Marble Moon #11/12, 09/1998

Glacial notes from the existance merry-go-round

While somebody amuses to make stupid assumptions and manifestations around, by accusing freely and ignorantly, basing only on the appearance concentrating so little on the substance, interesting only to the survival of some fashions, prophets of the lie, other proceed with no shame for their own path with results qualitatively excellent, and they really don't need some "attentions" or "favors".
To talk about Kirlian Camera is almost a custom in these last years, but we cannot absolutely deny the fact that all the voices on KC are not due to the comments and the rumours spreaded by the above prophets. No little mirror for the skylarks. The thickness reached by the band of Bergamini is a matter of fact now, and what results to be new and in the same time strange is that the interest in Italy for their work is quite recent, instead than in the near foreign countries. To talk, to communicate sincerly and not to "gossip" is a difficult choice. Their sound evolved along the years, in every case remaining close to an existential and dark matrix, disquieting, but contemporarly bright and glacial. To narrare how much is uncomfortable and painful living an internal state in the routine of our days, with a constant death feeling, of isolation, for KC constitutes a simply and spontaneous vision of the world, not a mere aesthetic and external attitude.
The atmosphere of their tracks continue to be heavy, obsessive, evocative not losing that vitality that made them accursedly true and real. The sensations take animation and strange inflexion under the form of music and sounds, and in this the KC can result uncomfortable for all of those persons that continue to deceive their truth. With "The Desert Inside" the KC convinces more than ever. And at this point we leave the word to Angelo Bergamini veteran spokesman of Kirlian Camera (but is it true they are bad???????).......

Which is the situation inside KC in 1997/98? The (temporary?) absence of Simone Balestrazzi; the enterning of a new singer Barbara Boffelli and the now consolidated presence of Ivano Bizzi.
The band finally set in this four members line-up. Emilia will be present when possible, so her sporadic absences have to not considered as an effective split from KC however. Her job as doctor is clearly very excting and stressful and doesn't allow her to be active as in past anymore. For this, I had to think to extend the role of additional singer and musician to a second person, and Barbara immidiately seemed suitable for that role. I needed an effective member, not a session man; it was not easy to find a reliable person, able and with a good character. Just after listening her voice and knowning her better, we had no doubts, asking her immediately for entering in the band. She, as Ivano, comes from various and different musical experiences, pop music more than other, so very different areas from which one we work, but she integrated perfectly. Ivano already collaborated with us previously, and his "official" entering was a natural step. Simone doesn't belong to KC anymore, definitively. All these changes happened in a rather relaxing climate, without hurts, following rational individual personal needs. I'm very satisfied of this line-up and working with them, already in the last Cd, was the most beautiful studio experience since lots of time for me.

In "the Desert inside" the new star of the KC firmament, a new change of sound appears, even if not radical. Always minimal electronic in first place and also other frequency experiments now typical also of the American scene, I refer to bands like Panasonic, Labraford, Hovercraft. Which is the "via crucis" this time, before the realization of "The desert inside" and the importance you give to the realization of this work?
Saying that this is the chapter that represents me more and I prefer is banal, but all in all it's true. I always tried to bring KC toward a recognizable style, personal, maybe influenced by hundreds of latent references, but with a discreet and not particular presence. With the last work, I feel to reach this goal, finally. Maybe I deceive myself, but I think that no specific name was taken in consideration for this work; definitively. This doesn't mean it is a wonderful record, intelligent and beautiful. It's so for me. It represents me completely, without compromises. While I was componing and recording the tracks, I did just like it would be the last and definitive thing I was working on. For the first time, the lyrics satisfy me completely; I took care of them more than ever, by not neglecting the passional instinct, however... I know two of the bands you quote and, effectively Panasonic and Labraford are interesting, even if some sounds and electronic systems are around since some time, but just now, some audience seem to appreciate them more, even if, it would be apprecied if part of that audience and musical critic avoided to dress any well-packed burp with intellectualism. I'm not talking about the cleverness of the two bands above-mentioned, but about the cleverness of the attitude of some snob press vaguely irritating, as only the bourgeois with fault senses can be.

I find the title-track very immediate to the listening; moreover an atypical sensation comes out, as being in presence of something is collapsing, it's crumbling but doesn't lose absolutely vitality. Which part of pain does KC photograph this time?
You perfectly understood the mood of the record. This chapter is the one that talks more about an unavoidable loneliness and still suffering the pain it causes. It's not an effective resignation: it's difficult, sometimes, to recognize the defeat, because the image of the joy is still present, and it's hard to say it good-bye, giving up to its memory, or maybe to the illusion. It's difficult to speak about these things, because you expose yourself so much, while the others judge you, saying nothing that can disturb their unassailability: it's superficial, however, to file some topics as "depression" or "paranoia". However apart the tones of my music or my convictions, I prefer to joke, to say bullshits, I believe it's righter. But, just that music was done by me... and I know the pain it comes from.

In this work do you feel mainly influenced by your emotions and internal ideas or by what happens in the external?
The "internal" side has been disheartened by atrocious external one. Unability to live or poor maturity, maybe, even if sincerly I don't believe. Maybe, amazingly, the positive side rebels to such absurdity and wants to talk about its exile. There is a hallucinative desolation, within this record, but it's also true that when you feel the pain deriving by that sensation, and it's a big pain, it means that you still bring your convinctions with yourself, otherwise you should suffer less and wouldn't feel something very similar to the rage. The icy desert I'm talking about, it's the own essence outraged going toward the end. But it's still present.

Could you talk better about Ocean of Disappearance and the recall to Konstantin Raudive?
That track was pratically composed by using acoustic signals recorded from radios, then sampled and put in loop, after being processed. Then we had a very large reverberation and three voices taken from interceptions recorded by the Latvian physical Konstantin Raudive, regarding premused voices of deads; I don't know so much about and I'm also a bit sceptic, but it's clear that in the possibility related to this matter, there is a big emotional force. It would be very long to explain who was K. Raudive, but I can say he was a researcher saying to have recorded on magnetic tape about 72,000 voices of various presences not embodied, by using "opened" radios and microphones and, most of those voices affirmed to come from different dimension, including the so-called "Afterhere". These experiences, also called "psychophony", are still under study and, clearly it's a controversial matter. I repeat I don't have a particular judgment, positive or negative, regarding the psychophonic researches, but sometimes they seem to me more reliable than the contact through medium, I'm talking about the spiritism, that I cannot criticize till now, but maybe it's even more subjected to manipulations. However, the desolation of that track and its "distance" and monotony, fit well, in my opinion, to that kind of "Idea of eternity" distant as well, that those presumed testimonies transmitted to me. Globally, it could be almost definied as an ambiental track quite ordinary and banal, as per audio result, but during the related recording and mixing there was a quite disquieting atmosphere, that I hope it could be transfered also in the listeners, because it's not a negative thing. It's normal.

The Desert Inside: apocalyptic vision, misanthropy, paranoia?.... Far from heaven?
Loneliness, it's the word that for the first time, in our case, can enclose everything. Maybe there is not even grudge, even if there is an anger difficult to repress, being forced also to respect the all in all right ceremonies of the "good education". When you are getting mad you have no wish to suppress your need to do and say also absurd and maybe disagreeable things... A difficult isolation to support, when you feel to be neither dead nor asocial. It's hard to say if the reason is some awareness, but I hope it's not so. Surely a sense of drifting, sometimes penetrated by the sense of panic of Far from Heaven, which title and nervous suspension explain so much... "Far from Heaven".

"Drifting", the new release on Nova Tekk. Could you talk about this new experience with Nova Tekk? Why did you change the label?
Euromedia is mother-house of Nova Tekk, it's a sort of German major, but it works very good also with not light material, as ours. It has a capillary distribution in Europe and in America is supported by Metropolis, that guarantees an excellent availability in that continent. USA are not fundamental for us, due to some mutual antipathy, but we want to extend our presence everywhere, or at least we try. Triton, after the events of the originary Discordia, cannot guarantee us so much apart Germany and Belgium, so even if good relationship with it remains and we don't exclude other collaborations, we just moved to Euromedia, where the KC freedom, however respected, because we couldn't accept any interference by anybody regarding the material to release and this last label also accepted our "way" to make listen to no material before the definitive master and to sign no long expiration contracts.

Comparing to the "The Desert Inside" the listening of "Drifting" is characterized by icy and oneiric atmospheres, not changing the type of sound: would you like to describe us the contain of this last work?
"Drifting" means "go to the drift". This last work is colder and more dramatic of the previous where ""icy"" is not essentially internal aridity, but amplified sense of loneliness and, just, drift to something of quite frightening. In this record appear real spectres, not imaginary. We wanted to use a not emphatic language in the lyrics, leaving them direct for the most, essential and raw. There was no need to cram real and personal condition in any way, because sometimes the reality is even too much descriptive. At the beginning we thought about a short single, with the title-track in three different versions, but then the material continued to be out of the instruments without any pause and in the end we were close to realize an album. Maybe is a pity, at least for us, because "Drifting" is fundamental in our discography and it's not exactly a single, also due to the rather high length. Some listeners found it excessively electronic and glacial, almost "bad" but I don't know what to do, because it's a sincere mirror and costed even more energy than "The Desert...", at emotional level. Its related wickedness is just merciless analysis. This chapter is the result of an internal pain that cannot be discharged, that cannot have any tear. That coldness derives from it. It should be the initial dowel that conduces to the album we are realizing little by little and that develops that sensation clearly showed by "Drifting". It's possible to work on greyer and "alien" electronic being in the same time extremely complex and communicative. We are interested in that direction at the moment.

"Ice Curtain", finally a long-time waited retrospective on the past works of KC. When did you decide to release this collection on DCD (thank to the new contract with Nova Tekk?) and which is the final goal
Nova Tekk contacted little time ago, to have new and old material, so we organized very soon the release of this record that's our first official compilation in 18 years of life with this name. The idea didn't excite me at the beginning, as I'm little inclined to the past, where I see excessive ingenuity and uncertainties, but after the selection of the material I understood I had to be not so negative. Surely there are strange and not so good things and others that satisfy me more, in this collection, but it's surely difficult to summarize so many years notwithstanding a very long album, but maybe we succeeded in some way, at least concerning the "sung" tracks chosen to represent us; in fact we discharged the idea to re-release instrumental tracks, in this occasion. Surely, it's possible to notice some stylistic "restlessness" in this album, but I think it's a positive element, able to make better understand our wish and our need to "movement", the need to look for in huge areas and then close them to our needs, to our identity.

Notoriously you stated more than once your interest on the center-european culture, but listening to your latest works could it be found some connection with the cultures and religions mostly oriental and Asian?
I'm fixed with the European culture (but I am an ignorant...), while the other members of the band are more opened to the contamination, especially Emilia and Barbara. I try to respect also their points of view, without hurting them every time...! I don't know, I believe that Europe is very present also in the last record. Clearly, our continent is not intolerant. To love the Europe doesn't means to hate the strangers. I don't care of this.

How do you feel the Italian scene and its bands currently?
The Italian scene is not inferior to many others. The problem is that the global underground scenario begins to be poor, of spirit, of passion and impulses. It's becoming "reactionary", that's ridiculous, for the "alternative" faith that it shows out. There are some Italian bands with some promises, but I'm refering to really unknown entities, also because I'm talking about recent bands, that maybe recorded just a tape or a record. I don't want to name anybody, I know too much people and then, sincerly I try to respect almost all of them, eventually just for the efforts they do. Of course if there were less stupids with little believable attitudes between the cultered and the active, this scene maybe would suck less. I didn't see much humility around. I saw so many bands work hard, yes, but the adversity is not humility.

Our sincere opinion about the unrestrained use of symbols and words completely emptied from every true contain of substance, as well as the use of some "social causes" just valid on their own but exploited for other goals (i.e. the vegetarians and the various movies about animals, vivisection). Moreover, could it be useful to try to explain, just by words, the reality or do these words disappear uselessly?
I cannot understand why so much people need to show his interest toward these so-called "good causes". There is so much fault sense, or maybe the need to refuse what practices an dangerous fascination...? How much people did references to the nazism, for example, saying later that they were denouncing the cruelty...! I believe that the real feeling at 90% was to represent what fascinates us, in fact, but having too much fear to admit to oneself (all of this without speaking about the need of publicity...). There is too much "good" people; how could we explain that there are idiots, if the goodness is all but idiocy?! Problems of too much frustrated "ego", just to avoid to exit from the shadow with these embarassing bullshits. This people exploits the pain, and it's the most terrible fault one can be accused, for me. It seems a tired slideshow, where we see or hear talking and discussing about tragedies for the fun of the annoyed. I believe the true fascists are these ones. I know that somebody really believes in a positive change and he works on; and he knows what the horror means. I esteem these ones.

does the visual image, as communication media (also for emotions and sensations) have its importance? In KC?
Yes it has, sometimes. For us it's also a help in concert, it's useless to deny it. We always represent nightmares and fascinations for some of them. Sometimes it's just troubleful, but we don't try to escape from sincerity, even if we should seem too much involved in "dark plots". The visual images help banally to have a better relationship with the sometimes tense climate of the music, otherwise we wouldn't use them. They help a part of the audience, maybe the less concentrated in the sound, and also those are too many tired to see three or four idiots with a bit of horrible light and nothing else, notwithstanding the effort we do to involve. The entertainment is important; we cannot do more but we try, even if surrounded from not funny pictures, to enlight the work of some to look at our concert. There is also people who doesn't look at the movies, prefering only to listen to. It depends by the tastes, all of them respectable. We try also to say what we like and what we don't like, because not everyone, rightly, can understand the lyrics. Of course, they are often "stolen pictures", as we cannot permit original scenes too much expensive to realize. In future, probably soon, we will use also pictures shot by ourselves, if they won't suck.

What do you think about the S/M scene, Fetish, and about some diffuse habits (piercing, tattoo, scarification)?
I have a total openness, I'm not against. Piercing, tattoos and similars can be interesting. Maybe it's interesting to avoid the boredom making pucturing the tongue some day... Jokes apart, all what can be a distinction mark (even if sometimes a little bit standardized) is tolerable with no problems; it belongs to the need of manifest oneself. One manifest not only with the great speeches or with the "rebeling crime". Then I believe that in the S/M - Fetish scene everyone is acquiescent and interested or curious about the various tones of an erotica more aesthetically consistent to some moods and needs. I don't think it's negative, they are outlet valves understandable for some and, normally they become nothing of really disquieting. Not everyone must love the sometimes unmotivated and rhetoric erotica of the essential nude and the coition lasting two minutes. It's a wide topic.

As human beings do we really need of a virtual reality, as if the various tones of the "real" one would be not enough? What could we discover at its internal than what we don't want or we cannot to discover otherwise? A comfortable way to deceive the loneliness?
A sensation or emotion caused by a virtual way is however real. Maybe, we can find some answers also in this direction, eventually just because it's becoming daily reality, so it creates reactions in any case. These reactions are already positions or at least indications of thinking about. Everything can make to think, to amuse, to forget, etc... I don't have a great liking for what regards the technological advancement especially for what concerns entertainment, there was in these latest years. I'm not a true traditionalist and I'm interest to the "new", but this fact to live strong emotions and also make great travels by sitting on a chair makes me think about a dangerous loss of responsability sense. Also to the eventual creation of new heavy frustration. How could I fuck with an IBM? How could it caress me? How could I catch the spirit of a place, if I was there only via computer? And the manipulation maybe doesn't create false concepts and preconceptions? The manipulation is massively present in these zones. The influenceable persons can be too much easily conditionable and, who is influenceable is dangerous, usually. However, the tangibility and the deductions deriving from the alive and physical experiences miss. We miss the air.

Just to end. Somewhere it's possible to listen in KC to some strophes in Italian; is there some other your track that you would rework with the total use of the Italian language?
Not for the moment. Instead we think to sing something new or someone else's, in Italian. Sometimes we will still put short phrases in our language, alternated to English or German, but always trying to respect the atmospheres of that track, with no forcing.

Vito Gatta

English translation: Adalberto Orrigo - 17.12.2004