Black Magazine - Germany, 12/2010

Can you give us an outline what happened between Dead Models Society and License to Kill? How did your second album develop?
ELENA ALICE FOSSI - I Guess this second album is just a logical continuation, although global sound has been a bit modified and music doesn't offer any old way. New songs may sometimes sound more aggressive, in a way, slightly more rock-oriented, as electric guitars are gaining more room.
Anyway, there are still some good chances for slow-songs such as "Lost Highway Voices" and "Movie Ghouls" to come out proudly. All in all this album is more complete than its predecessor, more "orchestrated", probably a little more inspired.

I see it as a sort of continuation, too. To me, it sounds really a bit like the Dead Models Socierty in a more developed way. Can you tell us more about the James Bond 007 influence or is this mainly a joke? Is SPECTRA*Paris the Bond girl or the agent?
EAF – The plot of “License To Kill” mainly regards a James Bond investigation about the label Death Records, wich is run by a grotesque character called Swann, kind of criminal producer/manager. Of course, I have been inspired by “Phantom of the Paradise” by Brian De Palma, and I went to mix such a story to the 007 adventures. I used this occasion in order to remind of our audience that a band is too often in the hands of real criminals without any dignity and the road is hard to walk, if you aren’t available to take part in a certain game. James Bon or Bond Girl?!? Let’s say that SPECTRA*Paris is a new James Bond. I have in mind a beautiful and sexy agent woman looking for justice... let’s call it Jane Bond!?!?!?

Do you see SPECTRA PARIS (still) as a side projekt to KIRLIAN CAMERA? How are the two projects interrelated?
EAF – I never considered SPECTRA*paris as a KIRLIAN CAMERA side-project, today least of all. I thought it could be something important since the very beginning. Those two entities feed on different light. The first is a titanic explosion of power and emotion. Being on stage as KC is stirring and exciting and I feel totally immersed into the depth of such an atmosphere. I feel myself so little in front of such a storm of sounds, as well as I feel enriched inside and really powerful. SPECTRA*paris is just another story.
Wild but gentle, daredevilish glamour... sometimes funereal, funny and satirical, but, nonetheless, important and “serious”. As far as I’m concerned I feel perfectly cosy in both projects, without any effort or either falseness. I need them both.

Pity I cannot go and see KC and S*P in January next year. Would you describe SP as a pop band?
EAF – “Pop” is every thing the masses are used to like. As for the music, I have my own ideas and I’m not disposed to change them in order to stun and entertain anybody in particular, but I must admit that the songs I compose haven’t any ambition to be “for connoisseurs only”. Absolute freedom to myself and my listeners!

What do you think about Lady Gaga and the theory, that especially since Michael Jackson is dead, pop is ruled by women and male pop stars seem to have no place to exist any more.
EAF – I appreciate Lady Gaga, as sometimes I find her funny and I feel she’s a real musician, but I don’t think that pop scene is by now in the hands of women only. Let’s say many women have now more chances to jump out from the underground and that is a good thing, although… although I don’t see any real good quality in today’s pop productions and my favourite artists are male: Arvo Part, Angelo Badalamenti, Zbigniew Preisner, Pink Floyd, Muse and, most of all (to be said in total sincerity), Kirlian Camera, although our band is just a mixed sexes thing. Hopefully, women will find the strenght to offer more interesting projects, because Rihanna, Beyonce, Kesha and so on don’t make me feel so proud of my sex. Time will come when women will have a chance to be at the same time beautiful, sexy and able to compose music like “Atmospheres” (Gyorgy Ligeti). We must take that power! We cannot wait for an approval from those idiots of the recording labels, otherwise we’re wasting time!!!

What has the reaction been like to the DVD and the vinyl box set? Is this is an attempt to give listeners a “little bit extra” and maybe keep them from just (illegally) downloading it?
EAF – I realize music is pricy and temptation to download that is real, but I feel more and more a kind of sadness in downloading everything. There’s a loss of story and character, so sound itself turns into a hissing hotchpotch, once it’s going to be downloaded as a lo-fi mp3, for instance. So, I couldn’t deny that I’m still attracted by special edition CD’s and even by vinyl, especially if it comes out along with gadgets and so on. And, at the end, listeners also have a bit of responsibility in doing justice to the sound of those musicians whom spent time, energy and money in order to try doing a good work of recording, editing, mastering. Furthermore, it’s to be said that illegal downloading is a “legal trick” seemingly conceived by some majors to rip off the bands. Now, big labels are all concentrated on merchandising, touring… music is just a promo vehicle for selling t-shirts and concert/festival tickets. Musicians earn nothing, unless they are – for example – Linkin Park or Rihanna! A musician must be rich, today. OK, it’s a old story, someone might say, but… really, control on what labels are doing is getting closer to level zero! So you try doing a self-production, you try selling it to some followers, you try taking care of making nice graphics and… what happens?!? They reply by saying “ok, but I can download it for free as an mp3 on, let’s say, Emule! Have you any sweetshirt to sell?!?”.
A banal example: Sony offers records, music players, CD-R’s, DVD’s, Blue Ray discs, televisions, gadgets, movies, etc… practically everything! They couldn’t care less of music quality! Once again, big companies are gonna take us all for a fine ride!!! I’m not here with any moralist intentions, but… that’s it! And, step by step but fastly, many people aren’t any longer able to recognize quality. Shity music is a daily companion.

Any chance we’ll hear you sing in Italian?
EAF – Oh well, once again my gossipy neighbour couldn’t keep her mouth shut up, I see! Recently, I’ve been recording a song in Italian, as I think it’s correct “to honour” my language, in spite of the fact I have fun when I’m singing in English… But I won’t say more, now, as you will see pretty son in the future what I’m talking about!

Christmas ghouls? I’ve seen it on the net and especially the pic disc looks really cool. Is that what you tald about or is there something else, too? And: Do you sing “Stille Nacht” in German?
EAF - Well, everything started some weeks ago, when we were supposed to coming out with a Christmas single. But, after a while, I realized that such a theme - the Christmas - was/is highly inspirational, to me, so I started writing and playing a lot of songs, suddenly, as if I were on trance or something like that... A kind of magic, everything was coming out so natural that it was just incredible! I spent a lot of nights asleep, working on this project with my intruments and microphones. Many people will be a bit surprised, as SPECTRA*Paris music sounds totally different, here on this special album. Someone likes to say that this is my softer side, someone else says it's my darkest one... All in all, I think that I agree with that guy who wrote "It's as if Lucifer and the Archangel Gabriel were playing chess in a lost night, at the borders of another universe!". Yes, I did a very particular version of "Stille Nacht", sung in German, as I love the original German text. Hopefully it isn't the same old standard interpretation. My Christmas has much to do with magic, but it's fatally filled with a strange sense of drama. It's a magic night of war between warrior angels and horrible little devils... meantime Santa Claus is bringing gifts to dead children...

Flake777