This "interview" was conducted with Anders of Forgotten Sunrise on 11-Aug-2010 Thanks Anders
Hello Anders.how are you doing? Where are you currently?
-Thanx for asking, I`m at work right now. I have been working in a record store nearly 16 years now :)
Anders what noise do you make in Forgotten Sunrise?
-Vocals, programming, song writing, lyrics.... most of the things that we'll finally make a whole thing of together.
How's the start of 2010 been for you thus far?
-More than a half years has passed, so I don't call it the" beginning" anymore :) but it has been busy and progressive. We are working on our new album, first time at home and just a month ago we found the 4th member that we've been passively looking for a long time. We have done some remixes and a few gigs too, but mostly focused on the forthcoming album. So it has been a busy but quite a positive year for FS.
If people don't know what you and your music are about where have they been!?, how would you describe yourself?
-Usually I say that we create similar music to industrial, but if you know what industrial is, you understand quite soon that it's not industrial. I would like to call it dark-electro, but it's not dark-electro as you know it. So, we decided to call it to deathbeat.... a mixture of everything from our death metal roots to nowadays electro and alternative dance stuff.
If you could play a show anywhere in the world where would it be?
-In Antarctica for true black metal penguins :)
What day jobs did you guys have while you were putting the band together?
-When we formed FS we were just in college, back in 1992. At the moment I'm working at a record-store and in the radio, Gerty is a photographer and she does designs and Pavel is an English teacher and translates some stuff too.
What is your music background? Who are you and your bandmembers? Tell your story
-I have death metal roots, but in my childhood I listened to what my dad was listening, some Italo disco and Boney M :)
Now we eat nearly every style, the best from every genre. Still some old-school death and black metal, trip hop, industrial, breakbeat, EBM, synthpop, psychobilly, dark-folk, ambient, techno, electro etc....Pavel likes The Beatles and Pink Floyd a lot....+ some shoegazing indie music....Cranes, Slowdive etc.
Current line-up : Anders - vocals, programming; Pavel - guitars, backvocals; Gerty - keyboards, vocals…..and soon there will be percussion player with us, but evey thing in right time.
What do you do when you're not partaking in band activities?
-DJing, working, doing my radio show every week...most of my time is somehow connected to music. If I don't make or listen to music...I'm watching Family Guy with Gerty :)
Back to your roots, how did you first come to music?
-As I said, the first favourite songs and bands I found through my dad who was also a singer before I was born. So he had an influence on me for sure. But when my parents got divorced and we moved to a different place with my mom I started to find music by myself. I was 10-11 year old then. In the year 1987 I got Manowar`s "Fighting The World" on tape from one of my classmate and I was sold. The progress was really fast from heavy metal to thrash metal and in 1989 I was already die-hard fan of death metal. The first electronic bands I found in 1993-94 and then FS was already active, so FS has always been influenced by very different music styles.
If you weren't a musician what would you be?
-Movie director and actor I guess...or serial killer ;)
When did you form Forgotten Sunrise? What inspired you to make music together?
-In the summer of `92. We just wanted to be the first death metal band in Estonia, but we couldn't play any instruments then and finally there were a few death metal bands before us, so we failed with this dream :) At least we are the first deathbeat band in the world now :)
What are your top ten favourite Electronica / Industrial / Experimental Club Songs of all time?
-I can say top ten albums if it's ok for you.
G.G.F.H. "Disease"
Leaether Strip "Solitary Confinement"
Clock DVA "Buried Dreams"
The Future Sound Of London "Dead Cities"
Amon Tobin "Supermodified"
Orbital "Brown Album"
Aphex Twin "Selected Ambient Works vol.2"
Biosphere "Substrata"
Depeche Mode "Songs Of Faith And Devotion"
Björk "Vespertine"
...not very much "club" stuff....sorry.
Do you keep up with how the record has been selling? Is that really important to you?
-You know it's VERY hard to sell cd`s nowadays, because younger people just don't want to understand why should they buy a cd if they can steal it from internet for free. So, it's good if you release something and will get back the money you have put into manufacturing. Sure, the most important thing for the unknown artist is to spread the name, not get money, but it's nice if you can sell enough cd`s + merch to get even at least.
Who is your favourite band at the moment?
-Brendan Perry`s "Ark" is a top-notch album from this year for sure as Editors` last album was also super! My favourite bands don't jump from one to another usually, so I have been a fan of Dead Can Dance, Clock DVA and old Leaether Strip for 15 years already.
What band or bands would you like to tour with and why?
-Dead Can Dance if they would reunite...but about existing bands...maybe The Prodigy. Their gigs kick ass and all their albums are brilliant. It would be nice to support Triptykon too.
Is touring a pleasure or a necessary evil?
-I like to perform...never been on real tour.... I think that I would love it, coz it's a thing I have wanted to try so many years. I want to feel that feeling and do my best.
What would you be doing right now if you weren't in Forgotten Sunrise?
-I would form Forgotten Sunrise.
How did you come up with the name Forgotten Sunrise?
-We had our first gig coming and still had no name, just different thoughts in our heads...and then we had to choose the name finally and Forgotten Sunrise was the only name that sounded perfect to every member in FS, so we took that and still make music under this name. It wasn't taken from Amorphis nor Sorrow. I have met some people who think it was taken from Amorphis...
If people don't know what you and your music are about, how would you describe Forgotten Sunrise?
-It's negative music for positive results as our slogan says.
How did you come up with the title "The Moments When God Was Wrong" (Forgotten Sunrise latest CD)
-Sometimes I have quite anti-religious lyrics and that's one of them. I'm not an atheist or satanist by myself, but I see this system called God as a whole thing, it has everything in it, also evil and bad things, there's no heaven or hell or god or satan outside. But God as we know it by christianity has it's limits and why can't he/she/it will be wrong sometimes then?
All right. You guys toured heavily after The Moments When God Was Wrong" came out. How did the whole touring, to support that record, turn out?
-Toured heavily? I think we did 3 gigs.... in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and that's it.... I can't call it that.
How do you feel to hold the finished cd in your hands?
-It depends how long this process has been from the recording to mixing to mastering to manufacturing. If there's 6-10 months between mastering and releasing, then nearly all the positive side has gotten lost in this time and you are happy if you finally have this "child" in your hands, but it's not so special anymore. More happiness comes when you create new music and you love it by yourself and it feels like every new song is the best song you have ever made :)
What are you currently listening to on your mp3 player? What artists have you been listening to these days?
-I don't have mp3 player at all. Even if I buy some mp3`s, I'll convert these files to wav`s immediately and burn it on a CD. Latest stuff I have bought or gotten are; the new album from Psychocharger, The National, Abscess, Broken Note, Noisia, Brendan Perry, Katatonia.....still Triptykon`s debut.
How is the current promotional tour going for supporting this album?
-As I told you, we have had any tour and at the moment we are focusing for the next album.
Is your family pretty impressed with what you've done?
-My small family: Gerty (FS`s female vocals, keyboards), me and our lovely cat Befffriod.....I`m not sure how impressed my cat is about FS :)
Have you recorded any previous cd`s or posted any audio files on the Internet? What type of recording process did you use? Who produced your recording?
-All our previous cd`s are recorded in good studios with professionals, last two albums were released by Italian My Kingdom Music. The new one is the first one that will be recorded at home by us. Let's see how it will be released.
What are your views on the current state of this Electronica / Industrial / Experimental scene in Estonia? In terms of creativity and audiences? And the scene in other countries?
-Dark scene in Estonia is quite young, it's growing all the time, but our population is 1,5 million people, so it means that the scene can't be huge anyway. The same quantity of people visited this year Love Parade in Germany. We have some artists nowdays, but still very few. Sinine, Evestus and Freakangel are worth to mention.In some countries the scene is too big even. At least there are too many people who want to make music. It's not problem only in the dark/electro scene, but overall in the global music landscape. Most of the bands want to copy their idols and be as evil as they are and try hard to sound like them and nowadays it's so easy to do electronic music with some preset sounds and rhythms. Only a few of them are good and unique. That's the problem. Hopefully the music will be less attractive to masses soon and then they'll find something else to do :D
What new music inspires you when you are writing? Tell me about lyrical compositions what you can tell about the done work? How does your music creation process work? How do you create a song?
-Most of the songs have been done on the computer for starters, then I write the lyrics and then together we create the guitar and synth parts. There are few songs that have been created on guitar too and then I'll do rhythms and stuff later. The main influence comes from our everyday, the weird things that happen around us and thoughts that come in when I spend the time with my inner self...but yes, I'm a big fan of David Lynch too.
How did you sell your CD?s/Audio Files? (Consignment? Live sales? My space, iTunes,Distributor?)
-Mainly My Kingdom Music and its distributors sold the last cd´s, but usually we have our merch table also at gigs and last recordings are available also in iTunes, eMusic, Reverbnation, Amazon etc.
Since the music industry is more open now to purely electronic music has this made things easier for you?
-I can't say they are.... I think hip hop and some pop + this britpopish guitar music is on its top right now. And as you know...we are not pure electronic not guitar music, so for us it's hard to live any time.
How do you see the future of download / Copyright in area of goth-Electronica / Industrial / Experimental music? What are the best ways to develop it in your mind?
- Listeners and so called "fans" that have only stolen mp3`s of their favourite artist have to think about it, that they just let their loved artists die with stealing their music. It's about the way of thinking. Listeners have to get the point why it's better to buy the music. I like the fact that more and more artist release their music by themselves and will earn money straight from their listeners, so the prices are lower and you know who is getting your money. You don't have to pay a lot to all the people and companies in between the artist and the record store. I hope it helps people to understand it too sooner or later.
What about all the big festivals? Summer Darkness in the Netherlands? Mera Luna in Germany and Wave Gothic Treffen in Germany and many more?
-The biggest festival where we have been playing is Castle Party in Poland. Kees from Summer Darkness is a friend of mine, but we have never played in The Netherlands, hope we'll be there in the future. I just played as a DJ there at Cyberia party few years ago. I like Holland a lot.... cheers to all my friends there!
If there was one thing you want people to know about your band what would that be?
-We try to spread the word that would make good people better.
Please let us know about your upcoming plans, some new releases you like to confirm here
-A month ago we started rehearsals with our percussion player, so I'm very excited.... fresh blood always makes a difference and gets things moving. And of corpse we would like to finish the new album ASAP. Most of the material is already recorded. And then we start looking for gigs and a possible tour for promoting our new album.
It has been a pleasure to interview you on your musical activity,Well,any last words to your ebm-industrial fans?
-Thanks for this long interview mate! For EBM fans...make sure it's EBM that you call EBM, coz many so called EBM fans think that all dark-electro is EBM, no way. EBM is a very specific style. For all dark scene fans.... make difference between the leaders and followers. Listen to whole albums + lyrics and check the backgrounds of the artists you like etc. Music is much more than just few hits here and there. And remember good and honest music is your best friend.
Do you think the music industry is dead?
-Nope.... and it will be never dead, but things will change and we have to live with it. The world is in change all the time, so it's better to move on.
Where would you like to see Forgotten Sunrise three years from now?
-Recording a new album again and feel that it will be the best one and there are much more people to waiting for its release.
What's the band's favourite song to play live?
-I think that most of them are great to perform.... at the moment I like a new one called "Bo:gie" the best...it drives me insane in positive way.
What was it like the first time you heard one of your songs on the radio ore Internet ore clubs? who was the DJ that played your song?
-Damn...it was soooooooooo long a go, I can't remember...I'm sure I was bloody happy and jumped or something. It's always very heart-warming to get feedback from the media or fans.
And, finally, what does the next twelve months hold for the band?
- New album + rehearsing with percussion-player.
By the way do you like my questions? tell me what you think about it! ;-)??
-The questions are fine, but quite randomly asked and you ask the same things in different questions with little variations…But it's nice to answer to them still :)
Thanks alot for your answers! We wish you furthermore great success
-Super thanks again and all the beAst things to you and your webzine too!!
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