Originally the interview was published in Russian in STIGMATA magazine in November'200. I talk to Xak the only member of Wierzba and the owner of the best Polish industrial label Fluttering Dragon. Enjoy.

Lets talk about your solo project Wierzba. I've heard that it's monotonous dark ambient/ industrial. Is that a good description of your music? How many copies hve been sold so far, how about press and fan's opinion? We have sold a little over 1000 copies which I think is very good for such a difficult music. I do not read many reviews but what I have seen or heard was very good. I have not expected such good opinions.

Speaking about the music I like to describe it as space deep ambient. There aren't many elements of industrial on the debut CD. I think demo tapes were much more industrial but still not really much.

Is Earth Termination your only release or do you have others? If so please tell us about them.

Except for the demo tapes, yes it is. Before 1999 Earth Termination I released 2 demo tapes. The second one was with hand painted covers which I just love and still have a collection of them. At first it was a limited release, but then I had so many requests that I had to do some more copies.

When do you plan your next album? Do you plan any changes in sound?

I would like to have it out after the summer. But this is not sure. I think the music will be more desolated and more sad and melancholic. This time I would love to add some voices. This time it would be recorded on good equipment and with help of Jens /Ildfrost/.

Do you have any other projects?

No, I even have no time for Wierzba. So do not expect anything else in the nearest future.

In your interview you told that it took just a couple of nights for you to compose all the music for Wierzba. Many bands spent years composing their music, they prepare every sound, every second... So you don't care if your record is still raw or you just feel that you don't need time to prepare your music?

No, it is not as you think.

Actually I recorded this album in a few nights but before recording every song I spent nights trying ideas, sounds, patterns. So then if I found a right sound and concept I used to create a pattern of song and it always took 1 night not more. Well, it is strange but I never could work on the song more than 1 night. If I stopped writing music I would never accomplish it next night. Strange. By the way I think the music of Wierzba could be described as clinical, because there is more mathematics in it than anything else.

Do you think that Poland is a good place for industrial band like yours?

No, I would prefer US as people there are more wicked. Anyway, the best reviews and letters were from there.

Let's talk about Fluttering Dragon. You release so many great bands! ONTARIO BLUE, PUISSANCE and new ones like NO FESTIVAL OF LIGHT, ILDFROST. It's really cool that Polish label releases world class stuff. Usually we hear about Polish metal bands... well, someone in Poland has released the album of SADNESS, but it was a total rip-off. Well, how has it happened that you decided to start the label?

I do my best to put on discs only good stuff and I think the music I release is more than very good.

Everything in Fluttering Dragon is very simple. I love the music and I release what I love!!!

The label was started because I wanted to do something with the music so why not having a label???

We are now 3 people working in FD and trying to promote our artists the best way they deserve. Many things are need improvement so we are working really hard on everything.

Your very first release on Fluttering Dragon. Was it hard to fix all the things for the very first time? What do you think about those days?

Oh, don't ask me about that! The first CD release was Ontario Blue. I had many technical problems with the cover. I was doing it for the first time so I made many mistakes. Firstly with the negatives, which had to be done 3 times. Then the order of pages in the booklet was mistaken and everything had to be printed again. Finally the quality of paper was not the one I expected, but that has not been changed. Anyway that was exciting !!!

Well, I learned from every release. So now it is no problem for us to achieve a top notch quality of our records.

Why did you choose a Dragon as a symbol for your label? Dragon isn't a Polish animal, in Belarus we don't have any Dragons too. We have dragons with 3 heads - Zmey Garynich. In my opinion the dragon symbolizes fairy tales, ancient times, etc. You don't release much fairy-tale medieval. You run industrial label. So why did you choose a Dragon?

It has nothing to do with tradition. I just have a dragon in my head...

Well, I do not release any fairy tale medieval band because I simply can't catch any good one.

Well, maybe Norwegian Northount, which we will release could be described as a fairy- taile... I don't know...

I always wanted to ask you this question. How did you manage to make PUISSANCE leave Cold Meat Industry? They used to be one of CMI best promoted acts. And now ILDFROST. Are you trying to steal all the bands from CMI? What about Brighter Death Now?

You know I have known Henry since 1995 and in 1998 I asked him to record a song for the compilation. But he suggested releasing a new album. I was shocked..

Ildfrost was just simply not going to release anything on CMI so I asked him to record for us.

Jens agreed and signed a deal for 3 releases!!!

No, I do not want as you said "steal" CMI's bands. I think it is the best label and I just love what they did between 95-98. Well, I used to be inspired by CMI when I established Fluttering Dragon. I meet Karmanik a few times and I think he is a very nice guy.

Sorry, but you have to ask Ildfrost and Puissance why they left CMI.

Haha I would love to release BDN but I'm sure that is impossible. Well, good idea anyway. I have to ask him..

Who is your best selling artist so far?

Puissance and Umbra. It is too early to speak about Ildfrost. Anyway, other records sell quite well...

Power electronics is getting more and more attention from labels/ fans. What do you think about such music? Do you plan any releases?

No, I'm not in such a music and I doubt I will ever release any p/e album.

What do you think about Polish industrial/ ambient scene? Do you think that it can become as big as your metal scene?

No way. It is growing but still very small and it couldn't be compared with metal scene. I do not know many good Polish ambient/ industrial bands. Most of tapes / Cd's we receive from Poland is just a crappy, shitty post black metal stuff inspired by Mortiis or MZ 412.

Fortunately there are some good examples such as Umbra /we haave released their CD/ Alchem, and Job Karma, Spear...

Please tell me about your upcoming releases. May be you should tell some details about them as well. Your plans for the rest of this year.

We have signed some great bands such as Ab Ovo /minimal lovely ambient from France/, No Festival Of Light, Nymph Faithest / Swe/ and Northaunt - ghastly ambient from Norway. Their releases will be out soon and I can recommend you them now!!!

Also new records of Puissance, Ildfrost and Umbra could be expected. All in all 10-12 more releases this year!!!

Your message to our readers.

I hate giving messages. So maybe "don't listen anyone giving messages, just listen to yourself" and maybe "be stupid as it is always better to have your eyes closed to the human relationship"

Thank you for your time and a nice interview.

More info at http://www.serpent.com.pl/