Interview with: Randal Collier-Ford, Neizvestija, Darkrad and Simon Heath of Atrium Carceri and Sabled Sun
Conducted by: Michael Barnett

This interview was originally published on Terra Relicta Dark Music Webmagazine back in October of 2015. Tomaz has been kind enough to allow me to re-publish this interview on This Is Darkness.

Azathoth was unleashed on the world in 2015. The collaboration by the Cryo Chamber collective was the second in their series of Lovecraft albums. The series started with Cthulhu and in the time since this publication Nyarlathotep has also been added to the series. The following interview gets some insights about the Azathoth album from a few of the artists involved.

Michael: Were you very familiar with Azathoth going into this project?

Neizvestija: Yes, I have read a lot of Lovecraft, but not incorporated it into my work prior to the Cthulhu album.

Randal Collier-Ford: I want to say that I have held some sort of influence from the work of H.P. Lovecraft in degree, I have always had such atmosphere tied together with other inspirations for individual tracks here and there. Just nothing solely taken from his work.

Michael: How did you find inspiration for the sounds you would use?

Neizvestija

Neizvestija: The image of darkness and desolation in outer space.

Michael: Do you have a favorite H.P. Lovecraft themed film or video game?

Randal Collier-Ford: Oh yes, Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of The Earth. It was the first game I owned for Xbox when I was a teenager, and it scared the piss out of me within the first hour. So I knew it would stick with me forever in a great way, and its atmosphere helped me realize what I loved in dark atmospheres.

Michael: Did you use more of your own sounds or did you pull heavily from others’ collections?

Neizvestija: Mostly my own. Main theme of my track is borrowed though.

Randal Collier-Ford

Randal Collier-Ford: I pulled mostly from other people, because I wanted to challenge myself to do something I had no control over creating. Additionally, it was so exciting to see and play with the raw materials from people that I respect to no end, and I look up to as artists (I did feel a little bit like a fan boy while working with these sounds).

Michael: This was quite an experiment, collaborating with so many artists in this way, did you enjoy the overall process?

Darkrad: Absolutely. I have never collaborated with such a large amount of artists at the same time. In fact, I don’t collaborate much at all. I was always a loner on my creative path. It’s not easy to find the right person, the right mood that matches what you have inside, and it’s not easy to trust something very personal. I have done some remixes and live sessions with the other musicians, but never anything similar to this kind of project. But despite my sometimes isolated and self-centered approach to art, I always search for the new ways and I open my mind to anything that might be interesting and that will allow new discoveries. The process of this collaboration was fantastic, very well organized and highly interactive. It was exciting to listen to the work of the others evolving and elaborating into a finished piece. I’ve already known some participating artists personally, but I was also able to discover the art of musicians, who I didn’t know before.

Randal Collier-Ford: It was a dream come true, the thought of working so closely with such fantastic artists, men and women who are carrying the torch for a new generation of Dark Ambient artists, as well as veterans I grew up listening to, its mind blowing. I couldn’t ask for anything else.

Darkrad

Michael: Did this large collaboration bring something extra out in you as an individual artist you weren’t expecting?

Darkrad: I definitely enjoyed this kind of work, when it’s not just one or two musicians getting together to record a joint piece, but it’s a whole team of individuals, with their own thoughts and approaches, from different parts of the world, merge their skills to create something beautiful and remarkable. I thought of this project as something global from one side, but very intimate from the other. I could feel this intimacy from the sounds of the others and I could feel it speaking out in myself too.

Michael: Was it more chaotic working with so many artists this time around, or did everything synchronize smoothly as you envisioned?

Simon Heath

Simon: With more artists, there is a lot more work to be done on my side when trying to orchestrate it, it also adds considerable time to the process since some artists are out playing live so the synchronization can be an issue. It took 3 months longer compared to Cthulhu to complete Azathoth.

Michael: Will you do more H.P. Lovecraft themed albums in the future, or are there other mythos you would like to delve into?

Simon: We are already in the pre-planning stages of something for next year. Lovecraft as it turns out is a huge inspiration to all the artists and is something that binds our sounds together very well. As for other mythos, I would like to explore the cradle of civilization with other artists, Sumerian or Egyptian mythology. But that is not something we are currently planning for.
(editor’s note: The album he alludes to here would later form into what we now know as Nyarlathotep which pushed the limits even further with more artists involved, culminating in a three disc 3+ hour album.)

Michael: You have been part of a lot of collaborations recently: Onyx with Apocryophos and Kammarheit, Cthulhu with 13 artists, Sacrosanct with Eldar, is this becoming your favorite way of composing music, or do you still prefer to do things on your own often?

Simon: I love to collaborate with other artists if we are on the same page. As for Onyx, Kammarheit and Apocryphos turned out to be very easy to work with. We shared many philosophies on sound design and we separated our egos enough from the project that each one could let his strengths shine and let other artists carry each other’s weaknesses. Mutual respect creates good collaboration and when I am in a space where I can share my accumulated studio knowledge with someone that is on an equal level, it makes things very interesting when they come back with their own knowledge and share it with me. It results in all of us progressing in our fields faster and more importantly creating spectacular art. I do like to produce as a solo artist a lot, and it’s a completely different approach I use for that.

Michael: Does Azathoth sound as you originally envisioned or did it evolve into something none of you were expecting?

Simon: Not at all and that’s the beauty of such a behemoth of a collaboration. I may be orchestrating Azathoth, but I function more as a guide in the process and we have a very open line of communication on the label about both collaborations such as this and the label in general. We function more as a collective with me at the helm of the ship trying to get us to our destination.

Cryo Chamber links: Official website, Facebook, Bandcamp

Interview with: Vinterriket
Conducted by: Michael Barnett

Vinterriket is mainly a dark ambient artist, though some albums move more into black metal or neo-folk directions. For the past two decades Vinterriket has been honing their style, with many albums to show for their effort. With a new album release on the horizon, now seemed like a good time to catch up with the man behind Vinterriket and find out a bit about his plans and inspirations.

Michael: I first encountered your music through the split you worked on with Northaunt many years ago. Do you know each other personally or was this the doing of a label?

Vinterriket: Hi Michael. The first split with Northaunt from Norway was released in 2002 if I remember correctly (in the form of a 7” EP). We did not know each other personally. I think it was me who contacted Northaunt because I thought it would be a great idea and because I thought the styles / the concept / the atmosphere fits. It was the time when Northaunt had the “Ominous Silence” CD out. It is a great record. The 7” EP turned out really great, I think. After the first split 7” EP release, various other Vinterriket/ Northaunt versions and releases saw the light of day (limited CD-r/MC-version/CD 2004/another 7”EP). Back 15 years ago, I was actually the man behind Neodawn Productions and I released the first 7” EP of Vinterriket/ Northaunt myself.

Michael: Your music takes on many different forms, from dark ambient, to black metal, some instrumental, some with spoken words. Is there a central concept behind all these different styles or do you allow your music to move in any direction you choose?

Vinterriket: Vinterriket is only influenced by the dark side of nature, nothing else. Sure, you get influenced by many things around you if you want or not, you can even say by ALL things around you: Friends, books, films, landscapes, pictures, etc.
But my main source of inspiration is the “night-side” of nature. Nature is all and everything to me. I am a “nature-child” so to speak and I have a very close relationship to nature. All Vinterriket tracks so far have been odes to the dark side of Mother Nature. Of course I prefer dark, melancholic and moody places and landscapes. I really like to walk around alone in autumn and winter through stormy, snowy, misty and cold woods… We have a lot of great dark and powerful places here in our area where you can really feel the energy and might of nature. Well, maybe there are some people out there saying that I’m repeating myself (with regards to releases) but I do not think so. Different music styles also reflect different tributes to the dark side of nature. Vinterriket’s music expresses a lot of feelings and atmospheres, just like nature itself. At one point the music turns more warm, romantic and “sunny” at the other point more dark, cruel or frightening. But the dark aspect is very dominant, I think. I am of the opinion that Vinterriket is very connected to the north because of the nature- aspect. Ice, coldness, loneliness, dark winter nights, northern lights, endless & vast landscapes, mysterious forests,… The list is long.

Michael: Do you often perform live? Do you have any favorite venue where you have performed in the past? Where would be your ideal location for a concert / festival?

Vinterriket: Up ‘til now Vinterriket has never played live, maybe in the future? Who knows… This mainly depends on finding other competent session musicians. The music is mainly pure Ambient as you know. So it is senseless to make live-shows, at least in my opinion. In general, Vinterriket’s music is absolutely NOT made to be performed live in crappy concert halls. People should listen to it individually at home during the uttermost darkness. If there would be a gig it would be something very special, I am sure. But there are absolutely no plans for a live-show right now. And 2nd, it would be difficult to perform the stuff live, too. But on the other hand I have several offers for live shows lying here. People are asking more and more about it. But I do not know… Maybe I’ll do gig or more in the future, we’ll see what the future will bring. In the past I had mentioned in several interviews that plans existed to bring Vinterriket to stage in spring 2005 with the help of some session members. Unfortunately those plans died due to one session member leaving the live line-up because of several reasons. With his departure the plans to bring Vinterriket on stage were laid on ice now…. Maybe the plan has died forever….I am seldom attending gigs, actually. I prefer to listen to the stuff at home. I haven’t really thought about any live gig in the last months and years. Playing on a mountain or in the forest would be perfect for a Vinterriket performance.

Michael: Where is your hometown? Does this area have an affect on the style of your music?

Vinterriket: At the moment I live in the countryside in Switzerland. It is a nice area here and the mountains are not far. My hometown is in the countryside of southern Germany. As the dark side of nature is the main source of inspiration for Vinterriket, the place where I live definitely has an influence. I think the translation of the text included in the booklet of the 2004 CD “Landschaften ewiger Einsamkeit” (Landscapes of eternal emptiness) expresses the situation with nature being an influence very well and is valid for all my records released so far. Here is an excerpt… There is nothing to add, I think:

“Landschaften ewiger Einsamkeit” is a tribute to the night and the shadowed obscurity that is exclusive to nature, and should be understood as such. It is a conceptual work which was created with the intention of describing the dark side of nature through music and to transform its atmosphere into tonal soundscapes. The content of this CD is not music in the conventional sense; it is dark, natural, and mystical art. The title of the CD translates in English to “Landscapes of eternal emptiness/solitude”. Like the title of the CD describes, it includes soundscapes that make the listener envision solemn lands. The musical interpretations (put simply) are desolate, dark, and mysterious. Nothing more, nothing less… Similar to the way that the dark side of nature can express variations of conflicting atmospheres, “Landschaften ewiger Einsamkeit” also reflects different sceneries, moods and “landscapes” of human emotion, if you will. It is only of this melancholic, dark, cold, moody and unique realm of nature’s obscured darkness that this work resides within, and it does not deviate from this at all. This CD shouldn’t be compared with technical, or so-called “industry standards,” and furthermore should not be connected with them in any way. This work was consciously created without the inclusion of predictable passages. Sublime silence, coldness and solitude are presented in it’s place. Other than what has already been stated, this work was not created to simply portray depressing-sounding song titles. “Landschaften ewiger Einsamkeit” is timeless and should be regarded as a complete work. Anyone who finds their way into a mysterious and dark realm while listening to this CD has understood “Landschaften ewiger Einsamkeit”. Anyone else should simply ignore this record. In order to capture the correct atmosphere of this record, it should be listened to during the uttermost darkness.”

Michael: How old were you when you first began working on dark ambient music?

Vinterriket: The story/ history of Vinterriket is quite boring and nothing special, I think. I have started the whole project back in late 1996 when I was a young boy. In the early days the whole thing was very slow and I was not 100% behind it. The first demotape was released in early 2000 or in the end of 1999, I think. So it took 3 years to finish the stuff. This was mainly because of bad equipment and so on. After the release of the demo the whole thing became more serious and I totally focused on the project. Up ‘til now many EP’s, CD’s Demos and so on have been published on different labels around the globe. Too many stuff to mention, actually. Vinterriket was founded because of my endless love to the dark side of Mother Nature. I wanted to express my feelings and the way I see nature through this kind of art in order to satisfy myself. Principally, I make music ONLY for myself, for nobody else. If others like the music, too: Ok. If not, I do not care at all. Of course it is great to see that many others share the same feelings, that many others have the same visions/ landscapes/ feelings inside when listening to the music of Vinterriket and that many others interpret my lyrics as I’d do myself. Then I see they got the point I want to express. Others listen to the stuff and they understand simply nothing of what I wanted to express. But as I said: I do not care at all and it’s ok. Vinterriket is me and I am Vinterriket. No other members have been included in the past.

Michael: Sound design was so much different before computers and DAW programs made things simpler. When you first started out, was the recording process much different for you than it is today?

Vinterriket: Yes, that is correct. In the past I used 4/8-track recording machines and real keyboards. The process of creating and recording music was definitely different and more complicated. Nowadays, with software synthesizers there are many more possibilities I would say. These new technologies also bring new inspiration. The old stuff I composed as a teenager back in 1996/1997 was only heard by a few close friends and it seemed that they liked it, though the sound was very bad. I had no good recording- equipment. I borrowed the synthesizer and the recording-equipment from our local school…! Some of the old riffs you can hear in the first song of the demotape’2000 called “…Gjennom Tåkete Skogen”, but of course a little bit differently arranged. I do not even have these old recordings anymore. I lost them or erased them… I don’t know. Or there is no device that can actually play the material anymore.

Michael: You have a large discography. For a newcomer to your sounds, what would be your recommended album for them to hear first?

Vinterriket: This is a very difficult question. If people are into Dark Ambient, I would recommend listening to Landschaften ewiger Einsamkeit – it is my 2004-release.

Michael: What can we expect on the new album? Will there be surprises or is this going to stay similar to previous releases?

Vinterriket: The new album will be released this summer 2017 and is entitled Nachtfülle. The album will be released in a limited edition only by a French label. There won’t be any surprises. This time it is a pure dark ambient album again, no lyrics, no, vocals. Again, the album is very moody, depressive and atmospheric, here and there also quite hypnotic.

Michael: You have some beautiful frozen landscapes as your album art on many releases. How important is the album art to the greater picture for you? Do you usually create these covers yourself or do you have a favorite photographer with whom you collaborate?

Vinterriket: The cover- pictures/booklet pictures should always fit 100% to the music. I am of the opinion that the layout and the pictures on my records fit perfectly to the music. The pictures I used on covers / booklets and so on have more or less ALL been taken by me. I am proud to use self-made pictures and not to steal them in the internet like others do. Photography is a great field of art. I have created all the artworks of my releases so far (almost…. there are some exceptions when it comes to re-releases). Layout, music and lyrics are always going hand in hand within Vinterriket, therefore I have chosen dark “nature-layouts” in order to underline the music. Vinterriket’s music is a tribute to the dark side of nature, exclusively, nothing more and nothing less. I am of the opinion that a record consists of four main parts which should perfectly fit together: format (extravagant packing), lyrics, music and artwork. I am of the opinion that black/white covers/booklets are fitting best to Vinterriket’s music. I’ll probably never use coloured stuff…Lyrics, song-titles and pictures are very important to me. Music, lyrics and pictures (layout in general) should go hand in hand to underline each other. All three components should melt together and the whole thing should be considered as union. And therefore I always use black/white booklets/covers because nothing would fit better, I think. For example, Winterschatten, …und die Nacht kam schweren Schrittes and Landschaften ewiger Einsamkeit are conceptional releases exclusively. On all mentioned records layout, packing, music and lyrics (titles) are perfectly fitting together in order to become “ONE”!

Michael: How does your studio space look? Do you just have a laptop and midi keyboard, or is there an elaborate set-up of analog synths and the like?

Vinterriket: I actually use both – Some analogue synths and software –synths together with a midi-keyboard that is connected to the computer.

Michael: Do you have any favorite artist in the dark ambient scene, or some specific album that you listen to the most frequently?

Vinterriket: Not really. I more focus on individual songs instead of albums. I am actually not listening to music that much anymore. There are definitely some great artists – too many to mention. I mostly like music that also reflects and expresses the dark side of nature.

Michael: Our modern world seems to be in a bad state sometimes. Do you think the apocalypse is coming? If so, how do you think it will happen?

Vinterriket: Yes, it is worrying with regards to the modern world. But I think it is also realistic that e.g. something from space hits us,… or e.g. a natural disaster. But technology and digitalisation is also scary.

Michael: Thank you very much for your time, I’ll leave the last words to you!

Vinterriket: Thanks for the interview Michael.

Vinterriket links: Official Site, Facebook

Here is the link to an interesting and beautifully executed video interview with Vinterriket from 2015 created by: Highelvetia Movies. Link.

Interview with: Stuzha
Conducted by: Michael Barnett

Stuzha is a dark ambient artist from Siberia, in the northern reaches of Russia. In a frigid environment like Siberia, it is no surprise that Stuzha gravitates toward a polar ambient style. The music is heavy in field recordings and takes the listener on an aural journey through these frozen lands. With a re-issue of his debut album, and the possibility of something new on the way, it seemed like the perfect time to interview Daniil, the man behind the music. Put on your warmest coat, because the music and conversation are about to take you into the sub-zero environs that many of us will never experience first-hand. 

Michael: Thank you so much, Daniil, for agreeing to speak with me about your dark ambient project, Stuzha. For readers who aren’t familiar with your sound, could you give me a short description of Stuzha?

Daniil: Hi Michael, thanks for having me here. Stuzha‘s sound evolves over almost two decades now. It is hard for me to link it with some well-defined musical genres, but the long-term Stuzha companions are field recordings and guitars. Initially, started with moody folk-ambient dark tunes, acoustic mainly, and later developed a denser “drony” sound. I’d describe the project using tags: cinematic, drone, dark, ambient. The most important, however, is the atmosphere and field-recordings associated with it. I record various outdoor sounds and while listening to them I generate ideas of wrapping them into a musical piece. There is a lot of associative thinking going on.

Michael: How long have you been a fan of dark ambient music?

Daniil: Probably around 20 years now… I can remember dark ambient as a relatively fresh genre in the musical scene. I’d say that it somehow spiraled from black, drone, doom, gothic metal and old-school ambient into an independent genre. The similarities between styles are quite evident, yet emotions are different.

Michael: Who are some of your earliest influences, which led you to record in this genre of music?

Daniil: I’d say that the majority of ambient releases during 2000-2005 period were quite influential, to name a few: Raison d’etre, Desiderii Marginis, Vidna Obmana, Arcana, Vali, Northaunt, Kammarheit, Phelios, and others. However what actually triggered me to start composing my own music is the Burzum album, Filosofem and Angelo Badalamenti’s music, especially his Twin Peaks soundtrack. The latter is just a magical piece of work that was immortalized by the amazing David Lynch’s TV-series (of course I’m awaiting the new season!). Another great example of such a powerful ambient-visual marriage is the music of Olafur Arnald, and the recent Broadchurch TV-series. To me those bundles are quite inspirational, the same goes to Tarkovsky films and Edward Artemiev music. To all of my projects the story is of high importance, I cannot do anything too abstract.

Michael: I hope you don’t mind my saying, Stuzha, expecially Through the Snowfield, reminds me very much of the first two Northaunt albums, in many ways. The use of raw field recordings along with the addition of samples brings the music about as close to a cinematic musical soundtrack, portraying some frozen northern journey, as dark ambient is able to achieve. Do you feel that you have been influenced by Northaunt, or is this just a coincidence. (note: Northaunt is one of my very favorite musical projects, so I was utterly delighted to find some other artist who makes a comparable sound.)

Daniil: I am certainly fond of Northaunt music and without a doubt his Horizons is an hugely inspirational album to me. I met Hærleif in 2013 at the Blåsvart Aften Vol.7 event (highly recommend to visit). It was my pleasure to talk to such a modest and intelligent man. Its always amusing to see people behind dark music not being so dark in real life. Or is it well-played optimism? His recent album Istid I-II I also find very interesting and actually not so gloomy as some of previous releases. I also can recommend his recent release from The Human Voice project. Very relaxing and calm release to listen to. In fact, I’m listening to it now while writing this. I guess it is a slightly more personal project than Northaunt.

Michael: Your two full-length releases seem to take a unique life of their own, or did the themes dictate these differences?

Daniil: They are topical, yes. Also, I slightly changed my attitude towards music since the release of Siberian Sketches. Bringing folklore elements to the latest Stuzha release was not an option considering the chosen topic.

Michael: Butugichag, your 2015 release, focused on a very specific theme, the Soviet gulag system. Specifically, the Siberian labor camps of Kolyma. Did this concept have any personal significance to you and your family?

Daniil: Fortunately, there is nothing personal. The choice of topic was a mere reflection on things I read and watched. At the time I was overwhelmed by various emotions and decided to put them into something more solid. I’m also quite interested in the history of the country where I was born. In Russian, history there is not black and white but only a gradient; it is impossible to tell immediately what is good or bad. Things are complicated as they are, yet people still can make them worse. It was always about the suffering of remarkable people, and unremarkable people with immense power to impose the suffering. To make it more ‘fun’ for everybody, the history keeps switching places. Once those despised and rejected may become leaders. Some carry the baggage consisting of personal fears which later turned into pure hatred.

What I wanted to show with Butugichag is just an example of an extremely dark place which was deliberately crafted by human beings to destroy their own kind. To think about it… once free people imposed the worst possible destiny on themselves by following the path of hatred and fear ignited by the rotten ideology. It is not a political album, that sort of thing can happen in every state if ruling boundaries pushed to extreme. My aim is to lead a listener to this place mentally and ask the question, why did it exist in the first place? I think we need more conceptional “think about it” albums which can lead you to some questions. This is, for example, why I quite like the albums of Velehentor, although musically I’m not always resonating well with them.

Michael: You are Siberian by birth, but if I’m correct, you have now moved to England? Why did you decide to make this move? Will England be your permanent residence?

Daniil: Yes, I moved to the UK about 8 years ago. Personally, it was not a very difficult decision to make since my career prospects were quite dim. Science is not well supported in Russia, people in power are busy with more ‘important’ things, and after my PhD I had to decide either I’m going into industry or looking for a job in academia elsewhere. The decision to skip a job in industry was not actually a bad one, since the oil industry (I’m a geophysicist) is not doing great at the moment. So, I moved to the UK and some time after my wife joined me here. We are British now, but it is hard to say whether we will stay in the country permanently. There are still many factors that can influence it. We actually quite like warmer countries (laughing).

Michael: As a Siberian, what are some of the things about this part of the world which left a lasting impact on you?

Daniil: I certainly miss the Siberian nature. I’ve been to many places, yet the feeling of a total self-composure can exist only there. Siberia, it is like open space sometimes, you can quickly dissolve yourself there. Be gone and lost within minutes. This hardly can be done in Western Europe. The civilisation bursts around you and there is no quick escape. In Siberia, also the farther east you go, the wilder it can get. I think the Baikal Lake and surroundings had the biggest impact on me. I still often go there in my dreams.

Michael: Your debut album Siberian Sketches was very diverse. The theme of Siberia was consistent throughout the album. But, the sounds themselves were wildly varied. For instance on track 4, “Deti Podzemelyz”, you have incorporated what I assume to be some Russian opera music. The use of this audio sample really livens up the album, making it a more dynamic and active listen. Then there are other tracks which are more field recording focused. Still others highlight sounds of an acoustic guitar. Was this diversity something you consciously achieved, or did it happen naturally, almost like an accident?

Daniil: At that time I was not planning albums as I do now. The album was recorded during 3-4 years time span. Every song is actually related to a certain event in my life, in this case a travel. I was visiting different places and had mixed feelings on my return. This is why the album can be be slightly “sketchy” sometimes. I think it will be hard for me to do something like this now. Taking Butugichag for example, it was a focused work towards a solid, coherent album. Who knows if Siberian Sketches II will be “sketchy” enough?

Michael: There is a good bit of guitar-work in Stuzha, some electric and some acoustic. How long have you been a guitar player? Have you ever played guitar in a metal band, or some other genre?

Daniil: Oh I’m a rubbish guitar player actually. I had an acoustic guitar teacher sometime ago, and approached the stage when I could play something from notes… but I got quickly bored. I already knew by then why I’m learning guitar so it was sufficient more or less. When I do recordings I can spend lots of time practising a riff.

Michael: Is guitar the only traditional instrument you play?

Daniil: Loosely speaking I can play a piano quite lousy (laughing). I do synth playing for the Algol project. This is generally a slow tempo work. I’m more into sound extraction and processing than actually playing things technically.

Michael: Are there any very interesting places that you have captured field recordings? Do you gather these slowly over the years, or do you take extended journeys into the wild to capture these sounds?

Daniil: There are interesting places and risky moments. Recently, I’ve been through an extensive winter field-recording session in Siberia. The first time after 8 years of no winter! The sounds are really great and hopefully they go to my next Stuzha album. This was a bit of hard work since it was pretty cold outside as you can imagine in January (around -35°C at night or 0°F). Another interesting recent experience was in Switzerland when I was recording some wind on a mountain. Suddenly, a huge piece of ice fell a few meters away from the top peak. It literally almost killed me… and I managed to record it. This will certainly go into my album! So, as you can see, it is pretty dangerous work! I will go to Iceland to do some recordings soon. Do you think it is a crime to mix Siberian-Icelandic field recordings for the album about Siberia? (laughing) Don’t worry I will not do that, the purity of the product is important to me.

Michael: Now that you are living in England, a place which I assume is much more densely populated than Siberia, do you find it harder to collect field recordings? Is it harder to find inspiration in the warmer climate?

Daniil: Sure, it almost impossible to record anything here. I was trying to record something in Wales on the mountain yet still there were planes passing above quite frequently! Regarding the inspiration in the warmer climate – the answer is yes and no. It is much harder for more bleak and cold associations (so Stuzha is not a winner here), yet you can get some inspiration about other stuff. Now I’m talking about my other active projects: Algol and Black Wanderer. For Stuzha, I think a trip back home or somewhere up North would be an optimal place to record a new album. I’m thinking about going to Scotland for a week next winter to stay in the hotel, alone, somewhere rural…

Michael: Do you consider the cold, isolated north to be a central theme to Stuzha? Do you intend to stick to this template for all future Stuzha albums?

Daniil: I’m thinking about suspending the project after the next release (possibly next year). It’s getting increasingly hard for me to sustain its viability while being based in the UK. I will shift attention to my other projects.

Michael: Your debut, Siberian Sketches, was recently re-released through Ksenza Records and Infinite Fog Productions. What kind of additions did you make to the album for this re-release? Are you happier now that this updated version is available for fans to discover or re-discover?

Daniil: The re-released version is extended with 3 new tracks and also remastered with added bass guitar. I think it sounds more mature and complete now. Ksenza also did great work on the artwork and the updated quality of the release, so yes I’m happy.

Michael: As Stuzha, you have released two full length albums and one EP, entitled Through The Snowfield. Which, I might add, is also brilliant. What can we expect of Stuzha next? How soon might we be expecting your next release?

Daniil: Thanks. So in future plans I intend to use field-recorded material and work on Siberian Sketches II. This is a winter counterpart, which is different to the first release, which featured spring-autumn recordings mainly. This should close the cycle of the Stuzha albums about Siberia. Maybe I will move to other topics, but at the moment I’m not sure if I want to link Stuzha with them.

Michael: Many dark ambient artists like to create a sacred space for their recording sessions. Maybe they will burn some incense, meditate, or something like this, in order to achieve a higher state of consciousness. Do you have any of your own rituals, which you follow during each session?

Daniil: I do like burning stuff, and probably a fire in the forest would be my first choice to boost inspiration. Maybe I should get a house with a fireplace? But seriously, I can do a bit of candles sometimes, but the right mood is the most important component. I never record anything under influence of alcohol or when I’m sick. It somehow ruins the magic and I get a bit pissed-off about it.

Michael: Do you think the apocalypse is coming? If so, how do you think it will happen?

Daniil: Everyone will have their personal apocalypse before the real one comes. I can easily slip into some depressing stuff here, so in brief, I just say that we’re not doing so well as some other species on this planet. Our strong desire to feed on desires disregarding the common sense will lead to self-destruction. We somehow decided that we are chosen and we do all in our power to prove this wrong. If humanity will not start thinking hard about the future of this planet we will end up in the ditch much sooner than the real apocalypse will come. By real apocalypse I mean, for example, a huge asteroid strike or super-earthquake. We have to be prepared to solve outer global problems and not spend all resources to feed personal egos. I’m not being an alarmist I just don’t like the state of the world today.

Michael: You recently released a music video for another project, Black Wanderer. Is this a project that you will be spending more time on in the near future?

Daniil: Black Wanderer is a new cinematic drone project. It is truly cinematic since I actually extract and reuse monologues/dialogues from various movies. These are mainly not so fresh but great sci-fi movies, such as, The Thing from Another World, Day The Earth Stood Still, etc. The main idea is to create an alternative soundtrack and possibly reincarnate some emotions about the movie. I also try to use monologues/dialogues which can be thought provoking.

Michael: You also have a space ambient project, Algol. Would you like to tell the readers a little bit about this project and how it differs from Stuzha?

Daniil: I’m actually surprised that this interview goes from the Stuzha perspective, since Algol is an older project of mine. But, I guess since both projects are different, some people tend to like one more. Algol is a space-ambient project which focuses on meditative and contemplative mental space exploration. About 4 years ago I turned it into ambient without “dark” additive. The dark counterpart now shifted to Black Wanderer. I want to keep Algol peaceful and relaxing. There is a lot going on in synthetic sound creation/extraction for this project, but I’ll leave it out since we are talking here mainly about Stuzha.

Michael: Thank you so much for your time, Daniil. I will leave the final words to you!

Daniil: Thanks a lot Michael for the interesting questions. Oh, I’ve said enough, I conclude with Samuel Beckett – “Every word is like an unnecessary stain on silence and nothingness.” So let us do more music!

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Interview with: Wolves and Horses
Conducted by: Michael Barnett

Wolves and Horses have just taken part in  a recent Cryo Chamber album, entitled Tomb of Seers, alongside Council of Nine, Alphaxone, and Xerxes the Dark. It was immediately obvious that this artist stood out from a lot of the current dark ambient musicians. Wolves and Horses has a style that falls somewhere between ambient and dark ambient, or as Christian likes to call it “dark ethnic gothic ambient”. I was immediately curious about the background of this artist. A quick search led me to some of his previous works and they, too, were quite impressive. So, I did the only thing that made sense, get in touch with the man behind the music and ask him a few questions to illuminate myself and other fans on his story. I hope you will enjoy this read, the first of many interviews on This Is Darkness!

Michael: Thanks so much for agreeing to speak with me, Christian! I must admit I was unaware of your project, Wolves and Horses, before you participated in the Tomb of Seers album on Cryo Chamber. For others, like myself, who may just be finding you for the first time, could you start with giving us a brief description of your sound and background?

Christian Saint-Viteux: Well, it’s always a very difficult question, talking about my work. I try to create atmospheres and to share emotions. At the beginning of the project I used some synths, but they were too artificial, no warmth in them. Now I want to mix all kinds of sounds, all kinds of instruments. A mix of electronic and acoustic, and lots of manipulations, effects. It’s not important to me if a piano doesn’t sound like a piano anymore or a guitar like a guitar. I want it to sound exactly as I want it and sit in the mix. I’ve never been able to define exactly what kind of music I make. I would call it dark ethnic gothic ambient. I hope when you listen to my music, you get a movie or an image in your head and you feel, for a moment, as if in another world. My background is made up of years of listening to music, I have a huge record collection, and I was a radio DJ some years ago. I’ve been to countless concerts. Then I just wanted to make my own music. Just for the fun of it. I was pushed into into taking it more seriously by my wife, and then I met Christer Lunder at UAE Records and we published my first EP. I worked with him for the label, we made a project together, quite a classic route to take.

Michael: I find your music to fall into a category, much like SiJ, which lies somewhere in the center, between light and dark ambient music. You have a touch of that new age sound, which I’ve loved since childhood, while you also can cross into territory which is obviously appropriate on places like Cryo Chamber. Do you make a conscious effort to go back and forth, traversing both territories? Or, is this natural for you?

Christian Saint-Viteux: I don’t make a special effort to go anywhere, I’m simply following the sound. When I start a new track, I play/improvise with instruments and sounds that I manipulate till I find a sound that I think is interesting. Then I start to build the track and follow the atmosphere and the mood given by the sounds.

Michael: How important are field recordings to the grand scheme of Wolves and Horses?

Christian Saint-Viteux: Like any sound, it’s really important if it adds something to the sound, to the music. The final point is “Does it sounds good ? Do I like it ?” Because, the only way to make music, like any artistic work, is to make something you like and hope you’re not the only one. I’m not able to start a new track thinking: Now I will make something dark, or ambient or whatever. It doesn’t work like that. But, I use a lot of field recordings as a source for granular synths, so you don’t know it’s a field recording, but it is.

Michael: Do you prefer digital or analog, when sound sculpting for a new album? Do you use a bit of each, or exclusively stick to one technique?

Christian Saint-Viteux: Same thing, I don’t want to be stuck to one technique or another. It’s like closing a door for me. I just want to find the sound to communicate the emotion, the atmosphere. If it’s analog, virtual or acoustic doesn’t matter. The only point is: Is it the right sound, the sound I want here.

Michael: Who are some of the artists that have made the biggest impact on your life and your music?

Christian Saint-Viteux: So many, so many. If I have to select a couple, I would say David Bowie for his artistic freedom, same for David Sylvian. Dead Can Dance for their effort to mix different genres and different cultures while staying true to themselves. Brian Eno for his continuous search for new techniques, new sounds. Also Peter Bjärgö, Ulf Söderberg, and Wardruna…

Michael: How did you come in contact with Cryo Chamber?

Christian Saint-Viteux: I don’t remember how and when but I have been listening to their artists for a long time now, Atrium Carceri, Northumbria, Ugasanie, Alphaxone.

Michael: Has this latest album, Tomb of Seers, been your first collaboration with other artists?

Christian Saint-Viteux: I knew Xerxes the Dark from the label UAE Records. I was involved in this label with my friend Christer and we were planning to release him on the label. Sadly, the label had to stop for different reasons. Xerxes introduced me to Mehdi, Alphaxone, I was really happy about that because I really like his music. Council of Nine was the last (but not least) to join the project. His track “Chimes of the Unfortunate” is one my favourite dark ambient tracks ever. So you can imagine how great it was to have him on board.

Michael: How has your experience been working with Cryo Chamber on Tomb of Seers? Are you happy with the final product?

Christian Saint-Viteux: How not to be happy ? Working on the project with these guys was a pleasure, I’m happy with Simon’s mastering and I think the end result is the album we wanted to make. So, yes, that was a good experience.

Michael: Do you, personally, believe in the clairvoyant powers of a seer, or was this just an interesting topic to use for the album’s direction?

Christian Saint-Viteux: Depends how you feel about seers. I don’t believe in a “magic power” of guys able to read the future in different signs. I think some people have a better vision of the world and its evolution and that they can see things coming more clearly than others.

Michael: While on the topic of clairvoyance and the occult, do you have any specific rituals that you follow, when sitting down to work on an album? The use of incense, meditation, or something like this?

Christian Saint-Viteux: Making music IS my ritual. Life is sometimes difficult and full of stress and fears, for you and for those close to you. When I start to work in the studio, it’s like closing the connections to the outside world for a while. It’s the best way for me to clear my head. The best way to be relaxed.

Michael: What sort of instruments do you play? Are these all things that can be heard throughout your various albums, or are some of them left separated from your ambient career?

Christian Saint-Viteux: Mainly keyboards but I also have a guitar, and a bass. I don’t pretend to be an excellent guitarist, of course, but it’s enough to record some lines that I can use in my tracks. Most of the sounds you hear in my music are made by manipulating sounds anyway.

Michael: What are some things that inspire you? Places in nature, films, paintings, etc.?

Christian Saint-Viteux: Books and paintings, no doubt. When I work on my music, I always have a story or an image in mind.

Michael: Is Wolves and Horses your only musical outlet, or do you have other projects?

Christian Saint-Viteux: I also have the project First Falling Leaves with Christer Lunder. On hold right now, but we still hope to find the time to work on new music. I’m thinking about another project but it’s really fresh, just starting, I can’t say a lot about it right now.

Michael: What can we expect in the near future from Wolves and Horses?

Christian Saint-Viteux: I’m working on new dark ambient tracks. I would like to make a release with some visual artists, but it’s a long term project, no planning. I would like to find someone who could make some vocal improvisations (Lisa Gerrard style) for a couple of ideas I have.

Michael: Do you believe that the apocalypse is coming? If so, how do you think it will happen?

Christian Saint-Viteux: I hope not. But our world is changing, completely, our children will live in a totally different world, that’s for sure. I wish a better one but it’s not going in this direction for the moment.

Michael: Are you a trained photographer, or is this a hobby of yours? I absolutely love your album art for Every Moment of Light and Dark, which was released in 2015 on UAE Records.

Christian Saint-Viteux: This is my second passion, I like to paint, sketch and play with pictures. I’m a big fan of digital painting. Matte painting in particular, I think it’s great to be able to create an imaginary world with only your imagination as a limit. I made some cover for UAE Records and some other artists and I really like that. So guys, if you need a cover…..

Michael: Does your home-country of Belgium have any sort of great influence on your music?

Christian Saint-Viteux: Yes and no. I don’t feel I’m attached to a place. The world is full of nice places. And music shows me everyday that there are great people everywhere on this planet. I met very nice people from the UK, USA, Iran, Korea, Australia, Germany, Italy. I’m a world citizen. But Belgium has a huge culture of underground music. In this way, I think it had an influence on my own culture, on my connection with many genres, styles and origins.

Michael: Thank you very much for your time, Christian. I will leave the last words to you!

Christian Saint-Viteux: Thanks Michael. And to all your blog readers, I hope you will enjoy the album as much as I enjoyed making it.

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Wolves and Horses Bandcamp