Revista The 13th Número 59 Interviews

AÑO: 6 | NÚMERO 59

THE 13th UN A REV I S TA I M A GI N A RI A

MONO INC. INKRÄKTARE NOVANTA THE CULT OF FREE LOVE / MAGIC SEAS

INDEX INKRÄKTARE 04

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THE CULT OF FREE LOVE MAGIC SEAS 12

MONO INC 22

NOVANTA 28 90

Luncil - Misterios (Single)

Victoria Real - La Lecciรณn

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[ Interview with Dean Garcia y Mark Walbridge by Diego Centuriรณn. ]

INKRAKTARE: ALL ABOUT DEAN GARCIA'S INDUSTRIAL PROJECT WITH MARK WALLBRIDGE

In the universe of Dean Garcia, we continue to discover projects that we did not previously know about. Such is the case today as we encounter Inkräktare, who previously released the album "You Have Reached Your Destination" in 2012. They have just released their second album "We Are Not Really Here. " For this project, Dean Garcia is joined by Mark Wallbridge (a.k.a. Vasko the Pig). Although Rose Berlin (SPC ECO) and Preston Maddox (STFU) also appear, the compositions are primarily by Dean and Mark.

Hi Dean and Mark!

Thank you for speaking with us today.

I did not know about this project earlierandIwaspleasantlysurprised.

To start with, I would like to ask you when and how was this project was born?

Mark: Cheers for having us!

Dean and I first crossed paths after he opened up the first SPC ECO single, Telling You, for remixes. I sent mine in and he liked what I did so said to come find him at the next SPC ECO gig for a chat and he’d buy me a beer.

Later that year I sent him my ‘Seven Nights of Silence’ EP that I’d been working on and he liked it enough to suggest we do some weird stuff together and see how it goes. Turns out it went really well and we released the first EP on the Fwonk label in 2009. We then added a couple of extra tracks to it in 2012 and moved the whole release over to Bandcamp.

Dean, I suppose that your musical voracity is the reason that you have several projects, as if, in the back of your mind, there is always some sound file waiting to come to light, but that you wait for the moment and that a conductive thread appears and forms a line between several songs, and it is only there where you decide to which project those songs will belong. But I understand

that, in this case, you were actually working more with music that Mark had sent you ... Tell us a little about the process of creating these tracks.

Dean: it's a very different kind of collaboration re how the ideas are formed and realised than anything I've done before, ie Mark’s sound source is unlike anything I've worked with before, what's cool or fascinating are the original soundscapes that He sends me are not fully formed as such in any way, they have form but it's abstract, ie no specific arrangements, middles, bridges chorus's etc, they are open to interpretation and can therefor go anywhere, unstructured and unrestricted or constrained by a pre conceived template. From my point of view the aim is to magnify what's there by developing a more defined structure by means of bass and drums or anything I feel works, it's like someone giving you an abstract painting and allowing the other to somehow make it more defined but still maintain and allow the original source to breathe and shine through, what's fascinating to me is the way that process happens, I connect in such a particular way that instead of having to really try or think about how to merge the two it just happens on its own instinctively because the original backdrop is so strong with its unique built in art-mosphere it allows me to just let loose and expand or try things in a cause and affect type

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way that I otherwise would not, this to me is the absolute crucial factor in making collaborative music where it's both inspiring and surprising to put together, I've always said the key to making something you love is to allow unstructured free fall, on the fly no fucks given elements into the recording process, when they happen or you allow and embrace this abandoned approach you'll get something deeper, more expressive and original, working with Mark’s sound ideas does exactly that, not only encourages this it almost taunts or dares you to open up and go there, It's an uplifting collective noise that expresses the very meaning of the collaborative concept, it's also been a fun, stress free punk like approach which again does wonders for the spirit of the record. The fucks are given as in 'is it any good?' But no fucks given as to how it's achieved.

Mark: Yeah it’s been so much fun to

hear what Dean has come back with and what he’s turned those initial ideas into. On a couple of tracks that initial come back was pretty much all that was needed and the track was done.

With most however, we’ve then gone back in and layered in more guitar and atmospheres and vocals. It’s been thoroughly satisfying and we’re both properly chuffed with the results.

Mark, you go by the name "Vasko the Pig". Please tell us a little about this project.

Mark: I’ve been playing bass in an indie band (Paste) with my mates since the nineties but when I fell in love with the sound of bands like Nine Inch Nails and Curve along with the arrival people like Underworld and The Chemical Brothers I really wanted to experiment with the electronic side of things. So I started off with a four track tape recorder and running Casio keyboards through

distortion pedals, that kind of thing.

Then Jester released MUSIC for the PlayStation and I got to play with my first sampler / sequencer which really opened my eyes to the possibilities of electronic music. Which all meant that when I could eventually afford a PC, setting myself up to record music properly was right at the top of my list.

Since then I’ve been putting stuff out initially on the net-label Fwonk and then just via Bandcamp and Soundcloud.

It’s basically me trying to sound like

Trent Reznor producing a My Bloody Valentine record that’s then remixed by the Fuck Buttons..

Not a lot of people pay attention, but I enjoy trying to get better and do new things. And obviously when someone you respect says they want to work you off the back of your efforts, that’s also a very cool thing.

The second album ‘We Are Not Really Here’ is seven years later than your debut album. How long did it

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actually take to write and record these songs?

Mark: So the first album’s actual a decade (!) old but we added two new track to it in 2012 which is why it is dated as 2012. I think we first started swapping sound files in the summer and then it built into a flurry of activity right up till that last couple of weeks of November. That time includes putting the videos together too. Didn’t seem that long looking back though...

What would you say are the key differences between "You Have Reached Your Destination" and "We Are Not Really Here"?

Dean: I feel there is more attention to detail with this new record, it’s more finely tuned and developed, also both of us have embraced new ideas and have learnt new technologies and moved on

regarding recording techniques and engineering / production etc. We’ve both progressed n absorbed more info which affects the sonics of everything.

Mark: Less samples, more guitars!

The first record has loads of samples taken from films like footsteps and bottles smashing and wind and all kinds of things mangled into rhythmic parts and percussion. There’s next to none of that on this one. And I think there’s barely any guitar on the first album whereas they’re everywhere on this one! I think there was more back and forth on this one too. As Dean says I think we took more time to get every little element ‘just so’ on this one.

Oh and vocals! This album has actual songs, the first was nearly entirely instrumental. Rose makes everything she’s on five times better. Preston also gave a good track an actual soul that

turned it into a great track. Dean and in this business.

I also get stuck in which was nervewracking but ultimately rewarding… I Mark: Yup, Shauna think. awesome.

Do I understand correctly that they were recorded in two separate studios? Did anything differ in the creative process compared to the first album?

Dean: Yes but generally that is always the case with collaborators, I tend to work with people that have a fascination with recording and layering sound.

This record was made in the same way as the first album ie swapping ideas n mixes back n forth but as said this time was a more developed introspective process.

Mark: The main difference for me was that no vocals were recorded on my phone while standing in the rain waiting for a bus on the first album. This did however happen on the second ;) Both of you started 2019 with an album and closed it with another.

How has this year been for you?

Dean: This year has been great for me mainly due to a move of home from city to countryside. It’s had a profound affect on my wellbeing and state of mind.

Mark: My most creatively productive year in a long time... if not ever. So yes, brilliant thanks.

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has

been

Do you have any plans for this project in 2020 - maybe you will be playing it live?

Dean: Would be great to take this out but as ever it’s easier said than done.

Should someone make us an offer we can’t refuse then so be it, I think we’d both be open to it but it’s not on the top of the to do list at this time.

Mark: Yeah, never say never. Would be fantastic to hear it at huge volume, I think that’d put a stupid big grin on both our faces!

What is next for Inkräktare or otherwise in your individual trajectories?

Dean: We’re working on visual elements atm with view to releasing as many as we can via YouTube in the coming months, also I’m about to continue on with the new SPC ECO record with Rose, Mark will be involved heavily with that so the plot thickens as they say.

Mark: Yup, with any luck we can manage a video for every single track, will see how it goes. Still got some cool ideas to work on from that perspective so plenty to do.

Plus putting together some noise and sonic doodles for potential SPC ECO inclusion. Maybe even buy some weird guitar pedals to play with if enough people buy the album eh

Dean, I understand that you are working with Shameless Promotion PR again for this album?

Dean: Yes, Shauna at Shameless has taken this on as a new artist project, which we are very happy about. I’ve Is there anything you would like to worked with Shameless for sometime share with our readers? now – we have a strong mutual respect Dean: We Are Not Really Here so best and understanding, which is very rare make the most of it. Oh and thanks for

listening / reading. X Mark: Enjoy the music. It’s the best original sound-track album ever made for that film they said could never be made!

Be excellent to each other ;) Cheers Diego, appreciate the support man x ÂĄthanks Dean and Mark!

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[ Interview with Scott Causer from The Cult of Free Love and John y James Prudence from Magic Seas

by Diego Centuriรณn. ]

THE PSYCHEDELIC POSTMAN

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A few weeks ago a split was released that brings together The Cult of Free Love and Magic Seas, simply called "The Cult of Free Love / Magic Seas." In 2016, we interview The Cult of Free Love on the occasion of the release of the album "Love Revolution" and Magic Seas are really new, so while with one band we catch up, we will discover the other. And then we will realize that this division has several stories to tell us.

Hi Guys, thanks for allowing us to do this interview.

We are going to divide this interview into three parts, the first one will be for The Cult of Free Love and the second one will be for MS. And the end will unify and will be questions for both bands.

Parte 1: The Cult of Free Love Thinking about our first interview, what has happened in the life of the band until it reaches this Split?

The debut album came about off the back off a minor indie hit I had called ‘Love Is All There Is’ with Deep Distance Records. I’d recorded it solo as part of The Electric Mainline album (which has still never been completed) and uploaded it as The Cult of Free Love for a laugh and to see what reaction it’d get whilst maintaining anonymity. The single took off in a way I never expected and following that Wrong Way Records wanted to do a record.

I roped in some old friends from my days at Northern Star Records and recorded some tracks for an EP. The EP then quickly became much more and I ended up presenting Wrong Way with an album. ‘Love Revolution’ had an

amazing reception and sold out very quickly.

After this there was nothing, so it was a case of starting from scratch again. I didn’t want to repeat the music on Love Revolution, I wanted it to evolve, so over these last 3 years since the album’s release, I’ve been trying out lots of different ideas, sometimes on my own, sometimes with different people. There was a limited solo single which came out in 2018 and sold out in a day, but since then I’ve been recording and recording and waiting for the right time, which is NOW! The 2nd album is now fully recorded and ready to go and I ended up with more tracks than I knew what to do with. On the same day as the 12” came out we released a cassette EP on an Italian cassette label called 1Q84Tapes which I recorded with Andy, an old friend from North Wales. It has a Stranger Things / Warp Records vibe going for it. The cover is a mountain which overlooks the village where I’m from in North Wales.

Being a sound collective, musicians come and go in band formation. How is the line-up you had in these two songs?

I love being in bands but when it comes to the creative process I can find them restrictive as I like recording with different people. For the 12” the first track ‘Visions’ was recorded with

Tim from SnowDonnas, a Texan shoegaze band who appeared on the first ever Northern Star compilation alongside Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Black Angels, The Telescopes, The Electric Mainline, Stevenson Ranch Davidians and many more. The 2nd track ‘Substance’ was a track I recorded and sent to megaheadphoneboy to remix. MHPB is my old friend Andy from the same town as me in

North Wales.

They continue to maintain that halo of mystery in the band, in these years has the anonymity of its members become more difficult?

The anonymity wasn’t too difficult at the beginning. I felt it was important that it be judged separate from my work with Northern

Star and The Electric Mainline. It was fun watching people react to it. I even had people recommending me my own music, which I thought was very funny. This time I want to get out and play more with different members appearing so it’s inevitable that people will find out who’s involved. It served a purpose initially, but it no longer matters.

I have noticed that after the album "Love Revolution" the psychedelia of the band has become more electronic, how does this change come to the heart of the band?

I’ve always used electronics in my music.

My first ever EP and album were both electronic and there’s 3 electronic tracks on Love Revolution. Electronics do feature on the new album, but it also features a whole load of guitars.

A new album is coming ... Tell us something about it.

It’s a complete contrast to what we’ve done before. It’s a lot darker than ‘Love Revolution’ and it has a very different vibe from the 12”, however the people I’ve played it to have

compared it to Primal Scream, New Order and The Chemical Brothers. Make of that what you will. It features a whole load of people.

Some who appeared on ‘Love Revolution’ and some who are playing with us for the very first time. I’m very proud of it. I hope it will reach even more people than the last one.

To finish this first part...

How is the contact between the band and Magic Seas? And how was the idea of this Split born?

John from Magic Seas ordered a record from me online. Thanks to a psychedelic postman in Essex the record went missing, so after John contacted me to find out where his record was, it became apparent that it was me from Northern Star. It turned out John and his brother James had been avid collectors of Northern Star releases and had even been down to our shows in London. James has been in another band who had toured Japan and he came across the Northern Star Psychedelica compilations in a record shop whilst touring over there.

Anyway John played me Magic Seas, I

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loved what I heard and said maybe we should make a split EP. We met up a few times, had some drinks and got on like a house on fire and thought it’d be a brilliant idea. I had 2 tracks ready to go (which are not the ones I ended up going with) and they were heading into the studio to record 2 tracks. In the meantime, we recorded a brand new track and the 12” ended up being the way it is.

I’m very happy with it. Both sides are very different, like ying and yang, but there’s something that connects them and makes it work as a whole. We had a lot of fun making it happen... and it’s all thanks to a psychedelic tea-leaf postman in Essex.

Parte 2: Magic Seas.

How was Magic Seas born and how did Hi Magic Seas, thanks for letting me ask the band's name come about? you some questions.

James: It came together during a period of Before I begin, I would like you to a lot of change for us both. introduce the members of Magis Seas.

The name is a reference to Debussy and the John Prudence - Vocals, Drums influence of Hokusai, but what takes us to the James Prudence - Vocals, Guitar best places are the magic seas.

We will continue this interview by asking the last question I have asked The Cult of Free Love.

How do you know The Cult of Free Love?

And how was the idea of this Split born?

John: Exactly as Scott answered earlier really! Everything just seemed to come full circle.

James: The EP release has been great, there's really been a buzz around it which has made it even more special.

These two songs were produced by Mark Gardener de Ride, as were his first two singles. How did they get Mark to produce them?

James: I had contacted Mark's manager about another project we were involved in which soon after came to an early end. I had a few demos of some new songs I'd written and so ended up sending those to his manager purely by chance, shortly after Mark himself got in touch to say he really liked the songs, which ended up putting us in the very lucky

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position of having him involved with Magic Seas from the very start.

John: It’s been amazing working with Mark, its had a really positive effect on us.

Although I have seen that they are a duet, do you plan to add another musician to the band?

James: No - although this is not to say we are putting any limitations on what we are doing - but what started out as a necessity has now become a real strength.

Keeping things simple with just the two of us in the group means we can really keep the focus on the songs, and the space that that brings is also a key part of our sound.

John: We try to see it as a small orchestra where we are playing the best parts for our songs rather than being restricted to specific roles, even though we are mainly expressing this through guitar, vocals and percussion.

Parte 3:

too, so it's been really exciting to see that We unify the interview and go questions hypnotic sound happen live with the release! for both bands.

Tell us something about each of these How do you currently see the psychedelic tracks of the Split, about the songs of your scene worldwide? band and about the songs of the other Scott: For me it’s become very boring. A lot band. of bands sound the same. I love psychedelia as a genre due to its endless possibilities, but Side Cult of Free Love the scene needs a re-imagining. This is one Visions - Substance of the reasons I hooked up with Magic Seas.

Scott: For our side both tracks came I thought they were doing something a bit together very quickly and very naturally. different. We’re like-minded souls who want There is significant gap in time between to make psychedelia but make it our own way both tracks being recorded but they work with our own twist. perfectly together. Visions is me and Tim (SnowDonnas) and Substance is me and James: As psychedelia is an influence I Andy (Megaheadphoneboy). Visions doesn’t think for us we're in the fortunate position of sound like anyone else to me. Substance has the ethereal aspect of our sound allowing us a distinct Stranger Things / Warp Records to be a part of it, but not necessarily defined vibe, but none of that is deliberate. We just as it. go with the flow.

I think what has emerged over the past I wouldn’t like to speculate on the Magic decade or so - in which the foundations were Seas’ side. I love it very much, but only they undoubtedly laid by the likes of Northern Star can tell you what was going through their - has played an important part in keeping minds when they wrote and recorded it. I just underground guitar music alive and there enjoy it for what it is. For me it’s a hark back has been some brilliant stuff come out of it to more innocent times, but it’s also bang up- in recent years. We supported Levitation to-date... it has a timeless quality.

Room last year and they were great and The Asteroid No. 4 have long been one of ours Side Magic Seas favs and their last record was incredible.

Count In Three's As with any scene though, in my opinion James: This song started with a riff that there are also a lot of bands around at the John wrote, which became the main hook of moment that are sounding very similar and the song. I then put the choruses around it. the space rock thing has been done to death.

It's about trying to understand change.

John: Great to have The Lovetones back!

Long Winter John: This is one of the first songs we really Is this a beginning of future worked out and arranged as a partnership. collaborations?

It’s about holding on to your hopes against Scott: I’m sure to get Magic Seas roped in the realisation that there is no escaping time. for a track for album no 3 whether they like it or not haha - watch this space! We’ll definitely James: We both feel the electronic side to be doing some shows together in 2020.

The Cult Of Free Love really shines on the EP and we've all been so pleased with how the James: We hope so too! It's been great four different songs sit so well together. I think seeing the EP release all unfold, who knows it also suits how Scott is taking things forward where it will take us all next.

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And to end this interview and thanking them for the possibility ...

What are your plans for 2020?

Scott: I want to get the 2nd album out there into the world, finish recording the 3rd (I’m already deep in that one) and get out there and play to anyone who wishes to hear us.

John: We have a new single out in the new year... ready our tour dates with The Cult Of Free Love!

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[ Entrevista a Martin Engler de Mono Inc. por Diego Centuriรณn. ]

BIGGER AND LOUDER: MONO INC.'S JOURNEY THROUGH THE INQUISITION

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Undoubtedly one of the German bands with more presence in Gothic rock for many years. A band that is a favorite number in many European festivals of the genre. A few weeks before publishing a new album, "The Book Of Fire", announced on January 24, we had the opportunity to interview vocalist Martin Engler and this is what he told us...

Hi guys! Before starting this interview, I want to thank you for chatting with us today. It is an honor to ask questions of a band with so much history and such a solid discography In 2020, you are celebrating your 20th anniversary. How would you summarize these two decades?

The first ten years were marked by a fight against windmills, hard work and self-discovery. Finding out, what you really want to do (and what you can do best) and creating a unique sound, that's always the hardest for bands in general. Most bands break up because of this challenge, which is a pity. But we were always there for each other, encouraged each other again and again and we managed to keep our dream alive. When one of us was disillusioned, the others were there and tranformed their feelings into positive energy. “Now more than ever", that was somewhat of a motto for us.

The next decade was completely different for us: it began with our first top 10 success and suddenly a lot of doors opened for us, which we knocked on for years in vain. If the knot looses stuff suddenly happens so quickly and before you realise it, you aren't a small

band anymore. Luckily we all kept being grounded because of the first decade, so the success now humbles us, but we will never forget where we came from.

Twenty years after your inception, how do you see the Gothic rock scene today worldwide?

It's not left for us to judge other bands.

So we maintain a low profile in that regard. In general we feel like GOTHIC, for it being a very emotional genre, is being consumed more and more again.

Not a miracle, for the world we live in hasn't exactly become more beautiful within the years.

The technological advances in the past 2 decades have been rather dizzying. How have you adapted to these changes in the way you distribute your music and connect with your fans?

Our label is doing all the distribution, as well as the handling of all the streaming networks. We don't take care of that ourselves. But of course we took the possibility of social media to have our fans experience the growing of the band at first hand. Something like “MONO INC. TV" on YouTube is one of the lost favoured series for our fans.

With so many years and so many albums behind you, there’s so many things I would like to ask you, but I’ll keep my focus on 2019. About your beautiful work like "Symphonic Live", what was it like to coordinate your music with string musicians?

Because all of our Songs are created on piano or acoustic guitar, it was just a bit different to arrange the music for an orchestra with rockband. Because back in the mid 90s I lived in LA for a while and made my lifelihood with composing movie soundtracks, it wasn't completely new for me to compose a song for orchestra.

But we definitely made a dream come true for us with the Symphonic Tour and the respective album. We were so blown away by the wall of sound and enjoyed everything so much, so this is certainly not the last time we're going to bring this concept to the stage and recordings. But for a change it just had to get loud again with THE BOOK OF FIRE!

The main theme of the new album is the Inquisition. Did you take some time out to research this subject or what is your fascination with this theme?

Already while researching for the previous album “Welcome To Hell" I stumbled upon a incredible story: the German city Trier is paying blood money to the church up onto this day.

The trial, in which a alleged sorcerer was sentenced to death, was 430 years ago – and the church refuses to this day to relinquish those payments! Thus the idea was born to dedicate an album to the alleged witchcraft and heresy.

You maintain a very particular aesthetic and, from the outside, it looks very meticulous. How do you go about setting this stage, so to speak, for Mono Inc.?

We pretty much know exactly how the whole package should look like to make us satisfied. Luckily we have a very competent team around us, which scribbles, sketches and taylors as long Through the singles you’ve as it takes to leave everybody satisfied. released ahead of the new album, we can hear a Mono Inc. that is perhaps Your new album is coming soon heavier than we encountered on and you already have many shows previous albums. Is that indeed the announced. Where in the world would you like to play that you case?

For sure! As said: we loved the haven't already performed?

Symphonic concept – but for us calm We've never been to South- or is always followed by a Storm. That's Middle-America! Truly! We've never what makes life interesting and for us made it farther south than Austin/TX. it was always like that. We're always This would certainly be an interesting looking for another challenge. If there experience. As far as I know, something were none, our inner fire would just in the likes of this is negotiated right in extinguish. And that exact fire is the this moment. I'm excited! engine of MONO INC. Thank You Martn!

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[ Interview with Manfredi Lamartina from Novanta by Benjamín York. ]

NOVANTA: MUSIC IS EVOLUTION

In our number 29, in August 2016 we were talking with Manfredi for the first time about his project called “Novanta” that belongs to a group of bands that is usually called “Italogaze”. Today we are facing a new release “Some Are Stars” which is his new EP, so we contacted again to update them.

Hi Manfredi, thanks for agreeing to do this interview.

We have not talked for a long time and with the departure of the new Novanta EP, “Some Are Stars”, it seemed an excellent opportunity to know the present of the band.

Thank you for getting in touch with me again.

And thanks for the cool work you’re doing with your magazine.

Back in our number 29 (August 2016) we have conducted an interview for “Hello we're not enemies”, three years have passed since this. What has happened in these years in Novanta?

Just after the release of “Hello we’re not enemies”, I found myself stuck in the most common and most frightening condition a musician must face: I wasn’t happy about the new songs I was composing. And I realized that I wasn’t evolving as a composer. Then something happened: one day I accidentally deleted all the new demos I was recording since “Hello we’re not enemies” dropped. It had been a tragedy: I’m talking about 30 songs, more or less. But it had been liberating, too, like a brand new starting point. I needed to rethink about Novanta: no more as a solo, bedroom music-oriented project, but as a real band. Luckily, a great friend of mine, Agostino Financo Burgio, moved to Milan (the city I live): back in 2007 we released an album with an italian indie rock band called Moque. So we wanted to make some good noise together again. Agostino is a great drummer and he helped me to change radically my composition approach. It took three years to compo-

se four songs: better late than never.

With respect to the previous EP, you have again changed the course of Novanta's music. Now two different artists participate, Dario Torre (Stella Diana) and Marco Barzetti (True Sleeper). Tell us about the sound change in this EP and how much did your collaborators influence the result?

Oh well, they are wonderful. Stella Diana are one of the most important shoegaze bands here in Italy (and one of the best shoegaze live acts worldwide). True Sleeper is a young, talented dream pop artist whose new album, “Life happened”, is one of my favourites of 2019. Both of them gave some magic to Novanta’s sound and transformed these songs in something more epic and powerful.

The sound of "Some Are Stars" is very well achieved; those layers of guitars create a hypnotic effect. How long has it taken you to write and record the songs?

As I said, it took no less than three years to shape these four songs. I was looking for more impact and a clearer sound. So I gave up with home recordings and I went to a a studio. I love to play my guitar with a lot of reverb, but sometimes reverb is very hard to manage because it can overwhelm the whole song. So I worked a lot on those guitar layers, trying to built a wall of sound made by noise and melody. On “Outside noise” if you pump the volume up (very up) you can hear at least ten different guitars having fun all together.

Times are changing rapidly and technology is advancing rapidly. What has surprised you at the technological level lately that you apply today to Novanta?

The iPad is a very funny gadget that lets me play some weird tune in a very user friendly way. The tablet is part of the Novanta studio and live set, it helps me to add a modern yet nostalgic feeling to the songs.

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I will ask you a question that is born from a personal feeling. "La paura fa" and "Lovers" have some sound connection, maybe in some melody.

Wow, I hadn’t realized this connection before! I hear a similarity in the atmosphere rather than in the melody, it’s what I like to call “ceiling-gazing” music. Or punk for introverted people. “La paura fa” is the very first Novanta song: written and composed in 2011, it’s a song about not feeling scared to be scared. It’s a bolero, a slowcore bolero. And “Lovers” is a slowcore bolero too.

We talk about "Some Are Stars." Tell me something about each track of the EP.

Outside Noise

I was desperately trying to make a full, epic, straight to your ears shoegaze song. So we built a sonic world with a lot of noise and a lot of reverb. Dario Torre from Stella Diana made a huge vocal line that fit perfectly with the sounds.

The Plot Thickens

This song is about “Game of Thrones”. It’s not a joke: we were recording the track in the studio and meanwhile me and the producers were talking about the final season of the series, making some strange theory about the last episodes.

To Realize

The first version of this song was faster, angrier, more distorted.

Then we decided to slow down, putting an unusual drumming on it. And finally Marco/True Sleeper came and let his breathtaking voice fly high.

Lovers

I composed this song in 2016, but it was very different, with no guitars at all and a lot of synths. Not a great track, indeed. The new version is better, trust me.

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The end of 2019. How was this year for Novanta?

A wonderful year. A new record. A new band. It’s a dream come true.

In addition, what can we expect by 2020?

We are planning to some concerts with a full band that includes Annalisa Vetrugno on bass and Giuseppe Musto on synth. We are having fun together and we’re looking forward to play live.

To finish and thanking the time you have spent answering my questions.

Throughout these years of Novanta, what do you think you should change and what to continue?

I should change something but I don’t want to change everything related to Novanta, because in my opinion music is evolution, not revolution.

Thanks Manfredi !!!

The13th

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