| |
|
|
|
|
.......................................................................................................... |
|
|
| |
THE JOY OF NATURE |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
Stark:
Hello Luis. Firstly, I'd like to ask you why you've decided to
shorten the name of your project? |
|
|
| |
Luis:
"I
always felt that the word “Discipline” didn’t fit well, and
between the first and second edition of “The Fog that Life Is
Haunted By” there was a hiatus, and all the concept of the project
was reformulated, hence the reduction of the name. Reducing the
name, I was also able to connect it to the hermetic concept of
Nature – “Nature rejoices in Nature, and Nature contains Nature”,
as one can read on the hermetic text “Turba Philosophorum”. " |
|
|
| |
Could you enclose
the beginnings of The Joy of Nature? |
|
|
| |
"The concept for The Joy of Nature and Discipline started
appearing in 1996/1997, but I only started recording in 1999, when
I had the invitation of J. Aernus to participate in the Reaping
Horde compilation “The Nemeth”. The basic idea, back in 1996/1997,
was to mix religious sound samples with field recordings and real
instruments, to create an atmosphere with usually unseen “things”
inside.
Then, by the end of the year 2006, and naturally following my
growing interest in folk music, I decided to reformulate the
project and to abandon samples and synths. Acoustic sounds are
more pure, and I don’t feel now quite well working with samples,
because I’m using the work of others to do my own, which is very
much a post-modern thing, and I can better turn into music what I
want to, doing my own field recordings, recording instruments that
we can still feel has a part of nature, made of wood, even of cow
horns! It’s very different to work with machines and to work with
acoustic instruments and sounds. Besides that, my vision became
clearer by that time: we live in a world that is so decadent, so
materialistic and so negative; it was time for me to give others
something pure and crystalline. I felt it was time for me to say:
the doors to other worlds beyond matter never close, even in a
time of deep decay, as ours. There’s still beauty and purity
inside and around us, the essence of things never change! We only
have to find it again. Now I’m seeing a bit beyond the fog: mere
images of the real “things”, but it’s anyway a big step away. My
vision of metaphysics and spirituality is much clearer now than on
1997/2001 (when I finished the recordings for “The Fog that Life
Is Haunted By”). I feel that I grew up immensely from 2004. " |
|
|
| |
I know, that "The
Fog the Life is Haunted By" has been released on Reaping Horde in
2003. Why have you decided to reissue this album on Bunkier
Productions? |
|
|
| |
"I met Tomasz by chance at a chat. We talked for a while and
then came the idea of reissuing “The Fog that Life is Haunted By”.
The first edition was a bit hard to find, so it was a good time to
make it available again and with extra tracks, one of them with a
bit of a change in the musical direction, almost introducing The
Joy of Nature." |
|
|
| |
What can you tell
me about your cooperation with this Polish label? Do you know
their other releases? |
|
|
| |
"Yes, Tomasz sent me other releases from Bunkier: a
compilation and records by The Well of Sadness, In Ruin and
Division S. I especially enjoyed Division S." |
|
|
| |
I'd like to ask
you about the concept of "The Fog...". Is there any? Could you
tell me few words about it? |
|
|
| |
“There’s
always some concept behind all the works of The Joy of Nature, but
it isn’t easy to tell directly what it is. If that was possible I
would just write down some words the paper, and not do an album.
“The Fog…” is the introduction to subsequent The Joy of Nature’s
works. It marks the beginning of the expression of some
spirituality, diffuse, foggy, only sensing that there is something
beyond the fog, but that I couldn’t reach.
And again the sensation of feeling “normal” life, which we
consider as real, as only a dream. Maybe a dream inside a dream.
In the fog there was the only reality, invisible to the senses.
" |
|
|
| |
In the booklet I
see some excerpts of Mirabeau and Lautremont works. Could you tell
me about their influence on "The Fog..."? What are your other
literary influences? |
|
|
| |
"”Le Jardin des Supplices” by Octave Mirbeau and “Les Chants
de Maldoror” by Lautréamont” were two books that left a profound
mark on me, opened some doors. I read both back in 1996/1997. It
was a time when I discovered a lot of new things.
Some of my favourite writers include Ernst Junger, Fernando Pessoa,
Gustav Meyrink, Julius Evola, Mircea Eliade, René Guénon, William
Blake, Yasunari Kawabata and Yukio Mishima. Lately, I’ve been
reading some alchemical texts, but I must say that my favourite
book ever is the oriental classic “Tao Te Ching”." |
|
|
| |
"The Fog..." is
very diversed album. One tracks sound more ambient, the others
have some folkish or even neoclassical elements. Is this an
intended effect, that stylistic variety? |
|
|
| |
"It just came out like that. All the conception of “The Fog…”
was very intuitive. I’m always very intuitive, making music. I
generally don’t think “I’ll do a track like this or that”; ideas
just appear and evolve naturally." |
|
|
| |
"The Shepherd's
Tea" mini-album sound more natural and folky. Is it the direction
The Joy of Nature will follow in the future? |
|
|
| |
"Definitely, one can expect a more natural and folky
direction in the next works of The Joy of Nature. I used a lot of
samples and some synths on “The Fog…” and that’s something that I
don’t want to do anymore. Of course I’ll continue to play a little
with sound processing, but from my own recordings.
I’ve been listening more and more to folk music, so the move is
natural: I find in traditional folk music from some countries (Portugal,
France, Spain – Galicia, England, Finland, etc.) and in some acid
folk, so much purity. It’s truly music coming from Nature, from a
perception of Nature that is beyond what we generally consider as
nature (the trees, animals and such).
I keep experimenting a lot with sound and started doing my own
field recordings some time ago. Besides that I’m making some songs
and more powerful tracks, besides the more ambient ones." |
|
|
| |
I'd like to ask
you about last two The Joy of Nature releases - "The Shepherd's
Tea" 7" vinyl and mini CD. I like both, but what was the purpose
of releasing pretty similar productions in so short term? |
|
|
| |
"I really do like to do very limited editions, all handmade,
completely outside the “market”. “The Shepherd’s Tea” mini-album
is a complement to the 7’’ vinyl; I needed to add something that
was outside the 7’’, to better fulfil my vision, so two new tracks
were included and new versions of the old ones (which I think are
quite different). Also there’s all the symbolism of Winter
Solstice: it’s the perfect time to make something this special." |
|
|
| |
The 7" artwork is
made by Susana Mota. She seems to be in close relationships with
The Joy of Nature. Could you tell me few words about your
cooperation? |
|
|
| |
“I
started my collaborations with Susana at the end of 2003, when I
was doing a record by a post-rock project that I had. Well, we
fell in love from then and she’s my companion. I really appreciate
her work and, as she knows me well, she can translate very well my
inner images in outer images. She’s also now playing and singing
with The Joy of Nature." |
|
|
| |
You worked on "The
Fog..." with the help of some other people. Both "The Shepherd's
Tea" releases you recorded all alone. What's the reason of that
situation? You prefer to work alone ? Or maybe you are too
difficult person to cooperate with? |
|
|
| |
"It’s a matter of vision and chance: sometimes I have a very
clear and sharp vision of what I want to do and know that I can do
it by myself; other times, I feel that I need collaborators. I
prefer to have collaborations in all records, but sometimes it’s
difficult to do, not only because of the mentioned reasons, but
also because the people that I’d like to have on my records have
their own projects, and sometimes it is a matter of chance and
schedules fitting well." |
|
|
| |
I'd like to ask
you about Portuguese "dark-folk" scene. I know and I like SANGRE
CAVALLUM. Are there any other interesting projects in your
country? |
|
|
| |
I don’t listen to
too much “dark-folk” music these days, and I think that Sangre
Cavallum’s music (which I also love) is closer to other kinds of
folk music (Galician Folk music, for instance) than to dark-folk/neofolk.
|
|
|
| |
Do you identify
with all that European dark/neofolk scene? |
|
|
| |
"I don’t know much about it, to be sincere. I still listen to
a lot artists like Current 93, Sol Invictus, Death In June, Fire +
Ice and In Gowan Ring. I also appreciate the above mentioned
Sangre Cavallum, and Sturmpercht. I really don’t identify with any
scene." |
|
|
| |
I always like to
ask this question: Does the place where you live inspire you in
any way? |
|
|
| |
"Yes. It seems to be quite inevitable, isn’t it? It has, to
more or less extent, an influence on what we are, on how we feel.
Besides that, the island in which I live is quite magical and
beautiful. But we have so many grey days here and lots of humidity.
Also, the island is volcanic: we can sense how much everything can
pass away so easily, how beauty is born out of destruction. All
these things have an influence on me and, of course, on The Joy of
Nature’s music." |
|
|
| |
In your opinion,
which period in the history of music was the most important? |
|
|
| |
"Since it’s almost
impossible to trace the origins of traditional folk music, I must
say that the medieval period is my favourite one. Generally, I
prefer old to modern music, and in modern music my preferences go
to the artists who can still capture the magic and/or essence of
ancient times.
But I also like some really modern music: some experimental and
industrial music and some post punk as well." |
|
|
| |
I wrote in my
review of "The Fog..." that I prefer to listen to in between 2AM
and 6 AM. "The Shepherd's Tea" 7" has 7 AM song and 7 PM song. Do
you think that the time of the day indeed has such influence for
proper reception of the music? |
|
|
| |
"I usually compose and record at evening or night. At evening,
night or early morning, usually, people are more relaxed and
sensible, probably due to the lack or diminishing of light.
As to the two sides of the single and the hours associated with it,
I just wanted to compare dawn and twilight with innocence and
experience, with spiritual growth, with being reborn." |
|
|
| |
I also wrote that
your music reminds me an empty beach during foggy, cloudy dawn. Do
you like such description? Maybe you have some advices or
recommendations, in what circumstances your music should be
experienced to make the greatest impression on the listener? |
|
|
| |
"I think that the impressions and images of other listeners
are as valid as mine. Music (and art in general) has a life
distinct of its creator. In medieval times, the artists didn’t
sign their works, because they knew they didn’t belong to them.
I’d like to do that, but it’s a bit difficult to do it in our
modern times. Besides that, a lot of people use anonymity just as
a way to create a mystery aura with commercial purposes, and
that’s definitely something that I’m not interested in.
Personally, during the time I was making “The Fog…” the images
that were on my mind was of foggy woods. These foggy woods still
appear on my mind and work: it’s natural, living with them nearby.
Every listener can find his own way to better experience the music.
But a silent place is always better to enjoy music, out of
distractions, to focus on the music." |
|
|
| |
Could you tell me
few words about future The Joy of Nature releases? I know you're
planning kind of trilogy... |
|
|
| |
"Yes, indeed. The title of the trilogy is “The Empty Circle”
and the name of the records (by order): “Blood Traces and
fragments of The Tradition”, “Between the first and the last Womb”
and “A Mors: O Círculo Vazio/The Empty Circle”. The first record
will be quite folk, while the second will be quite experimental,
but containing, at the same time, some of the more accessible side
of The Joy of Nature. The third one will mix the two sides – the
folk and medieval side with the experimental one. Then, I expect
to make an edition with the three records and two books,
containing a short story, some texts and one or two essays.
I’ve working at the same time on the three records and writings. " |
|
|
| |
Last question -
tell me what's your favourite computer game, and why it is Zork
Nemesis :-) |
|
|
| |
"It has been a long time since I’ve played a computer game: I
really prefer now to read a book or to see a movie by Andrei
Tarkovsky or Ingmar Bergman, instead of playing computer games.
But I really loved Zork Nemesis: its atmosphere is fantastic; one
can immerse himself completely in the game." |
|
|
| |
That would be
everything. Thank you Luis for your time. Last words are yours. |
|
|
| |
"May all who seek, find their way" |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
[ Stark ] |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
