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Lothar Weise
(Drums & orchestral percussions)
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At Friday, 4th May it’s
becoming reality: PERSEPHONE are doing another record. Starting
things off with the drums we visit Lothar “The Lion”
Weise at his ‘Groovewerkstatt’ (Groove-Facility).
After having a nice cup of tea Lothar starts playing his bits
on the “5/8-Massacre” (how he entitled one of
the songs) and even successfully copes the “brushes-nightmare”
which caused him sleepless nights. We are looking forward
to the next day when it comes to even more drum-recordings.
And to make these sound even more ‘organic’ we
invite Robert Beyer to join the session and add some extra
dBs of groove with his steely thumb on his bass-guitar. And
due to Lothar’s perfect preparation work the session
ends earlier than planned. That was a good start which makes
us feel happy about things to come. And if it weren’t
enough, Lothar gratifies the record with marvellously played
timpani, tubular bells and orchestral bass-drum on 18th May.
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Tim Warweg
(Vibraphone)
Images: 1,
2,
3
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Next runner up is Tim Warweg
who joins us at the Groovewerkstatt at 10th May. He will be
playing one song. Unfortunately we have to deal with several
problems on this one. After a short while of looking for a
place he can park his van we are now able to bring the Vibraphone
down into the room but we definately underrated the available
space of the spiral staircase! Thanks to Lothar who helped
us – he must have a little experience with that already
;-)
And if it weren’t enough there appear some technical
problems which take most of the day to get rid of –
but in the end everything works fine and Tim delivers us the
most beautiful Vibraphone-sound we’ve ever heard....
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Holger Wilhelmi
(Cello)
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Whilst Martin is heading
off to the Groovewerkstatt in a crammed car Holger, Johannes,
myself and three celli take the metro. As we get there I feel
completely lost for everything looks so different! Luckily
enough we quickly find the way to the Groovewerkstatt which
appears to be situated right around the corner... Martin is
already expecting us with tea and cake (it’s weekend,
goddamnit!). Checking and sorting this and that we finally
start the session. First time they play their parts jointly
and not as before, in turn. “Works pretty well”
thinks I, who has taken the responsible position of pushing
the record-button... The first time I had to do this, as well
– but I think we all did a good job today...
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Johannes Kramer
(Cello & Doublebass)
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Next day is a verrry special
day: Mother’s Day! Reason enough to start with a nice
cup of coffee and the rest of the cookies. We’re making
good progress today as everything is still set up the way
we need it to be so this is a kinda relaxed session.
After the cello-recordings are finished Johannes switches
over to play the double-bass. The last bit he plays is his
solo we’ve been looking forward to since we came up
with the idea that there should actually be one! We aren’t
disappointed: In his usual state of ‘madness’
he is starting to play, even increasing the amount of ‘madness’
from take to take and in the end - listening critically at
the bits he has played. Mother’s Day – quite fascinating,
isn’t it?
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Thomas Vogel
(Trumpet)
Images: 1,
2,
3
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Today is going to happen
something completely new: First time in band-history there
will be brass on a record! At 14th May Thomas Vogel arrives
on spot at 2pm at the MetalfactoryX Studio. As I arrive a
bit delayed I find him perfectly prepared and properly instructed
by Martin. Sensitively and brilliantly he plays the short
passage – and 15 minutes later we’re done... This
must have been the shortest sessions ever seen.
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John Abdelsayed
(Percussions)
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Say a big hello to John
Abdelsayed who enters the studio on 16th May. To work together
with him is always joy because he plays very inspiring stuff.
As on this record the drums take the main part of the rhythm-section,
John did not have to come up with his whole armada of percussions.
So he has to play less compared to previous releases. Nevertheless
the percussions take an important part to create the right
atmosphere of the songs. As usual John can easily drown into
the music – a passionate aura seems to surround him
and the Metalfactory. It’s a pity, though that this
session ends so fast. But this also gives us the luxury of
chatting a bit and listen through all the stuff recorded so
far. Especially the Drums and the Vibraphone are fascinating
John most.
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Friedrich Thein
(Head of engineering & Producer
of the orchestra)
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The Philharmonic Chamber-Orchestra of Wernigerode
Conducted by MD Christian Fitzner
Recording-engineer: Friedrich Thein
Today is a big day! We are heading to Wernigerode to record
the Philharmonic Chamber-Orchestra of Wernigerode for our
new record. Especially Martin is same keen and nervous about
the orchestra: He has been working for weeks and weeks again
to prepare, check and doublecheck the arrangements. And within
a while we will see if it works.
At 20th May Martin and I arrive at Wernigerode
and meet recording-engineer Friedrich Thein with his assistant
Lars Reichmann. In order to start the next morning with recording
we have to install all the technical stuff, devices and so
on. We visit the room we want to record the orchestra in but
after a quick check Friedrich is troubled with the sound of
the room. So what are we doing? Fortunately it is possible
to reveal another room which lays right around the corner:
a school’s auditorium will help us out. Now Friedrich
looks confident and with the comment “This will sound
great” even calms our upcoming panic down. So we start
preparing the room, getting all the required stuff inside
– the stands, cables, mics – and as well are arranging
the whole scene to be able to start properly the next morning.
After that work done we’re roaming towards the hotel
and relax from a tiring day...
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Philharmonic Chamber-Orchestra of Wernigerode
(Conductor: MD Christian Fitzner)
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The Philharmonic Chamber-Orchestra of Wernigerode
Conducted by MD Christian Fitzner
Recording-engineer: Friedrich Thein
After starting into the day with a lovely breakfast we head
off to the school which will serve us as a recording room.
Friedrich once again checks everything before the first musicians
arrive. We have been knowing some of them of the concert we
played together with them and so they give us a warm welcome
back.
We commence with an only-orchestral and very passionate piece.
And in order to get some extra-dB’s of emotion out of
the music conductor Christian Fitzner treats his men quite
severely. As we are optically linked to the recording-room
we also get a good visual impression of what’s going
on. After a short while there’s a little break and some
of the members of the orchestra step into the truck to listen
to first results. They listen critically and reveal some details
which deserve to be fixed. Thrilling, all this! Whilst Martin
is sunk in the partitures, making notes, checking and doublechecking
this and that I am listening to the feel of the whole thing,
making some notes myself. And I find out that listening highly
concentrated to an orchestra is a tiring job...
Next day we continue where we stopped yesterday.
Later that day we can release the horns and flip over to the
strings-only parts. At noon the man whom we are owing the
collaboration with the orchestra, Dr. Christian Juranek, pops
in to get a glimpse of the very secret material the orchestra
is playing on. After we are finished we spend the night with
him and his wife in a nice restaurant.
As planned we spend the last day with the
quartet-recordings. Meanwhile the guys have been getting comfortable
with our music so we make good progress and just have to explain
little things. The very last bit we record is the viola-solo
which is kind of uncommon for the viola in the orchestra is
usually not playing such exposed parts. By midday we are done!
Everything gets back into the truck, the data is copied –
we really did it. We recorded orchestra for our record. It
takes us the hole travel back home to actually believe what
happened the last three days.
We want to say a big “Thank you!” to all who made
these recording become reality. It’s great!
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Robert Beyer
(Bass-Guitar)
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We remember 25th May as
a very hot day. But instead of relaxing somewhere outside
where the heat is soon to be gone we are doing our work in
the studio. As our guest today we have Robert Beyer around.
When he arrives it is still too warm even though nightfall
already started. Three poeple inside the small studio and
the whole recording-paraphernalia helps the heat even increasing!
Rob is playing on two songs. He already played one song together
with Lothar so we’re doing good progress on this one.
Also the second, a bit more experimental song is done quite
fast – literally. It’s not just the heat outside
making us sweat but also the hot grooves! After we finished
this session we are preparing for our travel to Vienna for
even more recordings...
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Florian C. Reithner
(Grandpiano)
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Travelling to Vienna just
for one song? – many poeple were asking us this question.
But let us explain: We’re dealing here with a tango
which deserves an enthusiastic and passionate playing. When
Martin first showed me ‘Mean’ I knew that we would
need the services of Florian C. Reithner. When I am working
together with the “Ensemble Herzbruchstück”
(Ensemble Heartsplinters), a theatre group around Harald Buresch,
Flo always plays the piano. And that’s why I was so
sure that he would be the man for us on ‘Mean’.
So, Martin and I were going to Vienna......
*krrrrrsss*zzzieeeep*chchrrrrsshhhh*„It’ll
stay as hot as the days before.......” is what we
hear from the radio when we wake up very early in the morning
at 26th May, remembering the journey which lays ahead of
us. To avoid unneccessary traffic-jams we hit the road early.
Everything is fine but it definetly gets hotter and hotter.
Flo has organized a grandpiano for this session. But unfortunately
he has to tell us that the owner of the grandpiano suddenly
had to go to the hospital. So we need to go somewhere else.
Luckily enough there is a priest’s house which will
help us out. When we arrive, Flo is already expecting us
and we enter the house. The piano turns out to be very,
very old and completely out of tune. So this is of no use
at all. We’re trying to think of an idea helping us
out of this emergency when Flo receives a phone-call of
a friend of his. He tells him about the desastrous situation
we are in and asks him jokingly if he would have a piano
– in tune! – somewhere around. And... He DOES!
We agree to meet tomorrow to do the recordings and rest
from the tiring travel and stormy incidents at Flo’s
favourite coffeeshop.
The next day we meet at Flo’s friend’s place
and find a perfect-in-tune grandpiano. Now we know that
nothing can go wrong. The song is recorded quite fast as
Flo is getting into the music easily. And rather than to
loose time we put all our equipment back into the car, accompanied
by an old woman shouting at us that it has not been allowed
to park a car on the drive-up for the past 30 years. And
before we’re running danger of the woman’s nervous
breakdown we head back home - with a big smile in our faces
about this successful session.
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Vassliy Dück
(Bajan)
Images: 1,
2
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At 13th June Vassily Dück
arrives at the Metalfactory X Studio to add once again his
bajan onto one of the tracks. Usually the sessions are prepared
quite detailled but with Vassily we know that this is not
necessary for he did a great preparation work as we quickly
find out when he shows us his ideas for ‘Mean’,
the tango. Maybe it is so easy for him to play along the score
due to his participation in a tango-ensemble – or just
because he is a real expert on the bajan. Whatever. His instrument
adds another, unexpected depth to the song which gives the
vocals perfect harmony. After a short time we say good bye
to Vassily. Now it’s up to Martin and me to finish the
rest of the recordings before we head off to England into
John A. Rivers’ Woodbine Street Recording Studios...
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Martin Höfert
(Cello, Grandpiano, Fender Rhodes)
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After doing the sessions
with all guest-musicians you might be wondering what happened
in between, when those weren’t around. Well, it must
have been something, though, and today we tell you what it
was: Martin is not just responsible for all arrangements,
other preproduction-stuff and leading the sessions but also
plays some instruments on ‘Letters to a stranger’.
His biggest challenge was again the piano-parts. And again
we are allowed to use Holger Wilhelmi’s parents’
grandpiano. And again they are leaving in a hurry, when we
arrive. And AGAIN Martin is the most desperate person in the
whole wide world when it comes to the piano-parts...
Let me clue you in: When Martin trys his parts on the quite
difficult-to-play grandpiano he does not hestitate to utter
strange murmuring noises. In the ‘White Saloon’
how we entitled the room where the grandpiano is located –
because everything is white in there – for those of
you who know this track, DIMMU BORGIR’s “Mourning
Palace” gets a completely different spin, though, eh?
*sigh* But personally I think that it is necessary for him
to go through this valley of vast “suffering”
because this is what the mics pick up as well. That’s
why the piano on PERSEPHONE-songs sounds so desperate and
lost. Whatever. In the end he gets it and that’s what
we’re there for. The cello-session was over quickly
as Martin didn’t have to play too many tracks –
we already recorded some cello-stuff earlier on, together
with Johannes and Holger. And last, Martin played the Fender
Rhodes. For those of you who know about the Rhodes you can
imagine that it meant big pleasure to Martin to do that. Weeks
before he was talking about that session again and again.
And I must say: he did damn well. And after finishing this
session I suspect myself to be the next – actually the
last – runner up.
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Sonja Kraushofer
(Vocals)
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As usual vocals are recorded
at the end of a production. It’s good to sing along
the finished tracks but also the problem that the deadline
is in sight. There are two weeks to go until we’re heading
off to England and I’ve got to finish the tracks by
then. Still it is very hot outside and in the little room
I’m standing in it seems to be even hotter!
There are always tracks which are done quite fast, and others
driving me insane. It may occur that I am listening to the
result the next day and have Martin delete it – and
do it once more. Gladly enough Martin does not try to hold
me back if I’m in that state of ‘inner turbulence’
so I can just start again. The last few days we were pretty
knackered so it was hard to make good progress there –
no wonder, after 6-7 weeks of persistent, daily work in the
studio... I suppose we’re not able to finish the vocal
recordings in time which means that I have to spend a little
time in England to do the rest. Time which we won’t
have for mixing, then. But whatcha wanna do?
Soon we’re going to get over into Woddbine Street Recording
Studios and meet John A. Rivers again after a long time. The
last night before our journey we’re trying to relax
and think of something else than music, studio and..... flying!
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John A. Rivers
(Producer)
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On Monday, June 18th we
get up very early. We are going to England into John A. Rivers’
Woodbine Street Recording Studio. We are given a warm welcome
when we arrive there about mid-day. First things first: We
celebrate the arrival with a cup of tea.
After that we start right of with the first song. An orchestra-song.
We are doing better progress than we thought and again we
say a big ‘thank you’ to Friedrich Thein, who
did a marvellous job on the orchestra-recordings! Also John
is impressed – not only by Friedrich Thein but also
the new material. He obviously wants to bring the mix in perfect
shape which makes him sometimes forget his tea – more
than once we hear “I’ll get it, and if it kills
me!” when he’s creating the most overwhelming
reverbs we’ve ever heard.
I have to sing some small parts here and there but that is
easily done and also Martin, who is finishing the edits of
some orchestra-parts is doing good progress. At the beginning
we are a bit nervous running short of time for mixing but
after two days we already catched up again. We spend the weekend
relaxingly.The first after weeks and weeks again, anyway.
It’s good just to do absolutely nothing. Just making
tea from time to time, whilst outside the rain is persistantly
pouring. Which makes us feel even more comfortable in the
yellow-room-chill-out-area.
As well ijn the second week we are doing good progress and
listen carefully to each song over and over again, doing some
minor changes here and there. The last day we suddenly hold
the master-CD in our hands. A strange feeling, though: You’ve
worked on this for weeks and months and all you get in the
end is a small silver disc... Anyway: Time to celebrate a
bit! Together with John we take a couple of longdrinks, chatting
around... With one word: we didn’t have much sleep this
night. And it was just the headache the next morning and the
master-CD in my bag reminding me that all this has really
happened...
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Images:
