I:scintilla - "I've been perpetually hungry!"

With I:scintilla the Belgian Alfa Matrix label has added not only another name but also yet another sound to its roster that is remiscent of that of Theatre Of Tragedy, Evanscence or yet NIN. Mostly guitarbased with a frontwoman sounding and looking as beautiful as only heaven can be this is a huge step away from the label's most recent dark electro output. Out now is their excellent label debut, the EP "Havestar" featuring remixes by Combichrist, Klutae and others next to several orginal tracks. We contacted songwriter Jim Cookas near Chicago for a bit of explanation. (By Elise Din)

SL. First of all, I heard that the band might be part of the tour Mortiis and the Genitorturers are to undertake in the USA? How did this happen? And how many dates have you planned?

J. This is not 100% confirmed yet. If everything works out, we'll be opening three dates of the Genitorturers/Mortiis tour when they pass through the midwestern U.S. This came about after Mortiis remixed one of our songs ("Havestar") and liked what they heard. We have been communicating for several weeks and they are wonderful people.

SL. You have a solid live reputation so it seems, I guess this is a must for a band to gain notority?

J. I don't think bands are required to tour to gain popularity. Some of my favorite artists have not toured extensively over the years (Collide and Wumpscut come to mind). I think the key is to produce excellent music and continue to push boundaries.

SL. Tell me where do you guys all come from and what is exactly your background? The material makes me believe you have all a very good musical background...Trained musicians or not?

J. We are all from the midwestern U.S. (specifically, near Chicago). It is a boring land that is full of cornfields, so we turned to music. Chad (guitar) and I have been playing guitar and piano since we were young. In college, I received a minor in Electronic Music Studio Techniques, which not only gave me a world of knowledge about studio work, but also a strong grasp on music theory. Vince (drums) is the son of a musician and started playing (unofficially) when he was two years old. Brittany began singing at a very young age, but I:scintilla is her first real musical project. Essentially, each of us learned music on our own.

SL. The critics I read so far are very positive for your EP "Havestar", what were your expectations?

J. We're happy that the EP has been getting critical praise. We have a lot of confidence in it and we think the songs are strong. We also think music fans will love it and hopefully it will help get our name out.

SL. It is a rather daring choice being released by an industrial label, then again they have access to the large goth / metal market as well on top of the industrial scene. Was that a calculated move?

J. I think our music can appeal to a wide variety of genres, including the ones you mentioned. Some of our songs would fit in with both rock radio stations and industrial dance clubs. We are really happy with Alfa Matrix and we have a feeling the label is really going to take off in the near future.

SL. The disc holds quite some diverse remixes, which ones did you like the most and why?

J. It would be difficult to not mention Combichrist's remix of "Havestar" as my favorite. Andy LePlegua continues to churn out club hits and we were very lucky to work with him on one of our songs. It blew me away instantly. Klutae's remix of "Capsella" is interesting too. It's cool to hear Claus mix his vocals with Brittany's.

SL. In how much will the upcoming album differ from your self released 2004 debut album "The approach"? What can we expect?

J. The new album is expanding in more directions and the songwriting is becoming much more sophisticated. Brittany's lyrics and vocal melodies are vastly improved. We will also have live drums on several of the songs (the drums on The Approach and Havestar are 100% programmed). It's about halfway completed and we're very excited about it.

SL. Just like your label, you guys are heavily busy on the net, I guess that for indie bands this is the best way getting recognized, no?

J. The Internet has been an excellent tool for promoting our music. We have connected with countless music fans and the support has been amazing. However, the danger I have seen with some artists is that they spend too much time promoting online and not enough time writing great music. There is no better promotion than excellent songs and bands need to make sure they don't get caught up in the Internet hype.

SL. I noticed that Brittany is also involved onto the new Mind:state album, another Alfa Matrix band... Mind:State is a dark electropop act, so how was that to work on such material compared to the guitar powered stuff you guys compose?

J. The new songs we heard from Mind:State are very cool. They are infectious and I'm humming one right now as I'm doing this interview! Brittany added her trademark intense vocals to a couple songs. There are some parts where she sings solo and others when she is paired with Per's vocals.

SL. I spent some time reading your online blog... Where I read that Bakersfield, CA will have an I:scintilla lane??? Apparently the city planner is a huge fan and names streets after his favorite bands. Now really, this must be a joke or...?

J. All signs point to this being real. I didn't believe it at first either. After several emails and a telephone call, I got confirmation that there will be an I:scintilla lane in Bakersfield, CA. However, it won't be fully approved and displayed for about a year. We won't have a photographic confirmation until then.

(...)

To read the complete interview, be sure to buy Side-Line issue 56 !

Side-Line issue 56
I:scintilla CDs

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