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Atom Sounds Interview: CLING

User ImageKaren posted on October 27th, 2008
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Continuing our very popular interview series, this week we interview Susi and Gerald from CLING:

Question 1: What’s the name of your band? What’s the origin of that name? Have you changed the band’s name before?

(Susi) We have always been Cling. The name came about because we have always felt deeply connected to each other.

Question 2: Please list the name and respective instrument of each band member.

Susi- vocals/lyrics Gerald- programming/ production

Question 3: What genre of music do you consider your work to be? Who are your major influences?

(S&G) Electro -Chill. Major influences very many including Mixmaster Morris, Leftfield, Royksopp (1st CD) Boards of Canada, Orbital, The ORB early Shamen material and too much more to mention.

Question 4: How long have you all known each other? How did you meet?

(Susi) we have known each other a long time, we met when I was looking for a vocal coach and somehow I was lead to Gerald.

Question 5: When did you form your band? What inspired you to make music together?

(Susi) About 5 years ago. We fell in love and the music was a product of our spiritual, emotional and physical union.

Question 6: Are you signed to a record label? are you a member of any music organizations?

(Susi) We are both members of PPL but at the moment thats it, we have our own label, Clingmusic, and have a distribution deal with Kudos Records. We are always open to good offers though!

Question 7: What can you tell us about your instruments? (i.e., Are you subject to brand loyalty or will you play with whatever’s available? What made you choose the instruments you have now? Was it cost or was it a style/model/brand/colour preference?

(Gerald) All of our music is produced using Cubase which I have used since the days of the Atari with 4 meg of memory lol. I use a lot of Native Instruments VSTs as I love the sound, I dont really care if its made by Joe Blogs so its not really loyalty Its the sound that I am after. I mainly use Reaktor, Absynth and Kontakt.

Question 8: Where have you performed? What are your favourite and least favourite venues? Do you have any upcoming shows?

(Susi) Mainly around London & Essex. Each venue has it’s own atmosphere and no two gigs are the same. We played at Cafe de Paris, which is a beautiful venue, but the set was a disaster. That is the one that sticks most in my mind.

(Gerald) Our next performance will be a session for radio Phoenix 94FM on November 1, they are a local radio station and we may include an acoustic track.

Question 9: Which songs do you perform most frequently? Do you ever play any covers? Do you have a set play list?

(S&G) We continually introduce new songs into our set. We don’t play covers as a rule, although we might do an acoustic version of a Neil Young song along with an acoustic version of Bodiless and Free to show that its not all about effects and programming and we can actually put our music accross with just Guitar and Vocal.

Question 10: Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs? Do you think these topics will change over time?

(S&G) Susi writes lyrics. They are mainly based on our life experiences, for example Abandoned was inspired by a walk up a mountain in Italy. I then try to add atmosphere and energy to put accross what the lyrics are saying.

Question 11: Could you briefly describe the music-making process?

Gerald) The music making process is very different for every song as they all come to life in different ways, it is impossible to work to any sort of formula as each song has its own uninque energy, I find its a bit like starting all over again every time I program a new track as I can never remember how I did the last one lol.

Question 12: What are your rehearsals generally like? Do you have a set time each week in which you practice or are rehearsals more spontaneous?

(Susi) We either rehearse at home or go to a rehearsal studio which is on a farm in the countryside. If we have a gig coming up we rehearse a lot!

Question 13: How has your music evolved since you first began playing music together?

(Gerald) We are continually developing our sound our subject matter and our production techniques and more recently our skills at putting it accross to a live audience

Question 14: What has been your biggest challenge as a band? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how?

(S&G) To go out and play live, take our music from the internet into the real world has been a major challenge as it is so different from making music in the studio.

We wanted to have live elements in our set to give it an edge so we decided to use a TC Helicon Voiceworks so that we can use live harmonies and also we use a vocoder to do some backing vocals to make it sound different to the studio recordings. We recently remixed a lot of the tracks in our live set to make it a lot more up-tempo and the audience really loved it so we will be playing more material of this nature in the future, but we will still continue to record and release chilled versions as well.

Question 15: What’s your ultimate direction for your band? Are you seeking fame and fortune?

(Susi) Of course, but respect is just as important and that comes from being good at what you do, and disciplined and dedicated.

(Gerald) Fame and fortune would be lovely but to be honest I am very happy to be in the position to spend a lot of time both making and promoting our music and I also love the feedback that we get from friends and fans all over the world.

Question 16: What advice do you have for people who want to form their own bands?

(Susi) Be original and focused and prepared to work really hard.

Question 17: How can fans-to-be gain access to your music? Do you have a website with sample songs or a demo CD?

(Gerald) We have music on our MySpace page @ www.myspace.com/sonicspells we also have a profile @ www.reverbnation.com/cling and our website www.clingmusic.co.uk, we can also be found at Last FM. Our music is available for download from all of the major sites including iTunes, eMusic, Napster, etc and if you cant afford to buy it you can download lots of our tracks free at We7.com

Question 18: Is there anyone you’d like to acknowledge for offering financial or emotional support?

(Susi) I am grateful to Gerald for constantly teaching me about travelling down this road, and to the Almighty for our creativity.

Question 19: Any last words?

(S&G) Thanks Karen

Susi & Gerald

CLING xx

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