KIRLIAN CAMERA: „Our music comes from such a stranger universe, that shouldn’t be labeled as „alien“ but it is, on this world, at the moment” (video)

Interview by Mindaugas Peleckis, 2015 05 30.

What collaborations were/are the most interesting and important to You and why? 

Angelo Bergamini: Many have been important, friendly and cool. As for the past, I regret not having had a chance to collaborate with Nico (Velvet Underground) as she died some months after our first meeting, when we planned a possible recording session, likely a single or mini-album. I think she was really ill and had problems with drugs and such problems soon caused her accidental death… so, that dream couldn’t become true. A couple years later I really like to remember a funny dinner with the Human League, with whom we released a promotional split single. As for today goes, I think that working with Covenant and John Fryer is just the most intriguing experience.

What are the main ideas are behind Your music?

Angelo Bergamini: Elena Alice and myself are the writing hands and minds behind our productions since 15 years, now. Basically, our sound is just the soundtrack of our lives, so deeply immersed into an “invisible front”. We’re quite reserved people, so we don’t have frequent meetings, parties and such stories. We live into kind of a bunker along with our ghosts, or we go out with tons of photocameras. We always try to intercept and stop dangerous entities. Uneasy to explain. Our music comes from such a stranger universe, that shouldn’t be labeled as “alien” but it is, on this world, at the moment. My favourite albums of Kirlian Camera are likely “Nightglory”, “Black Summer Choirs”, “Still Air” and Invisible Front. 2005”. Favourite songs “K-Pax”, “Nightglory”, “Odyssey Europa”, “The Unreachable One”, “The Fountain of Clouds pt.2”, “Nefertiti One”, “Black August”, “No One Remained”, “Blue Room”, “Eclipse” (new live version), etc…

Elena Alice Fossi: I go crazy for electronic sounds. That kind of sounds can literally touch my strings. And I like to combine electronic sound with dark landscape in music. As for me a sound has to get the power to strike senses, like a vision, like a movie. This is the reason why I think my biggest inspiration comes not by simple musicians, but specially by creators of musical scores. My favorite musicians are Ennio Morricone, Angelo Badalamenti, Zbigniew Preisner. But, all in all, I also need a large part of glamorous music, something like Muse, Ultravox, Goldfrapp, Kraftwerk / Karl Bartos. Now I’m preparing the new SPECTRA*paris album, so my mood is pretty glamour and filled with sparkles, and yet, spiced by some gloomy disturbance. I’m working with sounds that are a real combination between futuristic and retro ones, much more electronic and vocoder-like than before.   

What ends, when there‘s no sound?

Angelo Bergamini: no real answer.

Then, what is sound art?

Angelo Bergamini: Art of sound is just that ability to turn real feelings into music notes. The problem is that humanity has no feeling, or… their feelings are too simple to create real music or either any real love. This is my questionable opinion, humanity.

Is computer art compatible with feelings?

Elena Alice Fossi: Imagination keeps on being a pulsing heart and many are the ways to direct it, but… artificial intelligence shortly might turn out to be a serious issue. One wonders: “Well, is our brain so poor-equipped that we should fear a small machine?”. The answer is that our intelligent chances are practically limitless, but we aren’t so used to taking advantage of our potential, as we are using but a small area of our brain and we are using it… well, so comically bad! Future computer might use its resources to the full, instead…

What do You think about thousands of neofolk/industrial/ambient/tribal/electroacoustic/avangarde etc. bands/projects? Is it a kind of trend, o just a tendency forwards better music?

Angelo Bergamini: Don’t ask me about that matter, as I’d be at risk of being unelegant.So, let’s say that everyone has the right of torturing ears of people with his “avantgarde music”. Everybody feeling stupid has a right to play the intellectual, putting on eyeglasses and go, ok…?!? Some weeks ago one asked me whether I prefer Miley Cyrus or a neofolk artist and so… I had to say thanks, I decisely opt for Johnny Cash and Kraftwerk…

What do You know about Lithuania?

Angelo Bergamini: We’ll be landing in Lithuania pretty soon, to perform the Mėnuo Joudaragis Festival in that park, you know… seems to be a very good meeting, so we’ll have a chance to get musically acquainted with some Lithuanian artists and know more about them. We are looking forward to coming there!

What inspires You most?

Elena Alice Fossi: Our own life here, in this dimension. Some certain and by now evident sense of oppression. I do not mean “TV politics” but humanity in general. Anyway, our resistance in this absurd history moment unfortunately is the main inspiration. I/we don’t live an ordinary life, as many times we told. And I do not mean drugs, alcohol and everlasting hangovers… I mean we are getting increasingly far from any daily facts, although we keep on reading magazines. In spite of such a feeling we are not an elite, we are not a rich caste; on the contrary... We probably are the Enemy of those who “know so much”, those whom realize who’s right and who’s not in two seconds by having some blind political faith in a pocket or a 3D-God. Obama or Bush? Well, that’s not our cup of tea, as it is a false question, being useful to cheap history makers and social climbers… Give low-budget simple flick “K-Pax” a chance, as it tells more about us than millions useless words.

**

Legendary Italian electronic darkwave band KIRLIAN CAMERA was founded in Spring 1980 by Angelo Bergamini. Since 2000, the creative core of the band consists of Angelo Bergamini and the highly charismatic, beautiful and strong-voiced singer, composer and performer Elena Alice Fossi, who is also part of the project “Stalingrad” along with Bergamini and helmed “Sideratica”, the project that has now evolved into the highly successful indie-band SPECTRA*paris, as well as header of acclaimed acoustic-orientated combo Alice Neve Fox.

Members and collaborators:

ELENA ALICE FOSSI : lead and backing vocals, electronics, programming, treatments, synths, keyboards, piano, moog theremin, studio sound engineering

ANGELO BERGAMINI : electronics, programming, synths, male voice inputs

Falk Pitschk : synths and electronic percussion on stage

Kyoo Nam Rossi : electric and acoustic guitar

Alessandro Comerio : bass guitar

Rubens Richard Tedeschi : cello, synth on stage

Maria Chiara Ugolotti : piano, synths, backing vocals on stage

Andrea Artusi : bass guitar, double bass

Ariel Goldberg : add. Synth

Yvan Battaglia : live sound

Robert Grund : live sound

Links:

http://www.kirliancamera.com

https://www.facebook.com/kirliancamera.official

http://kirliancameraofficial.tumblr.com

https://soundcloud.com/black-sky-europe

https://soundcloud.com/kirliancamera

https://soundcloud.com/spectraparis

www.myspace.com/kirliancamerafront

www.myspace.com/spectraparis

www.reverbnation.com/kirliancamera

Angelo Bergamini and Elena Alice Fossi

Elena Alice Fossi