Let's start this interview from the very beginning. Please take a few minutes and tell me about yourself and Arianna. Where are you from? Are you professional musicians or music is your hobby? Do you have any full-time job?
Diego & Arianna: We're both from and living in Torino, a large town lying at the bottom of the Alps in the north-west of Italy. Music isn't a hobby since we dedicate most of our time to it and we carry it out in a truly professional way. Anyway we're active in other fields too, such as video-editing.
Not long ago you have released your new album. My congratulations! I do not belong to fans of gothic music, but I think "Emotional Screening Device" is extremely successful album! The CD spent in my CD player more than a month and all my friends like it as well. So, what are you doing now? Any plans, surprises?
Diego & Arianna: Well, actually "ESD" was released one year ago. Thanks for your and your friends' positive judgement about it. Moreover, as you may know, one month ago we left Eibon Records. We've been so busy that we couldn't 't even update our website yet. At the moment, even though we don't know what new label we're going to sign with, we're working on new material. So, sooner or later a new album of The Frozen Autumn will be released.
Why did you leave Eibon Recs? What has influenced your decision? Did you find a new label?
D & A: Every further word spent on the Eibon Recs topic would be a waste of time. We prefer being mentally projected on the future rather than on the past. At the moment we do not know yet who's going to release our new album. We'll see.
As far as I know TFA celebrate it's 10th anniversary in this year. It's a lot for a band. Are you gonna celebrate in some special way?
D & A: Well, probably it will be impossible to release a new album within the end of 2003, even though that would have been the best way to celebrate TFA 10th anniversary. Anyway, a label change has been already a good gift for this occasion.
Could you tell me about most important milestones of your musical career?
D & A: Every cd released is a milestone, an important goal achieved. But frankly speaking, one of the greatest satisfactions in our career was remixing a song for Clan Of Xymox, last year, called "There's No Tomorrow": Clan Of Xymox is actually one of our all time favourite groups.
What makes COX is so special for you? And could you tell me a bit about your favorite bands/ music? What do you think about recent trend, when ex-metal bands begin to play gothic music?
D & A: COX is the band who has influenced our music the most. Pure dark-wave initiators, that's it. Original and fascinating, something that can change your life. Among other fave artists of ours we can mention Dead Can Dance, Cocteau Twins, Sad Lovers & Giants, John Foxx, David Sylvian, Twice A Man and many many more. We frankly didn't notice about the recent trend you're talking about. But it's probably only a trend, as you've called it. We generally don't judge the artistic choices of other musicians, nor we try to explain them.
Have you ever thought about giving up? Making music isn't that easy and sometimes people decide to quit. or it's not your case?
D & A: Making music isn't easy at all, especially this kind of music. You often have to renounce to many things for it. But we've never really thought about giving up, even during the hardest times. We couldn't do without making our music.
You are an Italian and you are playing gothic music. What has influenced you to choose that kind of music? What do you think about Italian gothic scene? Is there any?
D & A: We've always been passionate about darkwave, it's the kind of music through which we feel more at ease and we can express our creativity best. Obviously an Italian gothic scene exists, our thoughts about it are the same regarding any other music scene in the world: some artists are good, some others don't match our tastes so much.
Could you recommend some of your favorite Italian bands?
D & A: The first name that comes in our mind in this very moment is a project called NORTHGATE.
I had a chance to listen to your latest album only. Could you tell me about your other CD? Is there any difference among them? And please tell me a bit about STATIC MOVEMENT.
D & A: We're not able to describe our music through words. We can only say we've always made dark-wave music, but there are some differences among the various albums. As for Static Movement, well "Visionary Landscapes" is the album that inspired us the most while composing "ESD".
I'm pretty sure you like to watch movies. Gothic image influenced contemporary cinematography in some way, or may be contemporary cinematography has influenced gothic image :) Do you agree? Do you feel that underground gothic culture becomes a part of mass culture?
D & A: We're afraid we watch fewer movies than you believe, as we're more into videoart itself than cinema. Anyway, we think gothic image has influenced cinematography more than the opposite, and gothic image has influenced fashion at all levels from haute-couture atйliers to factory productions. However, gothic culture hasn't really become a part of mass culture yet, only gothic image has, often in its most grotesque, stereotyped, non-genuine aspects.
People in my country imagine Italians as happy life-loving people and the only "dark" thing I know about Italians is Dario Argento's (I hope I spelled his name right) movies. I like those movies a lot, but they are quite untypical for Italian cinematography. what about Gothic music in Italy? Do you see demand for such music, for TFA's songs?
D & A: We understand that, compared to your country, Italy appears geographically very small. Neverthless, it is really variegated. Depending on the Italian region or even the town you consider, there can be dramatic changes of attitudes toward every single aspect of life. We're personally not depressed people, but we're not as cheerful as the Italian stereotype would be. Gothic music in Italy is a niche genre. In Italy in general there's no great demand for this music, but within the Italian gothic scene there's enough demand for The Frozen Autumn songs.
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