Konsortium Interview Is Up
1. Tell us for those not in the know how The Konsortium came to be?
#001:
We started up around 2003, after I moved from Oslo. For many years it was more of a lose project, and we didn´t have any ambtitions at all. A ”normal” band was impossible, as the members are scattered all over the place, so things just took it´s time. After we finally got our act together and released a demo in 2008, things started rolling… slowly, but still: we´re moving in the right direction.
2. There is a mix of Post Black Metal, Prog Rock and Viking metal elements I can hear. Were did the sounds come from. I can hear Arcturus, Borknagar as well as the later Emperor sound. Would you say those are influences?
#001:
Fuck, what IS post black metal? There´s something I must have missed here… But yeah, it´s cool that you notice some prog rock in there. Viking metal is something that I have never listened to, unless you count early Enslaved. Perhaps you refer to the more ”folksy” parts of Lik Ulven, and if so, I can see your point.
The bands you mention are good bands. I haven´t listened to any of the latest albums of Arcturus and Borknagar, so I don´t really know what they sound like nowadays. Skilled musicians, that´s for sure, so you mentioning them in connection with our stuff is kind of a compliment, I guess… or?
There´s not a single band that influences us more than others, though… at least not at the time being. What I always strive for, is the right feeling or vibe, and often that results in a sort of controlled aggression, a mix between sharp complexity and chaos. If something happens to resemble another band, I don´t care that much, as long as you hear that it is honest and that it´s us… Influences from the music one listens to will always be audible – but there´s no point in being a copy of others.
3. How did you come to work with Agonia a label seems to be growing by leaps and bounds in Experimental or Avant metal scenes..
#001:
Yeah, maybe they do? I don´t know that many of their bands, but I like the weirdness of Angstskvadron, and this German band Beissert released a groovy piece of music on Agonia as well. In advance I knew that Urgehal (at the time) and Krypt was in their rooster, which are bands I like. They have some strong black metal bands, maybe not the most profiled names, butt hat doesn´t matter as long as it is quality. Anyways, long story short, they got in touch, and after some discussions back and forth, we were on board. I´m no businessman, but so far we have been treated fairly, and they seem to really prioritize what we do. In other words, all is well.
4. Will The Konsortium be performing live at all as I think a live show would be inventive and visual stunning?
#001:
This is our biggest challenge at the time. Being a consortium (yes), with members involved in other bands, etc… It´s not the easiest thing, getting to play live. But we´re working on it, indeed. We were finally ready for a gig now in June, but of course things fucked up as usual. First with members, then with stuff completely beyond our control.
But when we do get our asses up on stage, it will be glorious... It´s going to cost, as there is no point in turning up with masks and the whole package without a proper stage production… but that´s the way it has to be.
5. Whats The Konsortium thoughts on the current digital age. Are you fans of Myspace, Digital music formats, Webzine or Internet Radio or do you miss the day of old promotion and CD, Radio and Fanzines..
#001:
I have one foot in each world. I prefer a physical format and only buy vinyls myself, but at the same time I appreciate the convinience of having Spotify and similar stuff around, as it enables you to discover a lot of new music in an easy way. Webzines are cool, there´s nothing wrong with them - still, I miss getting paper zines in the mail, hehe. What I DON´T like, is the downloading thing. Not so much because there´s money being lost, but because it kills the music experience in many ways. So much stuff is now too available, it´s just something you throw away after one listen. No magic left. You can´t have that same genuine experience of an anonymous mp3 file from some site, with no cover, no nothing… Sure, it´s still music, but there´s a jpg. (IF you are so lucky) in stead of a proper cover, there´s no liner notes… It´s sucks. But enough about that. As for radio, I only listen to NRK P1 and P2. Debates, political analyses and such. For old people I guess, but that´s how I want my radio.
6. Will there be a Dvd or long form videos from the album the songs are so well built for them?
#001:
A video has been planned for some time now. Still not sure if it will happen, it all depends on the finances. If we don´t get the sum needed, we will not do the video at all. We can work on a budget, but we will not compromise on the quality and the final result. I mean, there´s just no point in doing anything half-way. If you want a bad metal video with gross overuse of cheezy video effects, just search up some idiots on Youtube.
A DVD? Sure, we could do that, but I don´t think it will happen in this lifetime, for the above mentioned reasons.
7. Is there a running theme for you Debut or is it just a collection of complex and layers Post Metallic journey?
#001:
Hm… no such thing as a running theme. It´s all chaos, whith a slight element of control in there somewhere. There is a musical thread to be found of course, but lyrically? No way.
8. Why If I may ask is there different artwork for CD and Vinyl?? of you Debut..
#001:
Again, there´s a lot of chaos. And there is control. This goes for the music, the lyrics and the aesthetics. The CD design, done by Trine & Kim, represents the sharp, diciplined side. The vinyl design, done by Costin of Twilight 13 Media, represents the opposite. They are both very important and real sides of the Konsortium, so it´s the way it has to be. In addition, as I mentioned, I want a record to be something else than just a digital file or some other boring shit. It should be spectacular, and that´s why we put a lot of energy into these things.
9. There is a very futuristic sound to The Konsortium was this done on purpose or did it just evolve to this?
#001:
This is absolutely not done on purpose – I mean, the compositions are of course well thought through, but none of us ever thought ”Let´s go futuristic on this track!”. It all depends on the listener, I guess. If you want futuristic, check out this Japanese artist called Tomita from the seventies. He released an album called ”Dance of the Chickens” or something. That´s the future for you. He must have used 700 kilos of synthesizers on that stuff.
10. What are the members of The Konsortium listening to genre or style doesn't matter ?? Just wondering what is on your playlists these days?
#001:
I have no clue of what the others are listening to at the moment, but I do know that genre has no meaning at all. I have always listened to all kinds of music, and have never cared about whether it´s a certain kind of metal,etc. If it´s good, it´s good. Teloch sent me a text regarding ABBA the other day, and mr. Waldejer has very weird musical preferences… so anything goes, really. Like #005? He doesn´t listen to music at all. Myself, I listened to some Beatles today. And then some Possessed. Before night falls, I´m sure that I will have given the Demonaz LP another spin. It´s great, a ton of Bathory vibes on that album.
11. If there was one project or artist The Konsortium could collab with who would it be and why?
#001:
That´s a difficult one… There´s a whole bunch of people that would be interesting to collaborate with. I´d think I´d really like to work with Michael Gira and/ or Jarboe from Swans. The sheer intensity of what they have done in the past is reason enough. And Ravi Shankar, to get some more magic in there. Of course, add some drone riffs from Tom G. Warrior. Yeah, that would work. This list could have been much much longer, though.
12. Where do you see the sound of The Konsortium going with future releases I hear alot of DHG and Industrial elements that could be flowing in the future ?
#001:
Who knows what will happen in the future? I am up for anything, as long as it´s not done a hundred times before. Some of the new stuff is a bit more dynamic and erh… ”retro”, so to speak. A bit more Hawkwind/ King Crimson, perhaps. Maybe we´ll head more in that direction. But I suspect there will always be some fierce discipline to be found in the midst of it all, even though it might be chaotic and/or eclectic. And some darkness, that´s hard to avoid.
13. .Thank you for the time any closing thoughts here..
#001:
Thanks for the interview Clint, keep up the good work with the ´zine.
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