AÑO: 5 | NÚMERO 49
THE 13th UN A R E V IS TA IM A GINA RIA
SEASURFER “VAMPIRES” IS MORE ETHEREAL
"VAMPIRES" IS MORE ETHEREAL [ Interview with Dirk Knight from Seasurfer by Diego Centuriรณn. Photographs: Christian Klepp ]
3 Project born from the head of Dirk Knight in Hamburg (Germany). Seasurfer is known for collaborating with different singers in their work. Dirk was in the so-called "Heavenly Voices" scene with his old band Dark Orange on the German cult label HYPERIUM in the 90s, working with guys like Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins. With Apolonia as vocalist, Seasurfer has recently released an EP called "Vampires".
Hello Dirk! Thank you for agreeing to conduct this interview. To start I will ask about the name of the project, how do you choose the name of Seasurfer? Hi Diego. Seasurfer…I know that it somehow sounds like a surf music band. For me it`s more like the feeling standing on a surfboard making tempo. Some kind of soundsurfing. We are getting slower at the moment, but the idea in the beginning was to play faster songs.
tars created with pedals. Don`t care if it`s from big ones like MBV or smaller bands. But I also was in punk music and darker trip-hop. It was more the atmosphere that catches me.
Just the day I think you're asking questions, it commemorates the first 30 years of the Cocteau Twins album, Blue Bell Knoll, and I thought about the influences, which are? Blue Bell Knoll is a great album. I was working with Robin Guthrie in the past and still happy that he is cool and friendly. Otherwise I have to burn all Cocteau Twins stuff;-) I grew up here in Hamburg with all this music coming over from the UK and of course there are influences. But my main influences is are cool sounding gui-
Just released "Vampires", tell me about him... We just decided with our Label Saint Marie from Texas to release digital Eps and not to wait year to release albums. It feels better to release your songs when you are in their mood. Later our label will do a CD and vinyl with all the digital releases done before.
How come the collaborations with Apolonia and with Änni Bird and Steven Burrows? Apolonia and Änni are from Hamburg too and it`s always better to have band members in town. They are both cool and with Apolonia I share our growing up with dreampop. You don`t find musicians who When do you decide to start compo- are fitting well this easy today. It`s a bigger sing under the name of Seasurfer? gift for me. Steven…he is the former bass It was back in the end of 2013. I became a player from Englands And Also The Trees little bit tired of slower songs I have done and on old friend since we did several suwith my other band Dark Orange. pport shows for them with Dark Orange.
What differences do you find in "Vampires" with respect to "Dive in" and "Under the milky way ... who
cares"? “Vampires� is less noisy and fast, more ethereal. It also depends on the singer and we wanted to create a darker dreampop atmosphere running over the whole EP. It always feels better to create some-
thing different compared to the stuff done before. Do you plan to perform shows? Do you have a band to do it? Who is that band? Only a few next year and only locations
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or cities we are interested in. Fix at the moment is Porto in Portugal next years April, maybe some more to come. We will get more electronic and maybe only me and singer Apolonia will be on stage. We have to get smaller if we want to play cities around the world.
plans do you have for Seasurfer for the remainder of 2018 and next year? At the moment I am working with Elena Alice Fossi from Kirlian Camera to release an EP, mixes will also done by John Fryer who was working with 4AD in the past. Also working on the next EP with my Hamburg singers to come out asap.
To conclude and thank the possibility of conducting this interview ... What Thank you! Thank you, Diego!
Could you do a track by track of "Vampires"?
Into Dust
Darker, ethereal, changes in the atmosphere, working with synthisizers. All instruments done by myself.
Sad Song
More tempo, more like older Seasurfer songs. Lyrics a little bit dedicated to “song to the siren�.
The Calling
Love the Vocals!
Bring Me His Head
Someone just mentioned that the spirit of Robin Guthrie is in it. Did this song live last year and people came over saying it was a so brilliant atmosphere when we did this song.
The13th U NA R EVISTA IMA GINA RIA