The Brvtalist is pleased to premiere the new music video for "Ancestral Gaze" from Urwelt, the new project from UK noise veterans Anthony Di Franco and Kevin Laska. Di Franco is a member of legendary psych-noise squad Ramleh and the man behind such projects as JFK; Laska was Godflesh's live sound engineer for a decade. Urwelt's combination of squelching noise and rapturous drone could be compared to Merzbow and Sunn 0))).
Their debut EP Distant Galaxies Collide is out now on digital format + vinyl. Pick up the release here now.
We also did a Q&A with Anthony, read the interview by Melanie Havens below.
video by Dominic F. Marceau
Melanie: Tell us a little about the track whose video we are premiering today, “Ancestral Gaze”. What’s the concept behind it?
Anthony: The track title is based around the idea that, as we’re all created from material ejected from dying stars many aeons go, that you could see the stars, their starlight having travelled across the cosmos for millions of years, as our ancestors gazing down on us – like a multitude of celestial eyes. I think the video produced by Dominic Marceau, based on a very loose brief from us, works really well with both the music and the concept.
Melanie: Before creating Urwelt, you both worked together in the past with your project Novatron. How different are they from each other in terms of sound, concept, recording and so on.
Anthony: I think Urwelt is very much a continuation of the same musical and psychological landscape as Novatron, but sonically the two projects diverge from one another. With Novatron we used electronic rhythm and percussion, and there’s only the barest hint of rhythm in Urwelt. In many ways the sound that me & Kevin are mining with Urwelt shares a lineage with an earlier project of mine – AX – and specifically an album called “Astronomy” which was released in 1997. That album was one of the driving factors in me & Kevin working together in the first place and was built around synths, electronics and guitars with no drums - and that’s the same approach we’re applying to Urwelt now.
Melanie: How did you start up in music and who/what inspired you to dive into the noise/power electronics/experimental sonic world?
Anthony: I’ve always been interested in noise or abstract sound, for example sound effects in films, environmental and machine noise - from an early age. I first got my hands on a tape recorder at the age of 7 and I immediately started recording anything around me, and doing basic experiments with layering sounds. The first music I really got into was orchestral stuff and film music, and also the work of the BBC radiophonic workshop. A chance encounter with the work of Ligeti was a big inspiration early on as was Pink Floyd’s early work, in particular reading about Syd Barrett’s exploits in abusing his guitar. I continued building a recording set-up, getting other instruments and bits of equipment as I went on, and by the time I discovered stuff like TG, Broken Flag, Come Org and all the various off-shoots of the industrial & power-electronics scene it all just fell into place for me.
Melanie: Having created music that makes you reflect, dive into its form and think further ahead, have you ever thought about writing texts or poems to illustrate the sounds? What other forms of art inspire you?
Anthony: I do write sporadically, and I’ve got multiple notebooks secreted around the place that I can reach for and jot stuff down in, whenever I think of something, so I don’t forget it. I wouldn’t say I’m disciplined at it, but I do have to write lyrics for Ramleh, so that provides me with enough existential pressure to encourage me to actually finish things off.
I’ve had an outline idea for a science-fiction novel for many years, but haven’t had enough time to focus on it to get it to a stage where I can see if it’s good enough, or if I’m capable of writing something on that scale.
I get inspired by books, film, and music... anything that gets the neurons firing to be honest with you.
Melanie: Which bands and artists from the present scene can you still relate your music to?
Anthony: Although there are contemporary bands and artists that I admire and have a lot of time for I wouldn’t say I relate my work to them, as such. In my mind what I’m working on very much exists in its own world, separate from everything else. This might be illusory but I think it’s probably part of my working method.
Melanie: How is it for an artist like you to make an Art so idiosyncratic, unique and distant from all that can be found in the mainstream, and also not aligned with all the current electronic waves?
Anthony: I guess I’m used to it. For me, the great thing is to be able to find like-minded individuals to work with or find a kinship with. I’m conscious that I’ve been very fortunate to have encountered some truly exceptional people through doing this.
Melanie: You previously stated that your work has always been rooted in speculative imaginings of the universe's origins and the primordial forces that formed us. I also can’t help but hear sounds that are rooted in speculative imaginings of the universe's ending and the apocalyptical forces that circle us. Does that connect with you as well?
Anthony: It’s great to hear your thoughts on this, and what images the music conjures for you. I think that consciously we’re trying to create something totemic, or monolithic, and that we’re creating something that any individual can project their thoughts, fears or fantasies onto. That’s certainly one of the ways that the music works for me.
Melanie: What’s coming up next for you as Urwelt and also your personal projects?
Anthony: I’m working with Kevin on ways to present Urwelt in a live setting, and we’re also working on ideas for the next album. I’ve also tentatively started on the next JFK album, and I’m in the process of recording a new album as AX. Probably the biggest work in progress is the next RAMLEH album, which we’re currently in the throes of.