First of all I wonder which were the reasons to stop Cthulhu Records - after releasing a number of CDs which became the classics for dark-wave scene?

For different reasons I felt it was time to concentrate on other things. Not only that I was tired of having trouble with graphics, pressing-factories and printers, who nearly always fucked up a certain aspect of a release (especially booklets). I also had to spent too much energy and time on the business aspect in the end, which I always hated.

Over the years I felt that the commercial part became a too strong element in the field Cthulhu worked in and while at the same time lots of new groups and labels were founded there were less interesting groups and musicians then when the label started.

Last not least I got really pissed when political groups tried to (mis)use Cthulhu for their dirty games. The last thing I am interested in is to be connected to any kind of politics (or religion). So with a bleeding heart I said to myself stop it.

When you told about the �political groups tried to (mis)use Cthulhu� did you mean any particular bands which stuff was released by Cthulhu? Also BLOOD AXIS is often labeled as the �political band�...

Left and right winged groups use it as they need it. Sometimes Cthulhu was a right winged label in general, sometimes they pick up single groups like Blood Axis or Death In June to praise or blame me. Of course these people never mention the groups / artists Cthulhu worked with that didn't fit into the image they want to create. In reality I can only say it once again: I don't fucking care about right or left winged politics! History teaches where they lead us to.

Which will be the fate of your back-catalog? Some stuff ( "Im Blutfeuer" and "The Lamp Of Invisible Light" compilations for example) from your label are nearly impossible to find now - is there a chance for them to be reissued one day by another label? Also you were going to release a CD of first M. Moynihan project COUP DE GRACE. Did you hear that stuff? Can you describe how it sounds? Do you know it's future?

The compilations won't be re-released. Some other titles are / will be available from other labels. It's a shame the COUP DE GRACE album was never released. I was fascinated from the first time I heard the music back in the early 80s. CDG is experimental, noisy � kind of industrial. Looks like it will be released by the German EIS UND LICHT label sometime in the future.

On the whole, which principles you had used when picked out the stuff to release through Cthulhu Rec's? Has your attitude to certain works changed with time passed?

It was always simply music and ideas I liked and found stimulating. Very often it was created by people I had been in contact with for a while (and some of them became friends over the years).

Cthulhu was the first European label discovered and reproduced the musical heritage of apocalyptic-folk band of 60ies CHANGES. How the story of that release began?

The Process Church is a real interesting subject. R.N. Taylor wrote in 'Apocalypse Culture' how CHANGES played in their coffeehouse, so this was the first time I heard of them. M. Moynihan asked R.N. taylor if any recordings of CHANGES still existed and so those "forgotten" songs re-appeared. We, Rose and me, got a cassette of this wonderful songs when we visited M. Moynihan and listened to it all the time during our holidays in the United states. Needless to say we felt in love with them and so the idea to release them in Europe was born.

By the way, do you know is The Process Church active still? And is there a possibility for the CHANGES re-birth?

It might be active secretly. The people telling they are The Process now for sure are not the real thing. Changes already released re-recorded songs and new material.

Sinking deeper into the past - your first project was MENTAL MEASURETECH. Please tell us it's story.

No, I already started making noise with an electric guitar back in the 70s. At that time Rose was playing with folk musicians. In the early 80s we formed a noisy group called For Beast And Beauty with Karin H. (who later sung on one M.M. track) and recorded a few demo tracks together.

By the time I was already publishing The Feverish fanzine and was in close contact with Thee Temple Ov Psychic Youth. Friends managed that we met TOPY member D.A.R.P.A. We quickly became friends and playing improvisations for fun made clear that we wanted to create music together. First we recorded some tracks for compilations, followed by a complete cassette for Minus Habens Records. Later Discordia asked us to re-release the cassette on CD, but we preferred to re-work the old material and to add other songs. We were really happy how the material came out.

After the release of "Songs From Neuropa" and playing live in Budapest (with Actus) and Vienna. D.A.R.P.A.'s musical ideas were drifting away from ours and to make things worse our friendship finally broke. So he started his solo efforts and in the end stopped doing music at all, while we founded the project Ernte.

I am curious how did ALLERSEELEN's track "Sturmlied" got into your "Songs from Neuropa" album?

One time Rose and me stayed in Vienna Kadmon played some of his new tracks to us. That same evening I found the lyrics in one of his books and suggested it might fit to his song. Rose sang it to the music and it worked. I can't remember who had the idea to make a version for "Songs From Neuropa", but we all liked the idea and so Kadmon sent a tape with the music and the vocals and mixing was done in the studio during the recordings of the other tracks.

Could you share which is your actual aesthetic and ethic conception of "Neuropa"?

Do you want me to write a book for you? To be short: I wish the European people could be bound together much stronger, but without loosing their identity, temperament and special way of life. There shouldn't be stupid nationalism anymore, on the other hand one should be aware of his culture and history.

But I foresee a dark future. Right now a soulless Europe is prepared. The only thing important seems to be how to create a big, easy to deal with market. The politicians tell us of their visions, but I don't believe them. In the end they just take care of capitalistic interests. Unfortunately most people seem to welcome the way it goes or don't want any change at all.

Your recent music project ERNTE for years is known only because of 3 or so tracks on different compilations. Will there be a long-awaited debut album in nearest future?

No. We just finished a song for a split 7" with Tribes Of Neurot. Then we are going to record a version of Spacemen 3's "Walking With Jesus". I don't see us working on an album in the near future. Hopefully we can manage to put a 10" or MCD with new songs together.

(�Unfortunately the release of the Ernte / Tribes Of Neurot 7" has to be cancelled� - Will I, 31/12/2000 )

Your "Sonnenwende" is one of my all-time favourite dark-folk songs. I wonder how did you manage to attract Tony Wakeford to play guitar for it?

We are friends with Tony since a long time and when we asked him to contribute to the song he agreed and came up with a wonderful guitar-part. On all Ernte songs friends add something in one way or another. We no longer like the idea of having a band.

Have you ever been involved in musical projects of other people?

Rose and me performed twice with Frusta, a project formed by Phase Pervers, in Duesseldorf. DARPA and a couple of other musicians were also involved. Nearly everything was improvised. It was great fun. We also joined Allerseelen on percussion for 2 concerts some years ago. It was too difficult to rehearse because we are living so far away from each other. So that collaboration was stopped, even if we enjoyed working with Kadmon and Sabine a lot.

Phase Pervers sounds quite familiar for me... Is not this the same project which stuff was released recently by Membrum Debile Propaganda as Maria Zerfall in Phase Pervers CD?

Yes I think so. I haven't seen both of them since a long time, so I am not sure if the release you mentioned is old or new material. For a while in Duesseldorf lots of musicians and groups met (Temps Perdu?, Mynox Layh, Phase Pervers, ...).

Wow, I thought Phase Pervers is a side-project of Maria Zerfall. But it seems, it is not. As the CD I mentioned above impressed me a lot, I wonder could you remember something more about these artists?...

Phase Pervers is a real strange but nice person, interested in all kind of things. Musically he not only had his own project but also collaborated with others a lot, for example Psygram (with Dirk of Temps Perdu?) or there is an album of Mengrad (members of Mynox Layh) + Psygram. In the moment I can't remember the names of the other projects, but there are many.

Maria Zerfall came from Vienna and in general recorded her unique dark material alone at home, releasing a new fine cassette from time to time. Once we performed with Frusta, she and DARPA played too. Unfortunately I only meet most of the people from Duesseldorf only by accident, but it looks like nearly all of them are still actively creating music.

Could you characterize yourself in the way who you are and what do you want? Which is your aims and have you own "special plan for this world"? A kind of self-introduction, please.

I am an ordinary 42 years old man. to grow up in the late 60ies, 70ies influenced me a lot. My interest in music, mysticism, underground culture and other stuff awoke back then. I am simply trying to live my life the way it satisfies me. I have no plans for the world, no truth, no ideology, no religion. It's enough to care about my family, friends and myself. Hopefully I will be able to record more new music in the near future, to start drawing again and find time for my private studies and obsessions.

Some words for Belarussian and Russian readers...

Trust yourselves! Don't believe in politicians, religious leaders, dogmatics or the medias.