Silence <SilenceFans>

"Music is art as long as you don't ask me what art is"

WORK ON THREE PROJECTS UNDERWAY including Silence's new studio album!!!hace 46 días
 
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...

Silence is currently working on three projects. The first is Peklenska pomaranca (Clockwork Orange), director Matjaz Pograjc's rendition of Anthony Burgess' celebrated novel. The play's soundtrack heralds Silence's first venture into the savage and boisterous realm of electropunk. That's right folks, Silence have gone DAF(fy)! The play, produced by Mladinsko theatre, opens on December 4th in Ljubljana (SLO).

The second project is an unconventional adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The production marks the first collaboration between director Ana Tomovic and Silence. The music is... well, Italian. The duet drew inspiration from Italian Neorealist films, especially Federico Fellini's La strada and Nino Rota's score for the movie. The play, produced by Theater.Oberhausen, opens on January 15th 2010 in Oberhausen (D). See Concerts / Related for details.

Last (but not least) is - Silence's new studio album. The duet has been working on new songs intermittently over the past two years. We'd love to tell you more about the album, but we love teasing you even more...

More information regarding all three projects will follow shortly.

info taken from official site: http://www.silence-zone.com/news.htm
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Interview with Boris Benko (taken from DM.org) Sep.2008hace 252 días
 
The new DM.org interview is with Silence's charismatic frontman Boris Benko. Silence just released their new album 'The Passion of the Cold' which marks a new period in their history. You can find more about the new project and the band below:

After 'Vain, A Tribute To A Ghost' the expectations for your next album have risen. Did that effect the work on 'The Passion of the Cold' in any way?

No. It's hard enough meeting our own expectations without having to worry about the expectations of others.

Why did you choose to express the passion of cold instead of the passion of warm?

The title relates to the protagonists of the plays for which the music was written: Marquise de Marteuil, Vicomte de Valmont, and Caligula. They're widely perceived as cold, manipulative bastards and yet one cannot escape the notion that their actions, aspirations and motivations reveal true passion. The cold can be passionate, just as the evil can be brave.

As 'The Passion of the Cold' is consisted of music for or inspired by Barroco and Kaligula and it is mainly instrumental, can we expect in near future a more pop-orientated album with more songs with you on the vocals?

I honestly don't know.

On four songs from the new album you are singing in Italian. Are you fluent in Italian or it was absolutely new experience for you?

I speak Italian, but it was nonetheless a new experience for me, as well as a big challenge. Italian is a language with a very specific poetic and melodic quality defined by the remarkable achievements of the Italian Opera and popular music. It's not enough to sing in Italian in order to sound Italian.

How the writing process in Silence looks like? Is there some usual process of composing or it varies?

The writing process is an overwhelming mess of unrealistic hopes and sobering reality. It's moments of bliss before plunging headlong into bottomless pits of frustration and depression. It's best described by Oscar Wilde's aphorism: "The situation is intolerable. Let's hope it lasts."

There are cities which have influenced many muscians with its specific atmoshere - New York, Manchester, London, Paris, Berlin...what impact has Ljubljana on Silence? Which are your favourite places there?

That's a good question, actually. It would be interesting to determine the amount that we should deduce from our royalties and give to Ljubljana. I believe the amount would be far from negligible. Ljubljana reminds me of my dog in many ways: it's small and often drives me crazy. When we're apart, though, I find myself missing it terribly.

David Bowie once said that he cried when he had to "kill" Ziggy Stardust. What were your feelings when the Vain era was coming to its end?

We were grateful to Vain. He proved extremely helpful, especially for a dead guy.

If we look retrospectively on Silence's discography - it seems like your songwriting is becoming more and more personal with time or at least it seems so. The songs, the lyrics, the ideas are braver, more developped. Is that result of all the work you've done or there are other reason behind this?

Yes, fear. Fear of becoming boring old farts whistling the same tune over and over again.

Do you actually classify Silence's songs as personal? Do you agree that the more personal you make something the more unique it is?

All music is personal and reveals the author's character. As for the second question: I don't think so. You can be profoundly personal and still write clichés.

...and is there something right in the thought that if you write about a personal thing you cannot write about anything else?

I can't answer this question, it's too personal… Just kidding. In my opinion, writing is always personal.

Have you found the true nature of happiness?

Let me answer with the title of another song: I still haven't found what I'm looking for.
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Interview with Boris Benko by evereve (November 2008 )hace 385 días
 
- How did it all begin? Whose idea was it to start making music together?

- It was my idea, actually. I played no instruments back then, neither could I sing. My goals were therefore adequately humble: I just wanted to make the best band in the world and change music as we know it.

- In the beginning there were three of you, now you are a duo. What was the reason why Matjaz Ferenc left the band? And what, by the way, were his duties in Silence?

- This is a question for Matjaz, not us. He played the guitar and sang back vocals. He was also a talented songwriter.

- Did you play bands other than Silence?

- Yes. In elementary school, Hladnik and I had a band called Deadline. We wrote only two songs: Omega Man (inspired by the sci-fi movie with Charlton Heston) and The Ballad of Love. Horrific music but nevertheless charming in a peculiar way. The musical equivalent of Ed Wood movies.

- Why it’s called Silence? Who did suggest this name (are you aware that there are at least 15 other Silences in the world :) )? Is there some special story or conception behind it?

- Not really. It’s a nice paradox, that’s all. As for other bands named Silence: who could blame them, it’s a sexy name.

- Why did it take so long to release the first album (almost 5 years)?

- Well, it was probably due to our relentless perfectionism. Or maybe we were just too shitty to get a label.

- Do you have any special musical education?

- Hladnik has some classical training, I’m a self-taught musician.

- What bands/music inspired/influenced you in the beginning of your musical career?

- In the beginning, we listened to what teenagers listened to in the 80’s. We’ve broadened our taste a little over the years, but we still get excessively emotional and suffer a dramatic loss of objectivity whenever we hear the music of our youth.

- Do you listen to electronic music (something like synthpop, industrial, ebm, etc)?
Occasionally. Hladnik has a fetish for the German dark scene (Wolfsheim, Deine Lakaien…). As for me, I listen to so much Silence on account of our work that I prefer silence in my spare time.

- What’s your attitude towards heavy metal music?

- No specific attitude. A general rule applies to all types of music: it’s either good or bad.

- What Russian music do you know (apart from the classical music and Kalinka-Malinka :) )

- What do you mean, apart from classical music? Is there anything more original, modern and brilliant than Mussorgsky, Skriabin and, above all, Prokofiev? His scores for Eisenstein’s Alexander Nevsky and Faintsimmer’s Lieutenant Kijé are probably the finest music I’ve ever heard.

- What do you like the most from the last listened to?

- We’re currently studying the early works of Armando Trovaioli, Piero Umiliani, Ennio Morricone and John Barry for a play we’re working on. Incredibly sexy music.

- Do you feel like you belong to the so-called «dark scene/schwarze szene» (as you are signed to a specialized label, toured with notable representatives of the scene, etc.)?

- I’m not really sure. I have a fetish for industrial landscapes, I’m a proud pessimist and I have a subconscious inclination toward minor keys. On the other hand, I like Vangelis and my eyes always brim with tears whenever I watch Singing in the Rain. I’ll let you decide whether I’m a true darker or not.

- Do you manage to earn a living by making music?

- Yes.

- Do you occupy yourselves with something other than music? Any hobbies? Can you imagine what would you do if you didn’t start playing music?

- It’s hard to nurture hobbies due to the time consuming nature of our work, but we try our best. If I weren’t a musician, I would probably be a comic artist. Or Batman. Or a gardener.

- The overall quality and hit potential of your songs can easily outdo most «stars» of the modern synth scene. Nevertheless, Silence still remains rather little known. What’s that – a deliberate position or just lame promotion?

- A bit of both, I guess. Being a rather obscure theatre composer has its advantages – you can make stylistically diverse projects and not worry about pissing off your label and alienating listeners. However, being famous also has its charms. For instance, it enables you to piss off your label and alienate your listeners with stylistically diverse projects.

- In Russia it’s almost impossible to get your albums on CDs, that’s why the majority of your fans simply download them from the Internet. What do you think about such illegal distribution of your music and media piracy in general?

- I don’t mind. I’m a romantic, I believe music – culture in general – and scientific knowledge should be free of charge and available to anyone.

- Now let’s turn to your musical works. Is it true that the name of your second album Unlike A Virgin is a sort of allusion to Madonna’s Like A Virgin (1984)? If so, then what did you mean by that?

- That’s a question for my father. He’s the one who came up with the titles for our first and second album.

- When and how did you come up with the idea to create such a grandiose mystification as «Matej Smolnik»? What did you want to say by that? Do you feel satisfied with the results?

- I will avoid answering this question, for there is nothing more unattractive and disappointing than hearing the truth behind the myth. There’s no specific moral to draw from Vain. People see so many meanings behind it, probably because of the amoral nature of the project. It’s easiest to find morals in amorality.

- In the lyrics section on the Vain page there is lyrics for the song called «Losing Faith». Is there any chance for us to hear this song someday?

- Perhaps, some day. Don’t lose faith.

- You sing predominantly in English. Is it just because you want to reach a wider audience? Or is it just more difficult to write good lyrics in your native language? Do you have any plans for an album in Slovene only?

- We do it to address a wider audience. Our next album will – for this reason – most likely be in Chinese. As for the album in Slovene: last year, we’ve released Ljubezen na smrt, a theatre soundtrack with 15 songs in Slovene.

- Until 2003 you worked with a producer. Now you produce your music yourselves. Why did you decide to go on without external help? What do you think are the pros and cons of such freedom?

- We ditched producers in order to keep all the money for ourselves, naturally. No, seriously – we’re not too crazy about producers. Mostly because they’ve become just another example of the philosophy of today’s society – form before contents. The music industry has elevated the producer’s role to absurdity; we now have singles from Timbaland featuring One Republic. Charmingly perverse: the author and performer of the song presented as a guest of the song’s producer.

- Could you tell us a little bit about your work on the latest Laibach’s album Volk. What was your role in creating the album? Many fans of Laibach didn’t accept Volk due to its more mainstream and pop (in comparison to the previous works) sound. At the same time, many of your fans welcomed Volk just as another Silence’s album, only with a leading guest vocal. So what’s the difference between Volk and Silence? Or, put the other way round, how much Silence is in Volk?

- Our influence is doubtlessly audible; after all, we’ve written and produced 13 from the 14 songs featured on the album. However, the album’s elaborate concept – an idea we would never consider using in a Silence record – and Milan Fras’ vocals are distinctive elements that turn Volk into a typical Laibach album.

- In 2006 Accession records released Key – a 2CD anthology of Silence, which you described as containing «less faulty tracks and most interesting failures». Yet what do you think is your «least faulty» song? And «most faulty» one?

- Our least faulty song hasn’t been written yet. Songs are always perfect in your mind as ideas, as the future. Once they are recorded, they become history. Hence, they are faulty.

- As far as I know, Primoz doesn’t like playing «Skin». Why it is so?

- He claims it’s not a real Silence song. You’ll have to ask him for a better explanation.

- A few questions concerning your theatre soundtracks. Do you feel any difference between the process of writing a score for some play/performance and writing songs for your own albums? How do you choose which play/performance to write music for?
In theatre, the guidelines and concept for creating the score are provided by the script. Making solo albums is somewhat harder, for it is our obligation to come up with a concept. As for the second part of your question; the commissions we accept are usually selected by our schedule.

- Among your theatre soundtracks there are some for children’s plays. What is more difficult – to compose for adults or for children?

- There’s no real difference. Is there any difference between children and adults? Adults are just oversized children that have replaced one set of toys with another.

- Your latest work The Passion Of The Cold consists entirely of classical music pieces. Could you tell us a bit more about this work? Why did you decide to compose classical score for exactly these two plays?

- The Passion of the Cold consists of two CD’s with 30 tracks from (or inspired by) Tomaz Pandur’s plays Barroco and Caligula. The music was performed by the Young Symphonic Orchestra of Madrid, the Croatian Cantanti Trasfigurati mixed choir and a fistful of remarkable international soloists. The album also features several electronic adaptations of the themes. The record is conceived as a 32-page hard-cover book and contains – apart from the CD’s – a selection of play-related texts and photos. Only 500 numbered and hand-signed copies can be ordered exclusively at our site, www.silence-zone.com. The idea to record these soundtracks with classical ensembles was proposed by the director.

- Is there any chance that your fans will be able to listen to other soundtracks, which still remain unreleased, in particular those for children’s plays?

- I’m afraid the chances are slim.

- In the Unreleased section of your website you have several live performances. Are there any plans for releasing a Live/Unplugged album?

- I don’t believe we’ll release these recordings due to their poor quality.

- At least one of live shows was recorded by the television. Are there any plans for releasing a DVD? Another interesting variant for a DVD release could be Tesla Electric Company play. What do you think?
- These are all nice ideas. The tricky part is finding labels as enthusiastic as we are to realize them.

- What’s your attitude towards playing live and touring? It seems like your tour life is not that intensive, right?

- I wish you were right. We played 30 theatre performances last year alone. Hladnik had about 80 gigs with Laibach, I appeared as guest in ten. We even managed to squeeze in a few Silence concerts.

- What kind of concerts do you prefer to play – «plugged» or unplugged?

- Electronic gigs are loud and physical, acoustic ones are more exacting and intense. Both are hard work. We're both hairsplitting assholes - there's little rock'n'roll in our veins - so it's hard for us to find gratification in the oftentimes guerillic nature of live performances.

- What about visiting concerts of other bands?

- I’m not too fond of concerts.

- You took part in Laibach’s latest show in Moscow. Was it your first time visiting our country? What impressions did you get in general?

- I visited Moscow and Volgograd with theatre performances a couple of years prior to the Laibach gigs in Moscow and St. Petersburg. To comment a massive country like yours based on three short visits and not sound banal is a difficult task, but I’ll try: I liked the spaciousness of the cities, I loved the widespread habit of reading books in public spaces, I enjoyed Soljanka and pancakes with caviar, I loved the ubiquitousness of history and the sense of treading the same streets Prokofiev used to tread. I was also seriously impressed by (the passion of) the cold.

- Would you mind visiting Russia again, but this time as Silence?

- Of course not.

- And finally one of the most «burning» questions for your fans today: Is there any plans for the next «true» Silence album on the Accession records?

- Knowing the future, where’s the fun in that?

- Thank you for the interview! A few words for your Russian fans?

- It’s nice to know you exist.


(by evereve)
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HELIUM VOLA FEATURING BENKOhace 401 días
 
Several tracks from the new Helium Vola album - the latter is to be released in the beginning of 2009 - will feature Benko as guest vocalist. This is the second collaboration between Ernst Horn (founder of Helium Vola, Qntal and Deine Lakaien) and Benko. Their first joint effort, a haunting piece entitled Cliffs of Norway, was released on the Subout compilation in 2000. More information coming soon.

http://www.helium-vola.de/flash/intr...
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New album available from 1st September 2008hace 482 días
 
I'm writing to aware you all that "The Passion of the Cold" limited edition consisting of 500 hand signed copies, will be sold exclusively on this site - see Order.

http://www.silence-zone.com/Passion/...

Don't miss it!! Stay on-line tomorrow midnight!!

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New album "The Passion of the Cold" hace 514 días
 
On September 1st, the Pekinpah Association will release the new Silence album, The Passion of the Cold, a 2CD collection featuring 30 tracks from (or inspired by) Tomaz Pandur's latest plays, Barroco and Kaligula. The album, printed as a hard-covered 32-page book, will feature a selection of Silence's most ambitious works to date - orchestral pieces performed by the Orquesta Escuela de la Sinfónica de Madrid (The Young Symphonic Orchestra of Madrid) and choral works performed by the Cantanti Trasfigurati choir - as well as lyrics, photos, and two essays. The album will also feature performances by four remarkable soloists (Dragos Balan, Riccardo Bini, Margarita Sikoeva, and Igor Vicentic), 7 songs performed by Benko (3 of which are in Italian) and 4 electronic adaptations of the main themes. The Passion of the Cold will be available exclusively online. A mini site with detailed information is to be launched soon.

Source: http://www.silence-zone.com/news.htm
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Good news!!!hace 612 días
 
I'm proud to announce that link to our Silence's Bebo profile has been placed on the official Silence web page!!!

http://www.silence-zone.com/links.htm

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Laibach exclusive interview for postwave.gr hace 621 días
 
What can you tell us about ‘Silence’?

Laibach: Silence (Boris Benko & Primoz Hladnik) is a brilliant musical duet from Ljubljana. Since we heard their music for the first time, we always wanted to invite them to do something together. With VOLK we have created a concept where such collaboration made sense. Silence accepted the invitation and did a great work. With their music and vocal arrangements they helped us to create the album the way we wanted it to sound.

You have dedicated this album on Boštjan Hladnik. Who is he and how do you feel that he has influenced you or your country?

Laibach: Boštjan Hladnik was a film director and one of the very few pop artists in Slovenia. In 60’ he was assistant of Claude Chabroll, hanging out with Brigitte Bardot, Serge Gainsbourg, Roman Polanski and Jean Luc Godard, etc. From 60’ on he created many interesting featured films and some of them partly affected the Genesis of Laibach as well. During 80’ we have used some of his movies on our concerts and he bought our Opus Dei record to his teenage son Primož Hladnik who has since then grew up in one of the Silence members. Volk record was literary created in Bostjan Hladnik’s garden and in his presence. Unfortunately Bostjan died before the record was completely finished

Whole interview with Laibach:
http://www.postwave.gr/index.php?opt...
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Interview with Silence taken from Chain D.L.K. hace 623 días
 
Chain D.L.K.: Hi guys, please forgive me my ignorance, but until now I have mostly missed the details of your musical evolution. Could you therefore introduce your music project and the people behind it to our readers?

Silence: Words are a rather inappropriate, vulgar tool for describing music. Let's just say we are two who are Silence.

Chain D.L.K.: You were signed a long time to the German label Chrom Records, headed up by Carl D. Erling. Why did your mutual time end on this label? And why did you decide to cooperate from now on with Accession-Records, a label normally more focused on dark and hard Electro/Industrial music?

Silence: Unfortunately, Carl decided to quit. I guess these are tough times for labels that are in it for the music. We signed to Accession because we liked their zeal and human potential. They also have a twisted sense of humor, which is important.

Chain D.L.K.: Talking about your DCD release "Key" with an eye on the introductory thoughts by Matjaz Pogajc -- Can we really talk about a Silence having a "passive stance" when you guys have released several CD's since 1997? How can this be seen with all your further activities like live performances? Are you really passive? Aah, and please give us a definition of being "a good band". Isn't it conceivable for you that a "good" band might also be a "famous" band?

Silence: I think Pograjc refers to our disregard for self-promotion, publicity and all other necessities of the modern music business. Our interest in a record usually ends as soon as the latter is in print. You should ask Pograjc to explain what being a "good band" means. I have no idea whatsoever. I attribute vague adjectives like "good" to concrete stuff like chocolate or oral sex. Using them in a same sentence with abstract terms like art or music can be dangerous.

Chain D.L.K.: You are hailing from Slovenia - are there problems politically or culturally? What do you expect from your country?

Silence: Slovenia is a well organized country with solid economy - a rather tedious place, much like most of Western Europe. No tyrants, social upheavals, coup d'état's or other cultural incentives. As for the second part of your question: we don't expect anything from our country. It's a matter of self-preservation, you see. History teaches us that artists who expected recognition or help from their country usually died in poverty. Not the kind of fate we're looking for.

Chain D.L.K.: I would like to pick up a headline sentence out of your CD, "Music is Art as long as you don't ask me what Art is!". Well, your label declares in the info sheet of your DCD that your "music is art on the highest level". So how do you define the level of art for yourself?

Silence: I don't. As I said before, art is an incredibly vague, abstract term. It implies many things and defines very little - perfect for the vocabulary of your average politician.

Chain D.L.K.: The three tracks on the "Rarities" CD of your DCD set -- "Der Untergang", "Les Egoistes" and "The Last Dance" - well, are these seriously three tracks, or is this only one track with three different versions, styles and languages for the lyrics?

Silence: Both.

Chain D.L.K.: Back to the "Musicians are..." wisdom: which abilities or special training should a musician have to your opinion?

Silence: A healthy amount of irresponsibility and disregard for social norms could prove useful. However, I think musicians are doing just fine. The music industry and media are the ones who require some special training and some newfound appreciation for music.

Chain D.L.K.: Please describe for us what you would call a perfect live performance of your music, also for all those listeners who haven't seen you on stage. I'm sure that your abilities are richly evident, but every gig runs differently. So please tell us what you need regarding equipment, musicians, and audience to come to a satisfying result in a live show context ...

Silence: We practice two types of performance: acoustic (vocal and piano occasionally backed by strings) and 'plugged' ones (vocal, piano, synthesizers and drums). Gigs are alchemy. The best equipment available and a packed venue provide no guarantees. Sometimes all you need is an old upright piano and a couple of open-minded listeners and you can have a memorable event in your own living room.

Chain D.L.K.: Any plans for a new release you can already confirm here? What do you expect for the future of your project?

Silence: We're currently writing, producing and recording the new Laibach album, which should be released by the end of the year. We're also working on two new theatre soundtracks. As for expectations - we don't have any. Someone once told us: expect nothing and you might end up pleasantly surprised. The best piece of advice we've ever received.

Chain D.L.K.: What are your interests and hobbies besides music? Do you have to go to work to pay all your bills, or are you pure musicians?

Silence: We earn our living from music. It's not the easiest of existences - we live in a country with a mere 2 million people - but we love it. I think it was Oscar Wilde who once said: "The situation is intolerable, let's hope it lasts."

Chain D.L.K.: Any final words for your fans and our readers you would like to fill in here?
Silence: Not really, I've babbled enough as it is.

interviewed by Marc Tater
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