Interviews
black magazine [2] #45 winter 2005
Flavio, how important is a kind of sub cultural network for you?
FIRST OF ALL LET ME THANK YOU AND YOUR READERS FOR YOUR INTEREST IN MY ALIEN WORK…
NEEDLESS TO SAY A NETWORK TO LINK AS MANY ARTISTS AND FANS AS POSSIBILE OVER THE WORLD IS OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE; UNDERGROUND ARTISTS, PRODUCERS ETC SHOULD FORM A UNITED FRONT, MORE THAN AGAINST THE POWER OF THE MAJORS, WHICH CANNOT BE DEFEATED, AT LEAST AGAINST THE IGNORANCE AND THE SUPERFICIALITY OF THE “COMMERCIAL” PEOPLE…OK, DREAMS 
Would you agree that less and less concerts take place and these are visited by less and less people? Have you got any idea why this is the case? I WOULDN’T SAY SO; IT SEEMS TO ME THERE ARE A LOT OF EVENTS AROUND, SMALL AND MORE RELEVANT AS WELL…SOMETIMES THEY ARE GOOD, MORE OFTEN THEY ARE CRAP, THAT’S MAYBE THE MAJOR POINT…AND, AS USUAL, PEOPLE TEND TO GO SEE WELL KNOWN ARTISTS RATHER THEN NEWCOMERS EVEN THOUGH SOMETIMES TICKETS ARE OUTRAGEOUSLY EXPENSIVE…
When you played in Wetzlar you were not happy with your performance. What was in your eyes the biggest problem? LET ME SAY THE WETZLAR GIG, AS A WHOLE, WAS ONE OF THE BEST EVENTS I’VE PARTICIPATED IN: THE VENUE WAS COSY AND OF THE RIGHT SIZE, PEOPLE WERE VERY FRIENDLY, BEER EXCELLENT AND THERE WAS A GOOD TURNOUT; UNFORTUNATELY SOMETHING WENT WRONG WITH MY OR WITH THE SOUND ENGINEER’S EQUIPMENT, I DON’T KNOW…AS A RESULT MY FX-BOX DIDN’T WORK AND MY BASES WENT INTO A CONTINUOS FEEDBACK …IT WAS A NIGHTMARE, I SHOULD HAVE STOPPED PLAYING: PEOPLE DEFINITELY GOT A WRONG IDEA OF DBPIT LIVE!
During your performance you showed some funny films you yourself have made. Do you feel an affinity to science fiction films in general and American sci-fi-films from the 50ies in particular? YES I LOVE SCI-FI FLICKS, ESPECIALLY THE LOW-BUDGET AND NAIVE ONES, NOT THE HOLLYWOOD BLOCKBUSTERS ONLY BASED ON TECHNOLOGY…I USED TO READ A LOT OF SCIENCE FICTION AS A KID AND IT’S ALWAYS CHARMED ME: SCI-FI CAN BE A GREAT WAY TO DEAL WITH HUMAN WEAKNESSES, FEARS, MENTAL DISEASES, HOPES…IT’S NOT MERELY SPACESHIPS AND FREAKY MONSTERS! I’M A BIG FAN OF GODZILLA, TOO (THE REAL THING, NOT THE AMERICAN PHONEY LIZARD…), AND I DEDICATED A TRACK TO HIM IN “TROMPOZMO”
Are you interested in the work of Ed Wood (“Plan 9 from outer space” etc.)?
OF COURSE I’VE SEEN ALL HIS MOVIES; HE REALLY BELIEVED IN HIS IDEAS AND PURSUED THEM WITH NO MONEY…AND QUITE A LOT OF CRAZINESS )
What do you think is the common ground between Circus Joy, Wertham and yourself? MUSICALLY SPEAKING, NONE, I GUESS…I MEAN, OUR PROJECTS ARE VERY DIFFERENT FROM ONE ANOTHER; BUT WE ARE GOOD FRIENDS AND WE ARE ALL PART OF THE SAME DERANGED FAMILY OF DAMNED ARTISTS WHO WANT TO KILL SOMEONE ELSE’S BRAINS WITH OUR VERY PERSONAL AND OUTLANDISH MUSIC
Everybody needs a creative source. What is yours? DISTRESS, SORROW, LOVE, HATE…LIFE, IN A WORD
Is there a connection betweenfriendship and working together musically? OF COURSE! MAYBE THAT’S NOT A MUST, I MEAN, YOU CAN COLLABORATE WITHOUT BEING TRUE FRIENDS, BUT I FEEL WHEN MUSICIAN REALLY KNOW EACH OTHER IN PRIVATE LIFE, THEIR OUTPUT IS SOMEHOW SPECIAL! IT IS AS IF YOU CAN SENSE THAT…
You told us that in some Italian magazine somebody had compared one of your albums to Nurse With Wound. Do you see similarities between Steven Stapleton’s and your work? NEEDLESS TO SAY, SUCH A STATEMENT MADE ME VERY PROUD, I’M A BIG FAN OF NWW, HE’S A GREAT MASTER!— YES MAYBE THERE ARE SIMILARITIES, IN THE WAY WE EXPERIMENT, EVEN THOUGH THE RESULTS ARE PRETTY DIFFERENT Your new CD “S.U.T.U.B.”
reminds us strongly of early Ain Soph-releases. You and ClauDedi are friends and you have dedicated the track “Esperimento Andato A Male” on your new 3’-CD Freak Nerve-Cell From Outer Space” to him. What can you say about your friendship?
YOU MEAN ABOUT ME AND CLAUDEDI? WE’VE KNOWN EACH OTHER SINCE WE WERE 15…AND I WILL NOT TELL YOU FOR HOW LONG, THEN!
I’VE LIVED THROUGH ALL HIS STAGES IN LIFE, SEEN ALL HIS BANDS AND HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SEE HOW GENIOUSLY HE MANAGES TO COME UP WITH NEW AND INTERESTING IDEAS…HE ALWAYS WANTS TO ROCK THE BOAT; I BELIEVE HE’S EVEN UNDERRATED, HE DESERVES MORE CONSIDERATION…AND OF COURSE I OWE HIM AND MUSHROOM’S PATIENCE THE BIRTH OF DBPIT…
On the cover of “S.U.T.U.B.” it is said that you wanted to record an industrial-CD without any elctronic effects. You consider the album as “unplugged adventure”. Could you briefly say something about the idea behind it? THAT’S VERY INTERESTING AND BRINGS US BACK TO CLAUDEDI: HIS WAS THE IDEA TO CHALLENGE INDUSTRIAL ARTISTS INTO DOING SOMETHING ABSOLUTELY UNUSUAL FOR THEM; I ACCEPTED AND REALISED THAT ALBUM WITHOUT USING ANY EFFECT, SYNTH, IN A WORD, NO ELECTRONICS WHATSOEVER… I RECORDED SOUNDS, INSTRUMENTS, VOCALS THEN EDITED IT ALL WITHOUT MODIFYING ANYTHING; I THINK THE RESULT IS QUITE INTERESTING, AND THE VOCALIST WAS SUPERB! IT WAS INCREDIBLE TO WITNESS HER CREATE THE MELODY AND THE BEAT OVER SOME SIMPLE, UNUSUAL SOUNDS… Is this CD also a reaction to the numerous releases that consist mainly of thinly and badly manipulated samples? I DIDN’T DO IT WITH THAT PARTICULAR PURPOSE, BUT, YES, IN A WAY IT IS; MORE OFTEN THAN NOT INDUSTRIAL OR ELECTRONIC MUSIC HAVE BECOME JUST AN EXCUSE TO SHOW HOW GOOD SOMEONE IS WITH A COMPUTER…IF YOU SEE WHAT I MEAN There are a number of vocals on the album. Will future-releases go in a similar direction? What kind of expression does a track with vocals have? THE COLLABORATION WITH ANNA CONSUELO, THE VOCALIST, IS STILL ON AND SHE IS SUPPOSED TO PARTICIPATE IN MY NEXT LIVE GIGS; I DO HOPE THIS ARTISTIC UNION WILL LAST A LONG TIME BECAUSE SHE IS A GENIOUS…I’VE ALWAYS LOVED VOCALS, BUT MY OWN VOICE IS AWFUL SO IT CANNOT BE USED…NOW, THE SINGER ALLOWS ME TO USE MY LYRICS AND ENABLES ME TO LET MY THOUGHTS KNOWN EVEN BETTER…BESIDES, ANNA CONSUELO REALLY ADDS THE MAGIC TOUCH TO THE PROJECT…
What can you tell us about the split 7’ with Feine Trinkers Bei Pinkels Daheim? Can this Christmas-7’ with your contribution “Stille Nacht” be seen as a kind of joke? I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU EXACTLY MEAN BY “JOKE”… THAT 7” IS PART OF THE SPLIT-PROJECT THAT THE “KONIGIN” OF INDEPENDENT LABELS, KIMSONJA, THOUGHT OF…SHE IS VERY MUCH INTO GRAPHIC ARTS AS WELL AS INTO MUSIC AND SHE TAKES CARE OF ARTWORK OF HER RELEASES IN A VERY SPECIAL AND PASSIONATE WAY: WHITE RABBIT IS GOING TO RELEASE THE SECOND PART OF THE TRINKERS/TRUMPETER JOB IN THE FORM OF TWO 3”-CDS IN A STUNNING PACKAGING SHE DESIGNED HERSELF, THAT IS A MASTERPIECE ALONE! THE 7” ANTICIPATED BY ONE YEAR THE CD AS A SPECIAL CHRISTMAS RELEASE THAT’S WHY I DECIDED TO DO MY INTERPRETATION OF THAT OLD TRADITIONAL SONG… How important is humour for your work? I COULD SAY WITHOUT HUMOUR DBPIT WOULD NOT EXIST…IT’S IMPORTANT TO BE ABLE NOT TO TAKE ONESELF MUCH TOO SERIOUSLY, BUT ALWAYS WORKING…VERY SERIOUSLY, THOUGH! I FEEL FREE TO EXPRESS MYSELF THROUGH MY MUSIC, REGARDLESS TO WHAT OTHERS MAY THINK OF IT, AND SOMETIMES I REALLY FEEL LIKE MAKING FUN OF LIFE; BUT WHEN IT COMES TO DEALING WITH OTHER PEOPLE, LIKE LABELS, PRODUCERS, JOURNALISTS, OTHER MUSICIANS ETC, I THINK I AM QUITE DEPENDABLE
You often collaborate with others. Is there a certain point when working together is no longer acceptable, can no longer be endured?
I LOVE COLLABORATIONS: WHEN U KNOW WHAT ANOTHER ARTIST CAN DO U KNOW HOW HE/SHE CAN IMPROVE YOUR WORK BY ADDING HIS/HER OWN SKILL AND CREATIVITY; AND UNLIKE IN A BAND, COLLABORATIONS COME AND GO WITHOUT HARD FEELINGS, WHICH IS IMPORTANT AND MAKES IT EASIER TO GET BY: WHEN IT’S NOT ACCEPTABLE ANYMORE ALL U HAVE TO DO IS NEVER ASK FOR ANYTHING ELSE
We know that you have a rather critical attitude towards globalisation. We’ve often talked about that. Could you briefly present your criticism? I THINK GLOBALISATION HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH CULTURAL EXCHANGE, IS THE APPALLING RESULT OF EXPLOITATION; THEREFORE WHEREAS THE WORLDWIDE NETWORK WE WERE TALKING ABOUT EARLIER AND A COMMON LANGUAGE ARE ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY, GLOBALISATION IS KILLING TRADITIONS AND THE INTEREST IN SOMETHING DIFFERENT; I ALSO THINK IS THE WRONG ANSWER TO PEOPLE’S FEARS: MANY FEEL REASSURED TO FIND THE SAME THINGS WHEREVER THEY GO WHETHER THEY ARE FOOD OR ITEMS OR SONGS OR WHATEVER…
That’s related to the last question. Do you disapprove of competition? NO, IF COMPETITION IS FAIR…THE POINT IS, CAN IT EVER BE SUCH?
Have you got any idea how the present capitalist economy, which seems to be acting in a rather pathological way at the moment, can be transformed into a less immoderate and a more sustaining one? NO, IF I HAD I WOULD PROBABLY WIN THE NOBEL PRIZE, OR MAYBE I WOULD BE A LEADER…OR A TERRORIST…
You live close to the Vatican. Has the flood of pilgrims finally subsided? UNFORTUNATELY THAT WILL NEVER HAPPEN…THE VATICAN IS THE MOST POWERFUL AND PERFECT MONEY-MAKER MULTINATIONAL; YOU CANNOT IMAGINE HOW DEEPLY THEY INTERFERE WITH ITALIAN POLITICS AND ECONOMY ; I’M NOT TOO CRAZY ABOUT LIVING THAT CLOSE TO THE HOLY STATE…
Have you got any explanation why more and more people embrace religion (at least on a superficial level)? BASICALLY IGNORANCE AND FEAR; IT’ S UNBELIEVABLE TO HEAR YOUNG PEOPLE STILL SAYING THAT THEY “BELIEVE” BECAUSE SO THEY ARE TAUGHT TO OR BECAUSE “YOU NEVER KNOW…” IT’S EASIER TO MAKE DO WITH READY-MADE ANSWERS TO THE MYSTERIES OF EXISTENCE THEN TO LOOK DEEP INTO ONESELF IN A PERSONAL QUEST TO TRUTH…
In a novel by A.S. Bhatt one of the protagonists says that “It is natural for human being to make up powers. […] I make an unnatural effort. I stare into the dark and abstain from imagination. It’s a destructive way and the rewards are meagre.” Would you rather be one who stares into the dark void of reality and transitoriness or would you consider yourself to be someone who believes in powers (God etc.) in order to avoid becoming mad? I’D RATHER STARE AT THE SKY, TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHY AND HOW ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS WHERE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE UNIVERSE…BUT, NO, GOD IS NOT MY CUP OF TEA… What do you expect and What can we expect from you? I EXPECT TO PLAY AT ROYAL ALBERT HALL, TO SELL 5 MILLIONS COPIES OF MY NEXT CD, THEN YOU MAY EXPECT A POSTCARD FROM MARS!!! FOR THE TIME BEING, I’LL KEEP ON HAVING FUN AND MAKING FRIENDS WITH MUSIC…AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THIS INTERVIEW
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filth forge – 2005
1) For those who are so (un)fortunate to know nothing about your music, could briefely describe who or what is DBPIT?
LET ME FIRST THANK YOU FOR YOUR CRAZY INTEREST IN MY WORK…YOU SEEM TO KNOW MY ALBUMS DEEPLY AND THOROUGHLY… DOES THAT ACCOUNT FOR YOUR RECENTLY BECOMING A DANGEROUS PSYCHO?
APART FROM KIDDING, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, REALLY!
IT’S KIND OF DIFFICULT EVEN FOR ME TO DESCRIBE dbpit…IS IT EXPERIMENTAL? IS IT INDUSTRIAL? IS IT ALIEN? MAYBE A BIT OF IT ALL…PERSONALLY SPEAKING IS MY WAY TO EXPRESS MY FEELINGS OF DISTRESS AND DISILLUSION; AS FOR THE MUSIC I TRY TO BE ORIGINAL AS MUCH AS IT IS POSSIBLE; I NEVER USE SAMPLES FROM OTHER’S MUSIC NOR COMPUTER-GENERATED SOUNDS; I USUALLY ASSEMBLE FIELD-RECORDED SOUNDS, TRUMPET, OTHER ACOUSTIC INSTRUMENTS AND PROCESS THEM WITH FX MACHINES OR PC ACCORDING TO THE MOOD OR TO THE CONCEPT I’M DEVELOPING AT THE MOMENT; THE RESULT? HATE IT OR LOVE IT!
2) Apart from Cosey Fanni Tutti’s sporadic use in Throbbing Gristle, no other examples of trumpets in a post-industrial context come to my mind. Where does the idea originally come from?
I HAD BEEN PLAYING THE TRUMPET IN A TOTALLY DIFFERENT CONTEXT WHEN RAFFAELE OF MUSHROOM’S PATIENCE ASKED ME TO RECORD SOME SESSIONS FOR HIS ALBUM “ROMA, WIEN” SOME YEARS AGO; THEN HE AND CLAUDEDI PROMPTED ME TO TRY AND DO SOMETHING ON MY OWN…TRUMPET IN INDUSTRIAL IS QUITE UNUSUAL, AS YOU SAID, SO WE THOUGHT SOMETHING ORIGINAL COULD ENSUE: “ELEVEN” WAS GOING TO BE CONCEIVED!
3) DBPIT’s debut CD “Eleven” was released by Misty Circles in 111 copies, if I remember correctly. Such use of the number 11 wasn’t by chance for sure, especially with Misty Circles involved. Judging from songs like “Book Of Toth”, I smell some kind of secret exotheric aspect in your music.
THAT PARTICULAR NUMBER, 11, HAS A STRANGE AND WEIRD RECURRENCE IN MY LIFE , GOOD AND BAD AS WELL, SO IT DOES HAVE A PERSONAL EXOTHERIC MEANING TO ME…THE TITLE CAN BE INTERPRETED AS A TRIBUTE TO SUCH NUMBER AS WELL AS A…LUCKY CHARM!
WHEN IT COMES TO EXOTHERISM AS IT IS USUALLY CONSIDERED, I DON’T FOLLOW ANY PARTICULAR CURRENT…I THINK ANYONE WITH “THOUGHTS”, WITH A DEEP INSIGHT IN LIFE AND ITS MYSTERIES CAN BE REGARDED AS AN “EXOTHERIC”…I’M QUITE CONVINCED THAT ANCIENT CIVILISATIONS KNEW MORE AND BETTER THEN US AND WERE MUCH MUCH CLOSER TO “DIVINITY” (WHATEVER IT IS) THEN MODERN HUMAN KIND WITH ITS MATERIAL ATTITUDE AND UTTER IGNORANCE…WE HAVE MUCH TO LEARN FROM OUR PREDECESSORS BUT WE CLOSE OUR EYES…
4) While listening to the first track, “Awakening”, with that alarm clock sound, I can’t stop imagining you waking up in the morning and cursing Rome’s traffic at the thought of going to work. Is it close to reality?
INDEED! THAT’S ACTUALLY MY ALARM CLOCK I RECORDED…A NIGHTMARE THAT HAUNTS ME DAYLY SINCE YEARS…ROMA IS A DIFFICULT CITY TO LIVE IN…IT HAS ALL THE DOWNS OF A BIG METROPOLIS WITHOUT ITS UPS…AT TIMES I WISH I COULD MOVE SOMEWHERE ELSE BUT THE NEXT AVAILBALE PLANET IS YET BEYOND MY MEANS…
5) “Eleven” features ClauDEDI (ex-Ain Soph) and Raffaele from Mushroom’s Patience, a band you have played in both on records and in live shows. What are exactly your ties with two of the most dangerous madmen of the Italian undeground scene?
FIRST OF ALL FRIENDSHIP; I KNOW CLAUDIO SINCE HIGH-SCHOOL-DAYS (BY THE WAY, HOW SAD IT IS TO READ “EX-AIN SOPH”!! BUT THIS IS AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT MATTER WHICH WE’D BETTER NOT DISCUSS HERE) AND RAFFAELE SINCE 1993; ALTHOUGH ARE VERY DIFFERENT FROM EACH OTHER AND OUR LIVES ARE TOO, WE SHARE THIS COMMON PASSION (OR DAMNATION?) FOR STRANGE MUSIC SO IN THE END TOGETHER WE SHALL BE
6) On the same CD there’s also an appearance by Novy Svet. What’s up with Jürgen and Ulla lately? Do you often hear from them?
ULLA AND JUERGEN ARE GOOD FRIENDS OF MINE, TOO; THEY MOVED AWAY FROM WIEN AND HAVE CHOSEN TO LEAD A SOMEHOW MORE SECLUDED LIFE BUT WE ARE STILL IN TOUCH; I OWE MUCH TO THEM AND WILL ALWAYS THANK THEM FOR BELIEVING IN MY POSSIBILITIES; THEY ARE QUITE UNIQUE PERSONS AND I RESPECT THEM HIGHLY
MORE COLLABORATIONS WITH NOVY SVET WILL APPEAR IN MY FORTHCOMING ALBUMS…
6) Your record label is called “Dischi Gatto Alieno” (Alien Cat Records), and when I was at your place I saw every kind of possible gadget potraying cats, not to talk about the three dangerous furry creatures who live there. When and why did you become a terminal cat-addicted?
GUESS IT’S IN MY GENES ) CATS ARE STRANGE CREATURES; MANY HATES THEM BEACUSE THEY CAN’T UNDERSTAND THEM, BEACUSE THAY ARE INDEPENDENT AND PROUD, BECAUSE THAY WON’T FETCH YOUR SLIPPERS…MAN FEARS WHATEVER HE CAN’T GET THE HANG OF OR DON’T SERVE HIM…I’VE ALWAYS LIVED WITH CATS AROUND AND JUST CAN’T DO WITHOUT! AND, IN SPITE OF ANIMAL RIGHTS, MY MUSIC IS…ANIMAL-TESTED!! WHEN THE THREE BIG FURRY LOATHERS SCATTER AROUND LIKE THEY HAVE BEEN BITTEN BY SOME BUGS, I KNOW I’VE COME UP WITH SOME GOOD SOUNDS!! ))
6) Would Catwoman be your perfect sexual dream? Or rather Cheetah, Wonder Woman’s deadly female feline archenemy?
OH, INDEED CATWOMAN IS SEXY, IN HER FETISH COSTUME! YES, DEFINITELY THE BEST CHARACHTER FOR ONE’S WET DREAMS!
7) “Complesso Plastico Vivente”, on “Total Lack Of Vital Energy”, seems to come directly from Italian Futurism. That particular art (or, if you prefer, anti-art) movement is quite a fixation also for Mushroom’s Patience and other bands of the Roman scene. What fascinates you so much in the work of Marinetti, Boccioni and friends?
I REMEMBER APPROACHING FUTURISM DURING THE VERY LAST HIGH-SCHOOL LESSONS…”WHAT THE HELL HAVE WE BEEN STUDYING SO FAR”, I THOUGHT, “THIS IS THE REAL THING!” I WAS REALLY STRUCK, IMMEDIATELY GRIPPED! FUTURISM, WRITTEN AND FIGURATIVE, CONVEYS GREAT POWER AND REVOLUTIONARY IDEALS; IT’S OVERWHELMING; MAYBE FUTURISM IS NOT AS “CRAZY” AS DADAISM BUT THE GUYS DID KICKED THE WORLD IN THE BALLS! ALTHOUGH I’M NOT INVOLVED IN POLITICS, I LOVE WHAT CAN ROCK THE STILL BOAT OF SOCIETY…
I interpreted “The Outstanding Story Of Mr. Mallory” as a concept album about despair, a dystopia that wipes out 50 years of optimistic superheroes born from nuclear accidents. Despite Mallory’s apparently tragicomical transformation, it’s one of the darkest records I listened to in ages, able to leave me completely annihilated and hopeless at the end. Did it achieve its aim?
DEFINITELY! THE GUY IS AN AVERAGE MAN WHO BECOMES AN OUCAST AFTER DEVELOPING SOME TOTALLY USELESS SUPERPOWER; MANY OF THE “REAL” COMIC BOOKS SUPEHEROES HAVE SHADOWS HANGING OVER THEM , BUT THIS ONE IS TOTALLY HOPELESS AND WHEN REALITY SETS IN HE FORGES HIS OWN DEATH TO ESCAPE… UNFORTUNATELY MANY OF MALLORY’S ASPECTS HAVE BEEN INSPIRED BY MY OWN FEELINGS AND ATTITUDE; I LOVE THAT ALBUM VERY MUCH; UNFORTUNATELY THE LABEL THAT RELEASED IT HAS MYSTERIOUSLY VANISHED INTO THIN AIR SOON AFTER THE LAUNCH…ANOTHER VICTIM OF “MALLORYISM” ?!?
9) On “TrompoZmo”, I immediately fell in love with “Tupholasty, The Sad, White Heated Dragon”, my favourite DBPIT track so far. I swear to you that every time I lisen to it the clear image of a white, sad, loser cartoon dragon appears in my mind. He is there, in his dark cave, lying on the floor and complaining about what a loser dragon he is, unable to spit fire and terrorize knights. Did you get other feedbacks about hidden hallucinatory powers in your music?
TERRIFIC! I’M ABSOLUTELY AMAZED BY THIS IMAGE! IN FACT THAT IS EXACTLY THE IDEA I HAD IN MIND, SINCE THE TRACK IS DEDICATED TO A FORMER GIRLFRIEND OF MINE, WHO IS A VERY GOOD AND GENEROUS PERSON BUT WHO WASTED MOST OF HER LIFE SELF-COMPLAINING AND IDLING INSTEAD OF FIGHTING…AND YES, SOMEONE ONCE WROTE TO ME “YOUR CD IS MASHING MY BRAIN”…!
10) Alien cats, crop circles… another fixation of yours seems to be extraterrestrial life forms. Have you ever been accidentaly kidnapped by flying saucers while they were attempting to steal the Vatican’s dome?
NOT YET BUT I KEEP HOPING…I’M ABSOLUTELY POSITIVE ABOUT THE EXISTENCE, PAST OR PRESENT, OF ALIENS AND I
REALLY WISH THEY’D PICK ME TO VISIT OTHER WORLDS, BUT PLEASE LEAVE THE VATICAN BEHIND, I’VE HAD QUITE ENOUGH OF CATHOLICS!!!!!!!!!
11) And I guess that “Vampyra” is a spy of an everlasting passion for B-Movies and celluloid trash in general. Could you recommend some movies we definitely have NOT to watch? THAT PARTICULAR TRACK HAS BEEN REALISED WITH A FRIEND OF MINE, FABIO MAGNASCIUTTI WHO I’D LIKE TO THANK FOR HIS VARIOUS COLLABORATIONS… …I SEE THAT YOU KNOW ME PRETTY WELL…YEP, B-FLICKS, MONSTERS AND VAMPIRES ARE ANOTHER PASSION OF MINE…IF YOU WANT ME TO SUGGEST A NO-NO OF COURSE IT MUST BE A MAINSTREAM MOVIE, LIKE FOR EXAMPLE “INDEPENDENCE DAY”! BLEAH!
12) Let’s talk about “S.U.T.U.B.”, one of the many new releases planned. What the hell is an unplugged industrial album supposed to sound like?
LIKE NOTHING BEFORE, I HOPE! THE GENIOUS OF CLAUDEDI CAME UP WITH ANOTHER “REVOLUTIONARY” IDEA: A SERIES OF TOTALLY UNPLUGGED, ACOUSTIC ALBUMS BY SOME INDUSTRIAL ARTISTS, USUALLY DEVOTED TO ELECTRONICS AND EFFECTS…IT TOOK ME UNFATHOMABLE EFFORT TO ACCOMPLISH SUCH A CHALLENGING MISSION BUT I’M VERY HAPPY WITH THE FINAL RESULT! I REALLY THINK WE DID SOMETHING WHICH IS ONE OF A KIND! I SAID “WE” BECAUSE MANY ARTISTS GAVE THEIR CONTRIBUTION, INCLUDING NOVY SVET AND THE ABSOLUTELY FABOLOUS SINGER, ANNA CONSUELO, WHO GAVE HER MAGIC TOUCH TO THE WHOLE WORK…SO NO PROCESSING, NO EFFECTS, NO ELECTRONICS BESIDES EDITING HAVE BEEN USED…IT WAS REALLY HARD BUT WE MADE IT! AND THE ALBUM IS DUE ANYTIME NOW SO KEEP A SHARP EYE ON MAILING LISTS AND CATALOGS…;-)
13) What other crazy compendia of horrible sounds are you putting together? Any other release scheduled for the next future?
HOPEFULLY, YES; I MEAN, I HAVE THREE MORE ALBUMS ALREADY COMPLETED WHICH SHOULD BE OUT IN THE NEAR FUTURE, DEPENDING ON THE LABELS: CHONDRITIC SOUNDS IN THE USA, WHITE RABBIT IN GERMANY AND AUDIOBOT IN BELGIUM… THEN A TOTALLY NEW CONCEPT WORK ON GOETHE WITH A LOT OF INTERNATIONAL BANDS INVOLVED IS GOING TO KEEP ME BUSY FOR THE NEXT YEAR OR SO…
14) What about DBPIT on stage? Any new plans? The only performance I witnessed, back in 2003 at the Modulor Festival in Italy, was actually outstanding. You were assisted by two other sonic maniacs, Lendormin. What are they doing these days?
LENDORMIN HAVE JUST FINISHED THE FINAL EDITING OF THEIR FIST FULL-LENGHT ALBUM, A TRIBUTE TO GEORGE ROMERO’S ZOMBIE TRILOGY! NEEDLESS TO SAY, DBPIT IS ON IT, TOO…AS FOR LIVES, I’M PROBABLY PLAYING IN WETZLAR, GERMANY, NOVEMBER 5TH AND MAYBE IN BOLOGNA SOME DAYS BEFORE; I DON’T PLAY LIVE VERY OFTEN AND I ALWAYS TRY AND BE ACCOMPANIED BY SOME MORE MUSICIAN AND VIDEOS BECAUSE I THINK PEOPLE GET BORED IF THEY JUST SEE ONE GUY MEDDLING WITH A TRUMPET OVER PRE-RECORDED BASIS; I LOVE BEING ON STAGE BUT IT’S QUITE A STRESS, I GET VERY NERVOUS…LUCKYLY CLUBS ARE ALWAYS DIM-LIT SO IT DOESN’T SHOW!! )
15) The last word is for you!
ACH, THAT’S GOING TO BE DIFFICULT…I’LL TRY AND SEND OUT A MESSAGE OF FRIENDSHIP, LIKE, THERE IS TOO MUCH EVIL AND HUMBUG AND JEALOUSY EVEN AMONG US, WHO LIVE IN A SMALL, UNDERGROUND NICHE…LET’S LEAVE THESE TO THE PEOPLE “OUTSIDE” AND STICK TOGETHER TO BUILD A BETTER (OR MAYBE WORSE, DEPENDING ON WHICH SIDE YOU ARE ON) WORLD!
THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR INTEREST AND PATIENCE AND STAY (DE)TUNED WITH DBPIT AND VISIT www.derbekannte.com
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interviewers: patrick ewering & christian gotze issued in german on black magazine – spring 2003
1-The recordings to the “Eleven”- album took place with the “well-known team” consisting of Raffaelle , Claudio, Marco …. Can you say something how the recordings have developed? Where has it been?
First of all I’d like to thank you and your mag for being interested in my work – you know I kind of owe my nickname to black magazine, don’t you?
As “eleven” marks the beginning of DBPIT’s solo adventure I’m particularly glad you asked this question: I had been playing with Mushroom’s Patience, and always been a big fan of ain soph and close friends with claudedi…so, one night after rehearsing for a muspat gig, claudedi and raffaele cerroni sort of told me: “why, flavio, don’t you know…there’s something weird and fascinating in your playing…you really should try and do a solo album…we can help you if you wish…”.
So they sparkled my enthusiasm and opened the door to a new, magic world to me! So “eleven” was going to be born, recorded partly at home on my pc and partly at raffaele’s, who put his experience and equipment to my service …then many friends partecipated in this project: marco deplano, juergen weber, ulla tost, my very son…a great work, I think! I really owe raffaele and claudedi a lot!
2- I got the impression that you use a lot of natural sound elements and sound sources like singing birds for your composition. Can you specify a little bit about the other natural sound sources?
Oh, you’ve got a very keen ear!! Hardly anybody recognised it’s animal sounds and calls! Yes, I love strange animals’ sounds…often one can’t imagine how strange can a natural sound be! And mostly I didn’t even process them! I bought this “weird sounds” tape in London many years ago, recorded it on my pc and hey presto! a whole lot of queer samples ready to use! But in a song from my second work (“total lack of vital energy”, in the 4-lp box set “noi e il mondo”) I used the true voice of one of my cats…that was easy, they always wail when begging for food!
I also have a number of “home made” junk-instruments…a chair-o-phone, a hand-washing machine filled with nuts…but they do need a lot of computer-processing !!!
Sometimes I mixed common sounds into a song to render the “metropolitan” atmosphere we live in…drills, creaking doors, toilet flush…it’s generally annoying or creepy sounds, something you’d hate or turn your head from…such as the dentist’s drill!!!
Yes, and of course Therese the vespa has been present…a special relation?
oh, yes indeed!!! that’s the actual sound of my poor old “vespa”, that I used to own for over 20 years…then, due to italian codes and…rust, I decided to give it in, but not before paying the last respect to it!!! now I have one of those modern jap scooters, but it’s not half as charming!!!
3-Do you develop a concept before you start the play-in? Or do a lot of things happen in an “automatic” way? Mmmhhh…y’know…they said my music follows no rules, no arrangements…so is my thinking: at times it’s a concept behind a song (i.e. “psycho gate” or the “book of thoth”), other times is a sounds that recalls a memory or gives life to a thought
4-Can you tell the story (again) about the song “Memories Of Vienna vol. 1″ ? You had a little cold there and needed some “Nasenspray”….?
ah, yes, funny, isn’t it?!? It was my first visit to wien, I was with claudedi and raffaele, juergen and ulla (novy svet) and I had such a bad cold…so I started drinkin’ and drinkin’ and drinkin’…my head went numb…and, yes, I badly needed a nasenspray…well, I just can’t remember the details but I recall they tried to teach me some german, a few words I noted down on a pad…then they became the lyrics for memories of vienna!!! Actually, there is a m.o.v./vol. 2 , still unreleased… same words, even different versions!
Some plans on which kind of “sound carrier” you will release it. Or which label will release it?-
I’m currently in contact with three labels: misty circles, nekofushakta and white rabbit; don’t know which will publish a new work of mine first, yet…but before that there’s a split scheduled…surprise!!!
5-Do I recognize an ABBA-Sample in the song “Kradumarrich”? If I’m right,did you have a special idea behind the usage? Is there a secret enthusiasm for this Swedish group? You’re right, it’s abba…I used to love them as a child…I remember seeing those long-legged, blonde-haired women like goddesses…one of the few pop-bands I liked ! so nothing really special with using that sample…it’s kind of a…tribute!
6- Could you briefly give us an overview of your musical career? In which projects are you currently involved? ok, I’ll try…stop me if I make it too long…you know, after several years of partecipations side by side with the most relevant members of Roman underground scene, including the mysterious claudedi’s side-project “the silent pistols”, I set off for an entirely new adventure when, in the year 2K, the leader of the sperimental/post-industrial band “mushroom’s patience”, raffaele cerroni, summoned me to record my strangely-tuned trumpet in a couple of tracks for his forthcoming album “roma-wien” that soon became a smash hit; in “the spirit of the mountain”, next mushroom’s patience’s work published by “hau ruck!”, my trumpet is much more present ; I played live with mushroom’s at sonica (roma, nov 2001), mind’rron (massafra –TA, feb 2002) and twice at the monastery (wien, may and nov 2002) in may 2002 misty cirles produced my first solo attempt: “eleven”, that soon gained pretty positive reviews on a number of magazines as well as on many websites. my track “little starman” appears in the French compilation “songs for Landeric” (cynfeirdd – sept 2002); when the box “ Noi E Il Mondo” was officially presented at the sonica- roma, nov 15, 2002 , I played live two unreleased songs, with the precious help of the performer gervy costa and the always present raffaele cerroni on the bass; during the same night, I joined novy svet on stage for a couple of songs and such collaboration was to be again 4 days later in bologna (stile libero). I participated in the 2nd Italian postindustrial congress ( siddharta – prato – jan 4, 2003), playing in an uncanny pig-disguise with the band of adriano vincenti, “macelleria mobile di mezzanotte”, with whom I played again in roma…well, I guess I’m in the line-up of that band, too, now! very different from mushroom’s…more violence, less music…
7- Would you like to express a certain attitude towards life or at least a certain view on things? If this is so, which is it? well, my view of life is a quite disillusioned one…I’ve had a lot of bad experiences and I’m inclined to distrusting almost everybody… maybe I’m kind of trying to take my revenge on human kind by dispensing my music…
8- Which concept stands behind the “Noi E Il Mondo”-Box? In which way did you try to achieve this goal? NEIM is a sort of celebration of the friendship that links Novy Svet and some roman bands; Juergen Weber is indeed a good friend and my first fan so he involved me in this great, limited production…my LP (total lack of vital energy) is a collection of strange tracks, perhaps more pondered upon than the ones in “eleven”…there are two that deals with my great passion: mysterious civilizations such as the Egyptians and the pre-colombian south Americans, one, brainless android, that depicts my idea of Man in the not-so-distant future and one that sums up my hopes: aliens and cats!!!
I would say, the “Noi E Il Mondo” – Box is a critical stock-taking about the international situation in the economical developing world, not only the western world, also the third world and emergent nations. Of course, critical opinions and a dialogue is necessary, but in Germany and some other European countries I got the impression that some left-winged extremists wanna instrumentalize the dissatisfaction for their political goals. If I see the red flags with “hammer and sickle” and that makes my stomach aching. What do you think about this topic? at the eve of a very dangerous new war, this is a very important question…although as DBPIT I choose not to convey any particular political idea, I must say I never trusted politicians (if you listen very carefully to “the invasion of the human-men” in “eleven”, you’ll find this concept); in Italy we’ve had left, right and centre goverment and nothing really changed…it seems to me that they wear a colour only to get to the power than work for their own profit…and of course there’s strumentalization, just think of illegal immigration…don’t you think they could stop it if they could? but it sure serves someone’s, hidden purposes…as for the oncoming war, I don’t think there’s good and evil, but only interest, on both sides…and over such issues, strumentalization is obvious; novy svet’s album in noi e il mondo is dedicated to the boy who got accidentally killed by a policeman durin the G8 in genoa: that caused a loud uproar, but apart from that, can you just imagine how much strumentalization there was in Italy over that fact? that guy has become a symbol, an idol…an instrument, when he was just another unlucky fellow who was (perhaps) trying to kill someone else and was there as a puppet moved from behind…I don’t like Italian goverment but I don’t like left-wingers, too!
9- For the Cynfeirrd-Compilation “Songs for Landeric” you also contributed a “childrens-song”. Could you remember own experiences with children for this? I’m trying to break my son of 10, Francesco (“pusio kranio” in the credits of “eleven”), to creative kinds of music…unfortunately, his mother is giving him a very classical education…but who knows, maybe one day he’ll pierce her ears with the most weird sounds!!! and there’s a piano sample of his in my song for landeric…ah, if his mother knew !!! (no, we are not on good terms!)
10- Would you share your five last bought records with us? Additionally we would like to know which was your last visited museum in Rome?! 
sure, just a couple of days ago I bought “meet the residents” to replace the old tape I had! lately I got hold of “automating” by nurse with wound (wonderful!!!) , “la folie verte” by Blood Axis & LJDLP, ain soph’s “oktober” (even though I didn’t actually buy it, I had it from the great claudedi) and “Towards The Event Horizon” by jack or jive, a band I got to know thanks to their extremely nice German producer kimsonJa;
as for museums, roma is pretty poor! I mean, there are lots but very old, bad kept and with too little notes…anyway I went once again to the Etruscan museum a couple of months ago and to the impressionists exhibition earlier on…I never saw germany’s yet (but my last visit made me want to see more!!!), but if I want a museum I go to England…
11- What are your plans for the future? as for music, I’m working at my new album, and if some practical problems will be taken care of, I hope it will be out by the end of this year… besides, since they have demands, Misty Circles are going to re-release “eleven” with a different cover; then I expect more live acts with mushroom’s and novy svet; as for other aspects of life, better make no plans…
12- Any last words? well, yes: “meow” !!!
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unreleased interview by shaun hamilton – 19.07.2003
(1). Tell us about yourself, your background, your thoughts (for those of us outside of there) on Italy, and anything else you think is of importance.
before venturing into answering this somewhat challenging deluge of questions, let me thank you and our (hopefully) many readers for your interest; ok, now I’ll breathe deeply…and off we go! after several years of partecipations side by side with the most relevant members of Roman underground scene, I set off for an entirely new adventure when, in the year 2K, the leader of the sperimental/post-industrial band “Mushroom’s Patience”, Raffaele Cerroni, summoned me to record my strangely-tuned trumpet in a couple of tracks for his forthcoming album “Roma-Wien” (Oktagon/Misty Circles) , soon to become a smash hit.. before that I used to recite poetry in clubs and pubs as well as helping friends in performances and had some theatrical experiences; the poetry-years were very intense and fulfilling as there was a bunch of insane chaps eager to vomit their own creations onto an object-throwing audience… great days; we still do some reading nowadays, but they are few and far between; needless to say, we wrote our own poems, although a coupla times we read beat generation’s poets’ works… I’ve used some of my old poems as lyrics for DBPIT, too… back to music, I started playing when an alien spaceship abducted me…I woke up on a steel stretcher…there were flashing blue lights all around me and these humanoids with a large, bald head muttering something in an unknown language…then they set me free not without embedding some mysterious chip in my brain to force me wander the Earth spreading their message by means of my music…er, well, you don’t buy this, do you? actually it’s a r’n'r band, the Sentinels, who are responsible fot the outcome of my musical adventure…they gave me a trumpet as a birthday present, saying: “learn to play it then join the band!” after one week, without having the least idea of how to get a proper note ot of that brass thing yet, I was on stage in front of a very large saturday-night crowd which soon became wild and wanted to beat the hell out of us…we made a narrow escape through the back door…oh, my! maybe that was the music-gods sending down a message: “give it up!!!!” in spite of such a sign, I kept on playing but somehow I felt incomplete…The Sentinels are fun but they are so inconsistent and badly organized that in 20 years or so, they didn’t record anything! when Raffaele asked me to play for Mushroom’s Patience I immediately felt I was on the right track! I owe so much to him and ClauDEDI from Ain Soph; they and Juergen Weber (Novy Svet) prompted me to venture into a solo production: thus “Eleven” was born, an Ep in very limited edition of 111 copies produced by Misty Circles. ”Eleven” recalls a personally cabalistic number which has an eerie, almost magical recurrence in my life (hence the number of the copies, too…) and is a crazy combination of the sounds of the mental chaos (marasma mentale) i.e. detuned trumpet, exotic animal calls, human laments, self-built and electronic equipment, to which the very ClauDEDI and Raffaele Cerroni gave their personal contribution as well as other well known artists, namely Novy Svet, Marco Deplano, Richard Benson and more.
After that DBPIT was internationally recognized as a new entity on the (post) industrial scene…whatever the term “post-industrial” could mean…! I played live with Mushroom’s Patience twice in Italy and twice in Wien, including the 1st hau ruck! Festival, and in Germany (Glauchau, may 2003); I also played live in Roma, dec 2002 at the “Noi e il Mondo” release party both as DBPIT solo, and as a guest of Novy Svet, and again with Novy Svet, in Bologna two days later, and in Wien at the Klanggalerie festival (may 2003). Since jan, 2003, I’m also in the line-up of a up and coming Italian noise band: Macelleria Mobile di Mezzanotte. I was recently flanked by a duo of Roman improvisers, the Lendormin, who I really get on greatly with!
…but guess this will be more thoroughly dealt with later on…
all in all, I haven’t been on the scene since long, but I do hope I’m here to stay, as I like it a lot!
as for my opinion on Italy, in general…well, guess I’d best keep mum!
(2). From the bio I read on you, you played trumpet for a group called Mushroom’s Patience. What is the story of this group and is it still active today?
well, guess I’ve already partially answered this one…let me make it clearer, Mushroom’s Patience is Raffaele Cerroni’s band and it features also Juergen Weber (vocals) and ClauDEDI (sampler); I’m his trumpet player, that’s not a project of mine; Raffaele is a musical genius, and an all-round artist…pretty much ill-tempered, as only a true artist can be, too! with different line-ups and embracing different styles, the band have been playing for some 20 years and still counting…! backed by HauRuck, it’s more active than ever!
(3). Where and when did you start to play trumpet? Did you receive training in a school band?
ok, now u already know how it all started…as for training, I did attend a music school, but soon became a dropout! I kept on going to my teacher’s for a while, till he kind of told me “let’s face it, Flavio: u’re hopeless! stop wasting your money on lessons, let’s go have a beer and just…be friends! no hard feelings!!!” so my musical education was not exactly an academic one! but I guess technique isn’t all that important, as in any other form of art…I’ve known a great number of very good players, technically speaking, who I’d never call “artists”…
(4). Do you play number tablature on the trumpet (if there is such a thing, I’m not really sure) or do you use classical tablature? Or do you improvise like, say, Louie Armstrong?
…mmmhhhh…quite a technical question…well, y’know, fingering on the trumpet’s keys is not like on the guitar’s or the keyboard’s, you have to match the right key-combination with your lips’ tension…and keep your finger crossed! I do improvise a lot, anyway, it’s kind of liberating…usually I start playing a tune or a scale then take a totally different direction…I try to hone a sound to its most extreme conclusion!
(5). Do you have any jazz influence behind your music and your trumpet playing? If so, what are some of the jazz musicians you look up to?
no, not really; apart from the usual Davis, Armstrong etc..I know very little about jazz…the most jazz-like stuff I used to listen to was the Italian swinger Sergio Caputo…I used to like him mostly for his absolutely crazy lyrics, though!
(6). Do you play any of the related instruments such as saxophone or tuba?
of course not! I’ve just about enough trouble with my trumpet! but I play a range of self-made “things” such as sound hoses, pipes, miked household items, broken dolls and the like…
(7). On the song, “Psycho Gate”, is that voice talking a sampled one, or is it a natural voice?
that song is the second of a three-track suite dedicated to the lunatics…the terrible voice you hear is my own, (guess we’re all addicted to feeding our own ego…) quoting some threat I received from my former wife…
(8). What kind of effects/treatment did you use on the voice to give it that fade and echo effect? …a fade and an echo effect! ok, sorry about that…I mainly use a lexicon fx machine to process all my sounds; just can’t remember which fx I used for that particular song…why, I think I’ll never be able to do twice the same thing!
(9). How and why did you get the name “Der Bekannte Post-Industrielle Photographer?” ah, that was but a self-appointed nick I used in a newsletter after Cynfeirrd put two shots of mine in a cd booklet…
(10). Do you do any photography on the side? If so, do you use it ever in your album art? I’ve always been into photography, I just love it! all my office walls are covered with photos I took and I relish upon people’s compliments… yep, the covers for “Eleven” feature pics of mine
(11). Are you on a totally solo adventure now or is this just a temporary thing? well, I still play for Mushroom’s Patience and Macelleria Mobile di Mezzanotte, and have recently started this new collaboration with Lendormin; besides, DBPIT is my solo project which I do hope will lead to new publishing deals…I think a personal project, or band, or whatever, is the best way to express oneself; when u play for someone else it’s ok, but in your own songs you can toss in whatever comes from the back of your mind, y’know, sounds, words, love, hate…distress, mainly!
(12). What are some of the differences between the first and second cover of “Eleven”, for those who haven t seen it yet (including me haha)? it’s two different pictures of the same piece of trumpet…actually it’s what remains of the very first trumpet I’ve had, which happened to be destroyed in a fight between me and missus…
(13). Why the decision to redesign it? because the first release had to be a limited edition of 111 pcs…the second needed to be distinguished somehow
(14). Tell us about your collaboration with Lendormin, and about the incident with the childbirth during your rehearsal. ah, the Lendormin are two young guys…great players, they love the Ramones and Zappa and have had a cd published by Wallace records…since they like improvisation, thay asked me to collaborate with them and I was immediately hooked on them! We did two gigs together so far and are planning a new cd… …but we didn’t rehearse in a maternity ward, we didn’t! we happened to be playing for the first time ever together at the same time ClauDEDI’s daughter, Flaminia, was being delivered…poor child, if she only knew…!
(15). You mentioned having a very limited edition CD dedicated to the child, Flaminia, and it s birth. Any chances now we ll see this CD in the future, or is it already out of print? ah, yes ,veeeeery limited…a 1-piece, one-track cd-R we gave her as a welcoming present… but what do u know? when we die in a plane crash on our way to the Madison Square Garden, that cd-R quotation will skyrocket and she’ll have plenty to live on !!!!
(16). You recently made a song for a dance compilation mocking dance music. Do you have any reservations towards the club and dance scene out there (I m still odd about the term dance culture, since people have done it since the beginning of time. Haha Indians are a dance culture I suppose)? ”Circolo della Vela” is not a dance compilation at all: it comprises and unites in a common soul a bunch of contemporary Italian artists who have all send their tracks to a mysterious compilator, a mastermind who had contacted them by email…there are neo-folk, industrial, power-noise tracks and also a pop song…I gave them “Bekydance” out of no particular scope; I did that track to mock techno-music but I like clubbing and dancing myself even though I’d rather dance “Dead Souls” than Eminem!
(17). What, if someone dared attempt to dance to that song (“Bekydance”), what would one look like? guess they’d look like agonizing terminal patients struggling against death…
(18). You also were recently involved in a very unique stage show involving a Roman stage and some digital cameras. What was your costume and what got you to join in the fun and insanity? that was the idea of a fellow countryman of yours, Chris Blazen, who put up a 4-night show he called “liveTV”, inviting several guests and filming all the sets…I went on stage with Lendormin and it was fun…one of them, wearing a cock (…the animal, that is…) mask, played a contact-miked bowl of marbles and the other, with a fancy, sweet she-pig mask on his face, played the guitar…I was in the middle with my instrument, wearing a self-made mask (I use a rather lewd pig-head mask for Macelleria Mobile…) with a half-cd stuck on top of it, like a crescent…or a crown, or a rising sun…it’s up to you!
(19). Do you ever experiment with downtuning or detuning your trumpet, or even using things like distortion pedals on it? actually it’s the only way I play…my sound is always filtered through the lexicon and sometimes through a guitar distortion pedal, too…
(20). With all the reissues of your work, including your debut Cd, are there anything like media videos or additional tracks involved? no, no videos nor bonus tracks…so far; but in the future, who knows? we’ve plenty of ugly faces to show you!
(21). In some ways, the sound is similar, at least in principle to another band we love here at ChainDLK, Big Block 454, and it s Krautrock style. Would you say there is any Krautrock or progressive rock influence in your music? …mmmhh, no, I shouldn’t say so…Mushroom’s Patience’s is more progressive-oriented…DBPIT is…alien!
(22). Where did the name Mushroom s Patience come from? well, y’know, Raffaele should answer this, but I know he took the name from an old Japanese tale…
(23). For those who haven t heard the two, what are some differences between Mushroom s Patience and your work solo? although the trumpet is “my” style, the music altogether is totally different; Raffaele’s songs, different from one another as they could be, have, y’know, a structure…a beginning and an end…mine are kind of chaotic – not by chance did I write “It’s the sound of mental chaos” on the inner cover of “Eleven”…and I experiment more…and use less samples! I hate samples! taken from other songs, I mean; otherwise I largely use samples out of my own sounds;
(24). With a lot of bands in this style, many lean towards a Dadaist view on creating music. Is this the case in your work? kind of…I love Dadaism; tossing musical notes up in sky then play them random as they come down to Earth…
(25). With both projects, do you prefer to play more technical or more improvised, esp. when playing live shows? when I play for Mushroom’s I’m bound to the structure of the track; DBPIT usually starts off with a tune then is up to the mood of the moment!
(26). Which would be the case when you re playing something very spur of the moment like the stage show in Rome involving the animal costumes? wearing strange disguises doesn’t mean there’s no planning…we rehearsed the gig, even though we were perfectly aware it wouldn’t turn out as we prepared it!
(27). What are some of your musical influences (as in bands)? I’ve listened to all kind of music, most of which I now disregard… In the experimental line, I love The Residents, Tuxedo Moon, Nurse With Wound, Einsturzende Neubaten, C.O.Caspar…I like 80′s Techno-Pop, Dark, even classic Rock, Rock’n'Roll, Garage Rock and Blues…I’m a big fan of the Blues Brothers, as you know, and of The Fleshtones…I think I’ve been influenced by each and every band I’ve listened to, somehow…but mark my words, “influenced” doesn’t mean I try to be their way at all! I believe uniqueness in art is everything!!!
(28). What are some of your inspirations outside the musical realm? mainly the people I deal with…and the hate I feel for them! hate is even better then love at inspiring art forms!
(29). With the term post-industrial always lumped on your head (for whatever reason) by magazines and such, do you ever get lumped in with groups who are actually post industrial, like Cabaret Voltaire or Einsterzande Neubauten? oh, well, I dunno…guess I’d just lump it if it ever occurred! and with pleasure!
(30). Tell us a bit about your involvement with The Silent Pistols, which was one of your first adventures into music. in the beginning the Pistols were a ghost band…they issued three…”works” (namely a blank 12″ vinyl, an empty 7″ sleeve and a telephone directory) just to puzzle critics and mags…anyone could be a Pistol and the Pistols were no-one…then, some 10 years ago, we did a couple of gigs playing evey sort of junk…at the time I wrote a lyric, “I went Home”, I’ve used for my second solo work:”Total Lack of Vital Energy” (in “Noi e il Mondo” – Nekofutschata 2002) then the Great ClauDEDI thought the time was ripe for a new blitz of the Pistols and we played live on the net on march, 3rd, 2003 (=3.3.03); maybe a live cd will be issued…
(31). Could we ever see you collaborate with them again in the future? of course! april, 4th, 2004! (=4.4.2004) (32). I read somewhere too where you are rumored to be involved in a band with Adriano Vicenti. Is this one still functioning and are you still part/ever were a part of it? yeah, as I’ve mentioned it before, it’s the Macelleria Mobile di Mezzanotte…a noise band that makes large use of sampling…actually it’s not my cup of tea, but I like the settings and its live acts…Adriano turns very violent on stage and as he shouts out loud his deranged lyrics about serial killers and I blast in my trumpet wearing the uncanny swine mask, we mime rude sex and beatings…guess the audience like to see the show!
(33). You also stated that you have an interest in Ancient Egyptian civilizations and pre-Colombian South America. Any chances of seeing these musical elements, such as Egyptian war rhythms (ala Nile, the death metal band, or Muslimgauze) or Samba involved in your music? samba? please…the only part of samba I like is the bottoms of the dancing girls… I’m very much into archeology, though, and have read a whole lot of astonishing things about lost civilizations…I wish academics would open their eyes and come to terms with the fact ours is not the FIRST human race to walk on Earth…ah, the stupid things we’ve been taught in schools!
(34). You recently appeared on a comp from death-folkers Der BlutHarsch, and some of the songs such as “Little Starman” have that neo-folk appeal to them (among many different feels and elements of your music). Have you had any success in that scene and what has the reaction been? guess there is a bit of confusion here…DBPIT has never been in herr Julius’ roster: he produces Mushroom’s Patience and they are also in the tribute-compilation “Fire Danger Season”, yes, but I’m not Mushroom’s Patience…my track “Little Starman” appears in the Cynfeirrd compilation “Songs for Landeric”, dedicated to the newborn child of Alex’s. that’s a great 2-cd work comprising Novy Svet, Tony Wakeford, Kirlian Camera to name but a few…I’m really happy with that partecipation…
(35). If given all the money you want for your dream show, what would it be like? And where/why would you choose this location? …that’s interesting…what say under a crystal dome on Mars, televised all over the galaxy?!? and there would be green-skinned alien dancers all around and shooting stars and rockets up in the sky… why? maybe deranged nerve cells…
(36). This type of music is very rarely scene in a place like Italy . What was the reaction to it at first from the Italian public? generally speaking, pretty poor…I do have had some very positive reactions but I think Italy is the real arsehole of the Earth as for art…wanne be successful in Roma? put up a U2-tribute-band, then!
(37). Have you gotten to take your act outside of Central Europe, into places such as Portugal or Britain? no, but I’d love to…
(38). What impact does Italy have on your song writing process? little, if any…
(39). You also work as a dentist during the day, from what I read. Does the screaming and moaning of patients inspire some of your love for noise and melodies? yep, dentistry is what I’m forced to practice to make a living…and, sure, the common noises I put up with every day are part of my…musical background! people moan and I moan…
(40). With the animal calls on the CD, do you take these directly from the sources (the animals) or is it just synthesized? the cats are my companions, yes; the other animals, well, no I’ve never been able to record the call of a Tasmanian Devil or a Whale, even though I’d love to; but they’re not synthetized, either, is real calls on tape or cd
(41). I read in one of the readings you gave me that there are self made instruments in the band. What are some of these instruments? some of them I’ve already told u about; then there’s an old hand-operated washing machine I filled with hazelnuts, a car brake disc, the half-trumpet…then there’s my father’s very old, totally detuned wall-piano…it makes so weird notes!
(42). With the dentist element, ever thought of incorporating drills and dental equipment into the sound of the CD? done, already
(43). In the studio, do you play everything, with the samples and such, all at once or do you tend to layer the effects? having only a couple of hands and one mouth I do layer tracks; I use a multitrack software and a pc…
(44). Do you use a tape machine or laptop for samples live, or do you tend to do without the samples? it’s usually a cd with bases; no pc on stage, I don’t like it at all!
(45). Do you ever do improvisation and just completely change the song when playing it live? rather…
(46). Any consideration in doing soundtrack work, such as to an Italian horror film? it’d be terrific! but I think Italian horror flicks are long time dead…
(47). Would you say your music has that Italian feel of love and poetry to it (well, that s the interpretation we in America get), or kind of countering to that feel? …Italy, mandolino, pizza, mamma…no,no, my poetry is more like Bukowsky’s…as for love, what is it, anyway?
(48). You also did a compilation where you were to take two pictures of landscapes in Europe and a song. What ones did you choose and why? again a bit of confusion…no songs of mine in that cd, and it’s not even a compilation but a cd by “Hide and Seek”, called “European Landscapes” (Cynfeirrd); the artwork is made out a dozen images sent in by various artists, including 2 of mine I took in London and Stonehenge
(49). What are some of your favorite films, by the way? I simply love weird flicks, the stranger, the better…Troma’s are great! and Meyer’s, Waters’ and all the sci-fi and horror B-movies, including Italian ones
(50). If given a chance to do music completely by itself, would you give up dentistry? Y.E.S.! by all means!
(51). Given your stance on marriage, would you ever play music at a wedding if given the chance, if just to play in an elaborate setting? …perhaps with a machine-gun!
(53). You showed me a part in an interview where you are teaching your son to follow in your footsteps of playing music. How is that coming along? hard task! he lives with his mother and he’s being given a strictly classical education…like in times of old, piano lessons are part of one’s upbringing…he’s attending them but shows no particular interest in music…that doesn’t mean he’s hopeless, though; he’s only 10!
(54). If you were to compose your dream song anywhere in the world (for sense of atmosphere), where would you compose it and why? at home, alone in my studio…maybe that doesn’t sound original, but that’s the way it is…I keep collecting ideas when I’m out but is back home I feel at ease, sheltered from the world outside, and can concentrate on my doings
(55). Any plans to tour America or get distribution over here for your works? plans no, hope, yes! I love America and would very pleased with distribution over there; so, American labels, take your chance with DBPIT: my music is here for the taking!
(56). OK, couple of funny ones before we go, since I ve broken your back with all these questions …………. Why should marriage be outlawed, according to you?
marriage is but a contract…taken out on the grounds of…feelings!!!
when you take out any contract with a business partner or whatever, if u’re not dumb, u read the fine print and think twice before signing…when you walk down the aisle to get tied to a person whose smile had mesmerized you, you don’t have the least idea of what can befall you and how long that smile will be that charming…yet you sign that darn paper…and you’re done in!
marriage could work in times of old, when it basically was a practical pact: me hunt and bring home the bacon and go chasing women all around for the pleasure of it, you raise kidz and keep the house… no feelings involved!
(57). Chicago deep-dish pizza or real Italian pizza, which is better? And would you take the pizza over marriage? pizza is one of the major breakthrough of mankind! no need to argue which is best, but it’s definitely better than marriage:when u crave one u have delivered to your front door, eat as much as you want of it, pay a reasonable sum for it and don’t even have to say “thank you” !!!
(58). Ok, you are in a sax versus trumpet war with Kenny G to the death. How would you vanquish such a bastian of suck? I’d put a sock in his instrument!
(59). What are some of your plans for the future? as for live shows, I’m going to play in a big festival in Italy next september; as for production, I’m expecting two vinyls to be issued by an Austrian and a German label, but I won’t spill the beans now…then me and the Lendormin are going to record a cd together..I’ve a concept in mind, a story, I’m already writing the lyrics…that’ll involve several partecipations, a huge work!
(60). Anything else before we go? stay tuned for more “Mental Chaos” !!!! (61). Thanks for your time, patience, music and the interview! I think the word is “grazie”, isn’t it? If that means something bad I didn’t say it! Haha. again, thank you for your interest!
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interview released in german on Equinoxe n°25, november 2004
The name of your project is unique. Nobody is ever going to forget (or remember it). I think I’ve read somewhere that somebody gave you that name. Is that true and what can you tell us about the origin of the name?
let me start by thanking you and your magazine for the interest in DBPIT’s detuned world!
actually I derived my name from an interview Mushroom’s Patience gave to Black Magazine some three years ago…I translated it from Italian into English and the editor into German…when I read it I found it sounded awsome! and kind of …ironic, starting out a new project already called “der Bekannte…”!
Flavio, you contribute to many different projects. Can you tell our readers something about them and also tell them what your role in these projects is?
in fact, my adventure in the industrial music world started as a collaboration with Mushroom’s Patience; I learned a lot by working for Raffaele, he’s a genious…he gave me a free hand as for the trumpet role in his songs as well as suggesting I should also do my own things…which I did! a number of other collaboration soon followed: the electro-improvisers Lendormin, the beloved Novy Svet, the power-noise project of Adriano Vincenti’s, Macelleria Mobile di Mezzanotte, the French 47-Ashes, the neo-folk Calle della Morte and lately the nice industrial duo 900Staube and Thulesehnsucht…I guess it’s interesting to notice these projects are totally different from each other, sometimes they even belong to different scenes, yet I think I manage to join them all with the same great pleasure…
What is for you the main difference between working with/for others and doing your very own work?
well, being your own boss it’s obviously better…meaning, even if I can use Lendormin’s Cristiano’s help in editing (he’s much more patient than me…), I decide what to do and how to do it; I want the track I’m doing to convey my own feelings and ideas…whereas when you do something for another musician, you should consider what he wants…that can be challenging, and rewarding, too!
How do you get your ideas? Do you wait until you are inspired or do you work within a certain time frame where there has to be a result at the end?
you can’t do nothing without inspiration…at times there are deadlines, which is good so you don’t fuck around, but I need an idea to work on…luckily, this wretched world doesn’t spare hints!
You belonng to this so-called axis Vienna-Rome. In interviews all of you (Ain Soph, Mushroom`s Patience, Novy Svet etc.) emphasize that you have a lot of common musical interest and that you are also friends. How do those aspects influence you musically? What is characteristic of your friendship and what do you yourself get out of it?
I guess the so-called axis has changed a lot during the past few months, but I won’t be looking deeper into this matter… what is left for me is a great experience, good friends and the urge of trying and be as “international” as possible…I wish underground culture people would be more united and willing to cooperate with each other, making a common front against ignorance and cheap tv-related culture that only wants to create braindead dummies…I really believe “we” have something to show the world, something that has nothing to do with talent and money…
Your main instrument (as the name of your project already indicates) is the trumpet. Something that is not necessarily typical of the subculture that you work in. What is so fascinating about that instrument?
…that, as you said, it is not necessarily typical of the subculture I work in…!
When you started playing the trumpet, was it that you started rather conventionally and later became interested in more avant-garde types of music?
yes, kind of…I mean, I took lessons from a very good jazz player and started out playing in a very funny r’n'r band, which I still love, but I soon discovered that that was not my way…I had no space, no chance to “create”, and maybe not enough talent, but I think ideas mean more than talent…
Are you interested in (free)jazz?
…most of the times I find it very boring…needless to say, I like musicians like john zorne or james cahnce, but can that be called jazz?!?
We have read that you have treated/prepared your trumpet in a special way. Is this true and if yes can you tell us something more about it?
not really; I mean, I never play the trumpet “dry”, I always connect the mic to an effect machine or two…and recently, I tried playing other self-made “instruments” like a cheese grinder, a hand-washing machine, a car brake disc and parts of a broken trumpet…that’s fun! and I make a point in never using samples from someone else’s works, nor computer-generated sounds; I only process and work on sounds I make or record…
In recent time one gets the impression that Italian projects (e. g. Mushroom`s Patience, Spiritual Front etc.) attract the attention of a growing number of listeners. Would you say that there are quite a lot of people and how do you explain that development?
well, Italian projects have been riding the waves for years, Ain Soph to name but one, and finally they gained a deserved better recognition, drew a larger audience…even though it seems to me they are generally better considered abroad; maybe Italy is not yet ready for something you can’t dance with…!
What can you tell us about the new releases (“The outstanding story…” etc.)?
two new albums have been released in 2004; “TrompoZmo”, on Butcher’s House/Gattoalieno recs. is a compilation of DBPIT’s early tracks and a couple of songs previously included in the vinyl “Noi e il Mondo”; on the other hand, “The Outstanding Story of mr. Mallory” is a concept album; I spent a lot of time on it and I love it very much; it tells the story of a left-handed, average man who, like in the comic books of the 70′s, gets “superpowers” out of a nuclear blast; only, these powers don’t help him a bit and make him suffer solitude and lack of love even more…could say I was inspired by my own situation, like to say I felt like an alien, unfit for this world…as for the music, I had a number of friends to participate, above all the Lendormin, Marco Deplano and KimsonJa; in the album, I play a leit-motif that kind of links all the songs in a single stream of consciousness…I think we did a very good job!
How strongly do the books you read influence your music?
well, guess everything one reads, hears or sees becomes part of him, somehow; but I never wrote a song on a particular book, even though a couple of them were actually inspired by some mysterious archeology books I read some time ago…and some by comic books, either, as well as monster movies! anyway, I wish I had time to read more…
You earn your money by working as a dentist. We’ve heard that you don’t like your job that much. Would you like to comment on it?
yep, wish DBPIT would sell 1.000.000 copies and I could quit tooth-drilling!
Are music and your work two diametrically opposed spheres or do they sometimes overlap (e. g. do you sometimes soothe/torture (depends on the eye of the beholder) your patients with your music?
well, actually I tried playing my cds while working, a couple of times…I had the most queer comments, like “are they killing someone in the other room?” or “nice music, doc, is it arabian?”…so I gave it up! but I did record some of my torture-instruments, especially for my first album, “Eleven”! so part of my everyday life do overlap with my music side!
In an interview you once said that your attitude towards life is one of disillusionment. What disillusions you?
almost anything…most of all I despise ignorance, which has nothing to do with the amount of “data” you can store in your brain, it is more…intellectual; it’s wasting one’s life I mean, ignorance that leads to violence and slavery and to everybody doing and liking the same things; I see so many wasted youths around, and that makes me really sad…I think, like I wrote in the “Noi e il Mondo” sleeve notes, that the world is verging on it’s end…even though wars, violence and economic interests are no new feature, it seems to me that never before have they been so meaningless and dangerous…
When are you going to play in Germany and will we see you storming a pub in Sachsenhausen to drink some cider?
hey, I’d love that! I love Germany… hope I will play there some day, but can’t tell you more for the time being… but, apfelwein or beer for me, bitte!
What can we expect from the future? Is there any collaboration in the pipeline? the one with Lendormin is there to stay; so is the one with M.M.M., I guess, and with Thulesehnsucht we just started…I’m expecting to do a split with Marco Deplano and Totenlieder… I’d love to collaborate with more foreign artists, too! and my dream is to drag my girlfriend into this; she’s a damn good opera singer and we already thought of something…but that would be telling!