SIMPLYD4RK: Living of a passion is probably the most enjoyable thing in the world!
1) When and how did you first realize you want to be a musician? SIMPLYD4RK has been first a solo project, from 2005 to summer 2008, and it was not dedicated to be the one it became. I think it has been an evolution. I ever loved to compose and write songs, but it's for two years only that I'm working on its promotion. Now it's sure, I'd like to live of my creations cuz living of a passion is probably the most enjoyable thing in the world :) Being a musician is something you have inside of you, but make it your way of living is a thing totally different. You can be sure of it only with time, after experiences and things which show you it was your way :)
2) You really fantastically play with your voice - I mean the way you change it. Did you learn vocals somewhere? I never learn anything. I compose, write, and sing with my heart and ears. For my vocals, I just worked very hard. And I carry on this way :) Singing, screaming, it's things that I like to do and I always discover new things being in touch with other musicians (ha ha maybe the next step will be to get a heavy metal voice like Swan from Blackrain)
3) How would you characterize SIMPLYD4RK style of music? SIMPLYD4RK's world has only one name : UNDEAD ROCKSTRIAL
4) Tell us more about your team mate - the drummer SCREAD SEVENTH. He's one of my friends for years. When last summer (2008) I had the idea to have a drummer for my gigs, I asked him first. With a lot of work, we really did a team work and more than that, he found his place in my little UNDEAD ROCKSTRIAL world. Scread is this insane zombie who gonna kick your ass with his bloody drums. Don't be too much scared if you wanna talk to him, as long he's not hungry, everything's ok ha ha.
5) Your album is out in the end of 2009.What are the theme, the philosophy of the album? From the Grave is at the same time the end of the solo project SIMPLYD4RK and the beginning of the teamwork between me and Scread. There's no main theme, contrary to our next album (ha ha, we just finished to product the album and are already working on the next :D), but its title has a its signification. "The Grave is this dark, dusty, and stony fantasy place, only illuminated by the light of computer screens where my visual and musical universe takes shape. A sanctuary where ghosts of the past are screaming together their story, joined by the sing of dysfunctional machines making some frightening noises". From the Grave will be under the sign of this strange place, an album full of emotions, rage, and this fighting spirit which is leading me for so many years (and by the way there will be undead and vampirism too) !
6) You're not only a musician but also a graphic designer. What are your sources of inspiration for it? Are you going to do the artwork for your forthcoming album yourself? It's a job so it doesn't necessarly need inspiration, just a certain culture and skill to work for people around their own world and do the best to give'em something they will enjoy. I've been working for bands, artists, but also jewelry and industrial clients :) I'm interested in a lot of things about art and litterature, it helps me, it's obvious. That's why I love this job, working for various persons for different projects. It's always positive and learn a lot. And yeap, as everything in SIMPLYD4RK, I will design the new album artwork !
7) In your video "No Escape" you appear as a vampire. Tell us more about how you were shooting the video - where, who created the idea, who did you work with? We worked with Fatbros Productions. I wrote the synopsis. They put it in images :) At the beginning it would have been more oriented on the story I wrote, but finally for many reasons, we decided to show more the energy SIMPLYD4RK has on gigs and let some details from the original story. And I don't appear as a vampire, I'm a vampire, a modern one.
8) What can people coming to your life gigs expect from them? We're only two on stage, but are giving more energy than a lot of bands. So come to see us, and you will get it right in your face ! A wild energy on stage, and a good talk with us around a glass after ! We love to speak with our fans after having played :)
9) Are you really that into vampire stories? What is your favourite story? Totally, I'm a vampire geek ha ha. I love the universe of the roleplay Vampire The Masquerade : Bloodlines. Cuz they build a great background with society made of vampires, with their rules, etc.. in a modern world. Greg Stolze wrote a good book inspirating by this roleplay. By the way, I read romans like ones of Anne's Rice, Bram Stoker, and I have to read Poppy Z. Brite, but I think more watching movies (Lost Boys, Near Dark, Forsaken, Interview with the Vampire, Nosferatu, etc..)
10) Your songs sound very mystical. Thus, I've got two questions. I's sure your tunes will definately sound fab in some vampire movie. Would you like to write a song especially for such a movie? I'd like to. It's an interesting project to compose for movies I think. And my music is very narrative. I always tell a story in my lyrics, express a feeling. It's never "free". Everything I create has its own story and significations (read the blog every saturday, I'm actually explaining each title of our album)
11) And the second question concerning the songs - what is the best time for you to create them - in the daylight or at night? Night for sure ! It's the best time to find concentration when almost everyone sleeps. And night has something which is inspirating me, changing me a bit. I don't know how to explain it. Maybe I'm simply what people call a creature of the night.
12) How did you create your images? With my weird mind ! I'm mixing everything that I have in head to give this strange image to SIMPLYD4RK, between undead, urban style, japanese and cyberpunk influences. Trust me, you just saw a part of UNDEAD ROCKSTRIAL world by watching No Escape videoclip, there are a lot of things to discover for days to come !
13) Thank you for the interview. What would you say to all the vampires who read our magazine? ;) To our undead friends, zombies, vampires, ghouls, and simple humans, stay simplyd4rknetized and keep on listening to our music, watching the videoclip and support us ! Don't forget to check these links too ! :
KoRn - "KoRn III: Remember Who You Are" [CD]
