PART 2: Submissions from world fans and affiliate web pages
Q
How is the process of work with Michael Cretu? You work at A.R.T. Studios with Michael or at your GadStudios and then you share material?. I imagine that both manners, but I would like you explain the process a bit please. Alonso Gutiérrez, Spain. A
Both studios work interchangeable and have identical equipment besides the mixing desk. So recording takes place in both studios like for example: the guitar on "Voyageur"
or "The Piano" entirely were done at my place, we had times when
Michael's studio had problems so we did everything at Gad Studios, so it depends. The bigger part though normally took place at his studio which is also his home because he doesn't like to move so much.
Q
Let's talk about the effects of Internet on music industry, Mp3 sharing is considered as the reason of decreasing sales of albums. Is that the end of conventional CD? Stefano Trentadue, Modugno (BA) - Italy.
A
Not at all, my prediction is: As soon as the industry finds a way to sell CD's at a cheap price, say $5,99 people will stop the download hassle and just buy them. Mp3 is great to check out tracks and quickly preview stuff, but if I like something I still just go and buy it. Downloading a complete album with correct track lengths and no fake versions in it takes hours, this might work for kids with endless amount of time, but at a cheaper price, I bet it's more fun even for them to buy the CD's and use the time to play with the PlayStation...
Q
We can still listen to your music all for hours - it never loses its appeal (Being timeless). Any plans for ENIGMA 6 or a TAAW 2? Are you going to provide that talent for further ENIGMA or TAAW releases? Javier Garcia - United States, Jacob - Canada , Ionescu Florin Eugen - Romania
Glynn - North-East England and Kristian - Sweden. A No definite plans/schedules yet, but actually the idea for TAAW 2 is not a bad one. Let me discuss that with Michael. But let me assure you - there's still a lot of music to come!!
Q
Growing up, which artists were your favorites, and do any of those artists have a main influence on your compositions? (Especially on your latest solo albums.) Emily, United States, Andrew United States, Rodrigo Camaño, Longavi, Chile and Mason (Ignatius), Canada.
A
To start - Elvis is the King - I still know numerous lyrics by heart and somehow feel that Rock'n'Roll and Blues still rules a lot of my musical feelings and decisions nowadays although the music has become different - It might be the source for everything?
Jimi Hendrix, Deep Purple - and then - Prince - where would we be without "Kiss"?
It becomes pretty endless: Jesse Johnson, Chaka Khan, Sheila E., Yes,
Grace Jones, Bryan Adams, U2, Soundgarden, Björk, Keziah Jones..............And
they are all somewhere in my system saying "hello" from time to time...
Q
Which tracks from your new solo albums will be released as singles and will they feature some videos, remixes by you or some other DJ's?
Shawn Berry, Canada. A
The Secrets of Obession: "The Delta of the Red River",
Achillea: "The Seeress Prophecy - Daydreaming",
Luisa Fernandez Project: "Amadas Estrellas" and "Amor - Parte II".
We might do remixes, videos planned only for the Fernandez project so far.
Q
Your contribution on the last SANDRA album turned out to be a flawless production, a masterpiece! Will there be a new collaboration with SANDRA? What do you think about SANDRA's unique style of music, from an artist's view? Lucio , Napoli - Italy. A
I always enjoyed working with her, she's an adorable and warm person, in the moment there's no project planned. She's performing live shows at the moment; we might consider starting a new album.
After Michael has discovered her beautiful French/English speech voice with ENIGMA besides the vocal voice, I see some possibilities for new productions, we'll
see...
Q
Why hasn't there been any solo work released until now? Why out of nowhere are 4
albums going to be released all at once? Don't you have concerns regarding the fast consumptions by today's society? Luke, United States. A
It's quiet an exciting experience to release CD's on my own and there's a lot more to come. The 4 forthcoming CD's haven't been produced at the same time,
"Achillea" for example, I started last year, and the Spanish project with
Luisa Fernandez will be finished these days.
Regarding today's society, I'm convinced that you can sell through a long period of time - the trick is not to stick too close to the obvious trendy developments.
Q
What is the purpose of music? For example; should it inspire us to change the way we live? Derek Smootz, TX USA and Khalil, Pakistan. A
No day passes without asking this to me, myself, but it's so simple: music evokes emotions: euphorism, love, aggression and melancholy - I could never survive a single day without music! I think it has a central role in our world. Life can become very
very tough and brain controlled -
Music always brings you back to your feelings, makes you stop to think for a moment, it can rescue people. There's a story of a woman standing on the edge of a house roof having decided to jump, then hearing "Return to Innocence" through some window and... turning around and deciding to go on with her life.
Q
Could you please explain, what has led you to recording a disc inspired by the Germanic (Scandinavian) mythology as "The Nine Worlds of Viking Myth"? And what
about "The Secrets of Obsession"? Does it really contain unreleased tracks
or rejected elements of your production on ENIGMA? Benetnash, Sevilla - Spain and Efrain Bonifaz Perez La Paz. Bolivia. A
The Viking idea came because both - the classical singer Helene Horlyck
and me - are Danish. So we developed the story, went through all the conquests and powerful history moments and also realized that it hasn't been touched before, quite an interesting subject indeed, giving many possibilities of musical interpretation.
"The Secrets Obsession" project is a sentimental sound journey reviving the early ENIGMA sound, tracks like "The Delta of the Red River" or
"Silent Heroes" I had - in their origin - planned for ENIGMA, but we finally didn't release them.
Q
Nowadays, our music panorama is changing very quickly; we see similar kinds of productions since the Hip-Hop Fashion. Do you think that music will turn to a point where people will listen to the old records, and forget about the "new sound"? Is it frustrating for you to see these trends have a huge role in mainstream music over the intellectual, emotion evoking and genius work that you would create? Jorge Ricardo Calejo, Portugal and Kiera, Dublin, Ireland A
Every music that's received by the audience has its right to exist. I see a lot of original material being used in modern music - look at Moby - it's not about being intellectual or brilliant at all...- more about emotions or intuitions - and I have quiet a positive view on the music movement of our times.
Pop has never been more open and limitless; everything can be done - as long as somebody receives it. There never was a broader variety of music.
If you don't like this or that, just don't buy it. But I see quite a lot of possibilities now. I even prefer the situation compared to 10 years ago.
Q
Voyageur was a great album, but the classic ENIGMA spirit was not there. Was there a reason for that and what direction do you see ENIGMA going musically in the future? Rick Playfair, Canada and Denis, Russian Federation A
This is in Michael's hands. But before I brought the idea for tracks like
"Voyageur", "The Piano" or "The Page of Cups" there were more tracks like "Boum Boum" or "Following the Sun" on the album, I criticized exactly what you mentioned and we had quite a discussion on that.
But I admit - the easiness and pureness of early ENIGMA days was not there.
I'm trying with my new projects to evoke a little bit of that spirit and you tell me whether I succeeded. The truth is that it's very very hard, ENIGMA 1 and 2 were milestones...
Q
Are you interested in collaborating with other musicians in the near future? How do you decide which artists to work with? Reuben Barnett (RJB), Melbourne, Australia and Salvador Yánez Prieto,
Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, México, Moisés Páez Altamirano, México,
Luke United States. A
I'm very interested in collaborations. Innovative and outstanding talents are more than welcome; every artist who is special in any way, focusing on very unique voices is interesting for me.
Q
If you were working with Cretu on a future ENIGMA album and were suddenly left to finish it alone, would you be able to handle it? Ray Manitoba, Canada. A
No problem, we had situations like Michael had sudden incredible pain attacks and had to be flown to the mainland immediately where this could have happened, but thanks god, he's in such a good basic condition that his body coped with every problem so far. I would like to see him smoke a little less I must admit...
Q
Do you like to sing in your own songs?
Will you also be the lead vocal on your forthcoming solo albums? Bobby, Cologne, Germany. A
No, not at all, although it's fun to sing, BUT the level I expect from my productions is by far too high to accept my voice.
Q
You remixed "Out from the Deep" and worked on "Return to Innocence" in 1993/1994Are these tracks inspired by the Native Tribes of the Americas? Phletha Wynn (Age 13)(Cherokee Tribe) A
Actually this should be answered by Michael himself - well, it's about the origins of mankind and about the negative influence of the western world - the society - on us. Instead of following our genuine intuition we tend to think everything over and try to fulfill weird standards... I'm already saying too much.
Q
When you first started your contribution to ENIGMA, did you believe that the whole project was more than just creating nice music for people to listen?
Meaning the spiritual effect that ENIGMA's music has on people) George Fioravantis, Greece A
I was at all times very aware of and very attracted by ENIGMA's spiritual effect. I would say it changed my whole attitude towards music and ....life. It is 'creating' out of your deepest unconscious impulses, totally bypassing your brain. That's why we only worked at night, not to be distracted even by daylight.
It's a fascinating phenomenon: You create music using only your deepest intuition to touch people's deepest intuitions, thoughts don't play any role, ENIGMA was never understandable. The lyrics only are hints to the messages hidden in the music.
The production times we shared always had that magic mood:
Once I chose an atmospheric sample from my library to create a dissolve between 2 tracks reversed the sample, and Michael suddenly looked up and said: "Jens - listen,
listen... - don't you hear it...?" - it clearly said:
"E - nig - ma" - That was on E4 between "Traces" and "The Screen Behind the Mirror" - you have to listen very carefully to hear it.
Q
I can feel the ENIGMA touch on your song "Art Nouveau" That makes me think you certainly have been influenced by Michael Cretu through this last years.
Have you been enjoying working with him? Helder Duarte Garcia Carvalho de Jesus Fialho , Portugal A
Well - look above - he'll always play an important role in my life.
Q
What do you think of today's Electronic Music producers? Do you think they are helping music to jump ahead of its own limits or it is being destroyed? How do you feel your music influenced this shift? Jacob. V , and Ignatius, Canada A
As mentioned earlier, I'm thrilled by the vast possibilities we have now, everybody is contributing, no matter how dull tracks might sound but - boundaries are fading... I'm influenced by everything I hear, and I like a lot of the stuff out there. It might be difficult for certain people to cope with the big variety of music, people might say "aah - there's nothing new anymore like the Stones in their times or the Beatles" - to me it's just capitulation to the masses of new music. You have to judge very instinctively and go for your personal taste, ignore all the advertisements and hypes. I'm pretty sure that everybody could find his music, artist or group out there.
Q
What do you consider important in making music? Do you have a differentiated approach to each individual or you lead them with your classic way? Victor Hugo Machado Vieira, Brazil A
You always have to strictly serve the projects' philosophy, with Andru you build the music around his voice, TAAW has to serve its own madness - ha, ha, - but honestly it's a very important topic where you could easily fail. A producer has to always sensitively follow the idea of a CD, eventually drop tracks if they don't fit and eventually work for months and months until the spirit is there.
Q
I've been so inspired ever since reading lyrics and viewing some icons of ENIGMA.
What do you think about those philosophical contents of ENIGMA? And where does the inspiration come from on lyrics of ENIGMA and SANDRA albums? Naoki, Japan and Maegan Doyle, Virginia USA A
Well this is all in Michael's head, he's spending a lot of time in his beautiful office in his house researching lexica, watching documentaries, surfing through the net, and creates his very own view on things in life. I have always loved his lyrics and he's even told me sometimes that I encouraged him to write more and focus on it. But honestly I can't really tell where they come from.
Q
Were you involved with working with Louisa Stanley? So little is known about her and we've always been curious.Could you shed some light on this lady? Zayne Knight, United States A
No, sorry, I never met her.
Q
Is it an instinctive, guiding urge that brings this beautiful creation of music and words together, forming such a unique experience? What is the mystery behind your success on captivation of our hearts? Rana, Australia and Mohammad Reza Gholamali, Iran. A
Yes - it is an urge, I think I can speak for Michael here as well, we HAVE to do what we do, and it touches people, but how do this happen? Nobody can tell you really. This truly is some kind of a mystery, even for us. But let's not try to explain it but be happy that it's been created and taken further!
Q
How would YOU rate ENIGMA among the other pop albums of the world And what kind of change you feel inside you, when you listen to ENIGMA Music? Dishant Pandya, Mumbai, India. Xavi, Picture Start Spain, Juan Carlos, Spain and Qamar A. Naqvi Islamabad, Pakistan. A
I still listen to the CD's a lot. The music still makes me fly away instantly and brings me to another deeper state, something like a dream journey where you always see new things. Many elements in the music are not used clearly and in the foreground, they are just triggered a bit to give hints to you ear and let itself create the melody inside of you. So you even hear new things every time because there's so much space in the music. E1 still sounds kinda modern, ENIGMA never used the typical trendy sounds of certain eras but always was based on very natural and profound elements and so has survived all these years.
Q
How hard (or easy) is it to produce an album; does it all just come together or is there much toiling? Long hours trying to produce the right and precise sounds and ambience from the music? Jennifer Michel. VA in the United States A
It's actually a very long and hard but also incredibly beautiful process. We took about 18 months to finish an album. Producing music that's so intuitive, first you have to be intuitive yourself and despite all the technology this can not be planned. So you wait for these special moments to come, once you follow the right string, things suddenly all fall into place, it's almost like life, when you feel you follow an intuition and suddenly things work out.
The music can't be composed in the conventional way because there are no real sung melodies; the tracks are more like collages. You work and work, put all sorts of elements together, throw tons of material away, then suddenly create something within minutes; it's the addiction of working in a totally un-plannable process trying to make things fall into place that would then make you the happiest person in the world.
Q
How do you like your ''Sony DMX-R100'' and why did you choose that digital mixer over others? Skip P. Utah, United States A
I have bought this desk but the role of the actual mixer has become pretty minor in our studios. Nearly all the signals exit ProTools already processed, in the mixer you might add a little final compression or equalibration etc…But nothing essential.
The Sony does it well, the routing facilities are great, the on screen editing (I have put it on a computer screen in front of me) is a great feature.
But honestly - I might not have this mixer anymore in a year's time because the Mac/Logic's working surface has become so great and powerful.
CREDITS :
Executive Producers & Interview Concept: Martyn Woolley and Onur Tezgeldi
Interview Editors and Collation: Martyn Woolley, Onur Tezgeldi, Sherry Wynn
Page Design and Layout : Alonso Gutiérrez
EMB Administration, Announcement and Mass Mailing Support : Peter Lambe
Affiliate Web Sites: EnigmaMusica.com, Enigma Lyrics.com,enigma-fanclub.com
An Interview conducted by: EnigmaMusic.com News Team and Enigma Fans around the
World.
