1. Hello Alessandro. First of all, I'd like you to introduce yourself. Where do you live? What do you do in life except creating and releasing music?

Alessandro: Hi guys, I’m born in Rome, where I live nowadays, I’m 29 and I work in the world of telecommunications.


2. When did you start to act on ambient scene? What was the main reason which pushed you to create exactly ambient music?

A: I listen to ambient music from the age of 14 and I started to compose it 4 years ago buying my first synth from my friend Gianluigi (Oophoi). I think passing from listening to composing has been almost natural.


3. Do you consider NETHERWORLD music as "dark"?

A: My first compositions were mostly dark-ambient and I underlined the darkest side of my Netherworld because I felt to express myself in this way. Now I’m more interested in describing the glacial and isolationist side of my visions.


4. What visions or feelings your music should arouse?

A: It’s hard to say... everyone lives and feels everything in his own way. However I can say that my music can give a sense of total ditaching from reality... Reading the reviews of my CDs,people usually talk of endless, glacial and silent lands.


5. Lately you've released amazing split with Nadja. Could you enclose the concept of "Magma to Ice"? Is it musical reflection of fire/ice contrast?

A: It’s been such a pleasure for me to receive the call of Denis Boyer (who is Fario’s chief) and work with Nadja for this split album. The interesting thing has been the contrast between my ambient-glacial music and the magmatic one of Nadja. We started from my ice to reach the heart of magma of Aidan Baker and Lea Bucareff. The middle track “Ice to Magma” represents the point of thaw of the intere album.


6. I see that you're in close relationships with Gianluigi Gasparetti from Oophoi (he released your music, you released his album, you are helping each other in recording music). Is it only cooperation on musical ground or can we talk about friendship?

A: There’s a deep friendship between me and Gianluigi. I often go and see him and Alessandra in their wonderful home placed in the middle of Umbria’s countries far from city chaos. From a musical point of view Gianluigi has been very important for me, because he opened to me the doors of a world I knew not so much.

He produced my Cd-r through his Umbra Records,introducing my plan "Netherworld" in this musical field. We have a great feeling!





7. Personally I think that Italian ambient scene with such projects like Alio Die, Netherworld, Opium, mentioned above Oophoi and many others is one of the best in Europe. What's your opinion about that?

A: In Italy there are artists who produce this music from many years and they’re also very known all over the world (Alio die e Oophoi over everyone). The matter is that here in Italy a few people follow this kind of music. There’s not so much interest in this and it’s hard to lead your own music to a lot of listeners.


8. When did you realize that creating music is not enough and you want also to found a label?

A: I decided to create my own label because I was tired of sending my demos to other producers, hoping they could understand and then produce it. I didn’t want anymore to depend on others’ choices, in fact I wanted to manage the promotional work in a serious and professional way (and not many labels nowadays do this).


9. Glacial Movements has strictly defined profile. But is there a possibility that in future you will release something which is not isolacionist/glacial ambient?

A: In my opinion it’ not so restricted... silence, ice, isolationism can have a lot of keys of reading and so they can be interpreted in different ways. My goal is to produce artists who use different languages to create their music,but they have to keep the "glacial" approach towards their compositions. There must be strong coherence in every discographic release. From the CD title to the graphic, arriving to the kind of music. I’ll never release CDs which do not respect Glacial Movements standards.


10. Where this fascination of ice, snow and coldness has its source. I always thought that you, Italians, prefer sun, beach etc.;)

A: I also love sea-side and shores;) but I’ve always been actracted by mountains and cold places. Here in Italy we’re circled by wonderful summits which in winter become the ideal lands where I can catch some inspirations.


11. Have you ever been on Antarctica or Greenland?

A: No, never... But I visited Norwish ices and fjords and also the desolate lands of Scottish Highlands.


12. Rapoon, Oophoi, Lull... Almost legendary projects. I won't be surprised if another GM release will be Biosphere for example. I'd like to ask you how did you contact all these notable musicians.

A: You’re right, they are real legends! I also met Biosphere here in Rome during one of his shows... I told him of my label... he’s got a contract with Touch and so it’s not so easy. As I told before, there’s a strong friendship between me and Oophoi while with Rapoon and Lull I’ve always exchanged CDs or reviews. Then it’s been a natural step proposing them to realize their music for Glacial Movements. They’re between my favourite artists ever and it’s such an honour for me having them in my label!


13. Could you describe "Wurm series"? What is the difference between this series and "regular" GM releases?

A: "Wurm" is the name of the world's most recent glaciation, which ended around 10,000 years ago and occurred in the Pleistocene epoch. Oophoi will be the first artist who will give his own musical "vision" of this ice age. It will be released in the first part of 2008. The difference from the other regular releases from Glacial Movements is that the Wurm releases will consist of only one track of a circular, slowly unfolding and ethereal long-form musical piece in which the artist will describe this endless ice age, its eternal ice, the blinding white light, the abyssal silence.


14. "One of predicted swings in the weather due to global warming is paradoxically a new ice age which could envelope Europe". These are words of Robin Storey from "Time Frost". What is your opinion about that? How do you see the future of our planet?

A: I agree with what Robin Storey wrote because it’s exactly what could happen to the earth. I see clearly, I don’t see an easy future for us... earth has weak balances and we’re destroying them because of our thirst of power. And ices are the real points of balance of our planet,we have to preserve them!


15. My favourite "glacial" albums of last years are Sleep Research Facility "Deep Frieze" and Irezumi "Endurance". Do you know them? What do you think about them?

A: I also have got “Deep Frieze” and in my opinion it’s a great work! I know Irezumi because of his fame but I’ve never listened to his compositions.


16. Do you have any favourite musicians on dark ambient scene?

A: Lull, Rapoon, Thomas Koner, Lustmord are surely between my favorite artists... But the complete list is too long!


17. You seem to be very busy man. Do you have time for non-musical hobbies?

A: Every weekend I walk steep and winding mountain paths with my bike... I love this sport, It’s pure adrenaline!


18. Could you shed some light on Glacial Movements future?

A: I recently produced LULL “Like a slow river” and I thing I will produce GLAST for the end of 2008; it’s a new musical plan of MARSEN JULES/KRILL.MINIMA. I’m also in a good friendship with WILLIAM BASINSKI and THOMAS KONER and maybe we’ll work together next year for something new.


19. Thank you for your time Alessandro. If you want to add something you can do it here.

A: Thanks to you and to all the readers! Glacial greetings to everyone, guys!


Stark



info:

www.glacialmovements.com
www.myspace.com/glacialmovements