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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 0-9 - Random Band El Soter
Rock / Slovenia-
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El Soter Interview
El Soter is Blaž Erzetič´s audio-visual brainchild. Erzetič introduced himself to the audience with Amateur God project (www.amateurgod.com) and three albums: one released in USA (Wampus Multimedia) and two in Germany (Black Rain). This, fourth album, is so different from the predecessors that it needed its own name.
Congratulations on releasing your first album from Neversun Records. How has the response been so far?
Thanks. Album is pretty fresh (from mid April), so we are expecting some larger response in a couple of months. Magazines need months since they receive the material and review it after it´s been in the queue for some time. Some reviews so far have been positive and some reviewers didn´t really catch the point of the album. Anyway, I´ve been contacted by MTV Italia and they wanted the video to be screened by their channels.
Could you give us some idea of the concept behind Appletree of Discord?
Album Appletree of Discord is socio critical sum of eleven songs, a melange of metal, electronica, symphonic elements and vintage rock, everything spiced up with right dose of irony. Despite the album is an observation of the surrounding world, it is made in a sensible and personal approach, ranging from hard-rocking compositions to gentle instrumental songs (Girl in Pink, for Example).
An apple of discord is a reference to the Golden Apple of Discord which, according to Greek mythology, the goddess Eris said would go "to the prettiest" at the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, sparking a vanity-fueled dispute between Hera, Athena and Aphrodite that eventually led to the Trojan War. Thus, "apple of discord" became an euphemism for the core, kernel, or crux of an argument, or for a small matter that could lead to a bigger dispute. Because of this, the Roman goddess corresponding to the Greek Eris was named "Discordia".
The main conceptual drive of the album was the lack of reference points in the human society. The lack of a guiding star and someone that might enlighten us with showing us the way to follow (that´s where El Soter name for the project comes from). Our unstable nature leads us to paradoxes, intolerance and many extreme behaviors including hate.
Was there a point in the making of the album that you´d hit on the sound or concept for it?
The album and its concept were defined before the recording started, despite the El Soter project was meant to be in a different shape. We were in two in the beginning trying to work on some material that would join dance music, some metal, well trained female vocals and classical music. Well, the other person lost the interest and left before we even started. I decided to continue on my own and be free of any obligations and bindings.
How would you describe your songwriting/recording process?
Usually I always start with first 90 seconds of the song and try to record and mix it as close to the way it would sound in the final stage. When satisfied, I continue so to conclude the song. Then I am working on details and final mix.
What effect has new musical technology, such as software synths and samplers, had on your creative process?
Definitely positive. This way I have free hands in the creation process and I can produce music on my own. All I need to do outside computer is playing guitar and recording my voice. Most of other instruments are of electronic nature. This way you make the work of (at least) five people, so the writing (including recording) of a song might take longer time as in the case of a band. But yet, it is way better working on your own.
Do you have a favorite song off Appletree of Discord? Which one?
Honestly, they change. I don´t have a static one in particular. There are times when I prefer Girl in Pink for Example, then Initiation and so on.
There´s a video posted for "The Hail", is this your first video? What was the process of making it like?
The Hail video is a DVD part of the album. Initially was meant to be film shoot, but it would take a massive organization action and I´m bad in this. Then I decided to make it computer generated with intent to display semantically correct sequence of words assembling them into a different sense or even nonsense. Limelight for example is divided into two icons: lime (fruit) and bulb (light). The iconography displayed in the video follows the lyrics of the song.
The video recently won 1st award on Festival 600 in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
The process of making it was pretty long, thou. It took me about six months to complete it.
Are there any tours for Appletree of Discord in this summer or autumn?
Right now I can say they aren´t, because I didn´t gather musicians yet. I might do that in a case of some good gig offer.
What´s your favourite music? That is, what music do you listen to and currently like?
I have kinda 1000 albums at home on CDs and vinyls and I listen practically to all of them. My main influences were for sure MORTIIS, KATATONIA, Oomph!, PARADISE LOST, MEGADETH, RUSH, Mylene Farmer, Smashing Pumpkins and Voivod, but not only. I also enjoy having played NIN, MINISTRY, DISTURBED, Imogen Heap, Porcupine Tree, Iris and so on. So you can see that genres are varying quite a bit, but staying in a range of adult pop, rock, metal and electronica.
Right now I am plenty into NIN.
What are your future plans?
So far this album needs to be promoted and I´ll be working on it for the next year or so. The plan for the next one is making remixes of some songs from my first three albums, those under the project name Amateur God. They will be arranged and played in El Soter´s style. I´ve already started working on it and one song is finished.
Thanks for your time, anything else you´d like to add?
Thanks to you. I´d like to invite you all to visit the site www.elsoter.com for more info. You can sign in the newsletter there, so you´ll be the first to read fresh news about El Soter and my observations that I make about the world and society that surrounds me.
Source: Darkcavalry | Date: 14.03.2011 | Read: 235 | Comments (0) |
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Blaz Erzetic
Vocal
- Interview - 14.03.2011
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