Elyseum Live - London 6/11/10

Last night saw a rare live performance from industrial noisemaker, Elyseum. Two members appeared on stage to unleash loud, low frequency drones backed with heavy electronic percussion.

Mark Angel usually retires to the studio creating, and releasing, his work through the fledgling Syndrom Records, so tonight was a rare, live performance. Elyseum’s sonic onslaught was part of a three band event to promote Hungarian band Budosok who were touring in the UK during November with local band Foul Geese.

Standing in front of the PA, spectators were attacked with sub bass and noise emanating from the Mark Angel’s keyboards. The set was made up from new material with added percussive thumps and taped media coming from an ancient Revox at the back of the stage. Percussion was beaten out by a member of Syndrom band, Kontrolle – heavily distorted through its own repetition adding to a different sound unavailable on any Elyseum release.

The set opened with a different version of “Wrench”, backed with recordings of a telephone discussion between a reporter and a suicide photographer from Beachy Head – creating an ominous introduction. Other reworked tracks included “Grinder”, “Dead Inside” and the brilliant “Sub Harmonic Generator”.

The show ended in a crescendo of feedback and distortion as the tape finished flapping against an empty reel, leaving Angels delay pedal oscillating to the oncoming cold night.

Elyseum Interview - September 2010

Q:Tell me about the Elyseum project and the new album?

A:The Elyseum project began back In September 2009 with the aim of creating dark ambient electronic music.
The tracks that were to become the album Bipolar were created mostly on a modular synthesizer although a few soft synths were used and some sampling. The mood of the recordings reflects on how I was feeling at the time of making the album. A lot was going on in my life and this came out in the music, if you read the track listing you can see what state of mind I was in. This did have a positive effect on the music if that makes sense as I feel it helped create some really good atmospheres and textures which in turn brought me out of my malaise.

Q:The despair does show in the music you have produced. The tracks "Reflection" seems to have a different, more optimistic feel from the rest of the album, did this track come later on?

A:I think without the melancholy mood I was in, Bipolar would have sounded a lot different, whether it sounds better for it I don’t know. Reflection came a lot later; it was one of the last tracks I wrote. I was feeling a lot better and it shows in the feel of the track, things were on the up for me and writing and recording gave me something to focus on. Sitting in front of my modular synth programming sounds kept me very busy; what seemed like ten minuets work had actually taken hours. All in all it was a very enjoyable experience doing the album.

Q:What sort of modular synth do you use? And how long have you been recording with them?

A:I use a Doepfer modular synthesiser. I have had it for about seven years now and it’s got bigger as time has passed, I add new modules when I need them. It’s up to twenty nine modules now! There are still a few modules I would like to get, some of which are made by other manufacturers. There is some really good kit being made at the moment. One of my other favorite bit’s of kit is the Sherman Filterbank 2, it destroys any audio you put though it. I love it. Plug it in to the modular and the resulting sounds are sublime.
I have been experimenting with the modular for years but Bipolar is the first album I have recorded with it. It takes a lot of patience recording an album on a modular synth but it’s worth all the effort I’ve put in to it. It would be difficult to create the sounds on the album in any other way than how I did and the album wouldn't have sounded like it does.

Q:Would you disagree that the continuing fashion/trend of analog synthesis is just a passing fashion? Or is there still a place for the older machines amongst all the new software versions?

A:I think that the analog trend will pass eventually and people will use what ever sounds are best for their music. I like soft synths and I do use them, I have the Arturia Jupiter 8 which is really good and the soft synths in Logic are good to but I do prefer hardware to software. The trouble with software is when you upgrade your operating system on your computer they sometimes no longer work, you don't have that problem with hardware, and sometimes they crash just when you need them. Sitting in front of a computer screen editing a virtual modular synth is no where as satisfying as patching up a real one. As for digital synths they are just as good as analog synths, they have their own sound and can sometimes do things analog synths can’t do. As far as I’m concerned regarding old or new equipment is if it sounds good use it.

Q:What influenced you to create electronic music? Who were your influences?

A:I’m not really sure what influenced me into creating electronic music. I suppose I partly wanted to emulate other musicians who shaped electronic music back in the late seventies and early eighties. I remember seeing Donna Summer playing “I Feel Love” back in the seventies and thinking how that new sound totally blew me away. I had never heard anything like it in before. Not long after that the early Human League appeared on British television performing “Rock and Roll”, seeing all those synthesizers and three Revox tape machines going all at once was unbelievable. Then I heard albums like “Oxygene” which was very influential. Of course it goes without saying Gary Numan and bands from “Mute Records” were very influential.

Crisis Interview - December 2010

SR: Tell us about the album “Reactor4”

CR: We began recording the album in the early part of 2009. We had this idea of creating a soundtrack set against the backdrop of the derelict city of Prypiat, we are attracted to derelict places. The recordings also had to include the feeling of what was going on within the Chernobyl power station when the disaster happened in 1986.

SR: The sounds on the album create a very dark atmosphere. They are very cold and raw.

CR: That’s how we envisaged the soundtrack – it had to sound like that. We recently had a review about the recordings. The reviewer seemed to be more interested in a polished orchestral sound, he totally missed the point. We used a lot of vintage analogue equipment like Moogs and old tape delays. We wanted to create a sound from that era. One of the field recordings is the actual recorded evacuation warning to the people of Prypiat.

SR: The track Prypiat seems to be popular, it has a different sound to the rest of the album.

CR: Prypiat was recorded with just a Moog and tape delay (Roland RE-501). It creates the sound of the dead city today; abandoned and lost amongst the trees and plants, long after the place was evacuated.

SR: What other equipment was used to create the sound of the album?

CR: A Doepfer A-100 was used for processing certain sounds, rather than a dedicated sound source. We have different filters and effects within the modular that we can use. We don’t use laptops and software, instead using certain guitar pedals and old analogue rack effects. It was a more organic approach to electronics, if electronics can be organic! We like to filter things out, so they are not too obvious or in your face. Some of the field recordings are very subtle and can be heard after a few plays - we tried to make some of the sounds abandoned.

SR: The city has a bit of a cult attraction today; it has been used in film and computer games.

CR: Yes, I often wonder how the city will end up. One day it may be lost forever, it is already becoming a tourist haven with travellers visiting and taking pictures; it has that attraction to people. It did for me, which was what inspired me to create the recordings.

SR: We liked the cover artwork, what was it meant to signify?

CR: It’s an x-ray, radiation!

SR: I see, obvious when you think about it.

CR: We like the grain of radiation photography. When you see old footage of the evacuation back in the eighties, you can pick out radiation flashes that affected the film. The levels of radiation were so high, people were not aware of that at the time.

SR: Will we see any more work from the project?

CR: We are planning to record some video and images in the Ukraine when we visit the site in 2011.

Kontrolle - Liberation

The Kontrolle project has released their debut album on Syndrom Records. The album, titled Liberation, is already available on iTunes and is expected for release on CD in 2011. The album’s theme is based on the life cycle of a laboratory dog, looked upon from the animals eyes. The recordings were achieved using field recordings of machinery such as idling motorcycle engines and hammer press’. There are various recordings taken from protests and demonstrations – these have been heavily treated with distortion and other effects creating a threatening, dark sound. The project may be looking at performing live in the new year, but nothing has yet been confirmed.

Elyseum - Bipolar

Elyseum have just released their debut CD on Syndrom Records. The project is based in the UK and consists of some dark and powerful electronics produced by Mark Angel. The recordings were made using a mix of new and old technology such as modular synthesisers and more up to date computer software - the mix of sound sources creates a very organic sound. The album tracks follow the path of the Bipolar disorder including tracks like "Electric Shock Therapy" and the great "Grinder". The sound consists mostly of dark drone with the exception of the track "Reflection" which breaks the album up. The CD is available from the record label's website.

http://www.syndrom-records.com/