Destruktionsanstalt: The Extremity Exhibition

“It’s the whole idea of doing some kind of soundtrack music that reflects the world we live in, a harsh reality that we in the western world choose to ignore on a daily basis.”

We head to Viborg, Denmark to meet with Per Najbjerg Odderskov, Post Industrial sound sorcerer and a fellow journalist.

Part of the old guard for nearly 20 years now, he rose to prominence as the brains behind experimental electronic / dark ambient outfit Lidane Livering, (which has been recently resurrected) and since 2015 he’s been building Destruktionsanstalt. 

A furious monster of a project described by Per as “Back to basics death-industrial with atmospheric psychedelic overlays”.

Per also keeps himself busy with other projects God Cancer and Left Hand of God, 

as well as exploring his funny side with The Gordon Ramsey Orchestra.

I had a quick chinwag with the man himself to find out his thoughts on current events, themes behind latest Destruktionsanstalt release “Ex Bello Volaptus” and how he is worming his way into the art world…

Listen below and you can read my thoughts on the album after this interview.

DMD: How did Destruktionsanstalt get started and from where does the name originate?

Per Najbjerg Odderskov: Destruktionsanstalt was an attempt to get into more extreme sounds, whereas Lidane Livering lies within the boundaries of ambiance and electronics. 

As for the name, I think I read it on the side of a truck driving by full of dead, stinky farm animals.

I remembered seeing a cow’s leg hanging over the side of it. A Destruktionsanstalt is a place where you burn dead animals which have died from a sickness. 

DMD: How is the scene in Denmark? 

PNO: Depends on where you are in Denmark, most of the stuff is happening in the capital (Copenhagen) and a few things are happening in Aarhus and Aalborg. Otherwise, it’s quite dead. 

Right now I’m living in Viborg, which was the capital in the really old days. 

I think I’m the only one here doing this kind of music. 80% of all people in Denmark doing some kind of "extreme" music make some kind of death /black metal mostly, 15% of which are doing Electronic / Industrial live in Copenhagen and the last 5% are spread across the other parts of Denmark.  

DMD: Growing up, what music did you tend to listen to?

PNO: Back in the late 80s as a kid I grew a general fondness of electronic based music, it was just way cooler than someone with a guitar. 

Why I had that view is beyond my understanding. I guess one of the reasons was growing up with a Commodore 64, and listening to the music coming from there. 

We had cracked games for it. These software pirates would leave their musical demos with the games. I fondly remember these low-bit cover versions of Kraftwerk, OMD and Depeche Mode. 

When I got older in the early 90s, early techno and house music were where my interest was. I think my first real influential idol back then was Aphex Twin, later on, I stumbled upon LFO, Orb, Biosphere, Model 500. 

There were the first artists who gave me the idea of producing my own music, so I had my first creations on my Amiga with a sampler. It was just some hardcore techno rhythms with a sample of Margaret Thatcher on top of it! 

All of a sudden I got fed up with the rave and love issues that were around techno and house music, and one day a good friend of mine got hold of this tape with a band called Skinny Puppy so that probably changed my direction at that time. 

This band blew my mind since I was already heavily into cyberpunk-based roleplaying games and of course horror based like Call of Cthulhu. 

To actually hear an act, which made this sort of in-your-face soundtrack thing just blew my mind. 

All of a sudden I was creating my own sounds on my newly bought PC. I was heavily inspired by the likes of Throbbing Gristle, Brighter Death Now and Scorn. That was in the mid 90’s when I made Fragments vol.1 (Lidane Livering).

DMD: How did you first discover the darker side of experimental with genres such as Dark Ambient / Noise /  Death Industrial etc?

PNO: When I decided that the extreme stuff was way more interesting than electronic body music and industrial rock, I was searching for whatever act that reminded me of Throbbing Gristle.

I stumbled upon this website/mail order underground thing, which sold all these weird-sounding acts which I didn’t know. 

They sounded interesting so I bought a couple of em, turned out that they were all released from Cold Meat Industry. It was Brighter Death Now, Raison D´être and In Blind Embrace (Controlled Bleeding side project). And again, it blew my mind. I was just thinking why the hell was I wasting my time on industrial-techno with guitars haha! 

Brighter Death Now was the most frightening and challenging shit I had ever heard, Raison d´être was incredible, beautiful and dark at the same time and In Blind Embrace combining powerful classical opera inspired music with harsh industrial aesthetics. 

That kind of stuff was soo fucking unique, so I kept my primary focus on this scene for many years!

DMD: What is your recording setup?

PNO: Following off whatever I learned from software on my Amiga and PC. 

Using Soundforge, Audacity, synth emulators, fields recordings and grabbing samples from movies etc.

DMD: Name 15 records you couldn’t live without

PNO: Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works vol.1

Throbbing Gristle - 20 Jazz Funk Greats

SPK - Leichenshrei

Brighter Death Now - Pain In Progress

Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures

Autechre - Amber

Ministry - Twitch

Caberet Voltaire - Code

Earth - Hex

Klinik - Time Plaque

Front 242 - Geography

Tangerine Dream - Stratosphere

Jean M. Jarre - Equinoxe

Atrax Morque - In Search Of Death

Megaptera - Extended Chaos

DMD: Tell us about your other projects God Cancer, Lidane Living and Left Hand of God

PNO: Lidane Livering explores heavy raw ambiance and cold rhythmic brutalism. The themes are mostly dealing with human-made atrocities to real life horrors. Otherwise, it deals in various post-industrial soundscapes. It was my first project, and it kick-started all my projects more or less. 

Left Hand of God started as an occult based esoteric ritual ambient act. Drawing ideas from NON, Archon Satani, and Ain Soph. 

Today, we´re dealing with a religiously inspired act which gets its ideas from the scene of HNW.

I’m thinking, the voice of a judgemental and all knowing god would probably sound to the human ear like a wall of some kind. That’s what I’m trying to do. 

God Cancer is a free based improvisational project which explores sounds and moods without boundaries. Not focused on any sub-genre or anything. 

DMD: What can you tell us about the new Destruktionsanstalt tape Ex Bello Volaptus?

PNO: It´s a more brutal, raw and heavy then former releases. 

The themes of the album also work within shocking taboos connected with death in one way or another. 

Victims of a serial killer, biological weaponry and its experimentations on humans, necrophilia etc…

Whereas former releases worked with sickness and the loss of a close family member. 

In lots of ways, it´s the heavier brother of Vivens Monumentis (released through Craneal Fracture records), which had a slightly more psychedelic approach I think. 

DMD: What inspires you to make music? 

PNO: Whatever I read or experience in the news mostly. It’s the whole idea of doing some kind of soundtrack music that reflects the world we live in, a harsh reality that we in the western world choose to ignore on a daily basis.

DMD: Back in August 2016 you released a cassette of two Destruktionsanstalt and Lidane Livering live performances what was your experience recording these? Do you have any plans for more live releases in the future?

PNO: This was without a doubt the best experience I have ever had, it was actually a music concert in classical terms. It was part of an art venue, where it all concerned sound and installation art. I was so lucky to know some insider people, so I managed to squeeze myself into the art-world. 

The audience was satisfied and bought some releases from me, so I was satisfied too. 

As for the moment, there are no plans for live performances. But I am keeping an eye for another opportunity. 

DMD: What can you be found doing when you are not making music?

PNO: Doing family man work. Cleaning, changing diapers, cooking, shopping etc ... And when I’m not doing that, I spend most of my time being tired at night while watching a supernatural or sci-fi themed series on Netflix over a beer or two. 

Besides that, I read a lot and am trying to find the time to listen to all of my records and tapes and stuff. 

DMD: What does Ex Bello Volaptus mean and what made you choose this title?

PNO: It means the results of war, whatever happens afterward if it all chooses to end which it sadly doesn’t.

A monotonous continuation which carries on like the constant bombardment of information overload.

All about being constantly fed with news about tragic and war, almost to the point of getting numb. 

Something which has been going on in a western democracy. "If we’re comfortable, then why should we concern about others. We have soldiers to do that kind of dirty work".

To me it´s also a reaction against being in the company of people being like that, just being "normal" and being unconcerned about everything. I find it frightening!

While young moms are drinking their caffe latte in a nice and fancy cafe, someone is having their kids ripped apart by militias. I just find it sickening. 

The only tracks on the album that don’t concern this are the last 2 tracks on the album. 

They work more or less like a 2-track EP. These tracks are about the connection between love and death more or less. I also used a sample/recording of a necrophilia trial that I got approval to use. 

DMD: What music do you enjoy listening to these days?  

PNO: These days. Always depends on my mood .. Think I’m still stuck with the dungeon synth and noise wall tapes .. Re-listening to Con-Dom and Grey Wolves, some moody post-punk bands from the 80s like Magazine, Gene Loves Jezebel and Fields of the Nephilim sort of stuff.

DMD: Tell us about your blog (kalteldur.blogspot.dk)

PNO: My Blog…Well, whenever I feel like reviewing a tape release I put something together. It’s focused on obscure electronic based tapes mostly, and moody stuff with an atmosphere, kind of dungeon synth and noise wall releases.

DMD: What does the rest of 2017 hold for you? 

PNO: So far, there is work to be done with God Cancer. I have some cassette releases with this project in the near future. I’m also holding an art exhibition in July at Aarhus artspace 2017, regarding a video and sound /art piece I’ve put together called ‘10000 Fahrenheit - Traffic Collisions’. 

DMD:  How did that all come about?

PNO: Well. At one point I was living somewhere in the sticks. I lived quite close to a road which had high levels of traffic and there was a lot of noise from lorries and trucks driving by. 

I wanted to document that in one way or the other, so I just laid my mp3 player up close to the road.

Afterward, I manipulated the recording and added some extra distorted layers to it. 

I downloaded a 60-minute video about car crashes in Russia, removed the audio, made it black and white and laid my own recording into the video itself.

Then some people I know mentioned that I ought to send it in to Aarhus Artspace, which I did and to my surprise they approved it. 

I’m going to show this installation on a big screen, in a pitch black room with the volume at total maximum. So it’s pretty much bound to overload your senses!

You can watch 10000 Fahrenheit - Traffic Collisions here

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My thoughts on Ex Bello Volaptus

Moving swiftly away from the enthralling dark ambient work of previous album Swedenborg (which comes highly recommended if you haven’t already had a listen) Ex Bello Volaptus marks the combination of a slight return to the classic Destruktionsanstalt sound with rabid experimentation that looks to the future of the project. 

A difficult balancing act for sure, but can it be done? Let’s find out!

The sampling is back in a more prominent position, right there in plain sight on first track ‘Caedes' (the slaughter).

The record begins with an infamous clip taken from the 1969 movie Easy Rider, where Jack Nicholson pulls out a bottle of Jim Beam and declares “Here's the first of the day fellas, to ol' D.H. Lawrence” takes a swig, and well, you can hear what happens next…

Nicholson’s madcap reaction is quickly breached by a flood of heavily distorted synth stuck in a droning loop. The mass of gurgling sound is expanded by a handful of field recordings that have been laid about the place and some more unsettling noises also get added to the melting pot.

It sizzles loudly like a dish being prepared and at one point even replicates a computer mid dial up that someone has set on fire, when it reaches it's peak the gas is turned off and it all cuts back to the main ‘gurgle’ which suddenly whooshes off out of earshot.

Next up, Tacet Occidere (killing is silent) quickly changes the scene to a news report describing President Assad’s use of chemical weapons in the Syrian civil war.

Musically, the track’s base is full of low rumbles while the top layer features anxious sounding synths cut in and out and the use of delay makes them dash off into the distance which all helps to give the track a very frantic edge, matching well with the current mood of the war torn Middle East.

Cranking up the decibels, the intro for Salo (based on the film of the same title) offers a near deaf experience with a series of eerie tinnitus inducing sounds.

These are joined by an ethereal effect and a grating metallic hum, along with a children’s choir and a brass movement that all mingle within it’s patchwork, resulting in a well executed soundscape but it's one that your ear doctor would probably advise that you avoid. 

Centrepiece ‘Agony of Plasma’ is an extended reinterpretation of the same track by Australian Industrial giants SPK (which appeared on their 1982 album Leichenschrei).

Those already familiar with the track will instantly recognise the looped breaking glass and bloodcurdling screams, although in this case they haven’t been lifted from the original. There is good use of dynamics on this track and in my view does the SPK version justice, making it one of the album’s highlights.

Imperium Suffocatis (control of suffocation) kicks off with the use of pitch shifted helicopter blades manipulated into a brisk, unpredictable pulse that shape shifts rapidly while field recordings of background chatter that help to fill out the space.

Semper Amare (always love) brings back the dark ambience of Swedenborg this time with some very fine isolationist drone entombed in a glitchy static shroud. Left with it’s remnants to loiter ominously at the track’s end it’s a ghostly presence that makes for a spine tingling listen.

Final track Suggero A Mortuis (provides a dead) begins with samples a group of people discussing the actions of a necrophile before igniting a bristling wall of sound that rises and falls in tension, constantly hinting at some more ear damage that doesn’t arrive. Almost personifying that Destruktionsanstalt is a project that doesn’t thrive on predictability.

Overall it’s a punchy, diverse release with a strong creative flair running throughout it’s 37 minutes that continues Destruktionsanstalt’s ongoing evolution.

Being at an age where some critics would consider his musical contributions nothing more than desperate attempts to remain relevant, it’s excellent to see that this album proudly displays Per's never lacking enthusiasm for creating music that is all things uncompromising, unnerving and challenging.

Ex Bello Volaptus will be made available in physical form on the 6th of August.

Tuonela: Primitive Progressive

At 66 years of age, Australian Sound Artist Ian Rochford is undeterred from making a very listenable racket! 

Inspired by the experimental, boundary breaking acts of the late 60’s and 70’s, these days Ian can be found utilising field recordings and found sound through basic music software to create classically infused drone and dark ambient soundscapes and has gathered a large number of followers on Soundcloud.

Latest Tuonela effort ‘A Rover’s Guide to Coastal Chambers’ is a dreamy sci-fi soundtrack but not without a few doses of nail biting tension, and might just be Ian's most progressive release so far. The sounds made by Ian are proof that you don’t need top of the range gear or to speak fluent theory to produce great music, all you need is a good imagination…

Listen below:

DMD: What is the meaning behind the name Tuonela?

Ian Rochford: It’s the name for the Underworld in Finnish mythology. There’s no deep significance in that, other than originally I was intending to create a body of dark ambient work and it suited, even though it wasn’t my first choice.

The first track I created digitally (something wicked this way comes) used a recording of The Swan of Tuonela as it’s source. It was two am and I was anxious to post it. I tried to register on SoundCloud under several names, all of which were taken. Tuonela wasn’t. I was going to change it (initially I couldn’t pronounce it properly myself), but it stuck, and it certainly attracted the interest of several serious dark ambient artists from Northern Europe.

DMD: What albums/artists influenced you throughout your childhood?

IR: Just about all of them. Remember, we’re talking about the 50s and 60s here. I loved radio dramas, and the weird noises my cousin picked up on his crystal set. He became a Beatles fan, but teenage me fell for the Four Seasons, The Animals, Stones, then Pink Floyd, blues records… you name it, I bought it. In the late 60’s I discovered prog rock and electronic music. I just devoured everything. 

I have to say one record that made a lasting impression and still intrigues me today was called “An Electric Storm” by White Noise, who were David Vorhaus and the extraordinary Delia Derbyshire. I regard "The Visitation" as the first piece of dark ambient I ever experienced, goose-bump stuff in its day.

DMD: What albums / artists do you listen to the most today?

IR: I don’t really follow any listening program anymore. I’m slowly selling off my collection, so I’m sort of working my way backwards through a garage full of vinyl, good and odd. A typical afternoon might include Savoy Brown, Miles Davis, Wrekmeister Harmonies, Mozart and Jeff Beck.

 I’ve bought a lot of experimental, dark ambient & drone stuff over the last few years, but had to put the brakes on as money and space became hard to find. At the moment I suppose my ‘favourites’ are the artists I listen to most on SoundCloud, who tend to create in the same sound world that I do. 

DMD: Why do you describe yourself as a primitive musician and what instruments do you play?

IR: I bought a guitar when I was seventeen, a lovely old Hofner jazz guitar with f-holes. I still have it and still can’t play it. I can plunk out a clumsy 12-bar and a crappy version of Greensleeves, and that‘s about it. I used to take it with me to parties and gatherings. Finally someone asked me to stop.

I sometimes use instruments to create sound samples for digital misuse – you know, lean on the keyboard, play the two chords I know. I now have four guitars I can’t really play. I even bought a duduk, but you need breath control for that – I nearly black out if I try to play it for more than two minutes. I have a box of assorted noise makers.

This is the main reason I call myself a ‘sound artist’ rather than a musician. I know quite a few good musicians and I know the lifetime of hard work and dedication (not to mention ability and talent) that they have applied to their art. I have no talent, an appalling sense of rhythm and fat fingers. I have to get there on a different path.

DMD: Your first release was the beautiful drone trip 'Tunnel to the Sun' back in January 2012. What would you say has changed about your music since then?

IR: Thanks, it’s still a bit of a favourite. That was the first Bandcamp posting – I’d been posting on Soundcloud since mid-2011. ‘Tunnel’ was an experiment using recorded sound. I’d bought a Tascam DR-07 and was recording everything. It was made from the sound of my electric jug boiling on a marble slab. I also made a track from the sound of my cat snoring

I guess not a lot has changed. The artists who directly inspired me to start this journey were 36, Barn Owl and Machinefabriek (I was impressed that one of his tracks melted the crossovers in my speakers). I started playing around with a copy of Audacity and was hooked. As I experimented I learned more, and a number of Soundcloud artists were very generous with advice regarding effects, software etc.

DMD: Other than Tunnel…what are your other favourites you have released or would recommend to a first time Tuonela listener?

IR: That’s tricky – I’ve released so much that I can’t remember a lot of it. I’d begin with the stuff on my SoundCloud home page, a track called ‘Return Of The Sorcerers’ and then just wade in and start listening randomly. Good question, though – I might make up a beginners playlist. Some of the early stuff was taken down before I got a pro account, you’ll find it on bandcamp in the Early Voyages series.

DMD: What equipment do you use for recording/capturing your sounds? 

IR: Not much. The Tascam recorder is great for field recordings, but other than that most of the sounds I work with I either create from scratch digitally, capture off the net or from old cassettes and vinyl. I don’t have a synth and still haven’t bothered to learn how to use Ableton.

DMD: Where you in many bands before Tuonela?

IR: I was never in a band. We used to jam a lot when the world was young. I played some naïve guitar early on with friends to raise money for a film, and got stage fright the second time & hid in the balcony. End of career!

        

DMD: What happened for you musically between those early days and up to the birth of Tuonela?

IR: Not a lot. I got caught up with filmmaking in the 70s and 80s, went to film school, got married and never really considered that I’d be doing anything (musical) like this. The triggers were a tape of synth noodling I recorded one drunk & stoned evening in the 90s, hearing a wave of new ambient (Steve Roach etc) and buying a couple of albums. 

(I think Memories In Widescreen by 36 was one of the first). I had started using Audacity (best free software ever) to record stuff off the net & the radio, and started experimenting with the effects suite. I posted my first track online shortly after that, in 2011.

DMD: What else inspires you to make music? 

IR: All of the above, in different ways and combinations and at different times. I just finished reading Stephen King’s “The Dark Tower” series, found it very inspirational in that way that we use to create the soundtracks to “mind movies”. 

I’ve never had any problem envisioning disturbing things. I guess I’m trying (a lot of the time) to create soundtracks for nightmares. Being unburdened by any melodic ability helps, to a point.

DMD: What other books/films do you like and had a big impact on you?

IR: Difficult to be specific, I think everything has an influence, some more than others.

DMD: Any gigs you saw in your youth that left a lasting impression on you? 

IR: All of them! It was cheap and easy to get tickets back in the 70s (usually for about $5 Australian), so we saw Frank Zappa, Yes, Jethro Tull, Rolling Stones, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Bob Marley, Osibisa, Chick Corea, Joni Mitchell, Yes, Rick Wakeman, Black Sabbath, Split Enz, Tangerine Dream, Santana, Free, Pentangle, Deep Purple, Pink Floyd, Caravan, Slade… there were probably others, but the memory ain’t what it used to be. Zappa and John Martyn were quite outstanding, as was Janis Ian of all people.

DMD: Do you perform live with Tuonela at all? Do you have any other projects that you perform with? 

IR: No, it’s really all about digital creation, just an old guy with an old pc and a load of (mostly) free software.

DMD: Do you have any favourites when it comes to software?

IR: Whenever I think I’ve reached the limit of what my cheap or free software can do, it surprises me. One of my favourites is a demo copy of The Mangle, which I use as a standalone processor. This severely limits what it can do, but I’m still extracting weird and wonderful sounds from it. 

DMD: Who are the artists you listen to the most on Soundcloud?

IR: It varies a lot from week to week, and I’ve probably omitted a lot of people I admire greatly from what is a woefully incomplete list...

Ivan Black  https://soundcloud.com/ivan-black

rabbitsquirrel    https://soundcloud.com/rabbitsquirrel

Glenn Sogge   https://soundcloud.com/glenn-sogge

Maximum Movement Theatre   https://soundcloud.com/maximum-movement-theatre

Wilhelm Matthies    https://soundcloud.com/wilhelm-matthies

Yura  https://soundcloud.com/yurgent-file

TheOxfordAmbientCollectiv    https://soundcloud.com/oxfordambient

Lee Lucas   https://soundcloud.com/lee-lucas

Yellow Salamand'r  https://soundcloud.com/yellow-salamandr-7

hanklebury     https://soundcloud.com/hanklebury

{AN} Eel   https://soundcloud.com/nealretke

Boson Spin (a fellow Aussie) https://soundcloud.com/boson_spin

Ahornberg  https://soundcloud.com/ahornberg

DMD:  Who does the artwork for Tuonela?

IR: I do most of it, using a brilliant free program called paint.net, though I do occasionally ‘borrow’ a photo or picture from the net. I used quite a few by FrodoK (http://frodok.deviantart.com/ ) for my ‘Sorcerers’ series, without permission I’m afraid, though I always attribute work where possible. Or mangle it so much that it’s unrecognisable!

DMD: When you aren’t making music what do you do with your time? What is your profession?

IR: Well, for the last couple of decades I’ve written for TV – mostly comedy – but with no work for a long time now you could probably call me retired.

DMD: Name your favourite dark ambient/drone albums

IR: Not easily, I tend to jump from track to track – It’s hard to go past early Zoviet France and Throbbing Gristle – I remember listening to TG in the late 70s and that was a life-changing experience. 

Early stuff by 36, Nadja, Barn Owl. I listened to so much in a short time that it was difficult to find time to play anything twice! One afternoon I played a Machinefabriek CD so loud that my speakers overheated and filled the house with smoke. That was impressive…

DMD: Name your favourite classic prog rock albums

IR: Everything by Yes. Everything by Genesis, up to “The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway”. I used to love Brain Salad Surgery by ELP, but it’s lost a bit of its lustre over the years. “Thick As A Brick” by Jethro Tull. Most early King Crimson. Pink Floyd. Frank Zappa.

Pretty predictable so far… let’s see…   “Butterflies” by Joy Unlimited, Culpeper’s Orchard, Gong (the early Daevid Allen incarnation) Peter Hammill, Gracious, Soft Machine and so on. I bought everything I could lay hands on back in the day.  

All that obscure Vertigo stuff, early Harvest… some are worth a fortune now. Pity I don’t still have them! Lots of jazz, too. I had a friend who loved jazz and we listened to a lot of stuff, especially Miles Davis when he started experimenting with fusion.

Here’s some Albums that really shaped my musical imagination:

“An Electric Storm” by White Noise ; “We’re Only In It For The Money” – Mothers Of Invention; Soundtrack of 2001; Sgt Peppers, The White Album; Vanilla Fudge (Yeah, I know…); The Blues Alone – John Mayall; My Favourite Things – John Coltrane

DMD: I think its absolutely brilliant that an older guy like yourself is producing some stellar musical work! Do you often encounter any other music-makers online who are also in their 60’s?

IR: I’m still getting used to the fact that I’m 66 this year! Yes, interestingly I find that a lot of my sonic compatriots on SoundCloud are in the same age group.

DMD: Is there a big following for this type of music in Australia?

IR: There seems to be, and growing. Some very respectable and successful artists are working here and running labels, particularly Lawrence English and Room 40 and the wandering expatriate Kate Car and her Flaming Pines project.

DMD: You describe your vinyl collection as 'burdensome.' Do you download music these days and do you have any super rare vinyl you would never part with?

IR: I used to download lots, but never got around to listening to much of it. I still do occasionally, but I just lost a hard drive full and am experiencing a new round of techno-fear, combined with feeling a bit weary from lugging all this stuff around and having nowhere to put it. Getting a bit tired of stuff…

DMD: Finally, I must say that I admire your approach, what is it that keeps you sat at the computer making music?

IR: Thanks again for taking an interest in my sounds - it's funny, I still occasionally baulk at using the term 'music', even though that ground has been well and truly broken. I've known some good and even great musicians and I know how much time, sweat and talent goes into their art, sometimes I feel that whatever it is that I do comes a little too easily... then I sometimes sit back and think "Wow, how did I do that?" it doesn't happen a lot, but it's why I keep going... 

Follow Tuonela on soundcloud here:

Tuonela soundcloud

Bandcamp here:

Tuonela bandcamp

Noctilucant: Apocalypse Now

Introducing Joseph Mlodik, the 35 year old mastermind behind Dark Ambient/Soundtrack behemoth Noctilucant. After 13 years at the helm of blog Lunar Hypnosis, Joseph decided he'd had enough of writing about music and stepped down from his role in order to have more free time in which to create music he enjoyed.

In September 2015,  the debut of his project Noctilucant ‘Back To The Mud’ the first in a series of apocalypse themed concept albums was released, sending shockwaves throughout the Dark Ambient community.  Almost a year later saw the follow up 'Oblivion To You All which has also been received very well.

You can listen to the album below and read my thoughts on it after this interview....

DMD: What is the meaning behind the name Noctilucant and how did you came by this name?

Joseph Mlodik: Noctilucant is a made up word, which is derived from the words Nocturnal and Applicant. You could almost view the meaning as someone who applies to the night.  Although it hasn’t been revealed in the storyline within the albums just yet, Noctilucant or “The Noctilucant” is a character, a sort of post-apocalyptic vigilante you could say.  My goal is to have him make his first appearance at the end of the next album in a rather dramatic and intense piece.   

DMD: Growing up, what artists/bands left a real mark on you?

JM: So many I wouldn’t honestly know where to start.  I would however say that I discovered “my own” music and tastes around the age of 10 or 11. It all started with stuff that was popular at the time, bands such as; Guns ’N’ Roses, Metallica, Megadeth, AC/DC, Slayer, etc… early 90’s we’re talking here.  

My parents had mostly raised me on oldies from the 50’s and 60’s, intermingled with stuff from the 70’s and ongoing 80’s.  So, I guess this was a step of sorts towards more extreme if not weird territory, but alas I ended up spending a lot of time in the 90’s listening to shitty radio and alternative rock like Nirvana, STP, and Bush.  

It wasn’t until the late 90’s/early 00’s and the internet sensation that I discovered the underground music scene, which still to this day is among the best times of my life. The amount of music, culture and ideas I took in at this time was a complete sensory overload.  

I knew I had stumbled across something I had been longing to be a part of for a very, very long time. I had found my place, I guess you could say.  After that anything and everything normal and common in everyday life (music, sports, religion, typical ways of thinking/acting) seemed odd and more or less stupid to me.  

I should also mention that growing up I was also always very fond of the scores found in video games, and an early hobby of mine was recording that music from the TV in our basement by sticking a cheap tape deck next to it and hitting record. 

Again, by the time I had internet I was able to order the Japanese import CDs of all of these soundtracks I adored so much. I truly do miss those days.  Back then I was literally buying stuff from mail orders a couple times a month and was always so excited to get home and see what amazing new music was laying in an envelope on my parents front porch.     

Anyway, looking back to those really early years probably the band that eventually influenced me the most were Pink Floyd. The synthesizers in Pink Floyd’s ‘Welcome to the Machine’ are amongst some of the coolest I’ve ever heard, and as a child listening to this at night totally creeped me, but I knew way back then that I wanted to make music with synthesizers some day in some form.  

DMD: Before Noctilucant, what kind of music were you making/bands were you playing in? and with what instruments?

JM: Absolutely nothing, although the dream was always sort of hanging there.  I had literally wanted to do something musical for well over a decade before Noctilucant, but due to some personal inner struggles I never grabbed life by the balls and went for it.  That is until a few years ago when a friend was moving to Greenland and selling 90% of his possessions. 

One of those items happened to be a very well kept synthesizer, which he offered to me for $200 (he had originally paid $600+ for it).  I couldn’t pass it by.  I immediately began experimenting with ideas, but it wasn’t until a bit later that I had a proper PC to record my ideas and finally start assembling the ideas into songs.  

DMD: What originally inspired you to start making Dark Ambient/Soundtrack?

JM: It was basically just a long running passion for the genre. I first heard Dark Ambient music way back in 1999, and I can’t explain why, but it really clicked with me. It spoke to me in a way no other music had spoke to me, as if it reached deep down inside my soul and coalesced everything together. 

I’m sure my already established love for Video Game music was a factor in my appreciation too, but obviously dark ambient is an entirely different and often darker beast. It was something I used when reading, writing, relaxing, sleeping, driving late at night, etc.  It was a part of me. I was also always very fond of this genre, because not many folks understood it.  That was important!  

It’s still the one genre of music that hasn’t been tainted and made commercial.  Anyway, I knew soon as I heard this music that someday I wanted to create it. I never felt that way about any other music or art form other than DA.  Of course, it took a lot longer than expected, but I’m glad I waited, because it gave me a chance to grow and mature both inside and out. 

If I had started a project ten years ago it probably would have been a very simple dark droning cavernous bullshit project, whereas, with Noctilucant I feel at least, I’ve created a much more interesting and detailed project.

DMD: There are a lot of apocalyptic themes in Noctilucant’s music, is this something you think about often? What are your thoughts about humanity’s future?

JM: I figured this question would eventually come up.  Just for the record, I’m not an armageddon prepper, survivalist or conspiracy theorist that’s terrified that the government's going to knock on my door one day looking to take my guns and toss me in some concentration camp. No.  

Nevertheless, I have read some pretty scary things in the news lately relating to nuclear war or at least World War 3, and it gets you thinking about things. The government in the United States is painfully corrupt, and I do believe that the powers that be, would without question sell this country to save their own ass.  

Everyone has a price, and anyone that thinks our so called government cares about us is just a joke. I’d like to think that humanity has a peaceful future, but unfortunately money, religion and power dominate most of their minds and it will eventually be our downfall.  It could be something entirely different though.  

We’re constantly killing off species of vital insects and other animals.  We live in a fragile ecosystem and it might only take the destruction of one species before all is lost. There’s also the upcoming election with Clinton and Trump, two corrupt, awful, repulsive, evil human beings, and we’re suppose to choose one of them?!  

No matter if Russia suddenly bombs us or civil war breaks out here in the states, the future isn’t a very optimistic one. Will it be a post apocalyptic situation when the dust settles… only time can tell.      

That aside, the post apocalyptic themes in my music are just an expansion of my creativity and my desire to tell a story under a different medium.  It’s influenced by cinema, literature and other post apocalyptic music makers.

DMD: Could you please tell me about your recording gear and how you get your sound?

JM: It’s nothing too special.  Literally just a PC with my synthesizer and microphones hooked up.  I record all of the field recordings via my cell phone, although I’d like to get proper recording equipment for that soon so they come out a bit more clear and detailed.

DMD: Recently 'neath the cerulean abyss' came out on cassette through Grey Matter Productions, how did this come about? Any plans for more physical releases in the future?

JM: Grey Matter got in contact with me first, which was a pleasant surprise because I had considered releasing these two songs the exact same way.  I'm pleased with the release and I'm thrilled to have more of my music available in a physical medium.  

I had considered releasing the latest album, Oblivion to you all, in CD format, but when I started pricing everything together it was simply too much for me to afford.

I'm super proud of that album and it’s my hope that someday a label picks it up for a CD release, but that could be years from now.  Meanwhile, I don't personally have any plans to release anything on my own as digital seems to truly be the format my fans prefer.

DMD: Any plans to take Noctilucant out on the road or will it stay as a studio only project?

JM: At this point I’m about 99% sure Noctilucant will stay a studio project.  Speaking only for myself, Dark Ambient is very introspective music, which I use in a lot of ways.  It requires you to pay attention and lose yourself for a while.  It takes you places, it invigorates the mind, it’s an experience all in itself.  So much of that is lost in the concert.  

Tranquillity is suddenly replaced with drunk dickbags who are talking while you’re playing and completely not paying attention to what’s going on around them or onstage for that matter.  To me playing live would be nothing but a burden.  

Even more so because there are no other dark ambient artists around here to gig with, and I’d end up opening for black metal bands, and I absolutely don’t want anything to do with that scene or be connected to it. 

The other problem is that my tunes are very multi layered.  I’d need multiple synthesizers onstage and multiple people to play each part. It could work, but I honestly don’t want to go through the trouble, because it simply wouldn’t be worth it.

DMD: Please give me your desert island disks

JM: I’m going to keep the theme of Dark Ambient here and just list my favorite DA albums… in no particular order, mind you.

Atrium Carceri - Seishinbyouin

Northaunt - The Ominous Silence

Inanna - Day ov Torment

Sabled Sun - 2146

Halo Manash - Syoma

Verhoren - Death is Safe

Mortiis - Keiser av en dimenensjon ukjent

Svartsinn - Traces of Nothingness

Nothing - The Grey Subaudible

I’m probably forgetting something, I know I am, but my mind is betraying me at the moment.  So, accept this as my list for now.

DMD: What is the music scene like in Wisconsin?

JM: Lots of black metal, death metal, doom metal, grindcore, noise and normal alternative whatever rock bands, I guess.  A few years ago it really felt like the underground scene around here was getting good, but then some of the bands and people involved went onto other projects and new adventures in life and I lost touch of things. The most interesting bands currently going are: Cannabinol Synapse, Conqueror Worm, Khazaddum, Temper, Magma Dragon, Hadak Ura, Devil Met Contention and Asatta.

DMD: You painted the artwork for both ‘..Cerulean Abyss’ and ‘Buried Alive..’ which came first, the album art or the music? Have you always been a painter? Is it a passion or just a hobby?

JM: The paintings came first, and after completing the music I just felt they fit each of those songs.  I had not seen a lot of dark ambient artists using abstract paintings as their cover artwork, so I figured I’d go and change that.  When I was in high school painting and drawing were fun for me, and a serious passion, but basically after that I completely gave up on it. 

It wasn’t until a few years ago that I tried doing it again, unfortunately when you don’t use a skill for over a decade you lose it.  I still get a canvas out here and there and paint, but it’s usually only when I really have nothing else to do.

'Neath The Cerulean Abyss

Buried Alive in Mud

DMD: What does the rest of this year and 2017 hold for Noctilucant?

JM: I want to complete the final single in my 3-part lengthy single series.  This last one will again be about 30 minutes long and I’m trying to create a post apocalyptic world on a cold foggy day.  I’m not using a painting this time around, but rather a photograph I took in 2008 as the cover artwork. 

I’d like to release this by the end of November as most of the music is done, but I just need to fill in more details at this point.  That aside, a few film makers have recently contacted me about using my music or even creating entirely new music for their projects.  

I’d also like to say that I’ve started work on my next full-length album, but I think what I’ve created so far will probably make its way into the single, the films, or even this briefly discussed split album with a project from Russia.  

DMD: Do you have a release date for the final single yet?

JM: No exact release date for that final single, but hopefully sometime in November if all goes well.

DMD:  Apart from music, what else inspires you?

JM: I find a lot of solace in nature and it’s definitely always been an inspiration.  Anytime I can get away from the noisy city and my routine day-to-day existence is a pleasure. Other than that, my girlfriend, friends, family, life’s ups and downs are always going to be inspiring.

DMD: ’Oblivion to You All’ features a few spoken passages, when did you get the idea to include these and how did you come into contact with these people?

JM: It started on the Back to the Mud album actually.  I wanted my music to be as cinematic as possible, but not overdoing it.  Originally, I was going to go down the common path and collect samples from movies, but when I realised I could do better than that I went for more. All of the text for these speeches I wrote myself, nothing is stolen from movies, poems, etc, but in some cases was inspired by such. 

For example, the skit on ‘The Deep Dead Hour’ was inspired by a movie called PontyPool, whereas in ‘Introspective Dissolution’ it came to me after watching a post apocalyptic documentary on YouTube.  The three guest vocalists on ‘Oblivion…’ are all people that I’ve known for a while.  

Kara is my girlfriend, Steve is an old friend from high school who showed interest after I asked for help on my Facebook page, and Michael is a dark ambient enthusiast and zine writer from Maryland who I became good friends with after the release of Back to the Mud.  Since Oblivion to you all’s release a few others have shown interest, and I’m really excited to work with them in the future.

DMD: When you are composing, do things tend to happen in a certain order? 

JM:  Not really.  My music is so multi layered that it’s a little here and a little there kind of thing.  Sometimes I even take parts that I wrote a year ago and fit them into new songs.  

A friend who once had a dark ambient project told me that it’s important to always save anything and every little detail you record, because you never know where it will work later on.  

It might not make sense in the current piece you’re working on, but there’s always possibilities for later.  I really took that advice to heart. Honestly, often when I have a specific idea in mind how I want something to sound I fail.  

Sometimes I think these songs write themselves, because it’s usually when I’m just being casual and having fun that I write my best work.  I do however always add the spoken parts or field recordings last.            

DMD: Anybody you want to give a shout out to?

JM: Thanks to everyone that's either listened, purchased, or supported this project in some way.  I never imagined anyone would really care about my music, but its been quite the opposite and I'm eternally grateful to everyone that's taken notice thus far.  Extra special thanks to my guest musicians, and those that I plan to work with in the near future.

My thoughts on Oblivion To You All

Musically, Oblivion To You All picks up where 'Back to the Mud' left off, but as the opening monologue of track one 'Introspective Dissolution' explains, the album is actually set 3 months after the apocalypse has happened. 

Oblivion… contains an almost ever present cold, doom laden drone that varies in degrees of intensity. The added field recordings and spoken word passages help channel the storyline through the music but aren’t relied upon that frequently, leaving the rest to the imagination of the listener.

'This Day Brings Forth Our Destiny' starts off with the sound of an old-style projector being switched on and turns into quite a calming soundscape, while 'The First Light Of Morning' goes in a more sinister direction allowing the cold drone to emerge, interspersed with sputtering and crumbling textures that delve deeper into a cavernous ambience. 

'Where Snow Remains and Life Fades' continues in a similar fashion but with the use of more prominent field recordings, next up 'The Old Machine Shop' whirs away as the title would suggest, building into an intensely high pitched noise while the cold drone flies out of hearing range.

Despite being primarily a gloom filled atmosphere, Oblivion… does offer some brief moments of tranquility, fittingly on ‘Those Peaceful Days Of Our Past?’ which comes complete with a hooky meditative synth line and the sound of birds singing away happily. No doubt reflecting on happier times prior to the apocalypse.

'Back Into The Hole Where I Was Born' shatters that memory and brings us back to the cold harsh reality that is Oblivion...a myriad of sounds such as footsteps on crunching gravel and coughing all prelude the entrance of another character, who turns pages in a book noisily while he declares 'everything is gone' then puts a gun to his head and pulls the trigger.

The title track is probably the weakest point of the album I would say, mainly because it is just a repetition of saying the title with more and more intensity every time. However it does set up the closing track 'And The Far Unlit Unknown' nicely which ends the album on the sounds of tweeting birds and flies buzzing presumably around our character's dead body before the drones whoosh off into the distance.

I will admit that this album does demand a certain amount of attention, I found I had to really focus on it with zero distractions in order to enjoy and become absorbed in it, but if you're already well versed in Dark Ambient music then that shouldn't be a problem. 

Something which I cannot stress enough is to listen to this (and all of Noctilucant's work) with a decent pair of headphones or you will surely miss out on the extra sounds. 

I feel that Joseph has created an interesting musical world and I look forward to hearing what he does next.

All things considered, 'Oblivion To You All' is an immersive release that will suck you in.

8.5/10

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Listen to some brand new Noctilucant material here

‘Neath the Cerulean Abyss / Buried alive in Mud was released on cassette via Grey Matter Productions back in August which you can listen to / purchase here

You can read an interview with GMP founder Daniel Cornejo here