Interview for
Bad Acid magazine
Dicembre 2006
It was expecially about Larva 108, my sonic research.
Can we start with a brief introduction, could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
OK! I was born in 1978 in a little post industrial city in the north west of Italy called Alessandria, there is no sea and few sun here. We have just the fog, everything is grey also the shirts of the local football team. I still live here after few years spent in Milano, I think the gloomy atmosphere of these lands, the loneliness of his inhabitants influenced me a lot. I started to listening to music very young, my first band in ‘95, was a punk/hc band influenced by old italian punk hc bands as Wretched or Negazione and by Discharge and bands like that. In the same times I painted a lot as graffiti writer... in the end of the 90’s I started to experimenting both on the musical and the visual sides of my art... the project called Larva, in fact, is like the “audio” side of the stuff I made as 108.
Your music is densely atmospheric with a lot of drones. It contains a lot of different layered noises. its pretty difficult to tell if you use any popular instruments, or any at all. What techniques do you use to create such a sound?
It depends. Usually I start to work with a simple riff and I work on it. Some songs are made just with some different layers of guitars and some effects. Usually I do a simple structure with electronic drumming or a simple bass line with some software and after I play on it with my guitar or with another instrument. At the end maybe a delete the drums or I destroy everything with some heavy effects... In everything I do the “irrational” is very important, so I do what I think its right at the moment. The final “atmosphere” of the track is the most important thing to me.
Larva is just one of your artistic outlets, as seen on your website you are very active with other media, such as film and urban art, how is the music you make connected to your other projects? What, if anything ties these 3 medias in with your artistic style? Is there a common theme?
Yeah as I told you before, for me everything is part of one bigger thing. I don’t like too much to separate medias... I try to express myself with averything I have on my hands and I do that for me expecially. After years, as you can see, my songs and my paintings are becoming darker and simpler day after day... I don’t know exactly why, but I do what makes me more satisfied. About films and video, is what I would like to do more in the last times. I made just few short experiments becouse I don’t have a true cam and I still have too problems. I like it becouse I can works with images, music and also some stories to make atmospheres...
You have a very wide list of influences representing a whole array of genres on your myspace profile, is there anything in particular that has a direct influence on the latest album?
I think the last Larva work was influenced by too many things and artists... that list is just a small part, so I’m not sure about that. About the music, the album called “miniatures” by Alog was a great influence to me in those months for the electronic parts. Also a lot of sludge/doom bands or noise bands as Nurse With Wound... And a lot of writers and directors... Especially in that times, tha paintings of Mark Rothko was allways in my mind, but I think in the end the biggest influences to me are allways the mountains, the woods, the sea in winter, the snow, cats...
Amongst these artists, are there any you particularly admire above all others?
It’s a very hard question becouse, as you know, I admire too many people. It also depends... I think it’s not very original but for the bands I can tell you that Joy Division are allways on my top list in the last 10 years... you know for the music, for the words and also their artworks was a strong influence for me. Mmmm, about director it’s the same, but I can tell you that I really admire people as Fellini or Pasolini, expecially for thir ideas! Ah, I think that I can put W.S. Burroughs on the top of the people I admire... and for the writer hum, H.Hesse, expecially for his book “Der Steppenwolf” or “Demian”. Other artists: Redon, surrealists... I don’t know who is better really! I prefere people form the past, sure...
What have you been listening to recently?
Ahah, ok! I tell you what I putted on my player or pc in the last 2 days: Depeche Mode – “black celebration” and violator, Siouxie and the Banshees – “Juju”, Fabrizio De André – “Il Viaggio”, Neurosis – “a sun that never sets”, Ufomammut – “snail king”, Nerorgasmo – 7” (1985), Current 93 – “soft black stars”, a lot of underground stuff I find on Myspace... I think it’s all!
Again referring back to your myspace profile, you state that you ‘HATE meat, hunters, vivisectors, cars, organized monotheisms, human being in general, blah blah blah... too much things’ would you care to elaborate a little? What are your pet peeves about society? Could you tell us a little more about your political outlook?
Ok... basicly I think I’m a nihilist. I’m very frustrated about everything and I have a true negative vision of the world and of life and sometimes I think I really hate everyone. After that I think I collaborate more than 99% of human being... As written on my page I try to use only my feets or my bike for moving, I didn’t eat meat in the last 12 years, I allways talk about things as exploitation and stuff like that, but the things that makes me so frustrated is the fact that no one care about anything, expecially today. I don’t wanna talk about economy and stuff like that (at the moment I don’t have true job...). Everyday I see people cutting trees for building new concrete blocks, motorways are still growing... no one care. I can find some relax going to walk on hills and mountains here, but Alps are dying... in fact also trying to escape is becoming impossible. I think capitalism is the worst thing in human history, and today our society can just chose between capitalism or muslim lobotomy. The power of the Pope here is bigger than ever... christian deliriums. Probably the situation in my country is worst than in the some other place, but I think that men are evil by nature, but I don’t wanna fall in philosophy now. I know probably my vision is too negative.
You say that you make your music for yourself, yet there is an audience for this sound, and a demand for it. How do you feel about the attention you receive in regards to your music?
Making music (and arts in general) is the most important thing in my life. I really feel good just when I do that. When someone tell me who like my stuff is great, I feel as debtor in his confronts. I met the best people I know thrugh my art, since when I was little... and still today. The audience is small but I’m still surprised when someone like it, it’s a big satisfaction. Expecially becouse, as you know, it’s music made just for myself... It’s not the same with the other musical projects or bands I have or I had in in the past.
you have had quite a prolific musical output, with 8 releases since 99 the ‘108’ stuff as well, needs a lot of dedication. What does your music mean to you? How important would you say it is to you? Do you ever get time to sleep?!
Hahah, yeah it’s true, but I think I can make a lot more! In the last years I was very busy with some jobs and my study at the university. I was very frustrated and really depressed. As I told you before, “art” is the most important thing to me. When I make my music I try to do a soundtrack for myself, do you understand? And it’s very hard to find the right sound, most of the times I’m not satisfied of the final thing. The only thing I want to tell you is that doing that is natural for me... probaly is the only way I still have to escape from my life.
Is there anything else you want to add?
First of all I want to thank you for your interest. I’m sorry for my bad english and I know probably I’m been too serious and negative... THANK YOU!
social
