Woschdog.
A rare bird needs looking after.
Woschdog on making music together, instruments with unexpected voices and the moment that no concert can repeat.
In conversation with Woschdog
An idea is sketched in Ableton. Words follow, then a melody and a different structure. Zither, cello and drums write themselves into the picture. In Woschdog, one person often supplies the beginning; where the piece goes is decided between all five. They discussed their answers together for this interview. We talk about their EP moloch, having less time together than they used to, and the pleasure of letting someone else take an idea somewhere unexpected.
Ingrid Lang, Lukas Lauermann, Karl Stirner, Sebastian Seidl and Johannes Wakolbinger bring Viennese lyrics together with electronics, zither, cello and drums. This conversation took place ahead of their scheduled appearance at Jazz & The City at Jazzit in Salzburg on 17 October 2026. They explain how their music takes shape — and why it always changes a little on stage.
Every voice adds to the picture.
In your earlier mica interview, you said that rehearsals often start with a long chat. Has the way music grows out of that changed over the years? Take us through a piece from moloch: what was the first idea, and who developed it next?
We still really enjoy talking to each other, but yes, unfortunately we have less time together than we did back then. I (Ingrid) can say: I don’t like it. Talk to me more, be here more often, damn it. A beautiful, rare bird like this needs looking after.
The first musical idea often comes from Sebastian. He sketches it in Ableton. Then Ingrid adds words, melody and a structure shaped around the words, followed by the composers Karl, Lukas and, finally, Johannes on drums. Every voice composes itself into the picture. It’s a beautiful and surprising process.
Or Karl sends a weird loop called ‘heute feiern’ — ‘party today’ — for example. Ingrid then insists that it ought to be called ‘Pause’, and that we absolutely need lots of machines and must move into the ‘silence’ of nature, which Sebastian then produces. Once Lukas gets his hands on that provisional result, it always becomes even more beautiful than we could ever have imagined (he didn’t write that himself).
Once, four of us — everyone except Johannes — spent a few days in a house, and things emerged together there. That was lovely.
It’s all there.
Your music brings together electronics, zither, cello and drums. Was there a sound on moloch that even made you listen twice because it was no longer clear which instrument produced it? How did it come about?
Haha. Yes, lots of people wonder who is actually playing what.
Recently, a woman who had wandered into the soundcheck said: ‘You can’t hear the zither and cello at all.’ She thought the sound engineer should turn them up. We told her not to worry: it’s all there; she just doesn’t hear it because it sounds different.
We usually know who is doing what. When in doubt, it’s Lukas.
Every voice composes itself into the picture.
Words and melodies, together.
Ingrid’s Viennese lyrics have their own rhythm. Has a word, an emphasis or a line ever made you change a beat or melody? Can you recall a particular example?
Ingrid always writes the melodies together with the words, so it all works out that way.
The others do what they want.
Sebastian, your background also includes techno and drum & bass. What remains of that work in Woschdog today — and what do the others do with an electronic idea that you might never have tried alone in the studio?
I don’t think you can really hear the techno and drum & bass in it any more. Personally, that’s the baggage I bring; everything that came afterwards has been influenced by it somehow. But my way of inventing things has hardly changed. It’s still very loop-based.
The lovely thing about working together in this band is that I have no idea what each person will do with an idea. They’re open to everything and, thankfully, do what they want — and it always turns out to be exactly the right thing.
Every one of us is essential to the sound and irreplaceable when it comes to performing it live.
A different evening.
On 17 October you play Jazz & The City at Jazzit. What happens to your pieces between the recording and the concert? Is there a part you particularly look forward to live because it changes a little every time?
Arranging the fully produced songs for a live set can be quite a challenge. Every now and then we do need samples, and we’re seriously considering using in-ear monitoring and a click in future. That would give the sound even more clarity while still leaving plenty of free moments live.
Everything is always a little different at a concert: a different evening, a different audience, different states of mind for us. You also hear yourselves afresh in every room. Fundamentally, that’s a very, very beautiful thing, and it celebrates the moment you share.
Once we started a song at twice the speed and kept going. That was a little too different.
What will sound like what at Jazzit for the first time, or what else might happen, remains exciting. In any case, we’re looking forward to all of it.
Woschdog
Interview by email · Editorial and image art direction: SCENE:ID. Marcel Köhler · Stephan Mussil