Crooniek, Neo Fanfare with a Gothic Twist

 

Belgian Neo Fanfare group Crooniek started in 2005 as a mini Fanfare for one specific occasion.  With over forty different musicians having participated, sixteen years later this ensemble is still creating music.  With usually at least seven musicians collaborating at any one time, the band has typical fanfare instruments such as flugelhorn, cornet, alt saxophone, tuba, euphoniums, drums and melodic percussion.  Gerry Croon, the founding member of Crooniek is accompanied by his cousin Jan Croon , who plays the euphonium and was a foundation member of Crooniek.  Soon after they met Croon’s now wife Annelies Callewaert who plays flute and melodic percussion joined the band.  Despite being primarily an instrumental band for years Crooniek has in recent years collaborated with singers including Olivier Soil for the album Demonen & Dromen by Olivier & Crooniek in 2018 and with Xavier Kruth for the album Puin van Dromen by Winterstille in 2020.  

 

 

While growing up Croon took inspiration from gothic bands such as Sisters of Mercy, Lacrimosa, Goethes Erben, Sopor Aeternus as well as more metal bands such as Dimmu Borgir and Tristania.  He also had a passion for playing the cornet in fanfares and brass bands.  “With Crooniek I try to combine my two passions” Croon explains.

 

The album Puin van Dromen, has a Dark Folk Gothic sound.  Performed with singer songwriter Xavier Kruth the album had all the arrangements written by Croon.  “On this album we combined brass and other typical fanfare instruments with harsh guitars and so on.”  Croon is very proud of the unique sound created for this album. 

 

Crooniek’s new album was made in collaboration with Kevin Imbrechts, the frontman of the band Illuminine.  Imbrechts lives in the same village as Croon, Kampenhout, Belgium.  Using fanfare instruments and a dark melancholic sound the new album Trail of Time is a new type of music for Fanfare. 

 

The new album Trail of Time marks a watershed for Croon and Crooniek.  Exploring themes inspired by reminiscing on life and representing a musical review of Croon’s life the album is a combination of songs with Kevin Imbrechts, a few songs with Olivier & Crooniek as well as Winterstille.  Older songs that have been remastered are combined with new sings written by Croon.

 

Croon’s creative process when writing new music always starts with a feeling.  “You cannot control it.  It just comes in from somewhere out in the spheres.” Croon explains.  When inspiration hits Croon says that it’s imperative to records your ideas quickly because at times the inspiration is fleeting and may just disappear.  Once he has written down his ideas Croon is adamant that the new songs be different, unique and not a copy of any previous song.  

 

Having been born in Belgium, one of the smallest countries in the world,  Croon describes it as “ a complicated, crowded busy land, but also a safe and social land”. He doesn’t believe that growing up in Belgium has had a huge impact on his music but it may have had some bearing on the themes he explores. “The village Kampenhout, where I live, has also a unique history and stimulating sites and these served as inspiration for a few songs”. Croon admits.  For the album Trail of Time Croon took specific events from his home town Krampenhout and used them as inspiration for songs.  

'At the Lemmeken Monument' is a tribute to the victims of the plane crash, which took place in 1961, near Croon’s hometown. 

“On Wednesday, February 15, 1961, a Boeing 707-329 of Sabena, the national Belgian airline, crashed in 'Het Lemmeken', a district of Kampenhout. All of its sixty-one passengers and eleven crew members were killed in the accident. Among the passengers were the entire American figure skating team (US Figure Skating Association) on their way to the Prague World Championships. Young champions, some of them no older than sixteen, on their first ever trip abroad, en route to their moment of glory. On the chicory field where the Boeing fell, two young men were working. Michel Theo De Laet was fatally hit by flying debris, while his workmate Marcel Lauwers lost a leg. He was dragged from among the rubble by an aunt of Theo's. He is the only survivor of this terrible crash. A monument has been erected at the site.” 

 

 

'Condemned to the fire”: Josyne Van Vlasselaer' goes further back in history, to the ancestors of the composer Ludwig Van Beethoven.

“Distant ancestors of Ludwig van Beethoven lived in Kampenhout. One of them was Aert van Beethoven. He was married to Josyne Van Vlasselaer. She was arrested on August 5, 1595 by order of the mayor Jan-Baptist van Spoelberch on suspicion of witchcraft ("suspitie en inditie van soverije") and taken to a Brussels prison. Villagers had accused her of having a pact with the devil, because four horses had fallen dead in places she had passed by.

Of course, she denied the allegations, but exhausted, she admitted everything on the torture rack. On the eve of her execution, she made a failed attempt at suicide by swallowing potsherds. She was condemned to the stake. 

Only one woman was ever sentenced to death as a witch in Brussels, and that was a distant grandmother of the famous composer …”

 

 

‘Melancholy at Torfbroek’ 

“The Torfbroek in Kampenhout is a remnant of a vast and unique swamp in the Low Lands, fed by very calcareous groundwater. It offers a unique landscape with large open ponds and is the last remaining refuge of several plant species in Flanders. It is one of the most valuable nature reserves in Western Europe. But above all, it is also a place of deep melancholy.”

 

Crooniek are very involved in the aesthetic of the band.  The cover for the album Trail of Time has the hand of Croon’s father Victor who is seventy one years old and the hand of his eldest son Wout who is twelve.  The pocket watch on the cover of the album belonged to Croon’s grandfather Marcel who died a decade ago.  The album cover represents four generations.  “My father’s hand passes my grandfather’s pocket watch to the child hand of my son”. The cover is a beautiful symbolization of how time passes and will someday run out.  Croon says “my father’s hands were never too small to guide me growing up I can only hope I am strong enough to follow his example. “

 

Enjoying live performances Croon explains “ Its always nice to rehearse together, or to play concerts for an audience.”   Thrilled to play live, at times it is difficult for Crooniek who rely at least on seven musicians at a time to be available to perform live.  Juggling, jobs, families other musical projects and availability is a tricky process for all the musicians involved in Crooniek when wanting to perform to a live audience.  

 

Crooniek is open for new directions and projects in the future.  Hoping that Crooniek albums reach a larger and more diverse audience Croon acknowledges that streaming does now affect the exposure bands can achieve due to the saturation of the music industry.  Croon also believes that streaming of music has made people less likely to buy albums.  “That is understandable but not in favor for the artist who has made a lot of production costs.” Croon hopes that in the future people will buy albums again.

 

For a new listener to Crooniek, Croon suggests that they listen to Trail of Time.  “It my take some time to get into the album but when you do so, you will discover the many musical layers in the song.”  

Links :

Webpage : https://www.crooniek.be/

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/Crooniekband/

Olivier & Crooniek : https://www.olivier-crooniek.be/

Winterstille : https://www.winterstille.be/

 

JE T’AIME

Photo by Ingrid Thierry 

Post Punk Paris based band JE T’AIME is made up of trio dboy on vocals and synths, Tall Bastard on guitar and Crazy Z on bass and synths.  “We were inspired to form the band after writing the first single “The Sound”, the day had just dawned and we kept saying to each other : I love you man” explains dboy.  And so JE T’AIME was formed.  

 

The first three albums created by the band, JE T’AIME and PASSIVE/AGGRESSIVE explore the themes of the love and woes of a completely lost man.  The dichotomy of romance and disgust is explored in these albums.  “These first three records were all written in the same place, namely a house by the ocean in Brittany” according to dboy.  When creating music the entire band works together, although dboy concedes that often the band is drunk when they are creating.  “On the next album we will try to write drinking tea” says dboy.  

There is a perceptible desire in their music to make listeners want to dance. “The primary desire of this band has always been to make the European Gothic audience dance. “ Tall Bastard explains.  This gives JE T’AIME pleasure and this dialogue provides energy for the band to feed off of when performing for a live audience.  

 

“The three of us have very different musical backgrounds” guitarist Tall Bastard points out.  A self described “incorrigible Cure fan” he says that during the July heatwave he started listening to Japanese Whispers and despite The Cure album Faith being his inspiration for creating music he believes Japanese Whispers is their best album.

 

While telling what dboy describes as “awful love stories”, light and shadows and contrasts are themes that JE T’AIME enjoys exploring in their music.  The creative process for the band varies depending on the mood.  “You should also always remember to balance your album” dboy believes.  If the album requires a slightly calmer mood the band employs the use of a soaring synthesizer while if the record lacks but requires a fast track a drum with a high tempo will be added before a bass with a nasty fuzz.  In order to keep a certain consistency when working on PASSIVE/AGGRESSIVE JE T’AIME made a list of elements and moods they liked on the first album so they could maintain a consistency in sound between the albums.  

 

The band also acknowledges they have some literature and film influences when they are creating their music.  On the band’s first album, there is a sample from the 1973 French film by Jean Eustache “La Maman et la Putain.”  An avid reader, dboy helps alleviate his stress by always having a book to read which in turn can influence his creative process.  “Lately I have been enjoying rereading Victor Hugo’s love letters with Juliette Drouet , I love them.” Confesses dboy.

 

“We call ourselves a Post-Punk band” Tall Bastard says explaining that this is where the roots of the band come from.  Their music can be catchy but also darker then most Indie bands create.  “I feel that being called a “punk” somehow gives a certain responsibility to deal with a rather political issue” dboy believes.  Although they don’t generally have anything to do with politics they have put out an EP on which they invited bands Then Come Silence, The Foreign Resort and French band Diamond 2Klo.  The funds from the sales of this EP are sent to help the victims of the war in Ukraine.  “Maybe that’s a little bit of being a punk?” Asks dboy.

 

Believing that the cover of a record is a key element, JE T’AIME admits to taking great care in the design of them.  The first album cover was a photograph taken in a photo booth in the early hours of the morning in The Klub in Paris. The cover for the double album PASSIVE/AGGRESSIVE was created by a friend of the band, photographer Andy Julia.  Other graphic work for the album was completed by another friend of the band, Adrien Chapuis.  

 

For dboy life without performing on a stage would be a mistake.  He describes the stage as being like the band’s home and that everyone loves home.  “I often compare the stage to a pirate ship. It often sways, in the middle of the storm that a concert can be, but you must never sink it.”  

 

Future plans for JE T’AIME include world tours, new albums and lots of adventure.  When asked how the band would describe their sound to a novice to their music dboy says “ You take The Cure, The Police and Depeche Mode, mix it all together and you get JE T’AIME.” Tall Bastard adds “The Pixies! He always forgets to put The Pixies in that list!”

 

 

 

 Links :

 

Webpage : https://www.jetaime-music.com/

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/jetaimethemusic

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/jetaime_music/ 

 

 

 

The Magic of Metamorph

 

After a prolonged illness musician Margot Day had what she described as a medical and spiritual miracle, a metamorphosis,  that led to the inspiration for her band name Metamorph.  “I chose a band name that embraced the concept of transformation, alchemy, of new beginnings, hope” Day explains.  The name Metamorph stands strong in what are fluctuating times.  

 

Metamorph originally consisted of Day, a native New Yorker who started as the front person, the singer, writer and flautist for the band Plague.  A powerful force in the 80s Goth scene, Plague released the album Nakara. She was joined by international DJ producer Ari Karma.  Day released the 4 Elements EP highlighting the metamorphic elements of “water evaporating into air, earth being transformed by fire to lava, because without change, life is not possible.”  “The Wave” and “Fire Monkey”, featured songs with music videos on the bands YouTube channel which had over 100000 views.  

 

In 2017 multi instrumentalist music producer Kurtis Knight joined Metamorph.  Day and Knight became a duo touring Costa Rica, Guatemala, Canada and the East and West Coast of America.  Day and Knight released the music video “Daisy Logic” and the album Ether the 5^th element.  While some refer to Ether as the void, Chi or spirit, its pure energy is thought of as a source of healing when one immerses oneself fully in it.  “All of Metamorph’s music tuning is A=432Hz ; natures natural harmony” according to Day.  

 

By 2019 Metamorph had expanded and become the full band.  A lover of drama and theatre, in  essence forms of ritual, Day added dancers to the band.  The band consisted of Day and Knight on keyboard and guitar.  Joe Netzel on drums.  Netzel started his music career as a Rock drummer, but he eventually became more interested in what he describes as “global rhythms and percussion”. Netzel says that being part of Metamorph has allowed him to step away from the simple time keeping of modern music and play “within and around the beat.” For Netzel Metamorph provides a liberating feeling.  Metamorph had Anomoly on bass.  Rivqah Cas is a sword and belly dancer for Metamorph and has a background in Middle Eastern and Middle Eastern/Western Fusion Dance.  Cas has the task of capturing and synthesizing the energy and message of the music and says “I love working with the musicians and feeling the spirit of the live music as I dance.”

Kitten Mypants provided burlesque for the band.

 

 Metamorph released Sigils and Spirals EP in March 2020 with the music video “Spelldance”.  “The last show as a full band was in 2020, to a packed venue, was “the night before the world shut down and then all the festivals and concerts were cancelled due to the pandemic lockdown” Day says.

 

Following the start of the pandemic Day was broken hearted and ran away to the jungle with Knight, her band mate, soulmate and lover.  After an initial period of what Day describes as “mourning” she felt inspired once more and started to write, program and record alone.  She found a joy and empowerment in writing alone.  “I became deeply inspired and the songs started pouring out of me” said Day. 

 

In 2022 Erik Gustafson, who Day describes as a true alchemist, produced Day’s songs “Love in the Wreckage” and “Dream Curve”. The two songs are part of an EP expected to be released in the fall of 2022 called Kiss of the Witch.  The EP will include tracks “Poison in the Air”, Heart to Bloody Heart”, “Kiss of the Witch” and “Empress”, a resurrected and recreated Plague song.  

 

With what Day describes as a sunshiney gothy and witchy feel Metamorph explores themes of hope, love, mysticism, change and renewal.  “Let’s rise together from the muck like lotus flowers”, something we can achieve with witchery, magic and love Day believes.

“I feel the turmoil, and pain of the world, sometimes it makes my head spin and I weep and cry”  says Day.  Being a witch has helped Day stay connected to nature and the source “I transform the world’s chaos energy into a new form, songs.”  She describes her new EP Kiss of the Witch as being able to open love portals “with a magical musical kiss from me to you”.  The singles from the album “Love in the Wreckage “ is a song that transmutes the misery in the world into love and “Dream Curve” was created to “weave a multi-colored tapestry of hope.” It’s Day’s wish that her music provides portals that make a better future for everyone and the planet. 

 

The lyrics of Metamorph’s songs always have multiple layers of meanings and messages.  Like a mystical incantation, the first layer Day says “is usually romantic love.” The  listener must then excavate deeper to find Day’s hidden secrets.  She describes these as secrets of “magic, eternal truths, devastation and renewal.” 

 

Day is deeply involved in curating the entire aesthetic of the band.  She works closely with graphic designer J. Jones who has twenty plus years of experience in his field, to ensure the images are entwined with her music for its magic to be fully activated.

 

 

For the rest of 2022 Day will continue writing music in the jungle or forest and then sending it onto Gustafson who takes the vocals and flute tracks and like a true alchemist melds them into a song.  “I love this new Metamorph music elixir with all my heart “ Day says of the music Gustafson is producing for her.  She says that she will spend the rest of her life channeling melodies and messages, “helping to save the world with a song.” 

 

For new listeners to Metamorph’s music Day eloquently gives this message “Metamorph is music for morphing.  We invite the listener to welcome change, let new dreams unfold; become the butterfly, the bat, the witch, the shaman…”

 

 Links : 

Metamorph documentary about music and healing : https://youtu.be/p2AULa9ee0k

Rare footage of Plague and the album Nakara : https://www.margotday.com/the-plague

4 Elements : https://youtube.com/channel/UCCIsnRXAqBrMCxvdfmMTXcg

YouTube : https://youtube.com/channel/UCCIsnRXAqBrMCxvdfmMTXcg

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/Metamorphmusic. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eric Oberto

How would you describe synesthesia and how fundamental do you think it has been to the direction your music has taken? 

 

It’s not a “one size fits all” condition. There are varying degrees of synesthesia infliction. Some people have very mild cases, like color associations to specific numbers or digits. For example - whenever they hear the number 8, they see the color red. My case is definitely on the extreme side of the spectrum, in fact I haven’t read about or met anyone with my level of Synesthesia yet (although I assume they do exist). It’s pretty wild and all-encompassing! I like to call it a separate or second vision that is completely triggered by sound, instead of sight. It’s as if my mind is painting full-color, three-dimensional, moving pictures as I input sound through my ears. If you could see what I hear, you would probably be amazed! 

 

It has been more than fundamental in the direction of my music; it has been the driving force! I don’t read music, I’m not big on music theory, and I don’t really think of music in math terms either. I mentally paint sonically triggered moving pictures and weave them together into musical movies or films. I naturally gravitated to industrial, electronic, or darkwave (or whatever you want to call it) music because of the virtually limitless possibilities of sounds that are available to me. Also, there are no traditional song structure rules in those genres, so I can paint outside of the lines as much as I want to! I feel like electronic music was my destiny from day one and synesthesia led me to it. 

 

What are the themes of your music and why do you feel the need to explore these themes?

 

The themes that I write about have changed somewhat over the years, but these days I seem to gravitate to the observance of “the humans” and the human condition or dysfunction. I used to be a pretty dysfunctional/don’t give a fuck/self-destructive kind of person on the inside (even if I seemed fine on the outside), so I’m your textbook example of “before and after”. I’ve come a long way in my lifetime and have made so many changes for the better. If I can change and improve myself, then anyone can change, and I truly believe that. My recurring themes are as follows: 

1. Facing and embracing the darkness in life and finding the beauty within it.

2. Time is limited, so make the most out of the time that you are given. 

3. Own your own bullshit and lies.

4. Humans are the cause of all problems on the planet.

 

I know those are heavy subjects, but my mind is filled with those thoughts every day. It’s important for me to write about what I feel, or there’s no point in writing at all! Plus, the subjects that I write about need to be discussed and addressed, whether it’s personal or global. I know music is just a form of art and expression, but to me it’s more than that - I feel that it’s my responsibility to create art that’s as deep and pure as the ocean.  

 

 

What literature or films have inspired your music? 

 

As far as literature goes - I’m also dyslexic, so I’ve never been a “big reader”! I can read well, but it takes me a long time to get through a book and I’m not very patient. However, I am a huge fan of films and shows;  I’ll list some of my inspirational ones here: Hardware, Rocky, Twin Peaks, Come True, Risky Business, Jaws, Collateral, Lost Highway, Miami Vice, Coherence, Blade Runner, Vanilla Sky, Eddie and the Cruisers, The Vast of Night, The Thirteenth Floor, Interview with The Vampire, and Natural Born killers. There are many more, but too many to list! 

 

Your music has been used in several movies, so how does that influence the creation of a song, and if it wasn’t directly written for the movie - how did it change in the way you thought the song would originally be perceived?

 

When I wrote “DARKNESS NEVER LIES”, I had a basic concept that was already taking form in my mind before I was asked to write a song for “AMITYVILLE CULT”. It was about all the lies we tell ourselves and the lies we tell each other. People lie so much, that it’s become an accepted societal  commonplace norm (like politics and religion, oh my)!  At the end of life there’s nothing but darkness, and in that final darkness we must face all of our lies! There’s nowhere to run or hide from yourself. In the end, “Darkness never lies”! Your lies become your legacy. In the movie, the main character is Stan Defeo, and his life and family story are a complete lie. When he finds out about the lies, he goes into denial and starts lying to himself. In the end, the truth of his life is what does him in. So, it was a good fit, and the song naturally took shape. 

 

When I wrote “CLOSER THAN EVER BEFORE” I had another basic concept that has plagued me for my entire life, and I’ve continued to touch on this subject in many songs.  It’s the reality that we are only on this planet for a short time, and every day we are closer to death (than the day before). So, the moral of the story is: Live every day to the fullest because it might be your last! “You’re closer, closer than ever before. Closer, closer to the final closing door”! 

In the movie “MALIBU HORROR STORY”, these kids are partying like rockstars and thinking that they will always be young and nothing they do has consequences. This is the basic definition of youth and where the famous saying comes from: “Youth is wasted on the young”. I won’t go into any more details about MHS because it hasn’t been released yet, but let’s just say my song is definitely a great fit for the film! 

 

As a side note - MALIBU HORROR STORY is a great film and I think it will be a hit when it officially releases. The film is currently making its festival circuit run and has already won 47 awards, and it’s not done yet! 

 

How involved are you in the aesthetic and style of the cover art for your music?

 

I’m heavily involved in every aspect of all my projects, I’m definitely an OCD type when it comes to details. I do have an amazing partner in crime when it comes to my cover art - my lovely wife Tammy! She’s a big part of all my visual media: cover art, website, photography, video effects, and more. We make a great team, and I’m lucky to have her by my side. 

 

 

What is your creative process when you write new music?

 

My creative process has always been about harnessing the amazing/insane visuals that my synesthesiaconjures up. This is no small task, but it’s a hell of a lot of fun! I don’t have a set formula or structure on how I write songs, however there are some reoccurring themes. Often, I will start with a particular color of a pad, soundscape, or noise to set the mood and layer in sounds from there. Those songs are usually downtempo. Sometimes I start with a bassline and drum groove color-combo, usually those are more upbeat songs. Sometimes I start with lyrics first and those songs often end up as dark ballads. Those are just some examples, but I will tell you this - my best song writing moments are usually born from “happy accidents” (just as David Lynch said)! When something is unplanned, it’s usually the most natural or genuine - so don’t automatically erase your mistakes, because you never know… They might be paydirt!

 

 

With the new challenge of Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss, in what ways did your creative process change? 

 

I think I can sum that up in one word - COMPLETELY! When I went deaf in my right ear, my ability to create music through synesthesia spontaneously combusted and I thought my music writing days were over! Those amazing color-drenched moving musical pictures that were induced by synesthesia, turned into distorted visions that didn’t make sense anymore. It’s like my brain turned into a pinball machine on tilt! I was devastated. It felt like the creative part of my soul died that day! It’s the kind of loss that you never recover from! It’s like Tom Keifer said - “Don't know what you got 'til it's gone”. That song became the literal reality of my life going forward. 

 

With all that being said, you must go through the phases of “grief” and “acceptance”. Those were the phases that proved to be most difficult. I went through a few years without even thinking about creating music or any type of art and those were some of the emptiest years of my life. Then one day I decided to pick myself up and fight my way back to the music. It took me a few years of one failure after another, before I found my current process of music writing. I was forced to learn how to write music again, almost from scratch.

 

There’s not a day that goes by where I don’t wake up and initially feel depressed about being half deaf. But these are the cards I was dealt, and life goes on either way (with or without me). So, I make a daily choice to get up and fight! 

 

How important has modern technology been in the creation of your music given your hearing challenges and what technologies have really helped with the direction of your new music? 

 

I now have to depend on several visual tools like- visual eq, spectrum analysis, visual mastering, and several other visual tools. I have gone from relying 100% on my ears to relying 50% on my eyes, 30% on my one remaining ear, and 20% on instinct (something like that anyway). I have to trust my previous song writing knowledge and apply it to this strange/new reality.  I also have to depend on my producer for mixing and mastering. We sit in the same room to do the mixing and mastering together, so I don’t lose my musical fingerprint on the songs. It’s hard to explain, so I hope that sheds some light on things.

 

The fact that I was already an electronic musician was the one saving grace of this shitstorm! I was already familiar with making music using modern technology, so it wasn’t such a big leap to learn and use these new tools (new to me at least). 

 

Do you enjoy live performances and if so, what makes them so enjoyable ?

 

I truly do love live performances; I feel like I was born to perform! I really get off on connecting with a crowd, there’s just something about being the conductor of a unified/connected group of emotions. It’s so powerful and exhilarating in those moments, it’s like a drug I can’t get enough of (powerful stuff)! I always try to approach a live performance as if it were going to be my last; I give it everything I’ve got and leave it all up there on the stage! 

 

But there is also another aspect of live performance that is specifically unique to performing with a group. This drug of choice is all about when performers come together and lock into that groove or vibe together in a performance. It’s as if you all collectively become one perfectly tuned and functioning machine. There are multiple parts to this machine, but they all seem to be effortlessly grooving together. It’s truly an amazing “unconscious-competent” high’. I’ts like everyone is on auto pilot in those moments! 

 

It’s an honor and privilege to perform on stage as an individual, or as a group. I feel lucky to have had several opportunities to get high on both! Hopefully I will be performing again in the near future.

 

 In what direction do you see your music heading and what are some of your hopes for the future? 

I’m never satisfied with keeping the “status quo”, each song that I write is a brand-new sonic adventure. I can confidently say that each of my songs can stand on its own, but my music does have its own brand. Often, I’ve been told that you can always tell that it’s an “Eric Oberto” song, but at the same time - each song sounds different or original. 

 

I’m really enjoying my current “Darkwave” direction, and I want to continue to head further down that road. I have a bunch of songs that are about 90% done and each one continues to push in new directions. I really want to push my vocals into directions I haven’t gone before. I also want to go even deeper into using vocoder as my harmonizing vocal tracks. I’ve really been enjoying using vocoder and feel like it’s becoming part of my sonic DNA signature. Finally, I want to work with some outside musicians to see what direction that takes my music, especially with my new hearing-impaired process (that should be interesting). I’ve been doing everything alone (besides recording) and I think it would be fun to have a creative exchange here and there.

 

What would you say about your music to inspire a novice to listen to it?

 

My music is a sonic deep dive into the places that most music will never explore. It’s not meant to be listened to in the background. It’s designed to be all encompassing and thought provoking. It’s also meant to challenge the listener to go “all in” and just be in that moment to see where the sonic journey leads them. It’s not required that you completely understand my inspiration for creating these songs, but more important that you find out what they mean to you. Most importantly, turn it up to 11 or wear headphones! One thing is for sure, it will be a mind trip on the dark side…

 

Links 

Webpage : https://ericoberto.com/ 

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/ericoberto.official/

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/eric.oberto/

YouTube : https://youtube.com/c/EricOberto