Engelsstaub interview: ‘Standing still really means going backwards’
More than 30 years ago, the German band Engelsstaub was born. Driven by the creativity of Mark Hofmann and Janusz Zaremba, the group quickly captured the hearts of Ethereal music lovers. Their songs have always been rooted in strong artistic values, complemented by heavenly, feminine vocals that contributed to the band’s stellar reputation.
Over the years, their heavenly productions have seen the light of day, and I dare say they’ve delivered some absolute masterpieces that border on artistic perfection. Engelsstaub has remained active throughout the years, consistently releasing remarkable music.
In the final days of last year, they unveiled their latest opus, “Seelengeleiter”, on Musique Indépendante Noire. This album is described as a return to their roots, while also offering fresh and inspired elements. Ethereal, Neo-Folk, and even touches of pure Chanson blend seamlessly in this beautiful work. In my opinion, it stands as one of the absolute masterpieces of the past year, which led to this interview with Mark and Janusz. (Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)
Q: Five years after “Mater Mortis,” you released the new album “Seelengeleiter” at the end of last year. How did this album come to fruition, and how do you reflect on the entire process of composition and production today?
Mark:The album was created in a time of upheaval. We still had 3 songs left over from the “Mater Mortis” production that didn’t make it onto the album due to time constraints. The plan was to remix the song “Midnight” again and release an EP on which the songs would appear as non-album tracks.
But then came Corona and the lockdown. Everything changed and the future wasn’t really tangible. During the lockdown, I used the time to sift through demos and ideas that had emerged over time.
We also worked on new songs in parallel. In the course of this process, a new album was formed, a mixture of unfinished, older songs and the new songs. The framework of “Lux Et Veritas” dates back to 2012, while “The Lament Of Rusalka” comes from the “Mater Mortis” phase, then titled “Ghostbride”. However, we completely rebuilt the song in terms of the instruments. The composition process was very exciting because we had -and still have- access to many new, wonderful sound libraries. And that, of course, really spurs creativity! In contrast to our early years, it was like night and day.
The production itself was rather an arduous process and took quite some time. When you work intensively with a DAW, you do run into problems at some point. We worked with a total of 4 different DAWs and each revealed its advantages and weaknesses. In addition, there were also problems with stability in connection with plug-ins that were not optimally programmed. So we sorted out some good software over time!
In any case, we were very happy when we were able to finalize the album like this.
Q: The album was clearly inspired by various artistic themes, ranging from the paintings of Böcklin and Hirémy-Hirschl to the poetry of Baudelaire to Slavic Folklore. What is it about these Symbolic and Romantic works that resonates with you, and how did you translate these influences into the music and overall concept of “Seelengeleiter”?
Janusz: At first, only the music was created ‘neutrally’ without a theme, but with its own statement.
The direction and concept was formed when the lyrics for the songs were created, with all the research included. The lyrics are then inspired by these artistic themes, because the art and poetry are a kind of inspiration, just as the different sound libraries inspire the composing. There are images that can be put into words in a very subjective way. The poetry of Baudelaire, Lautréamont and other Surrealists has accompanied us since the first album “Malleus Maleficarum”. These words, removed from the world, are simply fascinating.
The painting “The Isle Of The Dead” by Böcklin -in all its variations- is a classic of its kind. We came across a video that explained and interpreted the painting, which inspired us to write this text. His painting “Der Heilige Hain” (“The Sacred Grove”), which ties in with it and is just as moving, was initially intended as a cover motif. But when we came across Adolf Hirémy-Hirschl’s painting “The Souls On The Acheron” during our research, it was like a revelation and we felt a deep connection to our compositions! We immediately realized that this would be the cover motif. And Hermes as ‘Psychopompos’ aka “Seelengeleiter“….
Once the lyrics were written, we let the compositions sink in and then assigned and adapted the lyrics to the songs.
Q: “Seelengeleiter” is a striking and intriguing title. What message or emotion were you aiming to convey with this choice? Additionally, where would you position this album within the broader context of Engelsstaub’s history and discography?
Mark:We can only agree with that! A simple word, but one that says so much and evokes emotions! All life ends with death. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. In death, all people are the same.
However, it is interesting to see how different cultures deal with it. One characteristic is that finiteness does not take place, but other levels of existence are created for which one is judged and/or categorized. You also have to perform certain services, whether during your lifetime or afterwards.
Conceived by people who cannot or do not want to grasp finiteness. We definitely assign the album to our beginnings up to “Anderswelt“, be it compositionally or lyrically. It’s not for nothing that we advertised it as ‘back to the roots’.
Q: “Seelengeleiter” indeed has been described in some places as a return to your roots, which I can understand to some extent. However, what stands out to me most is its diversity; from Ethereal and Neo-Folk elements to touches of pure Chanson. How do you perceive this work in terms of its influences and the initial vision you had for it? How would you compare “Seelengeleiter” to your previous works?
Janusz:“Seelengeleiter” is a continuation of our early works, we are spinning a common thread. The diversity and new elements stem from the fact that, as Mark said earlier, we had access to a much larger library of sounds and instruments. And of course you can’t ignore the fact that we’ve also evolved over the years, not least due to the advancement of technology and its possibilities. Standing still means going backwards. The final version doesn’t differ much from our original version, it’s been honed over time. Compared to our earlier works: Past V2 meets 202X
Q: It seems that “Seelengeleiter” required considerable time and effort to reach its final form. The use of various instruments, which lend the album its authenticity, and the integration of voices -a key element of your music, must have brought many technical challenges to the production process. Could you elaborate on these aspects? What were the biggest obstacles and rewards during this journey?
Mark:Yes, that’s right. We have a saying here ‘Good things take time’. That sums it up perfectly. As I mentioned before, the technology didn’t always play along as we wanted it to. But we will draw on this experience in future.
It also takes a lot of time to select the right sounds.
Not everything that worked reasonably well in the demo made it into the final mix. However, this only became fully apparent after the relevant tracks had been cleaned up, i.e. after EQ-ing, dynamic processing and placement in the stereo image. There were some parts and instruments that no longer worked as desired. Either we had to search for a replacement sound, which again took time, or the track was simply deactivated.
In the one or other finished percussion loop, individual elements were sometimes too loud or too quiet. We used to have very limited opportunities to intervene. Fortunately, however, there are now helpful tools that allow more targeted interventions. You just have to take the time to choose the right tool.
After the decision to release the album on vinyl, there were other technical aspects that were dictated by the format and had to be taken into account.
Yes, the voices are a key element of the music and give it an identity. And the biggest reward for us was that in the final stages of production we had access to the wonderful recordings of Clara Sorace and Helena Borroni, which took the compositions to a new level. Every voice is different. The challenge was to embed them, as the final element, in the musical context. Normally, the composition process is a little different… The general approach to the production was also different. Thanks to advanced technology and a powerful computer, we recreated an analogue signal flow with plug-ins right from the start: Mixer -PreAmp – Tape – Mixer. This contributed a lot from the acoustic side!
Q: I’ve always associated Engelsstaub with artistic sophistication. What does ‘art’ mean to you personally, and how do you view music as a force or therapy that can help soften the harsh realities of the world?
Janusz:Thank you very much for the praise! It’s important for us to get feedback like this because you don’t really realize something like this in the creative process.
Art is a unique, very individual process that creates something new and leaves a lasting impression. Art can be a way of expressing an opinion.
Mark:Art can create a new level of existence and can take you away from reality. Music is a force that connects, unites people, doesn’t create prejudices and lets you forget your everyday life for a brief moment.
Everyone is different and reacts differently to art. But if we manage to soften the harsh reality of the world for our listeners, we bow our heads in gratitude, have probably done a lot of things right and have an incentive to continue on our chosen path!
Q: Following the release of “Seelengeleiter,” what are your plans for the future?
Janusz:Firstly, we want to reflect on the release phase of “Seelengeleiter”. There were third parties involved who worked somewhat carelessly. Some things could have gone better.
In general, the attitude towards music and its consumption has changed a lot, music is seen as a given, without any real appreciation. We have to position ourselves in this environment.
Mark:Despite this, we’ve already got something on our minds; we’re currently working on 4 new compositions. We would also like to produce another 10inch. So the next release could be a nice 10inch with 4 new songs!
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