Interview- Nightmare Lodge

Last Updated on Tuesday, 01 January 2008 12:51 Written by Julie Johnson 2

Nightmare Lodge

Interview by Gothgirl- 07-15-99
1) Gothgirl-Can you briefly tell me where the band is from, and how it formed?

Ivan-Nightmare Lodge was born in June 1987, insipired by different things as industrial culture, Dada, bad dreams, TV,... It was a sort of serious joke... Tracking the last twelve years of Nightmare Lodge life is not so easy, especially when reflecting on the several changes in line up. Everything started in June 1987 when Ivan Iusco was playing synths in a dark band, from whom he ended up departing. Ivan and G. Mantelli (bass) started a totally out of scheme anarchic composition path with no rules at all. In the same year Ivan's precious friendship with B. Mazzilli (vocalist) was born. Suddenly they decided to start a new project named Nightmare Lodge, although their musical works were too harsh and often totally amorphous. Soon they concluded the "Big Mother In The Strain" recording, a joke tape. In the meantime, Nightmare Lodge met M. Cioce, an interesting female vocalist, that was decided to be involved in two tracks on a split LP, with the band Lyke Wake, from Rome in 1989. When the album was out M. Cioce left the band. Nightmare Lodge succeeded to assemble two new works across 1990 and 1991: a split LP with the Californian band Blackhouse and a tape entitled Asylum. These two releases marked a long retirement period for the duo, caused by the compulsory military service that overwhelmed Ivan and B. Mazzilli. In that time Nightmare Lodge produced only some tracks on various compilations around the world. When Ivan came back from the military service he was busy in raising again his record label Minus Habens. Due to this, the Nightmare Lodge inactivity existed until 1994. In that year a new and focal friendship born with the mysterious Russolo, a very talented purposeful electronic composer. A perfect union was made and since than Nightmare Lodge has released a CD trilogy, a soundtrack for Syrena (an independent Italian sci-fi movie soundtrack) and the CD "Blind Miniatures" for the U.S. label Red Stream.

2) Gothgirl-What is the scene like where you are from? Are you well accepted there?

Ivan-Italy has always had a bad reputation about alternative music. I hope we're breaking this fucking image, simply working hard and showing that every place is good to produce quality music.

3) Gothgirl-How has the band grown or improved since 1987?

Ivan-In 1987 when the band is born, we was teenagers, now we're around 30 years old... The band has grown with us! We've set up a really good home studio, collecting through the years several instruments, bad and good experiences.

4) Gothgirl-As I listened to your music it really took me way to another world and made me think about the harsh reality of war, what do you what your listeners to learn from your music?

Ivan-We prefer to imagine that everyone builds up his fantastic scenario listening our music (if our music let the listener to do that) in the ways, times and conditions that everyone evaluates as better for himself. War is something we feel everyday, everywhere and inspired this album too, but I'm not speaking of military war... I mean everyday wars... at the supermarket, at the mail-office, at home and inside ourselves of course.

5) Gothgirl-When you were first forced into early retirement from Nightmare Lodge due to Military work and other stuff, were you afraid that fans would write you off?

Ivan-The Italian military service is 12 months long. I've spent 5 months in Naples and 7 in my town. This situation haven't stopped correspondence. Just a slowing down. I've always answered to all the letters.

6) Gothgirl-How has your military experience impacted your music?

Ivan-Maybe, that year has modified me for sure as all experiences do... But it's happened in 1990, so I feel it now very distant as a bad and annoying dream!

7) Gothgirl-Could your music be a background music to what you might have seen while in the Military?

I don't think so. I feel my music as an outlet of my inner world(s).

8) Gothgirl-What was your take on the War in Kosovo?

Ivan-In my opinion, all the wars are a demonstration of the human failure. The War in Kosovo was really near to my region, so I've saw with my eyes people from Kosovo and Albania come here to escape from that nightmare. It's terrible, no human should experience the war.

9) Gothgirl-Do you feel that this is a good description to call your music: A crossover of experimentalism with strong ambient techno?

Ivan-I'm not against the labels. They're useful for a fast description and commercial use. But we compose music following private lines and they're not ambient, techno, experimental and blah blah blah.

10) Gothgirl-What has been some musical highlights for the band this year?

Ivan-The release of Syrena's soundtrack and 'Blind Miniatures', the first full lenght release in U.S.A. on Red Stream. We're very satisfied from this album.

11) Gothgirl-hich album has given you the most exposure, Negative Planet, Luminescence and The Enemy Within?

Ivan-You've just mentioned the three chapters of our trilogy. I think that the long work to release it ( 93-96 ) has really helped us to grow up and to learn in what way we want to develop our sound, but it's difficult to say which album has given us the most exposure.

12) Gothgirl-Is it true to say you also run Minus Habens record label? If so, what other bands are on the label, and how hard is it to run a label?

Ivan-It's hard... see how many days I've taken to answer to this interview... It's a kind of orderly chaos or chaotic order... I work around 10/12 hours a day. In all these years Minus Habens has got priority on my own music ( as Nightmare Lodge and It ) for the simple fact to take care of several projects/bands/musicians on my labels ( Red Sector A, Edmondo, Astral Body, Monomorph,... ) and the different aspects of their existence ( promotion, live-gigs, distribution, etc... ), but in the last times I try always to find more time to spend in the studio ( my passion... ).

MINUS HABENS RECORDS DISTURBANCE

13) Gothgirl-What is next for Nightmare Lodge? What have you been working on?

Ivan-An anthology album is ready to be released. It contains a track from all our previous releases, but completely re-composed plus three extratracks. Anyway we're already working on a new album.

14) Gothgirl-here do you see the band in the year 2000 and beyond?

Ivan-I wish as positive as possible, but long time expectations have always showned to useless. Life it's continuous morphing.

15) Gothgirl-How do you work differently from B. Mazzilli, and how does he work different from you?

Ivan-The most important collaborator from the past is without doubts the seminal B. Mazzilli. We've developed several ideas together and our relationship is strong as before or more, even if he lives in the north of Italy. We've experienced together the dangerous zones of freedom. In music, I usually work through addition methods, but he prefers subtraction... With Russolo I've known the quiet and submitted face of our exsistence. He's rare, extraordinary.

16) Gothgirl-Do you consider your band the masters of neoclassical sound?

This is what I read on some magazines... I consider Nightmare Lodge just a real dream. Hope it will be long as much as possible...

17) Gothgirl-Any final comments on the band or the scene itself?

Ivan-If you do music, listen inside you not around you.

Nightmare Lodge photo credits: