I had the chance to interview Eric Labrie, founder and mastermind of a remarkable darkwave neoclassical outfit called KALTE TRAURIGKEIT from Quebec, Canada.
It's a project that caught my attention as their sound and atmosphere evokes memories of Dreamlike Horror (my own project) with its obscure soundscapes characterized by heavy strings sections and melancholic, mournful sensations. Here is what Eric had to say.
 |
| Kalte Traurigkeit: Eric and Genevieve |
1) Hello Eric, how did the concept of KALTE TRAURIGKEIT come about and develop from its inception to your first album?
Hi Hayam. The concept came after I first listened to bands such as Autumn tears, Dargaard, DVKE. etc. I liked the style so much and it was so inspiring to me that I began to write some parts. I was 16 or 17 at the time. It was in 2000 or 2001, don't remember. But I never really push the project further until 2007. I decided it was time to seriously build up that project, with the intention of creating the most horror like, depressive, sorrowful music possible. So I wrote Equilibrium in that way, a conceptual album introducing a whole trilogy.
Cold sadness represents very well the feeling we want to reproduce in our music, but we thought that this sentence didn't sound really punchy in English, so we translated it to German, which is Kalte Traurigkeit.
No I'm not a
sad person. In my daily life, I'm a father, a boyfriend, like to be with my
friends, as probably everybody haha. Music isn't my full time business yet, but
I work hard to make it possible, with my recording studio and all other
projects I've in mind. 4) Your album has a very dark, classy and melancholic sound. Can you tell us something about the lyrical content of “Equilibrium” and what kind of message you want to convey with your music?
Equilibrium
tells about a man who cannot face his demons, his memories. He has to make
a choice between the hard way of facing them and live or let them kill
him. So it's a complete introspection which will last during the entire 3
albums. The message behind this is really simple: you always have choices in
life. You can live and face some shit, confront it and get stronger, or
abandoned yourself in a depressive and really dark way, which I think isn't a
really nice option.
5) “Equilibrium” is the first album of a trilogy. Have you already written material for two more albums or is it only an idea waiting to be put into music?
I'm working
on the mix, and plan to release it this year. It's taking longer than expected
due to some line-up trouble and my other projects that took a lot of time. But
the result is simply outstanding. A new more complex sound and really
more classically oriented.
6) Do you compose everything yourself in this project or has any other member contributed in the creation of the material?
I compose
everything, except some vocal parts I preferred to leave to Mireille at the
time and to Genevieve now. I write all lyrics, too. But I'm
always open to listen to suggestions, ideas, etc.
7) I
have seen you had some line- up changes. How come and how did this influence
the life of the band? Have you ever considered collaborating with some other
musician or adding more members to your project?
Yeah, the
line-up changed a lot. I tried to make the band a real Quintet, with 2 violins,
a viola, a cello and a bass. I found a cello and a bass player but
they eventually left the band. And a couple of months later Mireille left
too for some personal reasons. So I searched for a new singer, found one
who finally declined the offer, approached several others, and finally found
Genevieve, a really talented soprano.
 |
| Kalte Traurigkeit's soprano Genevieve Roussel |
8) Is there anyone in the music scene that you would dream to work with?
Yes, but
with the new sound of Kalte, I would need a whole orchestra, including a choirs
section. So, for the moment, I'm not looking for other musicians. Maybe some
guest singers, or maybe I'll plan to get some musicians for all the solo parts.
Let's see in the future.
9) What are your plans for the future? Do you plan on supporting your music with an official video?
I plan to
make the project a lot bigger than it is. I would like to make it a reference
in the genre haha. Who knows, dreams are free :) But yes, an
official video would be a nice idea. We are considering that option.
10) If
someone wants to see you live, buy your cd or book you for a gig, where can
they contact you?
The easiest way to contact us is via our Facebook. We have a shop on it and all links to our other pages and other shops such as Bandcamp are there, too. Here are our principal links:
No comments:
Post a Comment