?
Volker - We don't know much about the Czech and Slovak scenes. Tim once played a show with his band This Room Is Alive with a band from Prague they are called Toothwalker and were really cool guys (shoutout!). My (Volker’s) grandparents come from the Czech Republic (from a town near Most) and we regularly went on holiday in the Krkonoše Mountains and near Pilsen. We feel comfortable in the Czech Republic and love your beers and Czech garlic soup!
Alan – Just in a nutshell, in a flash, what can we expect from Neocracy in 1/2 year?
Volker - We'll probably be promoting our new album in about half a year and trying to do it all live. Maybe there is actually an opportunity to play with you, it remains exciting and to be seen.
Alan – Thanks for the interview. And hopefully we will meet again soon.
Volker - Thank you Alan for giving us the opportunity to introduce ourselves on your portal! Keep up the great work!
