INTERVIEW WITH ANGELZOOM (italian version)
by Giancarlo Bolther

Hi, Claudia. Would you introduce yourself with your biography, please (if you like both personal and musical one)?
Something about myself at first, I grew up in a family, which likes to play music. Already as a child I was educated in music. Besides this I sang in many choirs i. e. in the choir of the Berlin State Opera. When I was 8 years I was told to play the piano and later in addition to play the organ as well. I play often the organ in different churches and serve as the substitute of the organist. I was educated to be a classical singer and also to be a pop singer. I finished the secondary school, which was a kind of music school.
Angelzoom is my solo project. I am normally the singer of the pop band X-Perience. We released 3 Albums. We started the band in 1994 together with my brother and a friend of him Alex. You can label the music as mainstream electro pop. Our first release was 1995 the Single “Circles Of Love”, produced by Axel Henninger ( Camouflage, Chandeen, De/Vision). It came into the charts. Then, 1996, we released our 2. Single “Neverending Dream”, produced by Bernd Wendlandt/Ingo Politz. This song was very successful. This song was on position 4 in the charts. We sold more than 250000 singles. In November of 1996 we released our first album “Magic Fields”. It was very successful, also in Finland, where we`ve got platinum. 1997 came out the second album “Take me home”. It was also successful. Then we changed the label from WEA to Polydor. The 3. album “Journey Of Live” was released in 2000 including the Hitsingle “Island Of Dreams”.

So you didn't leave the band X-Perience?
Yes, I did not left the Band. X-Perience is at the moment in a creative break, therefore I have the possibility to do something different. I have developed further and I think I have something to say by telling content and stories. Now I write lyrics by myself. Angelzoom permits an insight in my world of dreams and therefore is much more personal. The difference to X-Perience is also the less rhythmical structure of the songs. Sound is not more typical pop song but more a crossover from different fields, electronic and classic, dark ambiences and atmospheres. This will be shown by live concerts which will have a more multimedia character, more atmosphere and will drag less people on the floor. It is more like cinema.

Why did you choose the name Angelzoom, which reminds a song from your previous band, is this project the continuation of what have you done with X-Perience?
The name Angelzoom was first used for a song on the first X-Perience-album “Magic Fields”. This song was produced and written by Bernd Wendlandt, who is the same producer of my solo album and this song has the same atmospheric style like my new music. The name Angelzoom also fits to my voice and to the content of my music. Many people say, that I have an angelic voice, very clear and high. With my music I try to look deeper into things, what means that I zoom things nearer to me.
But Angelzoom is not the continuation from X-Perience. Angelzoom and X-Perience differ a great deal.

Can you tell us about the songs of Magic Field?
It is 8 years ago. We produced this album with Bernd Wendlandt and Ingo Politz. The sound of this music was electonic pop.My brother Matthias Uhle has written the music and Alex Kaiser the lyrics. One song was written by Bernd Wendlandt called "Angel Zoom". This song is very slow and atmospheric and without a rhythmical structure. The second single "Neverending Dream" was a big hit in Germany and in some other countries. This album was the beginning of starting my carreer as a singer.

And about the making of the new album?
I have produced the album in the VALICON – Studio in Berlin with Bernd Wendlandt, who is the producer as well as songwriter. It is a good work with him. We intented to create something, what you use when you are in a special mood, when you like to dream or to relax.
Mostly Bernd has a musical idea. He plays it on the piano. Then we try the melody and if it fits to me and my voice I write my lyrics. Very often, when Bernd plays a new theme, I see pictures in my head, so I get new ideas for my texts. At the end we record and produce it in the studio.

How much time did you spend composing and recording it?
It was a long process. We started the work for the album two and a half years ago.
Bernd Wendlandt helped you to make the album, can you tell me more about your collaboration, please?
I know Bernd since many years. We worked together for the first and second X-perience album. He was one of the producers. I like his work. Together we had the idea to produce an album, which sounds like a soundtrack to a film. It is a beautiful work with him. He is able to translate my feelings and my thoughts. Especially I like his harmonic understanding and his moodladen songs as well as the manner how he embeds my voice.

Listening to your album we can find some referencies to Enya, were you inspired by her?
There are certainly some similarities with Enya, but I think Angelzoom has it´s own character. It seems to me that its more modern.
I like her music, but I think there are many different influences in my music. My music reflects my insight.

What kind of music you are shooting for?
Since a long time I prefer a type of music wich is mystical and a bit gloomy. I like Depeche mode, Deine Lakaien, Wolfsheim and Chandeen. There a some things wich you can not relate directly with the scene, wich have influenced me a lot i. e. Björk, Emiliana Torrini, Garbage and some soundtracks. I am not committed so much. When I like a song I buy the CD.

Your music is very fairy, it will be called gothic, but it isn't dark at all, only a bit of melancholy and a lot of light and poetry?
I would say that the music is full of emotions, and dreams and partially very slowly and gloomy but besides this very intensive. You could label the music as Electro/ Ambient/ Dark with classical elements. It`s like a soundtrack to a film about a landscape with a sorrowful action. Environment, feelings and travel to different worlds, a little bit gloomy but not vicious rather conciliatory. It is a electronic sound with string musicians and unusual arrangements, sounds of my childhood and youth.I try to wrap my feelings into music in order to make pleasure to other people. Film- music with a content, wich makes people to listen to themselves, to relax or to feel free or simply good. I can see a landscape or the sun or I feel the silence, sometimes the sadness or the pleasure. I can see by “Bouncing shadows” a dancing little girl in front of a merry go round. Although we finally did not use the text, since the effect of the music was enough. I always can see the picture in front of my eyes. The most important thing in a song is the content and the emotion in it.

How did you get in touch with Apocalyptica, can you tell me more about their contribution to the album?
Since the music of Angelzoom is like a soundtrack, very mystical and full of sentiments, we would like to use additional to the sounds of orchester and synthies string musicians. We contact the management of Apocalyptica. We send them our album and they liked my music. After the Apocalypticas had listen to the song "Turn The Sky“ they signaled their eagerness and so we send the song per mp3 to Finnland, where they completed the song with their string instruments and send it back to us. We produced by phone. That was another kind of work, but funny. I like the sound of their string instruments very much.

And about Joachim Witt, what can you tell us about?
I know Joachim since a long time and to work with him is a pleasure and wihout complications. I have sang a duet with Joachim Witt on the last album of X- Perience. He took me for his live tour where we presented the duet with his band. That gave me a lot of pleasure. I thought, that the song "Back In The Moment would be a good duet. He heard the song and liked it very much. Joachim Witt sang his text in his studio in Hamburg and brought it to me during the handing over of the Echo and gave it to me in the wardrobe. I hold that through the guests the album got more shape and is more interesting. I think it is good that because of the different character of the guests different feelings come about wich I like very much.

I was surprised to ear "Blasphemous Rumors" which is one of my fave songs from the eighties and in my opinion one of the best made by Depeche Mode, why did you choose this particular song?
I like this song very much. I hold it for good when songs looked at from a different angle get a new idea. I hold cover versions for especially good, when even changed, everything is preserved what was in it from the beginning. We tried for the album some different titles and finally decided for 3 songs , since they harmonize with my voice and fit with the character of the album. Should anybody not know the originals the songs would not stand out of it. And the secound most important thing is the content and the emotions.

There is an hidden song at the end, what does it mean?
This song is called "Hidden reminder". All sounds from the album are compressed to a new track and remind you to all pieces of the album.

What kind of response are you experiencing from the audience to your music?
Music belongs to these things of life, which are able to make human beings think, to make them happy and to change them. I would be happy if my music could contribute a bit to it.

You create a very particular album, did you look for an aesthetic result or for a spiritual one?
My intention was to create something lasting, something what you are use when you are in a special mood. You can hear the music after a hard workday to relax or when you drive your car in the night on the highway. I like this atmospheric sound. I think Angelzoom reflects my feelings. I like it so as it is.

Which artists have inspired you most?
I hear different kinds of music. I like dark electronic music like Depeche Mode or Wolfseim. I like to hear soundtracks alla Forest Gump, Once Upon a Time ( Morricone) or baroque music ( Bach). I like also Sting, Björk and Emiliana Torri. Maybe they have influenced me.

Do you have a philosophy? Your vision of the world is...
Nothing is infinite. The soul remains.

What are your projects for the future?
We have 2 shows in December on the 28. / 29. on the Dark Winter´s Night Festival with Nightwish, Oomph and others. We also plan a tour in February together with Nik Page and Joachim Witt.
My intention is to release every 2 years an Angelzoom album. I have so much to say. Together with my producer Bernd Wendlandt we hope to find some good ideas.
Next year is the 10. anniversary of X-perience. We plan to release an album for the fans with new mixes from the hits, some new songs and videostuff. But I myself am very anxious to see how all the things will develop and look very optimistic in the future.

GB

Reviews (in italian): Angelzoom