INTERVIEW TO Cyanbaal
(Patrick M.
Wenzel aka Georg Kasperski & Haether Wayward)
https://cyanbaal.bandcamp.com/
http://www.darksignmusic.de/?page_id=2363
https://www.facebook.com/Cyanbaal
http://www.cyanbaal.de/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4yBqcQdNrIsvUrqNqQ8nFx
*HW: questions answered by Heather Wayward
First say welcome to this
written interview for Cian Orbe blog. Today we make an interview to the german/american industrial dark electronic duo Cyanbaal.
-What means the name: Cyanbaal?
Actually, "Cyanbaal" has no
meaning. But someone from "Musiktelegramm Online Magazine" found out.
He wrote:
"Cyan is the color that is neither
green nor blue. And depending on mythology, Baal is a demon or a god.
Cyanbaal is living contradiction. You don't
know what it is. " I really like this.
- Which are the concept behind your music, how you categorize
your own music?
We want to create creepy, strange and
morbid stories in music. Corresponding images should arise in the listener's
head. We use all means of sound that are available to us. Analog, digital
synthesizers, samplers, field recordings, drum computers .....
Everything that is suitable to achieve
appropriate sounds is used.
It should mostly sound atmospheric and
scary.
Due to the diverse musical interests that
influence us, it is therefore difficult to find a clear allocation.
For the sake of simplicity, I have called
it Electro Dark Wave / Post Industrial.
Sometimes there are also synth pop elements
or cold wave.
I also like to break through listening
habits or deviate from classic arrangements.
-This
year we know a new Cyanbaal member: Haether Wayward. tell us about her.
We got to know each other through the
social networks. In autumn 2019 we met with several Dark Electro Music fans in
East Germany. There we went to concerts by „Fix8 Sed8“ and „Pyroline“. At the
end of the weekend we had the idea to make music together. I've been looking
for a singer for a long time.
We share a lot of interests and musically
we fit together perfectly. It is a lot of fun to work with her. She has a lot
of good ideas and turns songs that I have sometimes given up into something
special.
HW /// How do you feel
the experience of be member of Cyanbaal?
It has been amazingly fun. I was
already a huge fan of Patrick before we met. I very much enjoy this very unique
style of minimalistic dark, creepy songs with humor. Patrick has welcomed me to
the project with openness and gave me full creative freedom and has embraced
it. Right away he encouraged my own writings and vocals. It has really worked
out perfectly. He pulls something out of me that surprises myself at times. We
have made a lot of progress in one album together and it keeps going as the
next album is already in process. Being across the pond from each other can be
challenging but many trips are already in planning. Just waiting for the world
to open again.
HW /// Favorite Bands, Music projects?
My all time favorite band is
Click Click. I also like more commonly known bands like Front Line Assembly,
Skinny Puppy, Covenant, Solitary Experiments which all had good time periods. But I like many different styles like This
Mortal Coil, Numb, Coil, Diorama, Soil and Eclipse, and more recent bands like
Statiqbloom, Fix8:Sed8 and The Opposer Divine.
I am currently listening to Amorphus, Circumpolar, Black Nail Cabaret
and Placebo Effect. I have interests in further listing to Minuit Machine, 11
grams, Frame of Mind. I even enjoy projects like TV HWY and Access to Arasaka.
HW/// Are you member of other music
projects? do you had some in the past?
I have been into the
‘industrial/gothic’ scene since the early mid 80s. Cyanbaal has been my only
personal project. I have worked a little with some bands doing intimate reviews
and by providing sampling. I am working along side James Mendez of Jihad for a
small fun project. Others have approached me about making a song or so. I am
open to the idea for I think all artists have something to express and together
with another can be a completely different experience. However, there is no one
out there making music like Cyanbaal and I am very proud to be a part of this
project.
- Do you release music only under Cyanbaal name of you have
other monikers or music projects, bands?
At the moment I only publish under
Cyanbaal. But I like to work with other people, even if it unfortunately
happens very rarely.
I'm still working on another project. It's
a Dark Ambient Project and I hope to publish something in the near future.
- In what year did you start making music? which was your
first band/project?
I am already older. It must have been 1994.
The music project / band was called "Syndrom 21", later "Schadow
Basement". "Syndrome 21" was too reminiscent of "Trisome
21".
We had a small studio in a basement. In our
house on Schadowstrasse. Hence the name. People always thought it should be
called "Shadow Basement". But the name came from Johan Gottfried
Schadow, the sculptor. So Schadow, not shadow. :)
It wasn't until 2014 that I founded
"Cyanbaal". But very, very many songs are old "Schadow
Basment" songs.
- Which inspiration you have from the place where you live?
There's some inspiration from your country in your music?
I like my home region very much. I don't
know if it inspires me musically. Probably a little. The place I live in is
very idyllic and has a little dark romance. We have a lot of hilly forests. I
call "Buchholz" (the place I live in) the "Dunwich" of
Germany. In the vicinity there are many old castle ruins but also old
collieries and steelworks that are almost all shut down today. We call it
industrial romance. Maybe that's the reason for the industrial elements in a
lot of the songs. :)
- Which are your favorite music
projects and visual/plastic artists who inspire your work?
I'm a huge "Skinny Puppy" fan. As
far as Gothic Rock is concerned, "Fields of the Nephilim" was my
number one. These bands have accompanied me in my life. Today I like to hear
"Lustmord" and Atrium Carceri. I get calmer with age. :)
As for art, I like fantastic art,
surealism. Max Ernst, Rene Magritte, Joan Miro and of course H. R. Giger. :)
But my music is very much influenced by
writers and films. I'm a huge H.P. Lovecraft fan. I also like Neil Gaiman,
David Lynch and Tim Burton.
HW: Click Click is my biggest influence. Their
unleashed freedom of expression is pure. Edward Ka-Spel has also been largely
influential. Honestly my life has not been a quiet one, and I draw a lot of
influence from personal experience and dreams. I am also a Lovecraft and Burton
fan, with a little bit of Anne Rice and Clive Barker.
- How do you see the current industrial, dark
electronic music scene?
I think the music has developed a lot in
the direction of "techno". Much sounds very similar!
I have the impression that the musicians
are focusing to be evil and aggressive.
It's okay, but it's not quite my world. I
like it more subtle and more eerie, with a dark mood. And it's nice when it's
more experimental and maybe breaks listening habits.
To be honest I don't know a lot of new
bands.
Back then I used to go to clubs or
festivals more often.
Today I listen to many old bands and
reminisce about them. But every now and then I find current projects and bands
that I like. It's just hard to find these bands today.
HW: Ive seen a huge uprising in the past 10
or so years. A lot try to mimic the sounds of yesteryear. But there has been a
decent number of really great bands. I
do like the “Post punk” sound but too many are doing it and so only a few
really stand out. The “EBM/Dark Wave”
scene has really blossomed as well. Still, It’s a tough go at finding something
that doesn’t “sound like” someone has done it before. But those who do original
material really shine. I hate labels. So
I won’t even go into the millions of “genres” that could be mentioned here.
Good music is a matter of perspective. Unique music is hard to find.
- Do you play live performances?
So far, Cyanbaal has been a pure studio
project.
But we will actually play live in winter
2021/22.
We got some nice inquiries and we were very
happy about it. So we decided to give a couple of concerts.
- Which is your favorite song and album created by yourself?
I fluctuate between "Cautionary
Tales" and "Living Tunnel".
"Cautionary Tales" feels a little
bit more varied to me. Haether alone has greatly upgraded Cyanbaal. On the
current album, the vocal tracks are much better too.
The question of my favorite song is
difficult.
I like "Shimmering Darkness" a
lot. But I also really like "Madame Degradation". It's very dark.
Otherwise "Mirage", "Schizophrenia" and "Dancing
Idiots".
HW: I can really only comment on “Cautionary
Tales”. As writer, personally I like “Taken”. It has deep meaning from 30 years
of extorted past experiences. “Mirage” does too but with “Taken” it really comes out. As a
vocalist, my favorite song is “No Escape”. Its heartbreakingly beautiful about
a horrible situation. After that would
be “Android Love Failing”. Its the most artistic.
- Tell us about the concept & the
creation process of one of your latest works: "Cautionary Tales"
released by DarkSIGN Recordsstream link: https://open.spotify.com/album/2eh1rSHaPhTTqLVjBMc6dO
Oh, that was very exciting. During the
creation of the album, Heather joined.
Some songs were already finished:
"Shimmering Darkness", "Repressive Gold", "Figurative
Self Destruction".
But many songs were still in the process of
being created or in the song archive. I had sent some material to Haether. She
then developed many vocal melodies and lyrics. She made suggestions for changes
and took care of samples a lot. Many songs would have not turned out so well
with out her ideas.
Some songs I had already written off, but
by her contributions they became great songs.
Some songs are classic eerie stories set to
music.
But there are also songs on the album that
deal with gloomy SciFi stories and prognoses.
Some songs are inspired by SciFi books or
just what might happen in the near future.
- Tell us about the underground music scene in Germany or in
your zone. and which are your favorite artists from your country?
The region in which I live used to be a
stronghold of the black scene. We had the legendary club called „Zwischenfall
(Incident)“. Unfortunately it burned down. There was nothing like it later.
But there were many other clubs in our
region where the scene has evolved.
But today, I think, a lot is going on in
East Germany.
There is also the "Wave Gothic
Treffen" and other great festivals every year. The cities of Leipzig and
Dresden have nice clubs.
My favorite artists from Germany are
"Haus Arafna, Echo West and" Blue Angel Lounge "(no dark
electro).
HW: In the
US our scene is very small with isolated spots in places like NY, Denver, Texas
and LA. However some spots are emerging and the scene is growing. I can’t say I
have looked up where every band is from but I am always on the look out for new
locals bands. Nearest me, Baltimore has produced some interesting projects and
seems to be a place that has laid in waiting for a long time. Bands Such as
Kiss of the Whip, (the late) Precision Field, and Dan Barret of Venal Flesh and
Worms of the Earth all call Baltimore home. SYZYGYX is from next door DC. My
favorite bands from the eastern US would have to be Statiqbloom (NY) and
Crüxshadows (FL).
- Any anecdote that you want to share with us in the
creation of some track?
Yes! It's not always as serious and gloomy
as it sounds. Often a little black humor flows into our songs.
Madame Degradation is very dark but
actually it's all about the "Corpse Bride" by Tim Burton "
And in "Dancing Idiots" there is
a reference to a style of music that I really like. "I like the electric
shock therapy, POWERELECTRONIC".
Many people think of power electronics as
noise or soul torture. :).
And "Clipped Wings" speaks for
itself!
HW: Yes to
add to Patrick, a little humor is often there. “Treachery” is about a Raven
that would come to me almost every evening and hang out in the tree where I
work. He stays for hours. So therefore he has his own song.
- Any news for 2021 in your music project?
We'd like to release our fourth album next
year.
Otherwise we will probably start our
concerts in Winter 2021/22.
And maybe the first release for my Dark
Ambient project will come. That would be great.
- Any other thing that you want to say to your listeners?
Yes! Make music! Be creative! It's a lot of
fun. Much more is possible today than in the past.
And it should always be about fun, not
money. And thanks to the people who listen our music!
CYANBAAL APPAREANCES IN CIAN ORBE COMPILATIONS AND SINGLE TRACKS:
https://archive.org/search.php?query=cyanbaal
