Interview
Raven's Chat (France)
Q.: Can you make a short review of Les Joyaux de la Princesse? Tell me how long this association has existed, who composises it, and what are its aims and its means? Does "Nocturne", the radioprogramme you hosted on Radio Beton in Tours, always exist?
Erik Konofal: Les Joyaux de la Princesse is an association Law 1901 the goal is to "Create, produce and diffuse difficult new musics". It was started in 1986. At the beginning, this name had been given to a radio program I had on a local radio station which had just started to broadcast, but the real meaning which marked my life appeared only at the end of 1987 when I met S.B. To avoid any confusion between my own creative work and the one of the radio, the radio program became (in October of that year) "Nocturne". Since the disparition of S.B., I am the sole member and its articulation.
 
Q.: Your production Aux Petits Enfants de France was first released in a limited edition of 49 copies with a cassette tape housed in a "black coffin" shaped box. It was enthusiastically received and was later reissued in luxurious CD packaging by the German Tesco Organisation label. What was the link existed between Les Joyaux de la Princesse and this label as this is often often misunderstood?
E.K.: This production, in its entirety, was initiated by Joachem Kohl of Tesco. At first, I wasn't particularly disposed to a such reissue. However, over the weeks my scepticism began to reduce and when the L'Allemagne Année Zero EP was released, and with it any residual scepticism completely disappeared. I think that we can't be more honest than a person who is completely lnvolved in their work.
 
Q.: Tell me about this production, about the whys and wherefores, about the symbolism of the postcard, the document "Le Drapeau" and so on ?
E.K.: With the reissue on CD the meaning of the coffin - namely the death sentence to the "collaborationists" - and the number 49 was lost. This loss of symbolism always bothered me a little. The number 49 was the number of individuals who went over on the other side of the government and that it was necessary to shoot them to legitimize this new temporary government. 49 was also the number of letters contained in the initials of S.B. The whole above-detailed has only a meaning if you see it as a whole. We can't spoil this "symbolic" otherwise we will (make) occult all the sense and the interest of this production ... the ear of corn symbolises the work in the fields, the flag symbolises the hope of the nation reconstituted around its doctrine, the propaganda-free. The postcard is only there to illustrate the title. Now, this whole must be judged as the past and not the present. It's a question of respect and again here of integrity to respect.
 
Q.: You wrote to me that this production results from a recapitutalion of radioprograms broadcasted on Radio Beton between 86/88 on the role of the 39/45 French Vichy government. How has the broadcasting of passages extract from documents of the I.N.A. (the National Institut of Audiovisual, including, among others, that of Marechal Petain) been perceived by the offials of the radio station and by other interests and ultimately by your listeners?
E.K.: Concerning my radio programs, I would tike to state that, at any moment, I didn't want to inject any form of political ideology or otherwise. The use of historical (audio) documents relating episodes of World War II, was done for effect. The use of any themes was for historical interest only. The music added covered the whole and gives an "authentic" feel.
 
Q.: How is your work perceived by the critics or by a more informed public?
E.K.: My work haven't received any more criticism than the ones I expect.
 
Q.: Could you tell me about the realisation of the Östenbräun double cassette release and its subsequent release as a luxurious CD boxset with postcards? How did the collaboration progress with Douglas Pearce? Was it difficult to convince him to take part in it?
E.K.: First, I was only planning to edit an interview with Douglas Pearce, the text for "Death In June Collaboration : Carried Away By Despair". Douglas was apparently very enthused by the music I sent him. At the time, he wrote to me saying "We have a similar path!...". The use of the Poly-800 lnspired to him, I think, like a kind of following to "The World That Summer"... This same keyboard was used as a base-line for the release of the double album but I learnt this only afterwards and in my ingenuouness, maybe, I had completed something! During this collaboration, at every musical as well as aesthetic, I sent it to Douglas P. It took me a long time to obtain his complete approval and benediction when the product was finished.
 
Q.: Will this production be released by Tesco or another label in CD format ?
E.K.: I think that the reissue on CD will be done. It's just a question of time. This one will be certainly be different and will not contain, of course, the Interview! There is no interest in such a thing! I don't see another label than N.E.R. or Les Joyaux de La Princesse to satisfy to this new edition... Douglas adds Östenbräun in the official discography of Death In June.
 
Q.: Die Kapitulation - L'Allemagne Annee Zero is your third production. What is this beautiful anthem we can listen on the second track of your 7"? What can you tell me about this record?
E.K.: I regret that you didn't know it!... This lovely tune was a Soviet anthem and this version was broadcasted through speakers of tanks rolling on the ruins of Germany. The vision of F.Rosselini's movie "Allemagne Annue Zuro" seems to be essential to understand this release. All the Inspiration that I had comes from this cinematographic work. There ls no possibility of ambiguity: "A ta lueur tremblante de cette bougie symbolique, ce julleucht dont ta flamme symbolise la Victoire de la Lumiere sur les tunebres et de l'espoir sur la mort...".
 
Q.: When we listen to your productions it seems that you are very concerned by World War II events. Where does this interest come from? Is it a morbid attraction for this period or an attempt to rehabilate a misunderstood politic or a testimony/witness of the contemporary history, or is it something else?
E.K.: Things must be clear here. There is no possible rehabilitation of the past after all the blood that flowed. Now, I think that there is still a certain fear of tackling such topics. It is easier to use simple (common) terms, but we can't see their impact and their meaning. We must present the whole thing even it if is blunt - without prejudice - not without any nostalgia. On the other hand, I just don't see how we can be satisfied of the ideas (and interpretations) so well established (enshrined) today. The "collaboration" is considered the pinnacle of stupidity and is often associated with cowardness. But are we so different now ... would we be so brave today? ln fear, anguish and silence (will prevail)! It's a question of morality and integrity.
 
Q.: What does this sentence inspire in you: "the examination of the contemporary history of World War II must oblige one to lead to the conclusion of the Nurenberg court"?
E.K.: I don't know exactly the conclusion of the Nuremberg court, so I can't make myself the apostole of historians. I think that heads needed to roll, or rather hang, and then turn quickly the page of history and try not to hang-up the "do not be disturbed" sign in our sleep. However I am not satlsfied by this point of view and I think that responsabilities must be shouldered by more than the few men (tried at Nuremburg) and by more than one nation... even if that nation is far away from Europe.
 
Q.: Do you share some common feelings, musical as well ideological, with Genocide Organ or Tesco ?
E.K.: I admire Tesco work with no restricion because it forms a whole which hides no hypocrisy. A result of excellent musical, as well as artistic, quatity. This label has always known how to keep the same baseline and here is my convergence with this concept, other things don't bother me...
 
Q.: How do you define your music, the musical atmospheres you create? Among the productions or bands, recent or not, what do you like to listen to ?
E.K.: I cannot describe the atmospheres I create. For me, everything comes from emotion in its emotional quatity with all the evocative emotions retained. I think, on the other hand, that if we want to reach something or someone, we must want it or not. We must realise it from ourselves. This is why I admire the emotions of Gustav Malher's symphonies.... a pressure sometimes unbearable in the "Adagio" and especially the sadly superb long slow movement of the third symphony. This evocation is a real "topy" with its precise discrimination and is perfectly measured. All is created on this basis, reflection of perceived images, its integration and in vain, its transmission... leaving a very strong stamp. This can seem disproportionate but I feet the same thing listening to extreme music, where begins the task of reflection and interpretation beyond discordance. The music I listen to is the same that I distribute. I like Cold Meat lndustry, World Serpent, Discordia... there is no need to mention Tesco again!
 
Q.: Have you played live at all?
E.K.: I shall always remember the Death In June's concert in Amiens where, at the end, we could listen "Östenbräun" for the very first time. Otherwise. I've never played on a stage.
 
Q.: In one of your previous letters to me you wrote me about some of your projects : '... a compilation Zyklon B, a work about Tibet and in collaboration with David Tibet, a booklet "Les Joyaux de la Princesse"... may be another thing with Douglas Pearce". When will this compilation with the friends of Tesco and the Karmanik family (Cold Meat Industry) be available? What will be its format and its exclusivity?
E.K.: The last work is "Zyklon B", a compilation with people close to labels like Cold Meat Industry or Tesco. Here again, the product leaves a strong impression. The label was designed with genuine (historical) documents very difficult to obtain! The result needs to be judged as a whole, without neglecting anything. This must be done in order "for all to know and to never forget". The work about Tibet will never be published. It would consist as a musical soundtrack to be played during a festival and/or an exhibition about Tibet in February 1991 in Orleans (France). This music was strongly inspired by Current 93's "Live at bar Matdoror". I had, at the time, David Tibet's authorization to do this work and would edit this production in collaboration with the association "France-Tibet". But this association never replied to my letters! Then "Live at bar Maldoror" was released on CD. I don't see today on what concept I could (re)base my work on. Now, I shall make the booklet, however, and hopefully it will be published.
 
Q.: What would you like to say in conclusion?
E.K.: Sophie Scholl, student in biology and in philosophy in Munich University, member of the White Rose movement was arrested and executed with five other students ln February 1943. She was 22 years old.

Interview with Regard Extrême
Black Magazine (Germany)
Interview with Fabien of Regard Extrême by flake777
for a German music magazine called "Black" number 28, Summer 2002 and given the subtitle "The Black Issue"
(Note that the original questions were stated in English but the responses were in Fabien's native French so some meaning and nuances might have been "lost in translation").
Courtesy of flake777
Q.: Do you generally think that REGARD EXTREME should work without a voice? What is the special status of "Die Weiße Rose" then? Is this a unique thing because of the collaboration with LES JOYAUX DE LA PRINCESSE or could you imagine blending in a voice or voices in the future? At the end of your DEATH IN JUNE cover of "the guilty have no pride" are some sort of vocals. Where are they from and what does it mean or is it just for the atmosphere?
R.E.: It is very possible that one day I use some voices and lyrics. But to me the choirs I have already used so often are voices. I did not feel the need for this until then, because in my own releases I don't tell stories. Finally I am afraid that using real voices with lyrics would limit me technically.
 
Q.: Are you yourself responsible for the artwork of the beautiful REGARD EXTREME digipacks (and who designed the "Die Weiße Rose" 7"?) Is the package very important to you? I have never seen the limited edition of "Resurgence", but supposedly it is very well designed too. What is your opinion of strictly limiting special editions? Are you a collector yourself and what about vinyl editions of your releases?
R.E.: Until now I've chosen the artwork of my releases myself. Graphic design is important to me as it forms a whole thing together with the music and should perfectly fit to the REGARD EXTREME aesthetic. A CD cover is as part of the art piece as the music it encloses. I have to say that the music has to remain to be the main part anyway. I've never been attracted by limited editions or vinyl and I'm not a collector. What I dislike in limited editions is the fetish side, moreover it always makes people unhappy, the ones that didn't get it. And it generates abuse, business. Regarding "Die Weiße Rose", the graphic part was done by LJDLP.
 
Q.: What part of France are you from? Is this an influential background to your music? Are you "known" in France, have you played live? Have you been to Germany? Living in a neighbouring country, do you have a special attitude towards Germany (this is again partially because of "Die Weiße Rose " with its German lyrics and my general interest in German/French relations).
R.E.: I actually live in a Paris suburb, in a rather rural area. […] I don't think I'm more famous in France than elsewhere. I never played there in fact, the only gig given by REGARD EXTREME was during a festival in New York city. Regarding the "Die Weiße Rose" project, there was a central theme, a little band trying to fight against oppression. I tried to turn this theme into music. That theme is universal and does not personally express any particular feeling towards Germany. Unfortunately history is made of many wars melting the whole world people. These conflicts are generally planned by the upper class and endured by lower ones. I'm by myself quite interested in all the cultures that make our world, being German or others.
 

Interview with Blood Axis
Black (Germany) - unpublished
Excerpts from an unpublished interview with BLOOD AXIS' Michael Moynihan (M.M.) conducted in the autumn of 2002 by flake777.
Courtesy of flake777
Q.: Is 'absinthe' more a (conscious) topical change from a certain philosophical/religious, 'militaristic' interest towards the field of decadence, (glory in) weakness and the like or rather a variation of the same 'matter' (death, downfall, and the beauty of it all)?
M.M.: Since we already had a song dedicated to Absinthe on The Gospel of Inhumanity, many years earlier, I don't think it is correct to say there was any topical change. Really the Absinthe releases are a focused exploration of a theme that is close to us, and has been for a long time. After all, I first tried Absinthe in the 1980s, and have always held an interest in the whole phenomenon and literature of decadence. Some of the poems that already were part of the old Blood Axis song "Absinthe" also made a reappearance on the collaboration with LJDLP, so there is a strong continuity between these works.
 
Q.: As far as I know, Blood Axis is predominantly you and Les Joyaux de la Princesse is Erik K.. So, is 'Absinthe' the work of two men or two "groups", meaning: was anyone else involved (apart from Madame Delahaye, who, I assume, was basically aiding in providing material sources for the artwork?).
M.M.: For the Absinthe project the main people involved were Erik Konofal and Eugénie Tudy, and then myself and Annabel Lee. Madame Delahaye was kind enough to provide assistance to Erik in locating original historical materials and documents. She must certainly be one of the greatest living authorities on Absinthe and its history. The last time we were in France we visited her museum, and it is truly a magical place.
 
Q.: How much of this was the idea of Erik, then (taking the 'French'-Theme of Absinthe, notwithstanding, of course)? Did LJDLP ask you to sing to their themes, did you look for somebody to provide the soundscapes for your lyrics or did you both like the absinthe theme/drink or the lyrics (poems) individually right from the start?
M.M.: I should explain the history of the release. We first met Erik in München, during the Blood Axis European tour in 1999. He was playing as part of Allerseelen for the concert there. Prior to this we had been in Spain and Portugal, where we had enjoyed trying different commercially produced Absinthes (it was always legal in these countries). In Madrid we had bought a case of large bottles of Spanish Absinthe, which we then smuggled into Germany. So later in the night after the München concert, we invited Erik and some others to our hotel room for a drink. We poured him a glass of Absinthe, and he was the only guest who right away knew what it was. It was then that we discovered he also shared our fascination for this old drink. At the end of the tour we were in Paris, and there Erik served us some of his special recipe that he had formulated for Absinthe, and this was also fantastic. So it was at this time that the "seed" for the Absinthe collaboration was fertilized, by droplets of liquid from the Green Fairy herself. But it took a few years for the gestation to occur. We sent bits of music back and forth, and decided which texts to use. Everything was mutually agreed upon.
 
Q.: Basically, I'd be very much interested in the character of a collaboration of two such famous (highly reputed, well-liked) projects/bands/individuals. Was it more an exchange of data or did you actually go to Parisian pubs to cherish the atmosphere and then to a studio? Or were you mainly recording in the States?
M.M.: Since everyone involved already shared an obsession with Absinthe, the correct atmosphere was not difficult to create in our heads. For the actual recordings, these were made in France and in the USA, but everything was ultimately mixed by Erik in Paris. And all the recordings were done while under the influence of the drink, likewise the final mixing. So the entire album is truly saturated with the milky green elixir… The same is also true of the live material that appears in the boxset. The performance took place in Portugal, on the final night of the "Triologia de Endovellico" events in the beautiful and mystical mountain town of Sintra. Erik and I were drinking Absinthe onstage, throughout the performance. Annabel played violin and the live sound mixing was done by our friend and collaborator Robert Ferbrache. At his home in Denver, Robert has a recording facility where Blood Axis often works and which for many years has been called "Absinthe Studios".
 
Q.: The release of the boxset was quite an ambitious project. As it took quite a while, would you like to comment on the process of developing and desigining it? Who had the idea with the spoon and the book?
M.M.: Erik deserves most all the credit for this aspect. He took care of the design and presentation, and did this brilliantly (as he has done with his other LJDLP releases, needless to say!). Stéphane Duval of Athanor was also very involved with the packaging, and helped make sure everything could be created in the best possible way. Originally we had discussed the idea of having a small bottle of Absinthe in each box (which would have been difficult, since at this time Absinthe was still illegal in most of Europe), but then the spoon seemed like a better object to include. So Erik and Stéphane located a man who was able to make exact replicas of the original spoons, and arranged with him to make the special one for the boxset. The end result is perfect.
 
Q.: The set is definitely a collector's item and I think this is the way to help vinyl releases survive and also a way to prevent the copying of CDs because releases like this offer way more than 'just' digital sounds on a handy disc. Is this something you had in mind? Saving the vinyl, providing "more than music"?
M.M.: We have always tried to create an experience that is "more than music," no matter which medium it is presented through CD, vinyl, or live performance. The best music is always like this. It affects the mind and emotions in a complex and mysterious way. A lot of music nowadays seems to be little more than a pleasant background soundtrack, and it not challenging to the mind of the listener. In contrast to this, we hope the Absinthe boxset will present a fascinating microcosm to those who behold it, like a Pandora's box of forbidden and lost history.
 
Q.: Will there be more live performences of this material? Any chance to see you in Germany? Will the live recording be released on CD as well?
M.M.: I will not predict too much about the future, but I have no doubt that more live performances will take place, and certainly Germany is on the list for such an event when it happens. It is also possible that some portions of the live recording will also appear on CD, but nothing concrete has been arranged at the moment.
 
Vielen Dank, Michael!
flake777