 Outside the realms of reality Side Line 28 |
It looks like the famous Clan Of Xymox have found back
all their dynamism and productivity with their new album "Creatures".
A real masterpiece confirming that the band benefited from a certain heavy
dormancy period to question their work and protect their identity from
outside trends. A break which allows them nowadays to be on the good way
to be the new big reference on the gothic scene. "Creatures" is
certainly one of the best achieved album in the genre this year. A very
moody album full to the brim with highly emotional voices, slow intricate
drum patterns, judiciously chosen keys and catchy gloomy guitar melodies.
Just before their departure to the USA for a tour we caught Ronny
for a little chat about his new album... SL: You have a new cd out now. When I did an interview with you a year ago you told me there would be new music as long as there is inspiration. Aren't you afraid there will be no more inspiration some day? R: No! I don't make music because I have to, but because I think it is necessary for me. Like writing down feelings, music is a form of translating feelings and thoughts for me. The fear of loosing that feeling would be the same as ever being afraid to die. SL: What about the sound of the new album? R: This time it is about the dark half of Clan Of Xymox. Instead of combining a lot of styles, like the last record "Hidden Faces", this time I'm trying to integrate one style from the beginning to the end. The theme is people, their character, memories, loneliness, aggression, fears,..., all the things in people that make their personality. SL: On "Hidden Faces" I heard things like ping pong balls. Are you going to include things like that again? R: When you listen to the music and the lyrics there is always something to discover. I work with a lot of layers of sound and sometimes that takes a lot of your ears. The keeping discovering of new things in the music is of course only for freaks. SL: The music of Clan Of Xymox is complex. Can you explain that? R: I make a lot of sounds myself and when I put those sounds together there is a new interaction of those sounds. The use of keyboards, synths, a variety of sounds for drums (I make another kit for every song), guitar and bassguitar make that it sounds complex. This approach was taken from the beginning on. SL: Do we get a varied CD again with moments of rest? R: Yes, there are peaceful songs like "Creature", "All I Have", an instrumental song "Without A Name" but there is also action with "Jasmine And Rose", "Crucified", "Taste Of Medicine" and such. SL: What were your influences while making the album? R: Human relations are an inexhaustible source for inspiration. Just things you see around or things you go through. SL: Are all the lyrics taken from your personal life? R: Yes, it usually happens very close to me. SL: In the new wave scene, the changes are quite extreme, from EBM to electro, from gothic to gothic metal. How do you see the development of Clan Of Xymox in that scene? R: As always, we try to do our own thing. I don't like to be in a scene but a band is always labelled as being some kind of style. All is going well with the band and I'm honoured with the idea that people have been following the band very closely for so long. SL: Clan Of Xymox has indeed been around for some time now. Aren't you afraid to end up like The Rolling Stones? How long do you think to continue? R: It's better to end like The Rolling Stones than go and sit behind the window and look outside when we're old. OK, serious now, I can't and don't want to look in the future concerning the songs. Songs that every fan of Clan Of Xymox want to hear (some of them) will be played and until now I still like doing that, of course together with the new songs we want people to hear. My experience is that when you don't play those songs a lot of fans will be disappointed. SL: Lot of bands are doing remixes these days. What is your opinion on that? R: I don't like remixes at all. When a song is good for me I see no reason to let someone make a remix of it. It is a hype of the record labels and food for the DJ's. Furthermore, I don't know a lot of people who buy a CD with 24 remixes of the same song and really listen to it. SL: You really like the internet. Do the fans have to go and get the pictures and lyrics from there again? R: Yes, that is the reason why we don't put the lyrics in the booklet. Our fans can get the lyrics and other information on our homepage. http://clanofxymox.com SL: To conclude, can you give a reaction on the actuality and does it influence your music? R: I try to escape from the actuality as much as possible. I really don't like reality |
The return of Clan of Xymox Ghastly No.9
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Ghastly: Your new single, "Out Of The Rain" was
produced by David M. Allen and John A. Rivers. How did they come to work
with Clan of Xymox? How do you think they contributed to your sound? Ronny Moorings: I was always an admirer of Dave Allen's production on The Sisters Of Mercy an The Cure's albums. With John Rivers I worked before and knew already his qualities, also his production on Dead Can Dance and the early Love And Rockets albums. I asked if they wanted to work on our new album Hidden Faces as I thought they would be perfect as C.O.X.'s music would be compatible with what they had produced. They were both very excited about our demo. Nothing of the demo radically changed. With Dave we looked more close to rhythm patterns and John was responsible for the overall sound during mixing. All compositions were already finished and all sounds and samples we wre clear on before entering the studio. G.: The full lenght CD "Hidden Faces" seems to incorporate a mixture of musical influences ranging from "classic" Clan Of Xymox with a modern edge, to industrial to etherial. What do you think inspired these styles in your current work? How do you describe the new sound? R.M.: We are merging the darker side of C.O.X. of the 4ad days with the compelling and driving sounds of the 90's. The inspiration comes from all kinds of sources and my own musical experiences with our previous albums, so it is hard to pinpoint what exactly inspired these styles. Let's say life. G.: On the single "Out Of The Rain" the song "Flatlands" seems to have a Middle Eastern feel to it. Where does this enter into your influences? R.M.: I wrote this song after going to Slovenia where a friend told me about an area in the nothern east part of the country, where people live very isolated lives. The landscape is flat , almost flatter than Holland. There is a high suicide rate in this area, people are desperate, and a lot Gypsies live there. They find their consolation in playing the violin. Back at home I translated this feeling into "Flatlands". G.: I've also heard "Hidden Faces" compared to the "years of 4ad"- back to the early days of Clan Of Xymox? What do you think of these comparisons? R.M.: I think "Hidden Faces" will be the logical follow up album after Clan Of Xymox and Medusa. G.: Speaking of Xymox... What was the reason for the previous name change to simply "Xymox" and now back to "Clan Of Xymox..."? Were the two different banners describing different sounds? R.M.: We dropped "Clan Of" when we got signed to PolyGram, which was a major change for the band. Now the band is on Tess Records, a label I feel has a lot of similarities with the early 4ad and I feel we have come full circle and felt that our music is the follow up of the two Clan Of Xymox albums, so it felt right again to rename the band into Clan Of Xymox. To me it is a very important difference and I hope people get the message. G.: The songs "It's All A Lie" & "This World" seem to have an underlying theme of melancholy and distrust. Would you tell us what these songs mean to you... R.M.: I have had a cope with a lot of people in which I put in a lot of trust, and of course I got stabbed in the back. These feelings I translate into lyrics, so it is good for something. Every song means a lot to me, because it contains a little piece of my life and feelings. G.: Was there ever a time that you thought you wouldn't male this far in the industry? What sort of things have you learned since first getting signed in the early eighties? R.M.: I never think that far ahead, but I think the most important lesson is that I would never sign for a major label again. I am the happiest on an independent label working with people who show a lot of commitment and enthusiasm and don't consider at as a 9 to 5 job. Luckily, I found this attitude on Tess Records. They are in it for the MUSIC. G.: Please explain your writing process. How does this differ from the early days? R.M.: I started at home with my 4 track recorder, a couple of synths, a guitar and a microphone. I recorded the subsquent pleasures mini album and released it on my own label. At the time Anke used to be my girlfriend so I asked her to sing on one of my songs (Call It Weird). Later I wanted to play live, so I asked a former roommate, Pieter Nooten, to join my band. Later we worked in the manner that each of us would contribute their song(s) to the album. Each of us working individually. The way Clan Of Xymox hasn't changed at all. There's a bit more equipment, but the writing process is the same. Basically, the one who sings the one who writes. I work with the computer, which is always patient and understanding. There is no need for rehearsing endlessly and arguing about the direction of the song. Writing in my room in the middle of the night without being disturbed is what I like the best. G.: You have been credited for writing music for various CD-ROM games.... R.M.: Only one game, which I am not going to advertise as it was just some musical outtakes. Just to get me through X-mas. G.: Sweet or Sour, Hot or Spicy? Food.... R.M.: Italian food I like the best. Last year I was in Tuscany, Italy and I thought I was in Heaven. I never tasted Italian food as good as there. Also, I try to avoid eating meat as much as possible as the whole meat industry disgusts me. |
