Deep Dive with Kieren (Schkeuditzer Kreuz): Music, Life, Techno, Punk Rock and Everything In Between

Kieren is nothing short of a legend—a brilliant human being, creative visionary, and the mastermind behind the electrifying electropunk/industrial synth punk project Schkeuditzer Kreuz. We dove deep into an epic hour-long conversation covering everything SK, plus wild tangents through music, politics, and life itself.

This was truly one of those rare, wonderful conversations that flows like lightning through a storm of ideas. Unfortunately, Zoom decided to be a complete pain—while the audio came through crystal clear, the video froze everything except the opening moments, leaving Kieren stuck in digital limbo.

So we've converted this gem into a pure audio experience for YouTube. Pour yourself a coffee, crack open a beer, and settle in for the wondrous verbal musings of a genuine creative genius. Sometimes the best conversations happen when you just close your eyes and listen.

And of course, we chatted about the new audio beast that is Swan Grinder and his tour plans. 

HAVE A LISTEN, THIS IS A CRACKING CHAT:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jq6Nx6GTdpA

Here are some things we chatted about:

The Evolution

-Three albums deep into Schkeuditzer Kreuz - how does it feel to have this project become something that's clearly consuming you in the best possible way? You've never sounded more unhinged, but also more focused.

-Coming from Dark Horse's pure d-beat assault to this dystopian electronica hybrid was this always brewing in the background, or did something specific make you need to explore these darker electronic territories?

The Dystopian Vision

-Swan Grinder feels like a 38-minute descent into a very specific kind of hell. What's the world you're soundtracking here? Is this our present reality filtered through electronics, or are you prophesying something worse coming?

-The album opens with that razorwire-through-flesh electronic assault on the title track. What headspace were you in when you programmed those sounds? Are you trying to make people physically uncomfortable?

Process & Craft

-You're handling all production duties yourself now. How important is it that this vision remains entirely yours? Would bringing in outside producers compromise what you're trying to achieve?

-Talk me through layering these sounds - you've got that punk fury, but it's calculated in a way that pure punk never is. How do you balance spontaneous rage with electronic precision?

-The mix is deliberately harsh - crushed dynamics, digital distortion. Are you actively fighting against modern production values? Is the harshness part of the message?

Political & Personal Fire

-Your Crass cover of Systematic Death transforms the original into something unrecognisable yet somehow more urgent. How do you see anarcho-punk's political message translating through your electronic filter in 2025?

-Keep Dancing feels deeply sardonic, given the crushing weight around it. What's your relationship with irony in this project? Are you mocking our ability to dance while everything burns?

-The lyrics on tracks like Trips and Trepidation - you're spitting bile over what sounds like transmissions from hell. What specifically is making you this angry right now?

Influences & Underground

-Previously, you have mentioned Ministry, Killing Joke, Front 242 - but you're also clearly drawing from Laibach, Godflesh. How important is it that this music carries forward that lineage of industrial resistance rather than just being retro worship?

-The underground electronic scene has changed massively since those early industrial pioneers. Are you trying to reclaim something that's been lost, or push it somewhere new?

Live Intensity & Tour

-This European tour coming up - how do you translate this studio intensity to live performance as a one-man assault? Are you trying to recreate the album or create something entirely different?

-What do you want audiences to feel when they're confronted with this live? Catharsis? Discomfort? Revolution?

The Deeper Drive

Poor Impulse Control closes the album by unleashing everything you've been holding back. That feels like it could be the entire project's manifesto. How much of Schkeuditzer Kreuz is about losing control versus finding control through chaos?

-Three albums in, what's driving this need to keep descending deeper into this electronic wasteland? Are you working through something specific, or is this just how you see the world?

-The name Schkeuditzer Kreuz itself - that intersection/crossroads. What crossroads are you standing at personally and artistically?

Community & Authenticity

-You're deeply embedded in the underground scene. How important is it that this music remains uncommercial, uncompromising? Are you actively resisting anything that might dilute the message?

-What does authentic underground music mean in 2025? Everyone's fighting algorithms, streaming economics, and shortened attention spans. How do you maintain that punk rock refusal to compromise?

Future Dystopia

Swan Grinder feels like a complete statement, but also like you're just getting started. Where does Schkeuditzer Kreuz go from here? Deeper into the electronic wasteland, or are there new territories to explore?

Closing stuff

-Finally, Ian MacKaye's quote about art reflecting your truth, not what others want to hear. What truth is Swan Grinder reflecting that maybe people don't want to hear?

-plus what drives his work and the importance of supporting other artists

And frankly, a whole heap of other random chats that are all worth your time.

So support Kieren hard, buy the album and if he comes to visit your part of the world, see him, give him a hug and tell him how incredible his work is.

LINKS:

https://linktr.ee/schkeuditzerkreuz

https://dorfpunk.bandcamp.com/album/swan-grinder

CURRENT TOUR AND UPCOMING GIG/S:

"Bringing you the music your parents warned you about since 2018 "

PLEASE REMEMBER, SUPPORT THE ARTISTS (AND US) BY SPREADING THE WORD, FOLLOWING US ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND REPOSTING OUR WORKS...SUPPORT THE UNDERGROUND AND OUR COMMUNITY. THIS IS NOT ABOUT COMMERCIAL GAINS.