Nine Circles

Contents

Interview by Tony Leduc-Gugnalons (Afterpunk highlights - L'ère de la glaciation sonore, July 2012)

Can you precisely remember when you first got aware of music's inherent power? That moment when you realized that music was not only a leisure but something much deeper... It must be related to your childhood somehow...
When I was 4 years, my daddy took me to the harmonica club and tought me how to play. My daddy was a musician aswell. He played the drums in a band. They played mostly at weddings and I was often with him when he had a gig. As a little girl I was always singing the "Schlager music" songs with my daddy. I am so grateful, he gave me that passion. He knew I was like him: Just love, music and singing. The song "Something Between You and Me" was for him to thank him for giving this to me. The original track is 6 minutes, but for the bootleg CD they took out only a part of the track so that it fitted better on the CD.

How did you discover music when you were a teenager?
Well I was very young when I had to start to take care of myself. I grew up in places like Paradiso and Melkweg in Amsterdam. There was all kinds of music and theatre.

Do you remember the concerts you have seen in Paradiso? Could you give me some artists' names you were listening to at the time?
Well there were Sex Pistols, Joy Division, The Under Tunes, Eric Clapton, Solution, David Bowie and many others, but I can't remember them all!

How old were you when you did get involved in music?
Like I said before when I was 4 years. In Nine Circles I was between 22 and 24 years old. I left just before the Radio Nome sampler was released.

Do you remember Netherlands' social, economic and political context when you were living there as a teen? Did it impact the way you approach art in general and music in particular?
In that time the computer took over, a lot of people around lost their jobs and could not pay the rent anymore. Families ending up on the streets with nothing. I was very mad at this for a long time! I startet to write lyrics when I was 15 years. They were about the situation I was living in and what happend in my life.

As many artists, did you approach music in reaction to anything in particular?
When in 1978 the first test tube baby was born, I was shocked. I will tell more about it later, when I explain "What's There Left".

You mean that music was the main way to contest this special event for you?
The music came a bit later, but my lyrics were a way to express myself over what was going on in my life. With writing it down I had two aims: At first not to forget about it and at second it was a kind of relieve to write it down.

How did you meet Peter?
I met Peter in the Melkweg in Amsterdam. He was there with his friends. At a sudden point we fell in love.

Nine Circles was born on the slightly warm ashes of punk-rock... Do you owe something to this subculture or Nine Circles was in itself a reaction to it?
As a protest against all what was happening I could understand these people, but I didn't agree to the way they behave sometimes. Once I was a Punk myself, but there were two kinds of Punks back then: "The sophisticated Punks" - they where dressed in clean punk clothes - and "the Asos" - they were agressive and did not change their clothes very often.

How could you define the essential purpose of the band and its specific sound features? We clearly feel the ambitions of a cold, clinical and refined "electro-pop-music". Could you tell me more about this?
Peter and I did not have a direction in music, we just made it. We where playing together and discovered that there was something that sounded great. During that time Peter was in another band: "Genetic Factor". When I moved in with him, he broke with the band.

Why did you only choose to use electronic machines?
As much as I was against computers and stuff, I fell in love with the YAMAHA CS-30 and so did Peter. This was it for us! We did not think much about it, we just wanted to make music.

As many bands from Factory Benelux, Les Disques du Crépuscule, Torso or Plurex Records, an "arty" dimension anchors Nine Circles in a student world... as if your music was an elitist expression designed for cultured people. I guess it may be hard to admit for the artist you are but is this feeling in keeping with reality or does it distort your original aim?
The music goes the way it has to go. It's not what you stand for but what people are making out of it!

What were your respective cultural backgrounds (at school or university) as I feel that one had to be cultured above all to practice music in the early eighties? I mean that culture came first and music knowledge second...
Uhhh, well I was in total only 3 years in school in all my life. Everthing I know, I tought myself. You don't need much knowledge to make music if you make it with your feelings! Music is like a seed you plant in your heart: The seed finds its way to your fingers, who are willingly playing the synths and giving the music the feeling that it needs. It hurts me when people are condescending to people like me with no university background. I learned a lot by living on the streets for some years!

What were your main artistic influences?
My Daddy!

If your dad is a topic for your writings, would you try to define the way he appears in your music itself?
He appears in the sadness of my songs. He was always there when somebody needed help, but nobody noticed him. It's the same with me. It's impossible to escape from the sadness of life, it's carma I think!

Do you think that your music may sound different if you had another influence?
I don't think that I had the chance to get other influences, because my daddy was the only one who cared about me, but he was not strong enough to protect me from my mother. She hated me from the moment I was born; I don't know why. I was very young when I was sent off into the childrens home just because my mom said so!

What was Nine Circles creative process? How did songs succeed in emerging from emptiness?
Peter and I just started to play after we had smoked a big joint. We recorded everything back then with a "Stereo Home Entertainment Set". Later we took the parts that really sounded great and started to work, but the strange thing about it was, that often the first recordings were the best! The most of the time it was like that: Making music, getting into bed, making love, and then getting up and making music again.

What were the main topics of songs and how did you approach the creative process of writing lyrics?
The lyrics represent my life and everything that happend to me. I used to write down what happend to me and how I felt about that, my pain and hurt. The lyrics seem to fall into the music from itself, we listened to the music and I just started to sing the lyrics which I thought to be fitting.

Could you tell me precisely what kind of machines you used to create your music?
We had a YAMAHA CS-30 synth, a BOSS DR-55 rhythm machine, a bass guitar, a microphone and an analog delay for the vocals. For recording we used a simple stereo system with a double tape deck. Later I found an old organ on the street, which was missing some keys but still working. We used it in the song "I am Deeply Touched". And then there was a harmonica, which we used in "Something Between You And Me". This track depicts the fight between a simple instrument like the harmonica and a complex instrument like a synthesizer.

We know for sure how symbolic a band's name is... Where does "Nine Circles" come from?
It comes from "The Nine Circles of Hell", defined in the 14th century poem "Divine Comedy" by Dante Alighieri.

The first release seems to be the unofficial compilation signed by the enigmatic label Primary Records in 1996... Nevertheless, Nine Circles managed to breed excellent tracks during the eighties... Could you tell me why you were not able to release them in an official support such as a cassette or a vinyl... Does it mean that no label was interested in your music at the time?
Well, in 1982 we got on two compilations, the "Radio Nome" LP and the "Colonial Vipers" tape. About the CD you mentioned, I did not know until Kristiaan Horvers told me 3 years ago, that there was a Nine Circles CD. When after 2 years my relationship with Peter ended, Nine Circles ended as well and I forgot about it. I thought our music was nothing special and was a kind of ashamed of it, so I never talked about it for 25 years. I could not imagine that people were interested in our music.

Could you tell me what your gigs looked like in early eighties? How did you approach your incarnation on stage?
We never had a gig, we have just played once live on the radio. The whole audience were people that worked there and when we were done there was Willem De Ridder, a dutch poetry writer!

So the live tracks we can hear on Queekhoven cd are excerpts from this radio broadcast?
No, the live tracks you hear on the Queekhoven CD are not excerpts, it's the whole concert!

Could you tell what were your hopes and your aim when you started to play music with Nine Circles?
Well I think like every band we were hoping for fame, but in those days other bands were more in.

How come you eventually put a end to Nine Circles' story?
Well like I said before: love gone - Nine Circles gone

Who was your audience back then? How about today?
As I said, the audience back then were a handful of people working at the radio station. Now the audience is coming voluntarily... I like it very much, that people aged from 18 to over 50 are visiting our concerts now, because music should have no age!

Were there any connections between the different bands from this scene? Also was the idea of "belonging to a scene" relevant according to you? There were so many bands in the Dutch scene such as Mekanik Kommando, Nexda, Minny Pops, Flue, Mecano, Nasmak and so on... They all seem to belong to a huge family run by Plurex and Torso... and Nine Circles seems to be a kind of fringe element in that artistic society... Could you tell me more about this?
Those bands were already well known at the time we did our first steps. Besides that, we never did our best to get concerts aswell; we were living in a small world, just him and me and the music! The only band, we were closely in contact was "S.M. Nurse", whose members were our personal friends.

Were there any specific features in Dutch bands that distinguished them from other European and American cold scenes for instance?
I think the American scene was more commercial and in contrast the Dutch scene was more experimental.

What do you think about this Dutch scene and about the bands mentionned before?
I only can say that the "scene" was very active back then. Everbody was walking around with tapes on which the newest songs were recorded. They took every opportunity to give them to the so called "important" people, many times without results. We only sent our tape in one time: There was a radio show called "Spleen" by Richard Zeilstra on the VPRO channel. You could send your tape there, it was played in the radio and the bands that had the most response had the oppurtunity to end up on a compilation LP. Many dutch bands have sent their tapes to this or other radio shows, that was the only way.

Like many "cold" bands from the eigthies, Nine Circles has been suffering the wilderness years during the nineties... How could you explain the fact that your music was forgotten at the time?
Well I'm not sure that it was forgotten (though I myself forgot about it): I heard already that it circulated on some bootleg CDR compilations during the 90s and even the CD mentioned before was released in the 90s.

Who made you get aware that your music could breed a real interest in the middle of the past decade or more recently?
That were multiple people: At first my son Patrick once googled my name for fun and he and I were very surprised to find so much about Nine Circles and me. During that time I was living in Amsterdam, were I was in a bad relation for the last 25 years, but I had adopted 7 kids and I did not want to disappoint them again in life. So I stayed there for 25 years, singing only kids songs not knowing a thing what went on with the music of Nine Circles! Then I made an account on facebook and just one day later Kristiaan Horvers wrote me and asked if I was Lidia from Nine Circles. He is the one who told me what had happend with the music from Nine Circles and how many labels were looking for Peter and me. Then the opportunity knocked on my door when Rainer di Meo (Genetic Music) contacted me. A band called "Sixth June" wanted to make a remix of "What's There Left" and when I said yes he told me he would come to Amsterdam with them so we could meet! This was an important moment: Rainer asked me to go with him to Germany to visit a New Year's Eve party, my ex said "why not", and I packed my bag and I was gone. On that party I found the love of my life (Martin Kleefeld, who was a big Nine Circles fan already before) and I never went back to Amsterdam. (Just once to get my personal belongings.) Three months after the party - it was my birthday - I was the first time in my life on stage: Sixth June invited me to sing "What's There Left" with them.

How could you explain the fact that, in general, this music from the eighties has made such a strong come-back?
There was always a small group of people who were fans from the beginning and still are, but I think that more people start to understand the music now.

Are you amazed to notice this brand new interest for Nine Circles?
Yes, I don't understand why people think it's special; there are so many better bands out there!

How do you feel when you look back on your music? Are you more critical than your own fans?
Of course I notice every mistake, but I don't get upset about them. It does not have to be perfect, as long as I can say "I gave my best"!

I think that we all notice those mistakes but they might be the result of your humanness... I always feel a kind of tension in your music which could be the expression of your uneasiness towards life... Nine Circles is the highly sensitive expression of your life... Am I wrong? Would you say that it's a kind of therapy?
Yes, that is right! Nine Circles is my life, my therapy! For example at the moment I am working on a song called "Alice Don't Jump". This is about the time I escaped from the childrens home with my best friend Alice. I could not sing this song in the beginning without bursting out into tears, I feel the pain I had when this happend at the moment I sing this. Yes for me it is a kind of therapy. I can close it when the song is finished, but most of all this song is for Alice! I don't think that you understand what I am talking about; so the best is to let you read the lyrics:

Alice Don't Jump

According to you, why are so many bands coming back to this analogical, raw and refined sound nowadays?
That are simply the best sounds imaginable!

What features, according to you, embody the spirit of the eighties? (not just music)
For me the changes back then when so many people lost their jobs was very bad. I was afraid of computers, and feared that they would take over the whole world.

For that matter, which Nine Circles' song best embodies this spirit and why?
There are two songs, which are closely connected to each other, "What's There Left" and "Twinkling Stars": "What's There Left" tells exactly about my feelings in that time. I was afraid of the future. It was also the pain I had, when doctors told me that I never could have any kids of my own. Sexual abuse destroid that for me. Then the doctors told me about a baby out of a test tube and I was so shocked about this. How did they even think that they could create life outside of a body? I could not accept that and was very confused. The world was changing so fast, I just did not know where this was ending. I was worried about that and went to a park. I took place on a park bench and stared into the sky. There were many stars and I was hoping, that somewhere between the stars a flying saucer would appear and take me away from this world. Then I wrote "Twinkling Stars", where I am asking myself if there is more than this?

Is that fear about dehumanization in the eighties related to a strong religious feeling? What about god in your life and in your music?
No it's not about religion, in god I don't have much trust. I was raised Catholic, but I never ever had the idea that there was a god who protected me. Quite the contrary: My whole life there was abuse and pain and even the nuns in the Catholic children's home themselves didn't behave like they preached, but tortured us instead. "Acting like an angel, practing like a devil!" (Not to speak about my mother who goes to church every Sunday, sitting in the first row.) Just since 3 years I can say that I am treated with respect and that there is really someone who loves me and protects me. But that is not god but my partner Martin.

Don't you think that, in the end, your music and this music from the eighties is bound to disappear eventually? By the way, do you think it's a problem or not?
No, I think that every stage of music will come back time after time! I don't think it will be a problem. For me it is not, because I think there will always be a certain group that keeps the music alive!

Is there any regret you could express now about your music or the way you have promoted it worldwide?
I don't like that the music was released on CD in the 90s. I would have released it on vinyl instead, but as I said before, at that time I didn't know about the release at all.

Do you mean that your music loose its strength on cd format?
No it's just that I prefer vinyl. Vinyl is beautiful and lasts longer than CDs. The strenght in music will always remain no matter how it is recorded!

What did you do after Nine Circles split up in the eighties?
I met the wrong man (violent) and lived 25 years with him. I don't want to say more about this subject.

In 2011, you decided to restart Nine Circles... What were the reasons for such a symbolic decision and what was the line-up?
I only wanted to make fun on stage, something I had dreamed about my whole life but did not have the knowledge how. I was on a concert from "Delos" when I saw Joa Saleina the first time, and I was impressed on the way Joa played the keybaord. A couple of months later we met again in "Zwischenfall" club and I had a concert coming up, in which I was going to go alone on stage, but then out of nothing I wanted Joa to be in Nine Circles and so it happend. Joa is an excellent musician, but unfortunately it turned out after a short time, that she sucks as a human being. That is all I am saying about this.

You released Tsar Bomba / New era on F.K.K-Musik and nothing seems to have changed... Music is still as good as ever which is quite scarce as far as reborn projects are concerned... How did you approach this new wave of creation?
Excuse me, I did not release that single! That is one of the reasons I kicked Joa out of Nine Circles: It was all arranged behind my back! When I saw the cover on facebook, I was very suprised to see there was a single of Nine Circles! I tried to make the best of it and called the label "Kernkrach Records/F.K.K.". We had a long talk, but it was too late, the music was on the pressing plant already and I let myself be talked round to give my permission retroactively, which I now regret. But back to your question: Probably the current music is quite similar to the music of the past, because my feeling during the creation of the music is still the same.

By the way, Nine Circles is back on stage but the line up seems to be different from "Tsar tomba " release... What happenned?
See e.g. the previous answer, yet this is only a small fraction of what happend between us. But I want to keep that private! Now I am working with Per-Anders Kurenbach (Psyche, Shock Therapy, The Eternal Afflict, ...). Originally I wanted to revive Nine Circles with Sebastian Hartwig (Lower Synth Department, Les Sirenes Debrouillardes) and we already had planned a concert in Lyon, but unfortunately one week before the concert he got sick and it was foreseeable that he could not join me there. So again there was a concert planned and I had no keyboard player. Per-Anders and me were friends on facebook for a while and when I told him what happend, he told me: "Lidia don't worry! If you want I will go on stage with you!" On the following Friday we me the first time in person and went to Lyon to go on stage on Saturday. The sound check was the first time, we both played together, but the concert went very well! In my opinion it was the best Nine Circles concert ever! Now our first new song "Mercy" is ready and we are working on some more, so probably there will be a release of new songs soon. But before there will be a release of the old 1980/82 songs, with well-known Nine Circles songs as well as many yet unreleased songs. It will be called "The Early Days" and will be released in a cooperation of "Genetic Music", "Anna Logue Records" and "Angular Records".

In vinyl support I guess?
Yes, in vinyl of course!

What keeps you going on getting involved in the scene after all those years?
Well, actually I am catching up on all the good things I missed in all the years, and I am grateful that it is still possible to do so. I have multiple sclerosis which doesn't give me much room to move in; sometimes I can't move my fingers too well and I loose my sight from time to time. The latter happened on stage in Lyon aswell, but I hope nobody had noticed, that I temporarily went blind. On stage I feel so good, I descend into the world I love so much: singing and playing and seeing that people like it and are having a good time! Oh, how I love that feeling on stage! My dream is to die on stage...

Interview by Sven Ericksen (Black, June 2015)

Hallo Lidia und Per Anders, lieben Dank nochmal für die sehr gelungene neue CD – Alice – habe die 17 Stücke in Ruhe inhaliert und bin wahrlich begeistert von der Veröffentlichung Eures Projektes NINE CIRCLES – ein elektronischer Wave Elektro Trip, auf das sich jeder Musik Freund dieser Ausrichtung freuen sollte. Man merkt natürlich sofort, dass Ihr zwei – Lidia und Per Anders – die elektronisch musikalische Klangerzeugung wirklich lebt- und daher ganz einfach gefragt: Wie kam es zum Projekt, das ja seit Mitte 2010 wieder belebt wurde, und vor allem – wie kamt Ihr zueinander und auf die Idee das Ganze neu zu starten?

Lidia: Die Band "Sixth June" hatte eine Coverversion von "What’s There Left" gemacht und hat mich gefragt, bei Ihrem Konzert im Bochumer "Zwischenfall" als Gastsängerin aufzutreten. Durch diesen Auftritt habe ich wieder Lust bekommen, auch wieder selbst Musik zu machen. Zuerst hatte ich es mit einem anderen Keyboarder versucht, aber das hat leider menschlich nicht funktioniert. Ich war schon über Facebook mit Per-Anders befreundet und wir haben unser erstes gemeinsames Konzert im Mai 2012 in Lyon gespielt – ohne uns vorher persönlich getroffen zu haben. Obwohl wir beim Soundcheck das erste Mal zusammen gespielt haben, hat es prima funktioniert und wir hatten großen Spaß auf der Bühne. Seit dem ist "Nine Circles" wieder mit Konzerten und auch neuen Songs zurück.

Per: Eigentlich sind wir uns ja schon 2009 auf Myspace begegnet. Ich habe sehr oft beim DJen und Online-Streamen die Musik von Nine Circles gespielt (durch eine Bekannte hatte ich in den 90ern die Tracks erhalten) , mich aber gewundert, dass man kaum etwas im Internet finden konnte. Keine Informationen oder Veröffentlichungen. Daher beschloss ich, einen Fan-Account zu erstellen, damit noch mehr Leute die Musik entdecken konnten. Irgendwann schrieb mich dann eine gewisse Lidia "The Rose" Fiala an, dass sie die Sängerin von NC sei und es wohl bald wieder Musikaktivitäten geben würde :) . Anfang 2012 schrieb ich Lidia im Facebook an und fragte sie nach Veröffentlichungen und Konzerten. So erfuhr ich, dass sie das Projekt fast wieder sterben lassen wollte, da sie mit ihrem Keyboarder unüberbrückbare menschliche Differenzen hatte. Wir schrieben uns daraufhin fast täglich und beschlossen, gemeinsam weiter zu machen.

Habt Ihr eine musikalische Ausbildung genossen oder wie seid Ihr zur Musik gekommen und seit wann seid Ihr jeweils aktiv?

Lidia: Als ich 4 Jahre alt war, hat mein Vater mich in seinen Mundharmonica-Club mitgenommen und dort habe ich meine Liebe für die Musik entdeckt. (Danke Papa!) Ich habe in meinem Leben viele Musikrichtungen ausprobiert; angefangen habe ich in den 70ern zuerst als Hippie, dann hatte ich eine Punk-Periode und danach habe ich den New Wave entdeckt, dem ich bis heute treu geblieben bin.

Per: Musik hat mich seit meiner frühesten Kindheit begeistert, zudem lag es auch in der Familie. Meine Mutter spielte Klavier und Geige, meine schwedische Großmutter konnte auch Klavier spielen. Als ich 8 Jahre alt war, kauften meine Eltern sich dann ein eigenes Klavier, wo ich meine ersten musikalischen Gehversuche übte. Mit 9 Jahren ging ich dann selber begeistert zum Klavierunterricht, wo ich 10 Jahre lang klassische und moderne Stücke und Spielweisen erlernte. Ein Faible für elektronische Musik hatte ich aber irgendwie immer schon gehabt. Was so im Radio lief, hatte mich immer begeistert.

Welche musikalischen Einflüsse und Inspirationen sind es, die Euch immer wieder zum Musikmachen motivieren und inspirieren?

Per: Ich höre zwar sehr viel Musik von anderen Künstlern, aber finde meine Inspiration eher durch meinen Alltag und meine Familie. Geschichten/Situationen, die ich höre oder selbst erlebe, tragen zum komponieren und zur Stimmung des Liedes erheblich bei. Natürlich inspirieren mich auch Lidias Texte erheblich.

Lidia: Ich spiele gerne an den Synthesizer-Einstellungen herum, bis ich etwas gefunden habe, was mir gefällt. Ich denke, ich bin relativ wenig von anderen beeinflusst, weil ich meine Gefühle in unserer Musik verarbeite, das kann man nicht bei anderen holen.

Haben sich über die Jahre Eure individuellen Musikausrichtungen und elektronischen Sounds von NINE CIRCLES weiter entwickelt, teils eventuell sicherlich der neuen Technik geschuldet??

Lidia: Nein, durch die neue Technik haben wir andere Möglichkeiten, aber wir versuchen, unserem Stil treu zu bleiben, ohne dabei ganz stehen zu bleiben.

Per: Es ist für mich oft nicht einfach, mich zu rechtfertigen. Da gibt es die Minimal-Elektro-NERDS, die es absolut nicht gut finden, dass wir zuwenig mit alten Synthies und Drummaschinen arbeiten, die andere Fraktion freut sich einfach nur über neue Songs. Ich arbeite überwiegend mit Cubase und Reason, benutze sehr viel "free download" plugins, an denen ich sehr lange bastle. Aber ich verfremde auch aufgenommene Geräuschen, dass sie wie ein Instrument klingen. Somit klingen wir eh schon mal nicht so, wie andere Bands in dem Genre. Was uns auch unterscheidet von anderen, ist, dass ich nur ganz selten beim Komponieren mit der Maus arbeite, weil ich jede Idee "live" per Hand einspiele, egal ob Basslauf, Solo, Flächen etc. Und Lidia hatte das ja vorhin auch schon beantwortet, dass sie lieber mit den Synths "live" experimentiert. So machen wir das aber auf der Bühne teilweise auch.

Erklärt den Lesern doch bitte einmal das Konzept des neuen NINE CIRCLES Albums – wieviel Arbeitszeit wurde für das großartige Album investiert und wie läuft der Entstehungsprozess, incl. Studioarbeit bei Euch ab?

Lidia: Mitte 2012 haben wir angefangen, neue Songs zu komponieren. Einer der ersten war "Alice Don’t Jump". Den Text hatte ich schon 2 Jahre zuvor geschrieben. Ich habe ihn dann Per gezeigt und er hat den Song sehr gefühlvoll musikalisch umgesetzt. Ich habe dann einfach nur noch dazu gesungen. ;-) Der Song ist genau so geworden, wie ich es mir vorgestellt und gewünscht hatte, weil Per genau so gefühlt hat, wie ich. Ich glaube, wir sind so etwas wie Seelenverwandte. Das Rohmaterial zu dem Videoclip hatte ich schon mit meinen Freund gedreht, noch bevor ich mit Per "Nine Circles" neu aufgelegt habe, also lange bevor die Musik zu "Alice Don’t Jump" existierte. Bei anderen Songs entsteht zuerst die Musik, meist indem Per oder ich eine Idee haben und sie dann zusammen weiter entwickeln. Da wir relativ weit auseinander wohnen, schicken wir uns Musikfragmente über das Internet hin und her, bis der Song fertig ist.

Per: Wir haben an unserem Album über 2 Jahre gearbeitet, und diese Zeit war (fast) noch nicht ausreichend für mich. Ich bin nicht schnell zufrieden, und ich will jedes Wort, jede Textzeile, die Lidia singt oder spricht, auf seinen ganz persönlichen Thron setzen. Es klingt vielleicht merkwürdig für manche, aber so ist das bei mir. Und ja! Wir sind definitiv seelenverwandt!! Anders würde es sonst nicht klappen. Und was bringt Dir ein tolles Instrumental oder ein wunderbarer Text, wenn man beides nicht kombinieren kann? Da haben wir noch nie Probleme mit gehabt :)

Noch zwei Fragen zu – a.) die neue Platte heißt – ALICE – hat aber wohl nichts mit dem gleichnamigen Song der Sisters of Mercy zu tun und b) woher kommt die Betitelung im Namen von Lidia Fiala “The Rose”?

Lidia: Meine beste Freundin in Kindertagen hieß Alice und ich habe ihr zu Ehren den Song "Alice Don’t Jump" und das ganze Album gewidmet, damit sie und das, was uns beiden und vielen anderen Mädchen passiert ist, nicht vergessen wird. Mein Künstlername "The Rose" stammt noch aus den 80er Jahren, als Peter van Garderen meinte, ich wäre schön wie eine Rose und mich entsprechend genannt hat. Spätestens nach dem gleichnamigen Song war der Name dann festgelegt…

Euer Cover Outfit erinnert mich irgendwie an Joy Divison, also ziemlich sakral Düster – ist diese Ausrichtung so beabsichtigt?

Lidia: Das Cover mit dem Grabstein und dem Hochhaus im Hintergrund soll den Song "Alice Don’t Jump" visualisieren, und ist quasi der Videoclip komprimiert auf ein Foto. Daß es so "sakral düster" geworden ist, ist der Geschichte hinter dem Song geschuldet, aber kein allgemeines Prinzip. Zu einem fröhlicheren Thema würden wir auch ein fröhlicheres Cover machen.

Per: Die Album-Songs, die Texte und Hintergründe sind wahr, ehrlich und knallhart. Und es war für uns beide fast wie eine Therapie. Dass das Cover es Dich Joy Division erinnert, ehrt uns sehr, aber war überhaupt nicht beabsichtigt :-).

Die Texte von NINE CIRCLES im allgemeinen und speziell vom neuen Album, was inspiriert Euch dazu und wer schreibt diese, z.B. – “Vulkan” – “Dark City” – “Broken World” haben es mir sehr angetan, woran orientiert Ihr Euch hierbei?

Lidia: Ich habe alle Texte von "Nine Circles" geschrieben. Ich schreibe Texte, seit ich 14 Jahre alt bin und manche der Texte passen auch noch in die heutige Zeit, so daß wir sie dann für neue Songs verwenden. Ansonsten schreibe ich auch jetzt immer noch neue Texte. Bei meinen Texten inspiriert mich das Leben und ich schreibe über meine Erlebnisse, Gedanken und Gefühle.

Per: Einen Song hast Du ja für mich geschrieben: “A Face Behind The Clown”….weil ich in meinem Leben so oft gute Miene zum bösen Spiel gemacht habe. Danke dafür Lidia hat eine sehr große Sammlung an Lyrics. Für das Album philosophierten wir beide sehr intensiv über die Inhalte und ob es zu unserer Situation im Alltag passt – oder wie wichtig es ist, einen Song mit diesem Thema zu schreiben. Ich versuche, die Lyrics – und das, was Lidia dazu bewegt hat, sie zu schreiben – intensiv zu fühlen/nachzuempfinden und musikalisch umzusetzen…Mit all dem Wehmut, der Trauer, der Ungerechtigkeit. Aber auch wenn es darum geht, die Leute um sich herum wegzuschubsen und nur zu tanzen. Ich bin sehr kritisch mit mir. Ich gebe nicht allzuschnell einen Song als “FERTIG” ab.

Ist die Zukunft – für mich als alten Plattensammler übrigens eine grauenvolle Vorstellung – tatsächlich der digitale Megatrend – das Streaming – wo Millionen von Songs überall und sogar legal jederzeit bequem und billig wie nie zuvor, verfügbar sind?

Lidia: Wir haben zwar kürzlich unser Album auch als digitalen Download veröffentlicht, aber für mich persönlich ist und bleibt Vinyl immer die Nummer Eins. CDs und MP3s sind zwar praktisch, aber eine Vinyl-Schallplatte in Verbindung mit ihrem großen Cover ist eher ein Kunstwerk.

Per: Ich höre seit vielen Jahren kaum noch Schallplatten, bin aber seit NINE CIRCLES sehr überrascht, wie groß doch das Vinylinteresse ist. CDs werden wir nur schwer los, aber alles was wir als Schallplatten veröffentlicht haben, geht schnell weg. Ich gebe zu, dass ich mehr mp3s besitze als physische Tonträger. Aber ich werde in Zukunft wieder mehr Vinyl hören :)

Wie steht Ihr zum Thema Musikvideos – ich habe Eure Livespots schon begutachtet – bringt es Vorteile in diesen Audiovisuellen Zeiten Clips für You Tube, Facebook oder andere Kanäle zu erstellen?

Lidia: Ich denke schon, daß es Vorteile bringt, indem man dadurch neue Leute erreicht, die ansonsten nichts von uns gehört hätten.

Per: In einem Musikvideo kann man die Bedeutung eines Songs noch mehr hervorheben, das Ganze optisch noch klarer definieren. Ich halte da sehr viel von. Einen Musik-Clip haben wir ja schon gemacht für “Alice”.

Hattet Ihr schon Auftritte im Ausland absolviert, teilweise gibt es Künstler, die dort erfolgreicher als in der Heimat sind und gab es Livekonzerte an ungewöhnlichen Orten?

Lidia: Da ich Holländerin bin und wir erst einmal dort gespielt haben, habe ich fast alle Auftritte im Ausland. ;-) Die meisten Auftritte haben wir in Deutschland, wo Per wohnt – und ich mittlerweile auch. Aber wir sind auch schon in Belgien, Frankreich, Litauen und zuletzt in Schweden gewesen.

Per: Ungewöhnlich war es in Lyon zu spielen. Wir haben auf einem ausgedienten Frachtkutter gespielt, welcher als Club umfunktionert worden war, im Wasser schwamm und am Steg vertäut war….sehr merkwürdig..Aber nicht unangenehm :)

Der Synth Dino – Jean Michel Jarre – hat vor ca. 8 Jahren seine erste Veröffentlichung “Oxygene” mit den Original Instrumenten aus 1976 live auf einer Tour performt, wäre das mal ein Anreiz für Lidia oder auch für Dich Per Anders – alte Tracks und Platten nochmal neu performed oder gar unplugged zu präsentieren?

Lidia: Den Synthesizer von damals habe ich leider nicht mehr, ansonsten würde ich den schon gerne benutzen. Alte Songs in neuem Gewand haben wir bereits gemacht, aber eine "unplugged"-Variante mit Gitarren statt Synthies würde ich niemals machen.

Per: Wie Lidia schon sagte…wenn wir alle dafür notwendigen Geräte physisch zur Vefügung hätten, würde ich kein Problem haben, diese auch live so zu benutzen. Irgendwann werden wir das bestimmt auch mal machen, denke ich. Aber – unplugged – so mit Klavier – das könnte ich mir schon eher vorstellen…wenn Lidia das auch gut findet und die Leute das hören wollen :)

Welche Platten sind Eure All Time Heros im heimischen Plattenregal?

Lidia: Mein absoluter Favorit ist "Year of the cat" von Al Stewart. Danach kommen "Sheik Yerbouti" von Frank Zappa, "Mange Tout" von Blancmange, "Blue Monday" von New Order und alles von Joy Division.

Per: OMD (78-84), Kraftwerk (alles bis 1986), Human League (bis 1984), Massive Attack, The Prodigy…aber auch “World” von den BeeGees, der “I Feel Love”-Remix von Donna Summer, Johnny Cash, The Beatles….und viele mehr.

Sind Nebenprojekte für einen Künstler notwendig, da sich hier musikalisch etwas anders ausgelebt werden kann – oder braucht man eventuell überhaupt keine Nebenprojekte, wenn sich solch Prozesse vielleicht sogar integrieren lassen?

Lidia: Ich denke nicht, daß es notwendig ist, aber es macht halt einfach Spaß mit verschiedenen Musikern etwas zu kreieren.

Per: Also ich brauche manchmal diese Momente, wo ich musikalisch "ausbrechen" und etwas ganz anderes machen kann. Ich bin nicht festgefahren in meiner Musikrichtung und probiere gerne auch andere Dinge aus. Denn ich brauche diese Eigenerfahrung für mich. Es kommt darauf an, was es ist, aber ich nutze diese Erfahrungen auch für Nine Circles.

Und zum Schluss ein kleiner Ausblick : Was möchtet Ihr in der nahen oder späteren Zukunft noch mit NINE CIRCLES umsetzen und erreichen?

Lidia: Wir arbeiten derzeit an unserem neuen Album "Emerge". Fünf Songs sind schon fertig. Mal sehen, was danach kommt, soweit planen wir nicht.

Per: So ist es. Wir lassen uns treiben :)

Interview by Matthew Samways (Electric Voice Records, July 2012)

I know you were super young when you were first recorded; what was influencing you at the time, musically or otherwise?
Well I was 4 years old when my daddy taught me how to play the harmonica, singing was already then a passion of mine. I was super young when I started to write my songs (15). It was a reflex of what was happening in my life! All my songs are parts of my life, even in this moment I still write and sing about my life. The music came together with the songs in 1980 when I met Peter van Garderen. He was already in a band, but left them to make music together with me, and not to forget we were very much in love.

Where exactly in the Netherlands were you raised? What was that like?
I was born in the south of Holland - let's say Framersland and Mines land.. I will not say anymore, sorry.

Did you like the mystery that had surrounded you as an artist, or are you happy with the ongoing interest in your music?
Well, let me tell you that I found out what was going on about Nine Circles only 3 and a half year ago, My son Patrick searched my name on Google and then he found much about Nine Circles, I was very surprised!
I made a Facebook account and one day Later Kristiaan Horvers wrote me, he was glad he found me. He told me everything he knows about Nine Circles and that was a lot more than I knew at that moment. Peter had released a CD that I did not know about and we were on the Radionome sampler (1982 VPRO). (They had) never reached in my hands, because the relationship with Peter was finished before the release of that record! Then a label found me Angular Recording, they Released a sampler with "Twinkling Stars" on it.
You can use this link to find out about the releases and some more info; http://www.nine-circles.de.be/
Next Rainer of Genetic Music found me, and then everything went fast from there. I found a new partner to make music, and soon we were on stage. The first time in my life in Bremen "shockwave" and it was great.. Finally after all those years I was able to make music again and sing and use all the songs I wrote (in 1980/1982 - 60 songs) and now well let's keep that a secret he he ...
I had to let the new keyboard player go because of personal problems.
Then I found Per (For more info look visit the Nine Circles website). Per-Anders Kurenbach - a fantastic human who is full of love, we were friends on Facebook for awhile, I told him that I had a concert planned in Lyon but I did not have a keyboard player, He told he would go with me on stage and so he did. We never met in person before, we just went to Lyon and get on stage, the first time we played together was with the sound check. The concert was the best ever.
So now Per and I are working on some new songs, and of course the old songs. We hope to have many concerts soon.

Assuming Dutch is your first language, why did you decide to write your songs in English?
I don't like Dutch it's too cold!

At this point, do you plan on continuing to challenge yourself as a musician?
Like I told my friends my dream is to die on stage.

You cited that the Internet and social networking served as the avenue for the revival of Nine Circles. What is your relationship with social networking and how do you feel about it's role in current underground music?
I think the internet is a perfect place for any one that has something to share, like music or art - you name it. People are listening to Nine Circles all over the world, how else would I have done that? I am not rich like the artists who can spend a lot of money on advertising themselves. I think the Underground needs and deserve a fair chance. There are so many good bands out there and often people think these groups of people loving underground music crazy. I am in contact with Peter van Garderen but only by email, he has a different life now and I respect that. He is sending me all the music and told me I can do what I want with it, do I will.
More I can't say for now.........mystery

Interview by Dennis Ohrt (Peek-A-Boo, Aug. 2011)

When you started Nine Circles, did you consider the band part of a scene or was it rather working on your own?
Well we were part of a group that all were making this new kind of noises, but yet we were standing alone.

Many English bands (The Cure, Joy Division, The Sound,...) had their first success outside England in the Netherlands, did those bands had an impact on Nine Circles?
Well The Cure was and is still my favourite but at that time I did not know them, that was later after I stopped making music and singing. There were some bands I knew and liked, like The Force Dimension, Smalts, De Fabriek, Genetic Factor, Van Kaye & Ignit, Fausto, but I don't think they had an impact on our music.

Was using just synths and drum machine (the lovely 4 sounds of the Boss DR-55) done on purpose or was it more a question of what stuff was around and affordable?
Well it was that we could not afford more, and we were happy to have the Yamaha CS-30 and Boss Dr. Rhythm.

Your first release was in 1982 on a compilation of Dutch VPRO radio, how did this happen?
A friend of us, Richard Zeilstra, was working at the Radio (SPLEEN). He had a program in which new groups had a chance to present themselves. He asked a lot of bands to send in a tape and he would pick some of the bands to be on a sampler, and so it happened that Nine Circles was on the "Radionome" LP aswell.

"Twinkling Stars" is probably your most famous song, can you tell us a bit more about it?
Well, I am very involved with stars and planets, in those days my life was so bad that I was wishing that a spaceship would come and take me away from all of it. I am still convinced that there is more than this life here on earth. :))

The song has recently appeared on the well-received "Cold Waves + Minimal Electronics Vol. 1" compilation, were you surprised even newspapers like "The Guardian" from England [Lidia was interviewed for a podcast] showed an interest in the band?
Well I was very surprised when my youngest son Patrick googled my name and told me that I was all over the internet. That was when I found out that my ex had released a CD, that there was a lot more out there and he forgot to tell me. ;(( Of course I am very surprised about everything that is happening time after time I wonder why people like this music so much...

The band split up after two years, did you ever try to form another group or was it a goodbye to the music scene for yourself back then?
When the love was gone, Nine Circles was gone as well. For 25 years I did not speak about or listen to my music simply because I did not have it. I did not talk about it, because I was thinking that this was a mistake and that nobody liked it.

You started playing live again in 2010, what can we expect from a Nine Circles concert these days and why didn't you play concerts back in the early eighties [Nine Circles just performed once for Dutch VPRO radio]?
Well you can expect the minimal sound like in the 80s, but of course there is a slight difference but we try to be as close as possible to the songs from back then.
In the 80's we did not have concerts because we split up at the wrong moment and because people did not understand us and were thinking that we were very strange people.

How has the live-setup and band changed for those gigs, as from what I read, Peter van Garderen cannot be part of Nine Circles in 2011?
Well the only thing that has changed is the keyboard player and the instruments. Peter Van Garderen has a different life and it happy like that, and I respect that. But he is in contact with me and is helping where he can to get all the sounds to me. So in a way he is part of it all, but he said I am free to publish what I want :))

Can we still hope for new Nine Circles material in the future and are you up for more concerts??
Well the concerts are still going:
July 30th: Frankfurt
September 17th: Lyon
November/December: Paris
(A list of our concerts can also be found on our website) And yes there is coming something but I can't talk about it yet.

In retrospect, do you regret not stocking a whole package of the "Radionome" compilation in 1982? It could have worked out as a nice extra pocket money these days seeing the prices on various internet-auction sites...
I never had a copy of that sampler. I even have never touched or seen it in real in my life. :-(

Was there ever a musical event or song that made it clear for you you have to become a musician yourself?
When I was a child my father taught me how to play the harmonica and from that time I wanted to make music by my own. I also wanted to play theatre, but I never had the chance to get anywhere with it, wrong karma I suppose.

As there are still so many almost undiscovered songs from the early minimal days, is there a song or band you can recommend that possibly not everyone has heard of?
Well a band like Genetic Factor, great music but not respected by anyone. :((

Lidia, thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions! I leave the last words to you, anything you want to say to our readers?
Well I want to say that I am glad to make music again, I want to thank Joa Saleina for her hard work within Nine Circles, she is a great musician.
I want to thank Martin Kleefeld for all his support and love. And last but not least some words to our fans: Thanks for visiting our concerts or listening to our music at home. Soon, very soon there will be more. :))

Interview by Alain Rodriguez (Vivante Records, June 2011)

What is your experience with music?
There's always been music in my life. Peter's mother used to sing old Dutch songs and my dad was a drummer and played a lot of Gypsy music on a fiddle.

Were you involved with music before you met Peter?
Yes and no, I was interested in a lot of things in the 80s. Theatre mostly.

How did you meet and how was the band formed?
We met in Melkweg in Amsterdam in 1980. The way the band was formed is a long story, but here it is:
First I met Jan Snijders who had a band called 'Genetic Factor' with Peter Van Garderen and Richard Zeilstra. We quickly fell in love but only for a short while. After I broke up with Jan, I moved with Peter, we became very close and we started to make music together. It fitted like a glove between us.
Then Genetic Factor split up. Each of the boys found a girlfriend and started making music with that girl, like Peter and I. We were all living together in the same house. So there were 3 bands in one house with 3 floors.
Richard Zeilstra had a job at the radio VPRO. His show was called 'Spleen'. He wanted to give New Wave bands a chance. Bands would send him tapes and the best bands would get the opportunity to play live at the radio and a chance to come on the LP 'RadioNome'.
So Peter and I, who were very much in love at that time, sent our tape to him and then it happened; we were the only ones from this house to be on the radio. Richard said our music was special, but we did not realize it. We had just started to make music together. Our live was about making love, getting out of bed to make music and getting back into bed again. I was very happy, I was doing all I had ever wanted.

What is the significance of the name "Nine Circles"?
It originates from "The Nine Circles of Hell" from Dante Alighieri's "Divine Comedy".

What was the music scene like in Amsterdam in the early 80s? Were you in contact with other bands at that time?
It was a small scene and everybody knew each other. We were in contact with "Van Kaye & Ignit", "Cargo Cultus", "The Actor", "Genetic Factor", "Stephen R. Emmer", "Einstein", "Rob Smit", "De Fabriek", "Nexda", "The Force Dimension", "Smalts". We talked about music, helped each other when we did not know something. We had nice evenings together, going to the same concerts. We were good friends in life, but still with a distance in music, everyone was making sure not to give anything away, they where afraid someone could steal a track and make a hit ;)) This is why we did not play music together.

Was there a place that you particularly liked to listen and dance to music?
We mostly met at the "Mazzo", a club for this kind of music and videos. I think it closed at some point, because of drugs problems. (It has re-opened since.)

How did you work together? Were you writing the lyrics and was Peter developing the electronics?
I wrote most of the texts before "Nine Circles" started. They were not originally intended to be song lyrics. I also wrote new lyrics for some songs we made. Whichever comes first, the music or the lyrics, there is no particular order. We developed and played music together.

Your lyrics convey a lot of emotions and seem to be very personal. How did you approach writing them? Where did you find your inspiration? How did you feel when you were singing?
I started to write when I was 15 years old. It was a way to face the situation I'd had to deal with since I was born, to cope with my feelings. I was angry at the world and at people for what they had done to me, to my life, since childhood. With some songs?I still have to make sure I don't start crying on stage. My songs are like circles that don't have an end or a beginning, like life, everything is going on and on and on...

Do you remember the first song you wrote together?
The first song we wrote together was "The Rose". "The Rose" is me trying to survive, I don't want to say more about it.

The only songs that you released were your two cult tracks "Twinkling Stars" and "What's there left?" on the "Radionome" compilation. Why, did you choose these two songs? Please tell us more about these gems...
We did not pick the song, Richard Zeilstra chose it from all our songs, he was the one behind it.
"What's there left" is about me beeing very mad at the invasion of computers. At that time, people were loosing their job because of it, they were not able to pay the rent and ended on the streets. And during that same period, doctors told me that I could not have kids of my own, or maybe later, in another way.
"Twinkling Stars" is telling the story of me waiting for a spaceship to take me to the stars where no one could hurt me.

It seems that you also appear on the "Colonial Vipers" cassette came out in 1982 under "Nine Cirkles"...
Yes, indeed that's us in spite of the typo. I wrote the song about Peter and he insisted to sing it himself. But I didn't know about the Trumpett-Tape until 2009 (Same for the CD from 1996). I was only aware of the "Radionome" LP, though I never owned one. All this stuff, after that LP, has been released by Peter, without my knowledge, after our relationship (and with it "Nine Circles") broke.

What specific instruments and equipment did you use?
We had a Yamaha CS-30 Synth, a Dr. Rhythm DR-55 Drum Computer, a microphone and a stereo double cassette deck to record the tracks.

Your music doesn't seem to be really dancefloor oriented, there is something "hybrid" about it. Yet when I listen to it, I can't help dancing...
The intention was neither to make danceable music nor not to make danceable music. It just happens that most songs are danceable.

Is there a track that you particularly like? Why?
"Foolin'", because it says exactly what I feel about some people in my life. (Those people who fit the shoe, know who I mean.)

If I'm correct you only played live once. Why is that? How come you never played live again? It seems like you wrote enough songs within 2 years to have been able to play great gigs...
Yes, we did about 60 songs! But we never had a live show on stage, only one concert live at the radio when we recorded the Radionome LP and we split up shortly after it was released, so we only played once. When my relationship with Peter ended, my relationship with music ended also, I mean "was interrupted" for 25 years.

There is a love story behind Nine Circles, Peter and you were lovers. What can you say about creating something with someone you love?
Yes, we were very much in love, and I think our music carries this. As I said, our life consisted in making music, going to bed, having sex and then going back to making more music... that says enough ;))

How did Nine Circles come to an end?
Well I don't want to go into details but when love went, "Nine Circles" went with it.

How would you describe this period of your life today?
It was the best of my life, than it was shit for 25 years - I thought music was nothing and nobody cared about Nine Circles - but since one year ago this great feeling is back, it is like going back in time!

Indeed! you reformed the band with a new member, Johanna Saleina. How did you meet her and how did she come to join the band?
I was in in the "Zwischenfall" club in Bochum (Germany) when Johanna played with her projects "Delos" and "Plastik Berlin" there. I was thinking about how to come back with "Nine Circles" and had no idea how, until I heard Johanna playing Synths. I am really happy with her, she really has that Nine Circles feeling.

How are you going to keep the spirit of Nine Circles alive in this new project? I suppose that your inspirations changed from what they were...
I don't know, we are not doing anything special, either it is there or it is not. But the past is still present, we have a lot of material we can work with and we don't have to think about new songs...

Are you still using the same equipment?
Yes and no, I have a Boss DR-55 again, but I am still looking for a Yamaha CS-30, which is very expensive these days. So we're trying to replace it with other old (Roland SH-101, Korg MS-10, ...) and new (Roland SH-201, Korg Microkorg) instruments.

Do you want to give Nine Circles a new direction in terms of music or lyrics?
No there is no need to change for me or Johanna.

What do you listen to today?
Mostly old-school New Wave bands like "Joy Division", "A Blaze Colour", "Somnambulist & M. Bryo" and many more. And some new bands like "Xeno & Oaklander", "Martial Canterel", "Ben Bloodygrave", "Nina Belief" and "Sixth June".

Thank you for your time and the interview, any final thoughts to add?
I hope that there is someone who can help me get the "Radionome" sampler!

Interview by Patrick Marsman (Le Voyage, Oct. 2010)

You've just had your second performance ever, how did that go?
I think it went great! Johanna and me have really enjoyed the show, it was nice to see that people reacted on songs like "Twinkling Stars" and "What's There Left".

How do experience the performing for a crowd? Are you nervous before a gig?
The whole week before a gig I'm a bit nervous... but on the stage I'm not uptight anymore and just really enjoying it!

We hear from a lot of people that the music of Nine Circles really hits them, the lyrics of the songs are sung with such deep emotion in it. We've just experienced that by ourselves when we've heard you perform, goosebumps all over the place! From where did you got your inspiration when you wrote the songs from the Nine Circles? And how do you manage to still sing with so much emotion?
The lyrics are representing my life. I've started writing lyrics when I was fifteen years old. Besides that I was writing poems that I called "Barensweeën". I'm planning to publish all these poems in a book. When I sing I still remember the feeling I've got when I wrote the songs, these emotions you don't forget. Therefore I'm able to sing with so much emotion, because it's real. With certain songs I find it even hard to not bust down in tears.

Could you tell us something about the gear you use during the performance?
It are mainly old synthesizers. I'm not good in brand names and stuff like that. It's our goal to work again with old equipment from the early days, to maintain that real Nine Circles sound. As a present for my birthday I've got the DR55 Dr.Rhythm. At this moment i'm still searching for the Yamaha CS-30. This together with a micro delay, an analog delay and a double cd deck were the only things we used back then.

Which minimal synth acts from nowadays you like? And which ones from the past?
Nina Belief, Led Er Est, Ben Bloodygrave are my favorites, I also really like Xeno and Oaklander. From the past I especially like the music from the 80's, there is a certain atmosphere in this music that I can't find quickly in the music you hear now. Back in the 80's i've listened a lot to Joy Division, The Cure and even Frank Zappa.

Do you have any plans for the future?
I'm definitely keep performing with Nine Circles together with Johanna. If I hadn't found Johanna there would be no Nine Circles now! I'm really proud and happy that I have the luck to work with her, she's amazing. We're also planning to record new songs because there is so much material left from the 80's we didn't do anything with back then... I've also started a new band with Martin and Ritch called "Notstrom". With this band we're also gonna release a single!