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When you start a band, you never know where exactly you are going to end up.
But for Electric Callboy, having to craft regimented, to-the-second timings so there is enough time to get changed out of one costume and into another is exactly where they expected things to go.
Kevin Ratajczak is taking Rock Sound through the training process that the band had to go through to make sure that not only the shows on their ‘TANZNEID’ world tour went smoothly, but that their fitness was at the right place to make sure that they could keep up. It’s all part and parcel when you have secured your place as one of the most enthralling and electrifying live shows that money can buy. Still, for Kev, now firmly in his 16th year of fronting the band, it is making sure that all of the hard work, perseverance and drive to get here isn’t slipping now that his dreams are firmly coming true.
“You want to give the very best that you can from day to day,” he explains. “But also, we can’t let the people know any of this is going on behind the scenes because that’s the total opposite of the chaos we want to provide them with. We just know that we have to keep on working with passion and enthusiasm.”
“But being on the road all the time and then jumping from stage to stage, there’s literally no time to really process what is going on, and you actually need to pinch yourself,” Nico Sallach adds. “When we have time to realise what is happening, it gets kind of emotional. We just go on stage as the people that we are in real life. We try to be as authentic as possible, and these emotions we are feeling right now are very real.”
“I’m very lucky to be in Electric Callboy and not a black metal band with corpse paint,” Kevin adds. “If we were, everyone would see me crying on stage when that emotion hits. There would be makeup stains all over the place.”
It’s a very candid perspective from a band that so often lets the silly do the talking over the sentimental. But the truth is that Electric Callboy being in the position they are right now is magnificent. It is reason to celebrate. A reminder that marching to your own beat and doing what feels right for you will reap the biggest of rewards and generate the most good times.
And that, in essence, is what ‘TANZNEID’ the album is defined by. A record that tracks the last two years of life in the band via buoyant, belligerent, and boundless concoctions, it’s a documentation of the wildest period in their history, featuring some of their most outlandish creations.
THE SOUND
The truth of the matter is that Callboy didn‘t start writing ‘TANZNEID’ on purpose. Off the back of the enormous success of 2022’s ‘TEKKNO’, you would be amiss to not allow them the time to soak in the reward that such a record granted them. But the band know better than anyone that you can’t simply stop because you want to. You need to keep on moving if you want what is happening to continue. That’s how energy works, and if you don’t harness it, it won’t stick around forever.
“It’s a fast world that we are living in. So now, as a new chapter begins, we thought, ‘Let’s just start writing,’” Nico explains. ”And so, we just went to the studio, started writing, and started releasing new singles. That was it. And at the end of that first writing process, we actually started writing songs on purpose because we could hear what kind of sound and what kind of song was missing.”
With that sort of process in place, you can then see that the first songs to appear out of such a timeline, aside from ‘RATATATA’ alongside BABYMETAL, were ‘Elevator Operator’ and ‘Revery’. The first a bass-driven booty-shaker brimming with all of the cheekiness and character that defines the band’s sillier side, and the second a pulsating post-hardcore anthem full of earnest melodies and fantastical atmospheres, the yin and yang that makes Callboy tick was already in motion.
Though considering just how intense the ‘TEKKNO’ cycle had been, there was a sense of feeling overwhelmed in attempting to just keep the vibes at the same peak. So instead of setting aside a set amount of time and seeing what came out, the band stretched their timeline and gave themselves space to make sure what they were making wasn’t just filler.
“We didn’t intend to take so much time, but also we didn’t want to release things we don’t like,” Kevin admits. “We didn’t want to make things we couldn’t stand behind. But also, we knew that we couldn’t stay with the same sound because there was such a long period of songwriting taking place. We started to like different things, and the world was slightly different as well.”
That’s by no means a bad thing either, and it also demonstrates why every song on the record is of the quality necessary for it to be a single. From the Tresor kickdrum of the title track to the sunshine-speckled optimism of ‘Let The Good Times Roll’, the driving force of ‘Hypercharged’ and the heavy darkness of ‘Heartclub’, you can pinpoint the mood within the group based on where in the track list a song sits.
More than anything though, it was important to both Kevin and Nico that, no matter the song that came out of the woodwork, it had to be real. It had to not be forced. It had to be Electric Callboy, but not a caricature of what that means.
“When I used to work for companies in an office, there was the same work there for you every single day, no matter how you feel,” Kevin begins, painting a picture of a different time in his life. “When you work with your own creativity, or when you’re in the arts, your work is very much dependent on how you feel. If I’m sad, and I’m supposed to write a happy song, it can sometimes work. In the end, it’s just ingredients, but there will be something in between the lines that the people will feel with their heart and know whether it is authentic or not.”
“But when we come in, and we’re in a good mood, and we know we need to write a happy song today, that’s when it doesn’t feel like work at all,” Nico picks up. “But also, it doesn’t work if it’s just a happy album. Yes, we are Electric Callboy and, yes, we are a party band, no matter what, but if it was just that, I would always feel like something is missing.”
THE LYRICS
A mulleted man who lives inside an elevator. A pair of aliens that stare at you so intently that they make you dance like nobody is watching. A boyband with a hunger for your spleen as much as your undying love. When you lay out all of the eccentric, bonkers and brilliantly creative characters and stories that Callboy have brought to life throughout the ‘TANZNEID’ cycle, it’s a pretty sensational undertaking. Especially when you add them to their ever-expanding catalogue and collection of wigs that they already have from years gone by.
Yet to dig that bit deeper is to ask where exactly these cornerstones start. How these creations come to life and become future cosplay options. Well, according to Kevin and Nico, so much of it just comes from being around your best friends all of the time.
“We are in the position to say that our hobby, the thing that we love the most, became our job,” Nico exclaims. “Being on tour with your friends, having a great crew where everybody is working together, it’s really a big happy family. And having this inspires you the most because it shows you that even work can fulfil you and let you be yourself in so many ways. It’s a great time that we are living in, and we totally enjoy every single second.”
“And I can tell you, whenever I’m feeling really good, my shit talk level is very high,” Kevin grins. “And we need that. We enrich each other and keep each other going when we need it. And that means we are thinking of the funniest things we can think of, and then some of them may get written down. And that’s what we need for our songwriting. Funny stories.”
Basically, the band is the embodiment of the plan leaving the group chat. Of those things you make up with your nearest and dearest in a moment of fun-fuelled passion, but never actually think will be possible. It’s why the band have been able to team up with the mobile game Brawl Stars for ‘Hypercharged’. It’s why they have been able to full embody the boyband aesthetic and switch it on its head with ‘The Way You Are’. Because it makes them happy, and that’s the bottom line.
But in allowing their playfulness to come out, indulging in the child within, and trying to make each other laugh that little bit more than the last time, it brings the band closer together than they already were.
And being able to write songs inhabited by genuinely original thoughts also translates to when they bring those songs to life in visual form. With the trust and understanding of not just each other, but their whole crew, it makes bringing something as outlandish as ‘TANZNEID’ to life an absolute breeze.
“I always remember the scene in The Wolf of Wall Street when he’s supposed to sell that little pen, you know,” Kevin elaborates. “It’s all about what is surrounding that simple thing. If you have something in your everyday life that is simple but still funny, then there is a story to be found around it.”
“Especially because we know each other so well now,” Nico points out. “We have a whole video crew that, over the years, have learnt how to put Kevin and me in these different roles. And now we know how to work in front of the camera as well. We are just in the position where we can realise everything that we want, and that’s the cool thing about this band.”
As with so many elements of what makes the band tick, it is all based on vibe. If you get it, you can join this gang. If you don’t, maybe it was never for you in the first place. It’s why Nico slotted so perfectly into place when he joined the band back in 2020, and why ‘Hypa Hypa’ was instantly a hit. It’s why the addition of Frank Zummo to the line-up feels so natural, fully throwing himself not just into the music but the wig-wearing, and why placing a cover of Sum 41’s ‘Still Waiting’ on this album’s tracklist just works.
At a time in music where authenticity can be questionable, and some bands are more like hired hands than genuine brothers, Kevin wants to make sure that people know that Callboy is pure through and through.
“It’s all about energy,” he proposes. “Sometimes we meet people, and it’s pretty superficial. I can’t hang with that person. Then there are people we meet where we could talk forever. Where you can laugh, where you can have deep conversations. And whenever we have someone join us, we want that to be the energy that they have. I prefer to create an environment where everything we share is honest and true and connected by the heart. That is what fuels this.”
THE COLLABORATIONS
In having the tools to bring so many of their weirdest and wildest ideas to life is one thing, but it’s another when it means you can bring people who are your literal heroes into your world.
That’s the case when it comes to The Offspring’s Dexter Hubbard coming into the fold for ‘Let The Good Times Roll’, the literal feel-good hit of the Summer. And though The Offspring are responsible for some of the biggest off-kilter hits of the last 30 years, there is no guarantee that a legend of his calibre will “get” what Callboy are wanting to do.
Luckily though, Dexter is no ordinary rockstar, and, for Kevin and Nico, his involvement upped their love and respect for him ten-fold.
“They have done some weird shit and had goofy music videos, but we didn’t want to assume, you know,” Kevin admits. “But when it came to the collaboration, and we had to ask for things, he was totally down. And he helped us learn something. Because we can assure you, even your heroes, they are just humans. It was very refreshing to see someone that is your idol and so successful like that.”
The chance to learn is something that Callboy will also jump at the opportunity for, and that was also the case when it came to teaming up with BABYMETAL on ‘RATATATA’. With two bands with very specific ways of not just presenting themselves but crafting their art, it served as an experiment in questioning your own lane and realising that other exciting routes can also get you to the promised land.
“There were so many things that they did differently from what we are used to doing, and we questioned them,” Kevin adds. “And they questioned our stuff as well. But in the end, it made us realise that there are different ways to a goal and the one that we choose is not necessarily the only good one. It gave us a wider view on how to write a successful song.”
Though one of the more curious linkups that the band have delivered with ‘TANZNEID’ is the addition of four remixes attached to the record’s end. You have Sullivan King delivering dubstep domination via his versions of ‘We Got The Moves’ and ‘Revery’, Paolo Ferrera putting a euro donk on ‘TANZNEID’ and Paul Elstak giving ‘Hypercharged’ a hardstyle makeover. Of course, the band themselves have been indulging in their extended love of EDM with their Electric Bassboy side project during shows and festivals across the world this past year, but bringing it to the forefront and allowing producers they admire to play their part feels that little bit more special.
“If there’s a music genre that we like, we will definitely put it into our music,” Nico grins. “It’s just such a strange and great feeling to see that there are people out there picking your songs, taking the essence of them and making them their own.
“And now, they have all made their way into our Electric Bassboy setlist, which we now play on stage. That, to us, is about showing love. It’s about appreciation. Because we know that it is not easy to pick a song and make it your own in this way, and it means a lot that they exist and are on the record. So, we want to show that as much as we can.”
THE FUTURE
Now that ‘TANZNEID’ is out in the world, Callboy are giving themselves a moment to take stock of what they have done. Despite it being a more drawn-out process, that doesn’t mean it has been any less hectic, and when you throw in their globetrotting exploits in the middle of it all, they really haven’t had a second to breathe.
So now, just for a little while, they are going to reap the rewards that this album has brought them and enjoy some time with family and friends before hitting the road again in 2027. But just know that doesn’t mean the cogs aren’t always turning. That a text saying, “Fancy hitting the studio today?” isn’t always on the agenda. Because when you love what you do as much as Electric Callboy do, you’re not going to let anything get in the way of that.
There will be more creations, more characters, more wigs and more mind-melting explorations of time, space and everything in-between to come. Because this is just what they do, and for Kevin, there is no better feeling in the whole wide world than sharing those exploits.
“What drives us the most is the passion for music and being able to bring it to the people,” he explains excitedly. “It’s the best feeling to see so many different people coming together and appreciating the music that you created back home in your little studio. To go everywhere in the world, and it really is everywhere, and see those people coming together to celebrate that music. That’s appreciation. That’s what we do it for.”
“It doesn’t matter if you’re making music or painting pictures or whatever it is you do,” Nico adds. “If you lose the passion, and you don’t feel like connected to the results, that is what is killing you as an artist. For us, this is something that we haven’t lost over the last six years. It’s actually the complete opposite. But it is something you cannot force. It needs to come naturally. And that’s why releasing this album feels like the best thing in the world.”
