Rosa Selvaggia interview - 24 April 2009

Shadow mission is your latest work, what do you expect from this CD?
ELENA - This album has a well precise mission, that is to meet the past and the incoming future. We reproposed to the audience some historical songs, with new arrangements, that could fit with the new "KC", however without losing the initial harmony. So "Heldenplatz" is here anticipated by a strings intro - different in digipak and vinyl versions - romantic and in the same time wild and sparkling, to start then stronger by a rhythmic apparatus that makes it energic and dynamic. But for us the most remarkable song is "Odyssey Europa", that anticipates the title of the forthcoming 'Best of KC', that will bring the same title. We really confide that the new songs included in "Shadow Mssion", can be discovered by an audience that, how we hope, won't be focused only on what already knows, but have the wish to make space to the news. As spectator, I admit that often is nice to listen to what we already know and belongs to us, but as active musician, it's important to me to have the chance that new musical ideas can find their place and the right consideration.

Apart the classics "Helden platz", really beautiful with the strings intro, "Edges", "K pax" there are also new songs and also instrumentals with particular sounds: will it be your new way?
ELENA - It's difficult for us to follow a monodirectional way, as you already saw in the past. prerogative of this band is to move quickly in a context then into another one, and, in the good and in the evil, this belongs to a great interest for the research. We believe, in fact, that experiment is just to have no fear to face new paths and avoid to force in playing strange music, if this word has still a real consistency. The true research must overpass the musical genres, the stylistic semblances and must live through the visualization of a thought, of an emotion, with no brake from the rigours inside the use of the categories. We try to give life with absolute sincerity to something that in a specific moment can really belong to us. For the moment, we are a kind of flood, we like the cadences and strong beats and we like to talk about new life possibilities and beauty. For sure there is not a nerve inside us that wishes to stop to make move the souls with our music.

The cancellation of the gig in Massa of 25 april, disconcerting, pushes me to ask for a comment about this that seems a boycotting. What do you think?
ELENA - It seems that, to think about what pushes some guys to make us war in a so obsessive way, is the best hobby for Kirlian Camera. If someone pays us for how we think, we would surely be very rich! There are not so many possibilities to justify a not-logic that now does "mobbing" since a lot. You see, somebody thinks that behind KC there is a kind of right-wing policy that pervades our music, our way to dress, our attitudes and some people often acts like flies that enter into your home to bore your days. They continuosly want press releases, to make admit to us what we vote for. But, the reality is that Angelo really dislikes his own bald spot. And, since God projected for him a life without hairdresser and, again, he built him a face that inspires no sympathy, there are also the aggravations. The cancellation of the gig in Massa? The umpteenth nuisance. They look for you, they make lose your time, they say to play in the freedom day but then they make notice that, dear, it's not a good day for you. You answer that you cannot have fear to play music, otherwise what is the freedom served for?! Who is it served at? And does the democracy exist only for one part? And are Lenin or Stalin better children than child Hitler?! ... But Angelo Bergamini is bald, saint God, and a bit asshole too! Yes, it's correct to boycott him! And boycott his band made of a singer and a yellow woman violinist, that they wasted their time at the conservatory to be accused now. Death to him and his shitty band! That band that is in desperate pursuit of the beauty, that doesn't estimate those rich bourgeoises dressed as freaks that soil the roads because they don't know what to do, that band that, if a drunken non-EU guy and without residence permit rapes his neightbour, must ignore that everything is ok to be not accused of nazism, a band that now speaks of K-PAX like the last way to exit...

A question, for which you will be tired to answer, is why did you change label?
ELENA - The labels are like the life: a big nuisance! Our ex one was particularly wrong for us. It sold us, it made few money and then it left with the plunder in its womb. We want more money, even more...

Apart Shadow... the Odyssey vinyl: a cult operation, that you already did and that seems to be appreciated by many bands. What do you think about this comeback of the vinyl?
ELENA - It had to happen! It's the obvious reaction to the wild and disqualifying downloading. Apart obvious morals that I cannot permit to do, there is the quality topic. After you find your house full of cloned cd, with covers, in the best case, photocopied, you discover that the Clear God is seizing you. To create a more dignified form of art makes feel you better. You, cloner kid, feel then the bloody desire of a nice vinyl, that you will show, yes, even with some effort, if you have a little home and full of things like mine, but you will find pleasure to "see and touch" the music, a little shiver!

Your discography is rich and valuable, but I put at the first place the album Solaris, where the interpretation of Tarkovskij's movie is incredibile. Do you think to repeat a similar musical experience?
ANGELO - I believe that similar choices may still happen, but, for the moment, we are direct towards other territories. My project Uranium Polar-Ihs 1972 (ex Uranium USSR 1972) sometimes is closer to the sound you quoted.

Instead which is or are for you the album that gave you more emotions in the making? Do they coincide with those that beat time in your stylistic evolution?
ELENA - For me it coincides with the most suffering, that, without any doubt, is "Invisible Front. 2005". The work on this album was long and with some difficulties. Our throw ourselves headlong into a future at the limit of the believable, but touched by our thoughts, as they were enormous and long arms, made us even more strangers to the reality against which we faced. We were swimming over the border, surrounded, almost barricaded, I'd say, in a new zone, choosing however to make vintage sounds, through the use of old electronic synths, just in the moment of the "total-software" turn. For sure we were separating from the present in a way so overbearing that every instant of our lives outside the album is was totally outside ourselves. "Invisible Front", in fact, it was the first of a new thoughts flow, painfull and meaningful like never, impossible to be not marked from it.
ANGELO - All those from “Still Air” (released in 2000) to today. I would add also “Todesengel” (1991) and ”Unidentified Light” (1999), and the “Drifting” EP (1998) too.

A question about the general situation of the music in Italy: what do you think? And why some genres have so much difficult to enter in a wider diffusion context... just like the electro dark?
ANGELO - I think so many bad things that I have no words to express how much I think bad things. The dramatic thing is that abroad is even worse. Maybe, if there would be more money to produce some band with few good but confused ideas, people could appreciate more a genre that however sucks, in my opinion, and that says nothing since about 20 years. I hate who is unable to make anything with the music today, with all the technological facilities that exist and with all the money that often these clowns have in their pockets.

I read that you Angelo partecipated to the production in studio of the soundtrack of the movie "Pirata" (1983) and also of another movie: what can you tell me about those experiences?
ANGELO - It was strange, to be invited to the Castello di Carimate, at that time one of the most important studios, not only in Italy, to work with Allan Goldberg (Yes, Richie Havens, Fabrizio De André, etc.), also because I must admit that I wasn't ready for such thing... but really I had some ideas in my mind, maybe a bit "raw", but I already had them! We did also a song, for that soundtrack, as Kirlian Camera. The movie for a complete disaster, but the musical production phase was very interesting. We could use the best equipment/technologies of the moment, stuff of billions... true sci fi, for me!!!

And for the future can you give me some preview? What can we expect from Kirlian Camera?
ANGELO - the release of “Odyssey Europa (The Best of Kirlian Camera)”, standard version with 2 CD and limited edition, special box with 4 CDs and posters. The project includes 30 years of this band, the album mainly dedicated to our melodies, our songs. Then, the first official live, either in audio edition that video, probably registered in a famous cathedal in Amburg. But what I will like more, I already know, it's to listen to the new maxi-ep and the new album of the Elena's SPECTRA*paris... These girls make me still hope that you can unite originality, technical skills, research, fun, erotism and bloodstream in only one musical creature. Today is miracolous!

GabryDark

Taken from: http://www.rosaselvaggia.com

English translation: Adalberto Orrigo - 22.05.2009