{"id":4636,"date":"2019-05-07T11:50:16","date_gmt":"2019-05-07T09:50:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/elgarajedefrank.es\/?p=4636"},"modified":"2023-09-10T21:12:55","modified_gmt":"2023-09-10T19:12:55","slug":"interview-ultranoire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/elgarajedefrank.es\/en\/interview-ultranoire\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview: Ultranoire"},"content":{"rendered":"

For those born into the color television era, to get used to films in black and white has been a bit difficult. But, luckily, one day one start appreciating the details and beauty of monochrome photography. We could compare it to the music of Ultranoire, the electro-noire band that, in two interesting albums, open their hearts and their veins, showing us that blood is always shocking even if it\u2019s in black and white. We talk with Josef Stapel, singer of the band that will play on the Friday of the W-Festival.\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"\u2014In the first EP, Monochrome,<\/em> the band seems to present both the philosophy and the aesthetics of the band, from the name of the EP to the lyrics of \u201cLost\u201d (I dream in black and White), or \u201cDesperation.\u201d Did you already have a really strong and clear idea of what you wanted to do with the band back in 2014?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014<\/b><\/strong>From the very beginning we were thinking of some kind of gloomy, dark or melancholic synthwave sound. There was never any point in making dancefloor songs. That was our concept and it didn\u2019t change.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014And in the Individual<\/em> EP, released in 2015, you have one of the sexiest songs I have ever listened to. Is there any story behind the song?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014<\/b><\/strong>You may think of our song, \u201cTaste Me\u201d. It was written by my co-songwriter and friend Peter Lipovics. The version you hear on the EP was finalised with Szilard.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014In your first album Disclosure,<\/em> the band included some songs from the first two EPs and a few new songs. Did you do any kind of work in the tracks from the EPs?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014<\/b><\/strong>We didn\u2019t want to create extra album versions of the released songs. We didn\u2019t want to reinterpret them musically. According to our view, the album is a back catalogue that represents our musical perception and naivety, summarizes one and a half years of hard work.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014Let\u2019s talk about your second album, Intronaut.<\/em> Even from the name it looks like a voyage to your interior, also the sounds are deeper than the ones in Disclosure.<\/em> Is it difficult to record an album so personal?\"\"<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014<\/b><\/strong>The Intronaut<\/em> album was recorded in 5 months. I was in a private crisis, lost the most important person of my life. Well, it was a hard time for me. The songs were recorded between two antidepressants\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

I think it was the darkest period of my life but musically the most productive, too. I wrote more than twenty songs in this short time period and recorded about 16.<\/span><\/p>\n

These days the band has been invited to more and more places, but we have not taken a few. The creation of the album was actually a cure to me. Day by day I took less medication. I think, \u201dIntronaut\u201d is a deep and very sincere album. But returning to your original question, if I want to be honest, I have to say that the album was harder to make because of my mental state.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014Your last EP is called Isolation.<\/em> How do you think that the band and its sound has changed since the first EP?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014<\/b><\/strong>Nowadays, I write and produce almost every Ultranoire<\/strong> songs. Szilard helps mainly in studio work. Virtual analogue instruments were replaced by analog synthesizers and drum machines.<\/span><\/p>\n

I would like to think that we have developed a lot. You will hear these signs in the forthcoming third album. Now we\u2019re heading for the minimalist instrumentation. However, the texts and the feelings of life do not change. The melancholy remains.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014Is \u201cState Controlled Illusions\u201d you first song openly political?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014<\/b><\/strong>Yes, this is the first and hopefully the last political song I will write. It was inspired by politics of the current Hungarian government.\u00a0It is about hate propaganda and political measures I disagree with.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014The design of all of your releases is quite elegant, and it\u2019s made by your company Stapel Design. Is it difficult to keep both jobs?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014<\/b><\/strong>I work a lot as a communications designer, but I organize my life to get enough time for music. Because of my assignments I travel a lot, I get to know many, many interesting people. I love both activities.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014How did you have the idea of mixing \u201cPrivate Cosmos\u201d with a Martin Gore\u2019s song?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014<\/b><\/strong>Some years ago Martin L. Gore held an open remix contest for the MG fans of his song \u201cFeatherlight.\u201d Considering that Martin Gore is one of our favourite songwriters, we thought we would take part in the contest. We considered it a challenge, but we didn\u2019t make a remix but a song. We created it in two days.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014And where do you find inspiration for the lyrics?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014<\/b><\/strong>Our lyrics are mostly inspired by real-life events, but also movies and novels, too.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong>\u2014Is it difficult to write a Ultranoire song in a sunny day? Or is darkness a more inner thing?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014<\/b>\ud83d\ude42 In the summer, black clothing can be uncomfortable, but a little sunblock, a cool shadow and a cold drink (Mostly Ros\u00e9 with soda) could solve everything.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014And how was working on \u201cUltra-Angel\u201d, the tribute to Depeche Mode?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014<\/b><\/strong>Thomas \u2014the owner of the ElectroZombies.com contacted us and asked us to create a Depeche Mode<\/strong> cover.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014What gear are you using for recording? Do you prefer state-of-the-art synths or more classic ones?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014<\/b><\/strong>We often buy and exchange musical instruments. In recent years, we have gathered two dozen used and new musical instruments so that we are not actually collectors. Some of them are vintage analogue, semi-modular instruments or new models from different manufacturers. We are using and experimenting with virtual synths, too.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014I really like your video of \u201cDrowning Man\u201d where you used the short Nuit Blanche, how did you come across this video? It really fits your music.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014<\/b><\/strong>A friend of mine called our attention to the Nuit Blanche short film, which we really liked. He said he could make us use it for our \u201cDrowning Man\u201d song. We immediately said yes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014You don\u2019t include any remixes of your songs in your records, don\u2019t you like it?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014<\/b>In recent years, we have received more remix requests from many interesting musicians, bands and producers. This year, Ultranoire will be five years old, so we would like to release a remix album end of the year.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014What music are you currently listening to?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014<\/b><\/strong>We listen to many kinds of music. But you know what, I can tell you what the last four artists\/bands I listened to. Let\u2019s see: Gary Numan, Massive Attack, Recoil <\/strong>and Dead Can Dance.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014How do you feel about touring? Can it be difficult sometimes?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014<\/b><\/strong>We have mostly pleasant memories. It\u2019s not all glamour, fancy hotels and fine food but we love the opportunity to connect with fans and our supporters so missing home comforts is very well compensated for any hardship. We haven\u2019t had a longer tour yet but if they call us and if we go somewhere, the mood is very good in the minibus. We are looking forward to W-Fest and introduce our third album. This year, if everything comes together, we will also be gigging in Moscow.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014And by the way, how is your third album going?\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014<\/b><\/strong>So far so good. We are working very hard on the album. We want to create the best Ultranoire<\/strong> album. I love all the songs. They are sounding very ultranoire-ish. Some of them are minimalistic and more experimental. The songs will be played for the first time at W Fest. The album will be released in this year on CD and vinyl, too.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014How old is your public? Do you see a lot of young people at your concert? I go to a lot of concerts myself and audiences are most of the time over 30.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014<\/b><\/strong>We have an eclectic mix across all the social spectrum supporting us which I love but mainly it\u2019s people that want something different from mainstream pop they can connect with and have empathy for.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014How is going to be your concert at W-Festival?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014<\/b><\/strong>We are very, very excited. If you take a look at the line-up, you know what I mean, that festival will be one of the best happening in this year.<\/span><\/p>\n