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Interview with Oliver Moreau of Imminent Starvation - conducted by e-mail 8/24/99


Jester: Imminent Starvation only has a single full length release, but you have three different vinyl releases. Why is that?

Oliver: For the first vinyl I had asked Salt if it was possible to have a vinyl version of the CD as I had performed a lot in Techno parties and DJ's's were asking me when it should be released on vinyl. So there was a real demand for it. The decision of salt was, it's okay for a vinyl but only with remixs or new tracks. So I recorded Human Relocation. For the others vinyls the situation is quite different, the production costs for a maxi CD are very high in comparison to the sale price. The vinyl seems to be a better and more appropriated solution for the releases containing only 4 tracks, so we did it on that format. But I am not really a vinyl freak, I find it funny and a nice object, but when it concern the sound itself, the CD rules.

Jester: How do you differentiate musically between the five different projects that you are involved with? (Delta Files, Ambre, Urawa, Torsion and Imminent Starvation).

Oliver: Well, when it's a collaboration, from the start we know for which project we are working and in which musical direction we are working. So we decide what kind of record we will make and we do it. Each one has his own limits and way of working.

The Urawa and Torsion case is a little bit different. Due to legal problems we had to change the Urawa name into Torsion. So Torsion is the continuation of Urawa. But now that we get back the rights for Urawa we take a new direction for it. It will be a more open project with no guidelines, where everything is possible. The new album is available on Foton Records. It was made in collaboration with Herve Thomas (of Fragile and Hint) and take a totally new direction in comparison to the past. With this one, we went total ambient.

When I am working alone, it's a little bit different. I make the tracks and afterwards only I choose the project which will host it. What are the criteria for choosing which projects. I don't know really know, it's more a feeling which tell me to put it in that particular one and not the other.

Jester: Who came up with the UNIX derived track listing on the back of the Delta Files "Body Bags" release?

Oliver: When we did the cover of the Delta Files I was studying computer science, so the UNIX environment was not unknown to me. And with a name like Delta Files, with each track being a file, the connection was easily done. Moreover the graphist was also a programmer, and when I come to the idea of the track listing as a file listing he suggest UNIX as it is nice looking. So the idea come from both of us.

Jester: Listed on the Delta Files and Torsion CD is your membership with MACOS. What is your personal opinion on the legality of sampling?

Oliver: From the moment you make something creative out of it, it's okay for me. If it's just taking the sampling for commercial purpose, then it's another story. It's just rip off. But being sampled is in fact very funny, you are listening to a track and suddenly you recognize one of your sounds, this is really weird. When it's well done I really like it.

Jester: Do any of your projects perform live? If so, what do your live performances consist of?

Oliver: I have performed live with almost all of them. The performance in itself was never quite extraordinary. It's just the classical electronic concert, with myself or with my friends behind the machines. I no longer perform spectacular shows like I used to do it in the beginning of Imminent Starvation. Just concentrate all the attention on the music not on the visual. I don't use visual support anymore, just because I think it distract the audience from the essential aspect of a concert, the music. I consider myself more as a musician not an entertainer.

Jester: Have you ever had any type of musical training?

Oliver: No. I made what I am. Which in a way I regret. Because even if you don't need most of the elements which are learned to make music nowadays, some can be very helpful. Sometimes I really feel a kind of frustration due to my lack of knowledge in that domain.

Jester: How did you first become involved with writing and composing music?

Oliver: Quite naturally in fact, at a moment of my life I just feel that it could be funny and interesting for me to make my own stuff. Just listening wasn't enough anymore, I had to be a part of it.

Jester: What attracted you to composing music consisting of such caustic but still rhythmic elements?

Oliver: The power that such music has. When I am making a track I am not looking for the harsh or heavy side but only for the strength and power it contains.

Jester: What do you think of the unique packaging that S.Alt from Ant-Zen has assembled for your releases on his label?

Oliver: I like it a lot. Most of the time I trust him and let him do what he has in mind, especially when it come to something special using uncommon material. We have a kind of mutual respect and trust. He trust me for music and I trust him for graphics.

Jester: Several of your projects were mastered at ProDam Studios. What is your relationship with Eric Van Wonterghem?

Oliver: Yes, in the past we made some mastering with Eric and we won't do it anymore. Not because he did a bad job, on the contrary he is did an excellent job and is a very nice guy. We were always very happy to go there, we had a lot of fun.

Now with the fast growing technology we have all the instruments to master our records ourselves. Now all our mastering will be done at my place or at metarc with John. My relationship with Eric is quite simple, we know each other from the mastering we did there, we met sometimes at concert, have some talk, but no more. At the moment nothing is planned for working together.

Jester: What does the future hold your various projects?

Oliver: Quite a lot in fact. I see the future very positive and open. Mostly what concern collaboration. As of now my name has spread, the doors are opening easily and I get more and more interesting proposition. It will be quite exciting I think. The next months will be very full on that level.


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