‘Click Interview’ with Sun’s Spectrum: ‘Our Sources Of Inspiration Range From Dystopian Novels To Detroit Techno’
Sun’s Spectrum is an Italian duo set up in 2016 by Livio Caenazzo and Daniele Iannacone. After having self-released their debut album they next got signed on Final Muzik unleashing at the end of 2020 their new album “Don’t Chase The Light”. The work features a selection of songs from the debut album plus new compositions. The sound is hard to define, definitely open-minded and mixing elements of Cold-Wave together with Techno, Industrial arrangements and even some Acid sequences. It’s an original opus featuring multiple noticeable songs. I got in touch with the band to get more info about their work and sound.
(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)
Q: How did Sun’s Spectrum saw the daylight and what kind of band and sound did you had in mind?
Sun’s Spectrum: The project was born in 2016 after an almost casual meeting. From the first minutes after we met, we immediately realized that we could have a very fruitful exchange of ideas for both of us. A few days later we started working together on a track that Daniele had sketched, without really intending to form a band. The idea was to produce something interesting, Dark-Wave melodies with the attention to detail of the finest Electronic music.
Q: What can you say about your newest album “Don’t Chase The Light”? What did you keep in mind from the writing-, recording and production process and how do you guys work together?
Sun’s Spectrum: “Don’t Chase The Light” is the natural continuation of our first album. Our intention was to create new songs trying to focus on a sound that makes us recognizable. We usually start from either one’s or the other’s idea, which can be a simple melodic line or a more structured track. Working in solitude is fundamental for each of us, both in the advanced phases of songwriting and in the technical ones, such as mixing. Meeting at least once a week to debate on what has been done and working together in order to produce something that is satisfying for both is crucial and creates a good syntony.
Q: I experienced your album as an offspring between different influences. How do you explain this eclecticism and what does it reveal about potential sources of inspiration?
Sun’s Spectrum: Our sources of inspiration range from dystopian novels to Detroit Techno. Between these two extremes we can include various musical genres in most of which the Electronic component is dominant. While this on the one hand can provide us with many interesting ideas, on the other it risks making us lose our bearings with the result of producing tracks that can be too different from each other. Aware of this fact, we always try to keep the contemporary scene as a reference, in particular artists such as Soft Moon, Trentemøller, Boy Harsher.
Q: I’ve been deeply impressed by the global sound production of the album, which is absolutely high-tech. What are your main criteria and references when it comes to sound production and what does it say about your studio equipment?
Sun’s Spectrum: We strive every day to improve both as a producer and as musicians in the strict sense. This prompts us to be curious about studio production techniques. Fortunately, nowadays there are many easily available resources, books, videos, it is up to the musicians to make the most of them. As for our equipment, when we produce we always try to give priority to the analog hardware we own. In addition to this, the guitar is almost always present in our songs, introducing a ‘human’ element that adds depth to the songs.
Q: I noticed you recently released a video so how do you choose the song for the clip and what did you try to express?
Sun’s Spectrum: The video is the result of our collaboration with the Mold Records label whose guys did a really great job and we are truly grateful for that. “Torch# 1” is probably the most aggressive track among those we produced however we believed it was very suitable for a video clip, because of its atmosphere and its immediacy. We didn’t want to give any constraints to the guys from Mold Records, neither on the subject nor on the style of the video. The product is therefore the result of the emotions that the song has created in them, a free association of images and sounds.
Q: Releasing an album during the ongoing pandemic is not an easy thing. How did you experience the impact of Covid-19 and especially on your artistic work?
Sun’s Spectrum: The album release was planned in Spring 2020, which as we all know was not going to be a good time. It would have been difficult for our label Final Muzik to distribute the CD and for us to promote the record with live gigs. We know that organizing concerts is still extremely difficult, but at least it was possible to launch a good web promotion. During the most difficult period of the pandemic, our production was also slowed down as Daniele found himself at the forefront as a nurse to tackle the problem. However, we managed to release a single, the cover of “Fade To Gray” and to create the basis for what will be the next album, which we can’t wait to let you listen to
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