Q:
Can you tell us a bit about the arrival of the new Achillea
album?
Yeah - we finally released it through BSC/
Sequoia, it took a while to get the scheduling right, also
I re-edited and remixed again and again, because I really
felt connected with this album and wanted it to be as floating
as possible.
The connection with Luisa was also nearly spiritual, she
never spoke before and
discovered new facets of her voice every production day.
It felt natural to use spanish language, first it's Luisa's
mother tongue and second I've lived in Spain for13 years.
The language sounds just beautiful, so sensual and passionate,
strange that especially chill out music didn't use a lot
of spoken spanish until now.
The album 'Amadas Estrellas' builds up in a classical dramatical
way from very soft ambient themes through gradual introduction
of harder and punchier sounds until amor - P2 and the Exodus
of the pathetic 'Amadas Estrellas', finishing with a prayer
to holy Maria.
I thought a lot about making several tracks more chilly
and soft, but it had to be this way and I hope you will
like it.
Q :
The Nine Worlds has been out now long enough for you
to have gained a wider perspective on the album – how
do you feel about it in hindsight? What are your favourite
aspects?
I
think it has an easiness and freedom to it, you can hear
that it evolved naturally without stiff songwriting or thinking
about melodies, when you hear a melody, then Helene sang
it freely often even without music and I surrounded it by
sounds, very natural and intuitive.
Also now with Achillea II it was a great
way of working with Luisa Fernandez. I tried to turn poems
into music - even avoid melodies. The way Sandra and I worked
on 'The Art of Love' again followed that principle, she
came with written thoughts, diary pages, poems and I was
the 'medium' to make them hearable, create sounds from the
topics, build up a song from a story. A good path to break
the rules and stop your brain from disturbing your work...
Q :
With The Nine Worlds, Secrets of Seduction and Le Spa Sonique
all on the market in quick succession and other material in
the pipeline, 2005 was a big year for you – how did
you reach that blossoming point?
All a natural flow, all seems to turn out
right.
So much was kind of 'archived in my mind' during my Enigma
years that suddenly there was so much material and ideas
at a time that I had to create different projects to release
them all. And it makes me happy when I look back now that
nearly nothing was left 'in the drawer' - besides of the
sorted out bad tracks.
It's so important to not only create music but invest nearly
the same amount of energy into the placement, kind and feel
of the project you want to release it under.
So - all these records I've sent on to their way and there's
a lot more to come.
I must admit that these are clearly Michael's influences
again - he's such a brilliant 'project mind' - knowing too
well what to package in which way, which element makes sense
and which are in the wrong place. This is actually what
music is about in a a way - because literally 'everything's
possible', the only question is, how and in which clothing
you bring it across.
My latest release, Sandra's 'Art of Love'
I'm also quite happy with, we experimented a lot, Sandra
was so open for new ideas, there are some even innovative
moments on that album - I can't wait to hear the opinions
of you all out there about it.
Q :
Why did you decide to release your music under different project
names?
It is
a real passion to create projects, think about directions
and visions, the project names felt right to me, I'm happy
to have started several projects, so there's a lot of space
for new mad lab-experiments in the near future.
Q :
Turning to Secrets of Seduction - what do you think it is
about the sound of the early Enigma material that has captured
the hearts of so many listeners and obviously your own heart
too?
Hmmm - Simplicity?
A rudimental way of cutting a listener out from life, and
take him on a far journey, whether he wants or not...
... and then lead him into a totally different dimension
- all with simplest arrangements and elements, still I can't
believe the emtiness in contrast to the strong impact the
first album has. There's a lot to learn from really.
And I was truly obsessed by the first 2
albums, listened to them over and over again trying to even
get the smallest details and deepest depths.
Q :
Although reanimating the style of early Enigma – your
‘Enigmatic Obsession’ is clearly a different project
– what do you think you are contributing that is unique?
I wasn't trying to be too unique with this
album, reanimation and honoring of that glorious early sound
was more the motive.
Q :
Do you feel that perhaps Michael Cretu is bound to innovate
under the name Enigma whereas you perhaps have more freedom
to explore within an established style?
Well, having
had a mega hit as big as 'Sadness' naturally hunts you in
a way, you want to achieve it again, in a way I always felt
happy about my freedom, not having to follow any set signature,
I'm bound to find mine, and Enigma helped me a lot.
After a big hit I think you naturally want
to understand it, and there the mistake begins already...
the easiness is probably not how it was when you did the
song.
(hope this makes sense to the readers)
Q :
Were you involved in Enigma’s A Posteriori in any way?
No - I was too busy with my productions and obviously
bound to walk my own little road...
Q :
Do you have a certain ‘method’ for creating
music – in what order do tracks develop?
***Not think***
- Play around, yeah - feel like a kid in a sandbox touching
things, playing keys and then - when a sound/a rhythm/an ambience
catches you, you follow that path wherever it takes you, but
just don't think about it...
Q :
The distinctive beats are among the more powerful aspects
of your music – how do you construct these (I assume
being a drummer helps)?
To have unique grooves you
have to resythesize, recycle loops and samples, splice rhythms
and recombine them in a new order, sometimes play a live
track on top, it can become a philosophy you spent several
nights on.
When a song doesn't have that movement in the drums the
base is missing and you should throw it away...
Q :
What involvement do you have with the artwork on your CDs?
I'm pretty involved here,
even pick graphics from the net, go through typefaces with
own dtp programs, try new combinations, the covers I consider
an important visual part of a release that should be just
right and fitting.
The Achillea II cover was actually nearly
completely done by Steve Gordon from Sequoia records, our
partner in the states, I liked it straight away and think
it really suits the music.
Q :
Will there further releases under the names Achillea or Enigmatic
Obsession?
I will follow the Achillea
Name, featuring different artists, we have great acceptance
with these releases, also in the US.
A big THANK YOU to all people
who bought the record!!!!
Q :
There is more music on the way from Jens Gad – can
you tell us something about your other projects?
The latest ones I can't tell, there's
a lot in the pipeline, 2007 will be my most active year
after Enigma, several releases and new projects on the way.
Please follow my site for that.
