Interview with Next Deed (Luxembourg)

October 07, 2024

Interview with Next Deed (Luxembourg)

By Mick Michael

Cosmick View: Hello, and welcome to The Cosmick View. Thanks for taking some time out of your day to speak with us. It's greatly appreciated.

CV: What do you feel are three essential characteristics, aside from style, genre, or even to some degree technical abilities, a band or artist should possess to help set them apart in thus business?

Rom: Aside from all the musical basics a band needs to survive in the music business, the most important quality is authenticity:

You absolutely need an all-encompassing recognition value that sets you apart from other bands; this is the only way to become unique as a formation.

Find that special touch within yourself; in your songwriting, in your recordings, in your live performances.... By simply showing what you love, with honesty and dedication, you can clearly stand out from the crowd.

But to complete this spectrum, you also need an infinite amount of heart and soul, and the will to work hard to achieve your goals.

You also have to be creative and keep moving forward... releasing as much quality music as possible in a short period of time.

So the secret is to keep the tension high all the time.

CV: Why do you think there's been a massive shift and decline in music's overall popularity in recent years? Are streaming platforms really to blame?

Rom: Hmm, very hard to say....

When you love music more than anything and can't live without it, like we do. then it is very difficult to find reasons why the overall popularity of music has decreased. But yeah, of course the streaming platforms have changed the environment a lot. It's just flat rate music at a relatively low price. Maybe that's why the real value of the music is no longer recognized...

But it is very difficult to analyze this exactly, because on the other hand it's also very easy to reach a lot of people in a very short time via streaming platforms. So you can also benefit from that.

CV: Has modern music become just another disposable commodity to listeners?

Kev: With the advent of streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and Deezer, listeners have access to a vast library of music at their fingertips. This accessibility can encourage quick and superficial consumption, where tracks are listened to a few times and then forgotten. Some tracks or artists become popular quickly, but that popularity can fade as quickly as it appeared. Modern music is often consumed in a piecemeal fashion, through playlists or single tracks rather than complete albums. This can reinforce the idea of a "disposable product", but it doesn't necessarily reflect a loss of artistic value, but rather a change in the way people interact with music. I think it would be reductive to say that all modern music is disposable. While part of the industry seems to be producing tracks designed for quick consumption, there is still an audience for deeper, more enduring works of music. The notion of "disposability" has as much to do with how music is produced as it does with how it is consumed.

CV: The music scene on all levels seems to be in a constant state of flux. Music has found itself splintered in multiple sub sections. Do artists and bands need to reinvent constantly or at least with every release to better appeal to modern-day music audiences?

Kev: I think artists and bands have to reinvent themselves to stay relevant, but that reinvention has to be balanced with the need to stay authentic. A successful reinvention is often one that fits naturally into the artist's artistic evolution while also meeting the changing expectations of the audience.

CV: Tell us a little about your latest release. How do you feel this project separates itself from similar releases?

Sue: Well, we released two songs (Bulletproof, Tears Won’t Dry) from our upcoming EP called "The Soldier - Act 1". As you can see from the title, it tells you that there might be a second, maybe a third act. That means we have a specific concept behind it. In fact, we decided to create a concept based on five EPs centered around five different characters (aren't we five band members?). The whole series is inspired by the drama 'Woyzek' written in 1836 by Georg Büchner. The themes are about mental illness, relationships between people and resentments. Nowadays it's quite unusual to make such conceptual music in the zeitgeist of streaming, downloading and fast consuming music (art in general). However, the themes, even if inspired by a very old piece, are always current, so everyone can relate to one or another song.

CV: With digital downloading and streaming seeming to make full-length albums almost obsolete, do you feel audience consumption of music would serve itself better with a "less is more" attitude? Are EPs and singles the way to go these days?

Lou: Nowadays, it makes no difference to the streaming or downloading audience if there is an album or EP or singles available to stream/download.

The most important thing in the digital age is not to be away for a certain amount of time, otherwise the audience will lose interest or simply forget about a band.

So it is more important to release single after single or EP after EP because it takes less time to release several EP's than an album and you will be in all the newsfeeds regularly.

The "less is more" attitude is wrong, it will never be "less". The key to being interesting to the audience is to be consistent and constantly on the market, so the tactic of dropping your music has to be different and adapted to the situation, not the amount of music.

CV: Everyone from Elvis and the Beatles to Metallica and Disturb have done cover songs. Do you believe that artists and bands need to include cover songs in their own body of releases as a way to gain a larger portion of a supporting audience?

Alain: I don't think it's necessary to play a cover in the body of a release if you have a repertoire big enough to create different setlists depending on the energy you want to create. It's a tool for sure to get the crowd and the audience on your side when you make a cover of a known song, even if you should have interest that you play an acceptable version, because yours will be compared to the original, and if you miss it... On the other hand it can be a great opportunity to show a band's qualities and skills, maybe even to show your respect to a band/artist you admire, listen to or fit with your style and values. On social media covers have a different impact for gaining a bigger audience!

CV: What more can fans expect to see coming from you in 2024 and beyond?

Sue: We have teamed up with a female singer and are currently working on a song that will hopefully be released by the end of October. Right now we are in the recording phase and we are very excited about the result of this collaboration. After that we will release our upcoming EP 'The Soldier - Act 1' on December 7th with a release show in Belval (L). And of course we are planning more gigs in Luxembourg and abroad. Our next gig in Belgium will be on March 1st in Diest. Furthermore we are constantly working on new material for our next EPs, so no time to rest!

CV: Thanks again for taking the time to share with our readers. We wish you all the best and continued success.

NDX: Thank you very much! We enjoyed answering your questions!

Check out Next Deed at:

Official: www.nextdeedofficial.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Nextdeedband

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nextdeedband_official/

Spotify: www.open.spotify.com/intl-de/artist/0XzJUiwQTLuU5Pvy9dc6I4?si=XWhK9zX9RrSfanmbJYh3ug&nd=1&dlsi=da26436e1e5c445f

Apple Music: www.music.apple.com/lu/artist/next-deed/1663610689

Youtube: www.youtube.com/@NDX_Officials

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My name is Mick Michaels...I'm an artist, music fan, songwriter, producer, show host, dreamer and guitarist for the traditional Heavy Metal band Corners of Sanctuary. Writing has always been a creative outlet for me; what I couldn't say in speech, I was able to do with the written word. Writing has given me a voice and a way for me to create on a multitude of platforms including music and song, articles, independent screenplays, books and now, artist interviews. The Cosmick View is an opportunity to raise the bar and showcase artists in a positive and inspirational light. For me, it's another out-of-this-world adventure.