BDSM RTV MEDIA NEWS!!!!


19 september 2009


An Interview with Sensuous Enemy(music)


Source: www.dane101.com - Dane101 - USA


Madison's Sensuous Enemy thrilled critics and fans alike last year with their acclaimed release "Fragments." Drawing on a range of influences from the underground club scene and life itself, the dark, industrial music blends the sensual vocals of lead singer JAI and the club-ready beats and slick guitars from Chris Wenzel and John Freriks. Lead singer JAI answered a few questions from Dane101 about SE's music and their involvement with the Forward Music Festival (www.fmf09.com). Sensuous Enemy will be at the Inferno Saturday, September 19th as part of the Reverence Showcase.


Dane 101: How did you guys meet and when did you decide to start making music?

JAI: We met in the spring of 2003 in my home with original members JAI, Jeff Winton and Brian Schuh. The members have changed over time due to life circumstances so now it is JAI (lyrics/vocals/keyboards), John Freriks (programmer/guitars) and Chris Wenzel (vdrums/programmer)
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Dane101: Why did you decide to name the band Sensuous Enemy?

JAI: We threw a bunch of names up on a white board and tried to think of names that might describe our personalities and effect we have on people. Sensuous for being a woman and enemy for revealing the truths about...well just about everything.

Dane101: How would you describe your music to those who haven't heard SE before?

JAI: Our music is dark, dancey, trancey, driving, tribal and high energy including synthesized strings, drums, hamonizing female vocals and live guitars.

Dane101: 2008 was a really great year for Sensuous Enemy, winning critical acclaim at the MAMAS, and topping "Best of 2008" lists all over Madison. What was that experience like to be so positively recognized for your music?

JAI: It felt really good to know that our music, as small as we are in the underground scene, is being heard and appreciated by people in Madison. It always helps to have an ego boost from time to time just when you think all your music is falling on deaf ears. We are humbled by our friends and fans and will do our best to put out even better music for them again next year.

Dane101: You guys have played in several different electronic/industrial festivals. How is Reverence different from other festivals?

JAI: Reverence is home for us. Matt Fanale of Caustic organizes and operates the entire event almost single-handedly and has done so for eight years running. It has grown tremendously each year he puts it on and we are honored to be a part of it. There are plenty of other festivals like it nationwide, but we have to say that by far Reverence is definitely one of our favorite ones. It's our home town crowd and we get to spend three fabulous days visiting with artists from all over the world who enjoy playing the same type of music we do.

Dane101: How do you think this year's shows will be different now that Reverence is part of Forward Music Festival?

JAI: We are really looking forward to the city-wide festival Forward, which may give us the opportunity for people to hear our music who do not normally inhabit the underground club scene. We'll be represented in three separate venues, which will hopefully give us more exposure in the music industry here in Madison. We also look forward to meeting musicians, friends and fans from other genres and getting to know them a bit better. We'll definitely have much more exposure to the general populace than ever before and we're hoping people like what we have to offer.

Dane101: How do you think the goth/industrial music scene in Madison is different from Chicago or other cities?

JAI: There really isn't much difference in the goth/industrial scenes nation wide. They are all similar in nature, which offers goth/industrial bands a lot of opportunities to play in a variety of cities. Madison has a particularly strong goth/industrial scene due to Apollo Marquez (owner of the club Inferno) along with Matt Fanale's dedicated promotion work supporting this particular genre of dance music and bands for many years. We have had the opportunity to play in Chicago a few times and although we do love it as one of our favorite cities to play in, we never forget how committed Madison friends and fans are towards us.

Dane101: JAI, besides being the voice of SE, you also work as a dominatrix and a website designer. How does your work as a dominatrix affect your music?

JAI: My work as a dominatrix and website designer are definitely integrated into my music. I am an extremely creative ESFP type 1 personality and enjoy doing it all to the fullest. What I experience as a dominatrix can easily be incorporated into lyrics for a song like "Red II Blue II Black" (lyrics by Brian Schuh). Our newest song, "Kali," (not yet released) deals with the more goddess aspect of spirituality and draws in a lot of the BDSM imagery. I try to recall some of the more intense sessions I have experienced in order to convey to my fans some of the intensity of my life and to pique their curiosity.

Dane101: Have you ever considered incorporating elements of BDSM into your live shows, or do you think that would just distract from the music?

JAI: We have incorporated BDSM into our shows from time to time but due to the size of venues we play in it can be extremely distracting. For example, we did a suspension hanging with Mistress Jade last year at The Annex and had a great time entertaining the crowd. Our music, however, seemed to get lost in the background due to the intensity of the show. Being a front line singer in a band and performing artist, it's difficult to give up the entire set list to another artist during a live show. It seems that BDSM has it's place with goth/industrial music, but would be better served by a great goth/industrial DJ who can spin beats during the performances. Sensuous Enemy is more about creating, writing and performing great music that moves people visually, aurally and emotionally. We want people to dance and have a good time. I tend to dress in fetish clothing for shows because I enjoy dark fashion and it fits the genre and style of music we create.

Dane101: During the '80s, you lived (and went to school, too, if I am correct) in Chicago. Why did you decide to make the move to Madison?

JAI: I made the move to Madison because I came upon Club Inferno and Club 5, which both offered me a place to dance, make friends and just be myself overall. Once I realized Madison had a thriving music scene overall, a great university and the Capitol, I felt such freedom to grow and immediately felt right at home. Madison has plenty of culture to offer to everyone, exquisite lake scenery and the opportunity to grow exponentially. My husband and I recently purchased a house here and will stay until we feel the need to move on. For now, I truly love all that Madison has to offer and will keep making music as long as I can.


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