Your album “Fatal Condition” is done and is just waiting to get released. What is the feeling like to present the first own album to the publicity?

It’s a very surreal feeling for me. I have been writing music for many years now, and this is the first major release I have had. I recall a while ago a DJ in Europe e-mailed me to let me know he was playing a track of mine in his set list at a night-club in Russia. The very thought of people dancing in another country to music I had created in my living room was very strange. So now with the album about ready to go public, my feelings are both up, and a little nervous too.

First of all tell us something about yourselves? What was the reason for founding Angel Theory?

I am the sole member of AngelTheory and have been writing music for most my life. I was born and raised here in Melbourne, and have done a fair bit of travel world-wide. I formed Angel Theory out of a desire to create music that I could hear in my head. I have worked in a couple of bands in the past, and as a part of that process you have to compromise, because you are working with other people. So with this project I had total control from beginning to end. I began writing in a very EBM style, something I hadn’t really tried before. I found that after a little while I was developing my own style, and AngelTheory was born.    

What was the work for the album like? Were there people that supported you in a special way during that time, people that stood behind you and whos opinions meant a lot  for you?

I had support from day one when I began writing for this project. Its great to have people to bounce ideas off, even people who aren’t necessarily composers themselves. Working on the album was itself was a great experience. Once all the songs were written the mixing process was a lot of fun. Trying out different ideas. I would spend just about everyday doing some sort of work on it. Typically the day would start around 7am, I would work on music, while doing my regular job, and then home at night and work until 11pm. This was going on for about a year in total. As a whole it is a great process to create something from nothing. I’m looking to start writing again in the coming months.


Where did you record “Fatal Condition” and how much time have you spend on it?

Thanks to technology, everyone can have a studio in his or her homes. I recorded the album in my home studio,  nohorizon. I have worked in regular studios, and there’s always that feeling of rushing, because time is money. At home I can take my time and get things to be exactly how I wont them, a much better idea. From start to finish, the album took a year to complete. In this time I had put together 30 songs to choose from for the album. So from these GUP and myself picked the best 12 for the album. 

There is much variety in your songs. Its all in there from heavy atmospheric sounds through experimental songs and dancefloor stuff to ballads. Where do you get your inspiration from?

My inspiration comes mainly from the mood I am in when I begin to write. So if I’m in an up mood something up-tempo may come of it, and visa versa if I’m in a mellow mood. When I was putting the tracks together for the album, I was aware that I didn’t want to put together an album of floor fillers.
Hence why there is so much variety on the album. I think its important for an album to be a like a little journey of moods, this maintains peoples interest. There’s nothing worse than listening to an album with all the tracks having the same feel, the same sounds, they kind of just melt into each other with no distinction.

Are there certain things you want to transpose with your songs? What is important for you when you write a song? Is there any special higher concept on “Fatal Condition”?

The songs themselves are like little stories to me. I take a lot of time putting the lyrics together as I feel this is an important area where I can make a connection with the listener. The topics vary from mortality, desperation, through to evolution, and self-realisation. I take a lot of time with song structure. I’ve been listening to music for many years, and I’ve always been interested in song writing as a craft. So what’s important to me as I’m writing is finding those little melodies which will maintain peoples interest, and sometimes it can be done in a totally non pop way. Pop songs in general have a certain structure that they follow, but occasionally you can work outside that structure, and still maintain the interest factor, “Drifting Away” from the album is a perfect example of this. As a whole the concept of “fatal condition” is about the human existence. How, as spiritual beings we deal with being trapped in a human body, and what we do to escape this feeling.  But below this again is the common denominator which links it all together, and that Is that we are all born with the same condition, and that condition is our inevitable death, something none of us can escape.


What I noticed a few times is that lots of bands fall back upon cover versions of David Bowie. What’s the most fascinating about his music and why did you choose this special song?

Firstly, Bowie has been around for such a long time, and has produced some amazing music, its hard not to be a fan of his. For me his music has a life to it that is hard to find elsewhere. It’s very visual, and atmospheric, and still, he writes perfect pop songs with this.  I chose “Fashion”, as it was a song that I always loved, and wanted to do a cover of. Once I had finished it, both GUP and myself agreed it was too good not to include it on the “Transmission” EP, so we did. Also live, it goes down a real treat.


There's a remix made by Covenant on „Transmission EP“. How did this come into being?

It was virtually a case of emailing them and asking, it was that easy. I have loved Covenants work for sometime now, so when it came time to thinking about people to remix the single they came to mind. I got in contact with Joakim, and sent him a cd of material. It was important to me that the remixes liked the track to begin with, and luckily he did. The final result is great, and gives another perspective on the single, as does the other 3 mixes.



Where do you see your main musical influences? What bands and musicians have influenced you to make music?

My main influences would have to be bands like Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode, Haujobb, amongst many more. I like to listen to a lot of different styles, so that when it comes to writing, I can bring in something new to the EBM style. As far as musicians are concerned I really admire the work of people like Alan Wilder, David Sylvan, David Bowie, Daniel Meyer, Brian Eno, Ryuichi Sakamoto, just to name a few.

You gave your first concert a short while ago. Does it mean fun to you to stand on stage or are you more like a studiomusician?

I really enjoyed playing live. It’s great to have all that energy in the room, and people getting in to the music. It’s a very different feel to when I am at home recording in the studio; you have nothing to gauge if what your doing is good or otherwise. Live you have that instant gratification of the audience applause, or watching them dancing. But performing live is a lot of fun for me; something I look forward to doing a lot more of. At the same time, I do love being in the studio, and working endless hours alone. It’s a great sensation when I’m in the middle of creating something that I’m getting excited about, and this happened many times while making “fatal condition”.


Are there planned any live-performances for Germany next time?

At this point we are playing at both the Summer Darkness Festival in Holland (13th August), and Infest in the UK (29th August). We are now looking at getting more dates throughout Europe, and this will definitely include Germany. So keep an eye on the web site for further dates. 

What do you do besides Angel Theory? What else, other than music, do you spend your time with?

Besides music, I do a lot of exercise at the gym, and reading. Other than that a little bit of television now and then, or some PS2!

What plans do you have for the future? What can we expect from you?

AngelTheory’s immediate plans are to organise the tour of Europe in August. The live show will be myself on vocals, and I’ll have two backing keyboard players with me. I have also incorporated visuals in the show, which work in very well with the music. In the coming couple of months I will begin writing some new material, as it feels like a very long time since I wrote anything new. Also in the mean time I’ve completed a remix for New Zealand band, “Clear Stream Temple”, and a track for the new Metallica Tribute Album, Blackest Album Vol 4. I enjoy remixing, and doing these cover versions a lot. It gives me the chance to play with other people’s songs.

Thanks for the interview. The last words belong to you...

Let me say a big thankyou to all those you support, and listen to Angel Theory. There are a lot of us bands out there, so there is a lot to choose from. So if you buy a CD, or come and see a live show, I am very grateful. Cheers.