CIDESPHERE INTERVIEW
CAN BAŞKENT - UTKU USTA
Translation: S.K.
Can: First of all let us begin with how the band was formed...
Aydin:The band was formed in 1999 under another name, Ölüm Disi. After Bülent joined the line up we started to work seriously.Until that time the band was yet in the demo stage.Then the line up settled up.We made a recording and then embarked upon split recording.It was with Suicide.But it was not released from Zoo Music due to some problems.After having worked for 1,5 years we reached the album state and released it from Hammer Music.
Utku: Well,it was your split with Suicide that we got to know Cidesphere.Do you wanna say a few things about that?Overall Suicide is a band having a certain quantitiy of fans and technical efficiency.What kind of bringings conjured up from sharing a split with such a band in the first place?
Bülent: I'm one of the founders and ex-drummer of Suicide. It possesses an importance just for promotion. All in all we backed them up and they backed us up with their name. It was good for both sides.
Utku: There has been a vast difference in Cidesphere camp since the split. We inituated a shift from brutal death metal to a more Swedish school death metal. What can you say about that? What went different in the writing process this time?
Oral: When the split was released, Aydın was the only one coming up with the riffs. After Basar and Taylan's joining the band gained a three guitarist character which inevitably caused many changes. We intended to make our music more technical and enlarge our scope. All in all it came out to be an album having impulses from technical death metal to Florida style.
Utku: Can we formulize it like that? The difference between the split and the album is present because: 1) All the band members started to join song writing process. 2) You learned to look with a wider perspective regarding music.
Oral: Yes we no longer restrict ourselves to make extremely brutal in the past. When we like something we use it.
Can: But be frank, did you feel anxious about sales?
Bülent: We want our music to be liked. If we're listened more, we can produce more comfortably. I think it's the duty of a musician to make the music the listeners demand. may death metal, black metal listeners or melodic lovers like it. It became a little bit overcross.
Oral: As long as we want, we can play ska-polka too! This is related to what an individual wants. We derive pleasure from the music we make. We're interrogating whether the songs can be effective in concerts during the writing process. You can't make music by just thinking selfishly and narrow -mindedly.
Utku: No matter how heavy the music is, there's a serious industry abroad. After a certain state, the release policy of labels direct the tastes of people, we saw how Nuclear Blast out-broke power metal. The situation is similar in Turkey. What do you think of the development of our scene? Trends talk in Turkey reflecting upon the sales and fan quantity. How do you think the scene will grow up?
Bülent: For a proper scene both musicians and listeners should back up each other. I don't suppose this is so brilliant at present. Oral: Because we don't make our living from this music actually we can't be considered professional either. Notwithstanding a professional scope, not everybody can look like that. This is partly related to being familiar with the internatioanl scene and having contact with the people. Most bands in Turkey learn through internet and MP3s and they don't write to or focus on certain bands.
Bülent: If we're to improve this scene we'll do it with its musicians, magazines and listeners.
Aydin: We've got two major problems: Military service and inflation. Most of the bands in Turkey can't get by due to military service. Secondly, there's a high rate of infaltion here. Foreign bands can earn money and organize tours. We're firmly working under bad conditions in Turkey. We pay for studios for rehearsals. This problem will never be worked out.
Oral: Turkey indeed doesn't have a good reputation abroad and it's our aim to eliminate this. This can be realised with making high quality music and maturity. We're striving for this.
Can: There is a stagnation in the world market; web zines, mp3's; the cease of underground writing and the increase in the sales of copy CD's...What do you think?
Utku: Also most of the concerts to be held in Turkey are organized according to the sales rates. If a label's sales are not good here it doesn't send its band. There is a handicap in copy CD's. 1)As paople can't afford they turn to copy CD's. Because they don't know underground correspondence, they don't know from where they can buy cheaper either. 2)Copy CD's put an obstacle against the improvement of the scene. Your views? Would you show agression if you saw a Cidesphere CD being sold like
that?
Bülent: Of course I wouldn't. There's inflation, affording is no easy. Especially if you are a student. you are condemned to...this parallises us, as musicians doing this job. We can't get angry or stay calm either.
Aydin: For example., Lacrimos Profundure was coming this month. They checked out the sales. Nothing. But when Anathema came, they played in front of 1500 people. I think at least 1000 people have a copy Lacrimas CD here. I have too. I listen from a copy version too.
Oral: There is no such thing as CD abroad. If they sell 50 CDs to Turkey, they think there are 50 people here. However they dont think of the 1000 below. And nobody has to care actually. Copy CD parallises foreign bands but if I see my copy CD I'd get happy. I'd think we were a band deserved to be copied. I dont want but if done I'd not be furious.
Utku: Now let's ask our tricky question. How much are you following the inner scene, recently released zines and albums? Which ones do you like reading most? Have you read ours?
Oral: We are trying to follow the scene and bands as much as we can. All in all we can't always reach everything. We bought Sonic #2. Sapık İnek intie was cool:) I'm into the magazine scene too. In Turkey it is more necessary to deal with those kind of things. But at that point quality talks. Rip off translation inties, gloomy poems don't give anything so as to follow the scene things which include as many interviews as possible and posses varied content should be published. It would be better if there were not 1 but 5 magazines like Sonic Splendour. (We love you Oral, we love you Oral/ Ed.)
Utku: Sad but true, magazines guarantee a certain circulation as long as they enclose Manowar pics or Cradle Of Filth interviews. Anyway with whom shall we make an interview to sell a lot??
Oral: Well, you've already guaranteed 3000000 thanx to us!! But try with Burzum, Darkthrone, Marduk... any member of that fascist crew. Namely with everyone claiming to blow fire out of his mouth!!!:) Men with make up who praise their race.
Aydin: Should you wanna sell more, increase the amount of chicks' photos you put in the review section. I was addicted to one of them.
Utku: Actually, she was Laetitia Casta.
Oral: Try Nina Moritch
Can: Last words?!
Aydın: We'll preceed the album we made.
Taylan: You can write my name under each cool words the guys uttered.
Oral: As a band we're trying to fulfill our duties and stick to quality. If the listeners are conscious enough we believe certain steps will be taken. By the way move on with porno...
Bülent: The most crucial of all there's a firm support and friendship in our band. If something's working this is the sole reason.
Aydın: Among us our friendship is superior to anything. If this lacks, no such thing as music occurs.
Live record - Ankara