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Could you
shed some light on BELBORN history and people behind it? Is it the first
musical experience of yours?
Our debut album is the first
release for the general public, but I've had some experience only for
my personal self in the past. Behind BELBORN stands our family Holger
F., Susanne H. and our six-month-old daughter Skadi Lilja!!!
In our area the word
BELBORN is interperted simply as having "Slavic" context. "Bel"
in Russian is for "white". Also it is wide-used reduction of
my country's name in names of local organizations or companies, we have
tons of such structures bearing names like BELTORG, BELPAK, BELTELECOM
etc.. I am sure many people here will ask themselves - what relation
it has with Belarus?!
It's interesting to hear
of this meaning of the word BEL. I hope I don't disappoint you, but our
name has nothing to do with Belarus. It's a combination of the pagan
god BEL (remember the holy feast Beltane!) and the german word BORN (like
Lebensborn for example). But a part of our family's roots reach as
far as the Czech Republic, so much for Slavic influence.
To invert the previous
question: which associations you have as hear about our part of Europa?
We know that it takes about
40 hours to go there from our place by train! To be sincere we have to
say, that we don't know very much about your country and the people there.
But our associations are beautiful fairytales and the folklore with it's
music.
BELBORN's music is as
strange for me as it's name. A mix between medieval and folk tunes, clear
march rhythms and - yes - echo of beautiful romantic pop-music of 80ies.
And all in a very harmonious way as if you set your mind on doing the
music exactly in accordance of Plato's "Republic" where he
wrote about "the songs of simple and manly life"... On your
mind, where your aesthetic tastes rise from?
I think you described it
very well! The music of the 80ies influenced me very much in my youth,
but nowadays I prefer to listen to everything thats called Neofolk
and some parts of the Industrial and Experimental genre. That will be
the reason why our sound seems to be a mixture between musical styles.
I cant say where my aesthetic tastes rise from. An idea appears and
then I can hear the song suddenly inside of me. The only problem is how
to put it out of my mind so that it sounds still the same outside of
my head.
What about it's poetic
component? As the album has no title, could you select some words to
summarize it's context? What it's about?
There is no real context
but I think the tracks are connected with the same kind of spirituality.
It's about everything that interested or moved us during the time recording
it. The album represents our personal thoughts of the world, religion,
history, love and everything else. So the title could be Belborn as well,
because it represents all we stand for.
Track XI is full of sounds
and noises which could be made by army preparing to march. And it is
also called "Rueckmarsch nach vorn". Imagine, you have the
army under your command. Which direction you could set them as "nach
vorn"?
The direction would be called
upwards in a spiritual sense. We use all the militant elements more
in an esoteric way. With the wisdom of the past upwards (and towards)
the future and a Golden Age.
Maybe you will laugh,
but I thought the scythe which you have immortalized on the CD cover
is still used only in the most in the remotest depth of Belarusian province.
Is it possible to see traditional mowers in Germany still? Also I suppose
that BELBORN is the work of a city jungle inhabitants...
If you are lucky you can
see traditional mowers in some parts of the well-hidden Germany even
nowadays. But its of course very rare and seems to be a part of the
past. We live in a small town but I have to enter the big city-jungle
for daily work. The Bavarian Alps are only half an hour away from us
and we are surrounded by small and classical villages. Our portrait-drawing
is based on an old propaganda painting because we like what it expresses
very much.
The scythe could also
execute weapon's function (in peasant's risings, for example). It is
also one of the Death's attributes... Is it possible to treat the thing
on your shoulder in such ways?
If you mean harm to us,
then yes!!! We prefer to face struggles with words and information though.
First of all, the scythe is actually a life-bringing symbol since it
reaps the grains that are made into food which sustain life. Only secondly
is it also a symbol for death. It has two sides, like everything else.
About your painting in
general. Please tell more about this your passion. Also, after visiting
your site with reading some text and looking at some pictures, I have
the vague feeling that you did also some artworks for Riefenstahl compilation's
book. At least your way to create background pattern with raws of oblique
strokes seems very familiar for me...
Congratulations! You are
the first person that recognised this. I've drawn two pictures under
the pseudonym Beltane for the Riefenstahl compilation book. But one day
a friend gave me a record from an American guitar band named BELTANE.
I wasnt satisfied with my pseudonym anymore because it seemed too normal
and usual for me. So I looked out for something with a deeper meaning
that could be interpreted in different ways. I have been drawing since
my childhood but I learned it completely by myself.
Maybe it's too early
to chat about, but... After some months since BELBORN CD is out, do you
see it's effect in Germany? What people say about it? Did you expect
or plan anything at all?
I think it is too early
to chat about this, but I dont really expect any effect. Some people
that liked our work contacted us. At the moment we are planning a second
album for next year. A vinyl picture disc with two exclusive tracks will
be released soon.
I wonder did WSD sign
you for one release or it should be a kind of long-term cooperation and
your forthcoming stuff is to be released through this label?
We are looking forward to
a long-term working relationship with WSD, the upcoming vinyl picture
disc will also be released by them.
Thanks a lot for the
answers. Some space to utter a word of wisdom is still left...
The real
sun and the real moon are as invisible as the real mankind!
H. P. Blavatsky
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