The13th AÑO: 4 | NÚMERO 43
UNA R E VISTA IMA GINARIA
ERALDO BERNOCCHI (A TALK WITH) THE ARCHITECT OF HIS OWN SOLITARY UNIVERSE
[ Interview With Eraldo Bernocchi By Pablo Müllner ]
(A TALK WITH) THE ARCHITECT OF HIS OWN SOLITARY UNIVERSE
“Solitary Universe”, released through Aagoo Records this February, is a full length album by Eraldo Bernocchi and Japanese ambient guitar player Chihei Hatakeyama. Quoting its press release it consist in “five gorgeous, stretched out compositions that will make you feel like you’re trying to catch smoke, or watching fog swirl then disappear across a body of water.” The recording is just two treated guitars, and will be coupled with a photo book by visual artist and graphic designer Petulia Mattioli and Yasushi Miura, a Japanese musician and photographer. Thanks to this transfixing, beautiful “Solitary Universe” we got the perfect excuse to communicate… And the privilege to do it with Eraldo Bernocchi, himself, a composer, musician, producer, record label owner and very much a sonic architect. He has an impressive career as a solo artist and with some notable collaborators, so it is hard to mention just a few… But let´s get into business and make him some questions. To begin with is great to exchanging some thoughts and views about your music, and music, and things in general with you. First things first, I found “Solitary Universe” enormously enjoyable, almost in a soothing way. Is it a collaborative album with Japanese Chihei Hatakeyama. How did it come to life? I love what Chihei does. His music is unique as his guitar playing. A couple of years ago I contacted him to check if he was into a project together. He liked the ideas and we started to exchange files and tracks. There are actually more pieces that we recorded but they didn’t end up on the album. It took some time as both me and Chihei were a busy and we are really picky when it comes to sound/ mixing and such.
those meditation tapes or even new age music that is made with the only purpose of relaxation. But I found out some great GREAT music you can use to get into those contemplative states. One of my dearest became some piano pieces by Satie. All that nonsense, is to tell that I found the Solitary Universe very close in spirit to the Gnossienes by Erik Satie. Its piano music and yours is just guitars, but anyways… Am I talking nonsense? in a way and with due proportions, I don’t think you are. This record is a series of snapshots of the state of things, emotions. I’m always interested in how people are perceiving my music and how it’s used. I mean, for me sound and music are tools, first of tools. So, if this album is supporting meditation, writing, taking photos or having a good glass of wine that’s perfect for me.
As contradictory as it seems, you got an impressive “catalogue” that debates between shadow and light, which is what happens in the universe constantly right? Do you think that reflecting both sides is a very thought decision or it just happens as you get in touch with music? These are just two sides of what I see and live everyday. It happens. There’re a lot of strong emotions in what I do, they’ve always been there. They’re necessary to me. Blackwood is the portrait of what’s happening outside my window, your window. It’s the world falling apart, day after day. It’s getting worse week after week, it’s in front of everybody. The next Blackwood outputs will be heavier and darker if possible. We are down falling. “Solitary Universe” is the portrait of what’s happening inside my window. It’s an inner trip. It’s the letter you never opened and discover by chance, and it changes your opinion on someone that now is dead so you can’t do anything. It’s what you could have been I got into meditation some years ago, doing but you didn’t. It’s a box of mistakes that because I was restless, but I really hated grows and grows. In the end they’re the same
3
thing. Me, solo or with other but me, the stuff ting with Yasushi Miura on a common project, that the “me” sees. and he only shoots in black and white, it was kind of natural to put together the four of us. I I can imagine that collaborations also in- guess sound inspired images this time as the fluence or take different parts of our per- album was ready when visuals came into the sonality to the surface, something things picture. Alec Dartley from Agoo really loved that are unknown by ourselves. How it was the idea and gave us full support so I’d say collaborating with Chihei Hatakeyama in that the collaboration includes also him. this proyect? To be accurate, it is also visual collaboration with your wife Petulia On the other hand, “As the World Rots Mattioli and Yasushi Miura. Did sounds Away” (2006) of your Blackwood project and visuals inspire each other? is extremely disturbing, and nevertheless Really easy. Chihei is really easy. He’s a per- I loved it immediately… I cannot tell you fectionist when it comes to sound and nuan- exactly which other music reminded me, ces but he’s open to experiment a lot so we but first thing that came to mind where really get along. As far as visuals, when the the Antichrist/Nymphomaniac/Melanchoalbum was ready and Agoo Records wanted lia trilogy by Lars Von Trier. It might have to put it out Petulia Mattioli, who took all the been a suitable soundtrack to a film like colour photos of the book and made the gra- Antichrist, in the sense that is terrifying phic design, had this idea of making it a small but it is much more that a horror piece bebook of images. She was already collabora- cause is also devastatingly sad, and beau-
tiful and thoughtful at the same time. I’m happy you actually underlined the fact that ATWRA is a sad album. It is. One of the saddest I ever put together. The interesting thing is that quite nobody realised that, they stop to the surface, and that’s the heavy side of it. It could be a film soundtrack, but then most of my music has got a similar footprint. So you’re right it’s horrifying but terribly sad at the same time.
ll are, so it is very difficult to ask about them all. But Somma, took a lot of my attention. In first place cause it was a collaborative project with your wife, Petulia, and then because you experimented with some world music. I was curious about the “Hooked Light Rays” album, which got seven Tibetan monks singing in it! That is a story that deserved to be told! Somma is actually an idea she had long time ago, it’s the very first project I did with Bill Laswell. It’s the will to put together different musicians from different cultures and backgrounds with tibetan monks and have all of them improvise together after a minimal rehearsal. The visual side of it is also deeply important as in this case sound and vision are really exchanging creativity in real time. It’s a difficult project to bring on stage as it’s expensive and has obvious political implications that very often have stopped the progress of it. You have no idea how many festivals booked Somma and then stopped because of political pressure from China.
To continue with the Von Trier analogy, he called those three movies his Depression Trilogy. And it came to my mind the same bleakness, total disconnection, nihilistic desire even. Did you feel remotely like that doing “As the World Rots Away”? I guess fortunately keep filming, and keep doing music of course, is the signal that sometimes complete doom is a frame of mind, a state of which we can move, I think... Sometime yes. Blackwood is like an endless fall. I had heavy moments but music always took good care of me. I’d love to score a Von Trier movie, as long as it’s not a musical..I I read some more about it, in 2001, on can’t stand them. occasion of the official visit of the Dalai Lama, Somma performed in Trento at the Listening to that two very different re- Centro Santa Chiara theatre, in front of a cords, Solitary Universe and ATWRA, gathering 2000 people. How did that came made me think of you as some kind of “ar- down to? Did you meet the Dalai Lama perchitect” of sound as people like Angelo sonally? Were you interested in his spiriBadalamenti or Richard D. James (Aphex tual philosophy? Twin) or Geoff Barrow (Portishead). Do Tibet is the only “cause” I support since my you agree with that? teens. I’m into H.Holiness philosophy and I like this concept a lot. For years I have we had one hour of private meeting with him. been labelled as a sound sculptor, now ar- Quite intense I must admit. The city council chitect. That’s a lot! Thanks. Sound is a cons- contacted us to bring on stage Somma and truction mean, a rough material that can live we happily did it, a one off, all recorded. It was and influence us as it is or you can manipulate a magic night. people really loved it and plait and build something, shape light and emo- ying in front of such a great human being has tions, conjure darkness, create new rituals for been quite intense. new cults, it’s an endless quest. So yes, in a way it’s a possible role I like. Even so I was watching a BBC documentary about electronica or synthpop in UK, You been in a hell lot of projects and sti- and I got some phrases that really make
5
me laugh and think. One said that “electronica” no matter the true purpose of its composers was something seen and listened to in a very dark light, like some piece of gloom, tragedy, dystopian future. You experience long enough in that territory, can you give us a thought of why is that? Oh god…more often I’m asking myself what about keeping silent’ What does this mean? what?!! Electronica/synth pop are just two labels, end of story. Music is, as I said before, really working according to enviroment, emotions, food, history, places. What an idiot statement. It is a really old approach to sound and music. It seems as if this interview is going backwards from your newest music to your early years so the question is inspired in the electronica scene in London at the beginning of eighties, that it was said to be “post-punk” and actually “posteverything”. Did you feel part of that scene in Italy? For a while I’ve been but then my main problem was, and is, that I need to evolve, to change, to do new things/projects. After a while being in band becomes boring for me, I need to collaborate with new faces, new players, new places. I’ve been part of it for a short time as also it was really derivative and not open enough to experimenting, this is the main reason why i created Sigillum S, to have an empty container open to anything. Where you also a first generation punk rocker, back in the late seventies? Kind of but again I always rejected any pigeonholing of my person so my history in those movements have been really short. It was limited to the initial rage and fury.
RareNoise is a label that deals with many other artists. My records on this label are limited, I never wanted RN to become my personal playground. When giacomo Bruzzo proposed me to create a label i had this point very clear in my mind. Plus, RN couldn’t properly handle a lot of my records as it’s structured for other music genres. on the other side Verba Corrige has been a real DIY label, we used that for a good 25 year to put out Sigillum S stuff and support our activities. We still use it for our records together with a new company I created in UK. Finally I wanted to ask if its anything you wanted to tell about any subject worth mentioning before saying say goodbye. There’s quite a lot coming up this year and the next. A new Sigillum S album, the first with a new lineup that includes Bruno Dorella from OVO/Ronin, a new Equations Of Eternity album with Bill Laswell, all based on “aghoris”sadus, the darkest indian holy men order. i went last year to the Kumbh mela festival in india to record live rituals. A Blackwood limited one sided 12” with special guests Stefania Also Pedretti (OVO) and Emilia Moncayo (Minipony) on vocals. Side B will be laser etched with magic diagrams. A new album with Toshinori Kondo for Glacial Movemnets, entirely based on deep water recordings from the Palaoa scene Station in the Artic. The first album with bass clarinet wonder Gareth Davis, really delicate and ambient. only guitars and clarinet. conceived like a movie soundtrack. A new project I created with some graphic designer that combine clothing, concept, messages, and a record label. Records financed with clothing, messages transported trough sound and vision again. It’ll be kind of extreme but elegant. beauty in harshness. Plus soundtracks, remixes, music for adverts, live gigs. I’ll stop when I’m dead.
So putting out your own record label in 2009 RareNoiseRecords is part of that DIY spirit? In the current state of the music Thank you very much, Eraldo, it was a “industry” is still better to do it yourself? pleasure!
7
The13th U NA R EVISTA IMA GINA RIA