Bebo

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.

- 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 lit

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...