AngelTheoryInterviewGothtronic

1. First of all, introduce yourself. Who are you and what is your musical background?

My name is Charles Fenech and I am sole member behind the project known as Angel Theory. I have listened to music since I was very young, so it has always been a big part of my life. I began playing with synths at the age of 16, at that time all these “new wave” synth bands were about, Thompson Twins, Human League, Talk Talk, the list goes on, so I was greatly influenced by this new sound that was about. I played in a couple of bands through the years, but eventually decided that this project would be an entirely solo effort. So by the time September 2002 came around Angel Theory was born.

2. I listened to Transmission EP and your debut cd Fatal Condition and like your sound very much. Where do you get the inspiration?

To me the Angel Theory sound is about sounds that compliment each other, and that somehow form a visual. What I mean by this is; the music itself while you listen to it should bring up visual images in your mind, kind of like an internal video clip for yourself. While I’m putting a track together, If I can feel it is working I will take it further and add the vocals last. The inspiration comes from how much I am moved by the music itself. The music has to have a life of it’s own first, before I add further to it.

3. Do you have any musical influences or idols yourself? What’s the creative process like for you?

Yeah I have idols and influences. My idols include Bowie, Laurie Anderson, Daniel Meyer, David Sylvian, Alan Wilder, Martin Gore, and many many more. There are so many great people out there making great music. My musical influences are quite varied too. As a teenager I grew up listening to lot of Top40 radio here in Melbourne, so the “pop” influence is defiantly apparent. As far as styles are concerned my CD collection is quite varied, it includes EBM, Metal, Pop, Blues, Experimental, Electronica, Ambient, Classical, Goth, and the odd Beatles album.
The creative process to me is usually very fast; I like to work fast enough so that I don’t really have time to think about what I’m writing, therefore making it more of a subconscious act.

4. One of the most dancefloor friendly tracks on Transmission EP has got to be the remix made by Lemonsoul. How did you get into contact with this Dutch project?

I have actually known one of members John for many years now. We meet via the Internet originally through our common interest in electronic music back in 1999.
I have been to Holland since and I met up with he and Alex on a couple of occasions. John and I have done a bit of music together in the past, and it was actually under the name of “Angel Theory”, but for me it was a difficult working via the Internet so we gave up. I am a very fast worker, so the whole process frustrated me. He and I will do some work together in the future, as I believe he has one of the best voices around in electronic music.

5. How’s the goth / ebm scene in Australia? Is there a scene in the bigger cities? If so, where and what? Are you in contact with other Australian artists regularly?

The Goth/EBM scene is quite small in comparison to Europe. Although a big country, we have only 20million as a population. From what I can gather Melbourne seems to be the place with the most clubs and bands, so I’m glad I live here. We have some great bands like Stark, Resurrection Eve, Tankt, The Crystalline Effect to name a few. Yes I am in contact with these bands quite regularly, it’s kind of like a tight knit family here. We help each other out with remixes, and contacts etc.

6. Many bands cover David Bowie and of course he has been of tremendous influence. What’s your motivation to do a Bowie cover, why this one, and how did the recording go?

Originally when I did this I did it for a bit of fun, but it turned out so good, I had to release it.
Firstly I wanted to cover a not so obvious track, so I felt the original should not be electronic based, for example like a Depeche track, to me that would be just too obvious. So I wanted to go for something unexpected.
As you know I’m a fan of Bowie’s work, so doing this track was a lot of fun for me. Fashion to me was one of those songs that I always loved and wanted to do a cover of, but never really got around to doing it with the other bands I was in. I thought the original was a great dance track, but I wanted it to be a bit bigger, and darker.
The process of putting it all together was interesting. I started with the rythm track first, then I litterally re-wrote the song into an Angel Theory track. I left out some parts that didn’t feel right for AT, kept others, and wrote a new chorus. To me if your going to do a cover a song you may as well make it truly your own.

7. Is there a message or central theme you want to bring across to people with your songs? What is important for you when you write a song?

There is a central message to the album as a whole, but it wasn’t something that I intentially set out to achieve, it just happened really on its own. As a whole the albums lyrics are about the struggles we all face on a day to day basis, and how they help us evlove.
In a nut shell though, I would say the album is about “finding peace in one’s life”.
The most important thing for me about any song I write is how pure it is, and what I mean by that is; the general flow and ease of it. The most powerful and effective songs to me are the simpliest ones. Simple in structure, melody, arrangement even.
A telling sign to me is how fast the song is completed, for example “Resolutions” was written and completed virtually in a day. Of course small bits were added here and there afterward, but I’d say 95% of it was done with about 2hours of work. I believe when it comes to the creative process, and this includes all forms are of art, the faster the finish product comes about the less “contaminated” it is by your own intervention.

8. How’s the reception of your music? How do you feel about that? Does it differ from country to country, do you have any insight on this yourself?

So far I have received some really positive emails, and some great reviews as well, so that alone is worth being happy about. Of course if it translates to sales even better, just means then I can continue to release material. I don’t think it really differs from country to country as yet, it seems to be a more an individual thing, people are picking out different tracks from both the Ep, and album as their favorite which is great. This to me means that the material is varied and on a whole strong enough to appeal to a wide audience.

9. How do you feel about the support of your label GUP? How did Endless Records enter the story?

GUP has been great from day one, and has allowed me to do as I please with the music. And thankfully too Jarod (GUP’s Owner) is a big fan, so that helps too. Im not too sure on how Endless got involved, but it seems to be a mutual benefitical arrangment both labels have with each other to work with. And hey I adore “Rotersand” so even better

10. Are you looking forward to the gig at the Summer Darkness festival? How are you preparing yourself for this? What can we expect to see live on stage? what kind of visuals do you use?

Im very much looking forward to the Summer Darkness show, with the “Transmission EP” at number 4 on the Dutch Underground Charts, im hoping for a great turn out. Being our first ever European live show, its going to be a great one.
As far my own preparation, im going into it expecting to have a lot of fun on stage. This is where I get to connect and communicate the music. The live show consists of myself, and two keyboard players, (John from Lemonsoul, and Jarod from GUP). I like to be dymanic on stage and get the crowd involved, the more they get into it, the more we get into it, its all about exchanging energy, and a great vibe. The visuals I use were all images I put togther with a mate of mine Steve Williams. The visuals work in time with the music just to present a visual side, they work to complement the music rather than distract you from it. The visuals are mainly of urban desolation, Angel Theory logos, and some film parts. But the main part of the show is the music, I have re-arrenged some of the tracks to give them a bit more of a live feel, give them more dynamics in the live enviroment.

11. Imagine this. You are left alone on a desert island. What records would you take with you? Any literature?

I would have to take the following with me
David Bowie – Low & Heroes,
Brian Eno – Discreet Music,
Kratwerk – Trans Europe Express,
Gary Numan – Telekon,
Human League – Reproduction,
Depeche Mode – Violator,
Talk Talk – The Colour Of Spring,
Suzanne Vega – Self titled,
Haujobb – Solutions for A Small Planet

As far as books are concerned:

Illusions – Richard Bach
Conversations With God Books 1, 2 and 3 – Neale Donald Walsch
Animal farm – George Orwell

12. How does the average day of Charles Fenech look like? Do you have a regular day job?

Yes I do have a job that helps pay my bills, unfortunately its very difficult to live on making music alone. I work in a gym 4 days a week. The hours are very flexible which is great for me as I can spend a lot of time in the studio working. Some mornings I wake at 5am then start work at 6am, and work until about 10am. Some days I go back in the late afternoon, or have the rest of the day off, usually working in the studio. Ill stay up most nights writing music, or watching DVDs depending on my mood.

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

After the European tour, more studio work for the next major release. I have already begun writing for the next album, and im very happy with it’s progress. It’s a nice progression from Fatal Condition. Already I would have to say its far more textured, and darker. In the mean time, there are a few remixes I have done for bands that will be released soon; XP8, The Crystalline Efect, and Psyche. I really enjoy remix work, its like being a kid in a candy store for me. I pick parts of the song I like, maybe rearrange the song structure, make it my own.

14. Would you like to say anything to the Dutch readers?

A very big thankyou for getting the “Transmission EP” into the DUC, this truly took me by surprise. I’m really look forward to the Summer Darkness show, and having a great time. Without your support, I don’t have a show, so thankyou !

-Charles.