Ascension #1, 01/1999

ANGELO BERGAMINI is the mind behind this very old project... Since the beginning in the '80s there are audio tracks of KIRLIAN CAMERA, now many of these productions combined with more recent works are included in "THE ICE CURTAIN", double cd released by the German label NOVATEKK, on which booklet related there is a satisfying discography that will help who want to find the past of the band.
Personally I consider very much the KIRLIAN production since the artistic coalition with the "heavenly voice" EMILIA LO JACONO was born, since here the concrete project of Kirlian Camera started, before with self-productions, later with the distributive support of German labels that guaranteed an efficient promotion.
But now I let ANGELO BERGAMINI to speak about the future projects in this interview by missive:

A.B.: The current line-up of Kirlian Camera is a bit "complex", or better, vaguely floating (concerning live); the band, in its official formation, now includes three persons: EMILIA LO JACONO, BARBARA BOFFELLI and ANGELO, I wouldn't like to change this line-up.
Around it there is another girl (it seems now an paranoic incarnation of the Spice Girls) - note the irony of Angelo (n.o.a) - the lady already collaborated with us in "ERINNERUNG" and "SOLARIS", she is NANCY APPIAH, that, notwithstanding she is from Africa, - she is a nice black-coloured girl, with a remarkable voice... (n.o.a.) - seems to assimilate and love the European sounds with no problem, instead, with some respect that is not uncorrect.
During live appearances, the three girls rarely are together; they alternate from concert to concert.
Sometimes, IVANO BIZZI gives help, but I don't know if ti will be possible anymore.
Normally Kirlian Camera "live" includes the two "Spices" and the old stupid (me...).
After "THE ICE CURTAIN" and "DRIFTING", some other things are in working...
An album on which I'm working since months and it's causing me some problems, due to a strong emotional component that regards me and that is not easy to support.
I don't know if it will be released under KIRLIAN CAMERA or JANUARY ZERO (the band I formed this year with BARBARA BOFFELLI and that more or less orbits around both of us), but I will decide this at the last moment, due to the total existing analogy between the two projects mentioned.
The title is "UNIDENTIFIED LIGHT" and it shouldn't be changed, at the moment it's very electronic and chill, more than usual.
"DRIFTING" is a maxi-single that had, in the first time, to present it, but, in fact, the delay of this album will be remarkable.
Meanwhile, the orchestral project announced more than once is almost ready.
It is an album containing old songs totally re-arranged with the help of a little symphonic orchestra of about thirty elements and a chorus, everything guided by ALESSANDRO NIDI, the orchestra director that already managed FRANCO BATTIATO in some events (the "GENESI" is his).
These tracks are really very developed comparing the originals, so this work can be considered a new effective disc.
It will include unreleased material, due to the presence of at least one song for orchestra never recorded before.
The recordings will happen in about a month (november, n.o.a.) in a theater not so far from here (Parma, n.o.a.), then EMILIA LO JACONO and BARBARA BOFFELLI will add the solo voices on orchestra and chorus in a second phase, but always in the same theater.
A song, "MAY", will be immediately sent in Liverpool to PATRICK LEGAS O' KILL (Death In June, Sixth Comm and Mother Destruction) that will sing it: in fact the rare male solo voices will be mine and his.

At this point of the mail ANGELO confesses the satisfaction for being arrived at the crucial point of this work, so hard because I arranged personally the part of every single instrument by not demanding to the others his ideas.
Then he continues in this way...
A.B.: I don't know exactly when this last album will be released, but surely not before the next year and not however at its beginning.
Meanwhile, in the fears of "UNIDENTIFIED LIGHT" (the electronic album, project mentioned at the beginning of the interview... n.o.a.) we thought to record another thing, a bit more extemporary and with no claims, to light the tension and get relax... I'm not directly involved in the line-up of this "thing" that is a short single with three tracks sung by the girls on a basis of piano and violin.
It will contain a cover of an old German song "ICH BIN DER LETZTE TOURIST IN EUROPA", song by the way used also by LARS VON TRIER in his movie "The Element Of Crime", then, another remake of a very old American song, "SWAY" already quote by JULIE LONDON and also by DEAN MARTIN, but, this one, with European touch, in fact it seems to be out more from a German bar than from Hollywood.
A third track, still to be decided, will belong to this "matter" somewhere around FASSBINDER, VISCONTI of "La Caduta Degli Dei" and... other.
Maybe we felt the need to do this break, just to enclose "in family", to do something totally acoustic and intimate, due to the electronic storm always colder and more dramatic we are challening (moreover with more pleasure).
When I can, I'll finish my solo project "URANIUM USSR 1972", that is an album of ultraminimalist electronic already started since "SOLARIS" times and initially connected to it, but then revised, due to the big presence of Panasonic and Plastikman it was too much closer to (and as I was not happy about this thing, I wished pratically to re-start the recordings, as nobody would have believed it was not a plagiarism... even if it was...).
But for this project there is time...
What I can still say... We are continuing the live activity and we are very glad, due to the always more positive reactions of the audience that, moreover, show to like more our version more rhythmical and electronic.
The only problem, the presence of "democratic" activists that sometimes try to impede us to play, throwing press, radios, TV and what else, doing (mis)information against the band, as in Berlin this year, where a local radio recommended to avoid our local performance because Kirlian Camera is a "racist" and "neonazi" band (NANCY cannot understand yet). Or in Utrecht, where there was a manifestation with leafleting and picketting always against us (and that the rain later spreaded).
Well, I think it is all...

As you can read in this interview by missive, ANGELO is always activest, we will listen to some of his works very soon, other projects will change before seeing the light, but we know, it is prerogative of the great artists to be not completely satisfied of their own results. We thank ANGELO and his "Spice Girls" EMILIA, BARBARA and NANCY.

Alberto Lutriani

English translation: Adalberto Orrigo - 12.12.2004