Interview mit INDRA
per Internet im Herbst/Winter 2006 geführt

Das Interview habe ich per Email geführt und so meine Fragen in englisch gestellt, auf die Indra dann ebenfalls in englisch geantwortet hat. Da meine Sprachkenntnisse nicht die besten sind, habe ich mich entschlossen, den Text in englischer Sprache ins Netz zu stellen. Ich denke, man versteht auch trotz der nicht ganz korrekten Grammatik, um was es geht. Viel Spaß beim Lesen.

Stephan: You offer in 2006 at the first time your cds in germany at two different labels. In the past you put out many cds in your home Rumania. How many cds are that and how many years you make music?

INDRA: I've been making music since my childhood. I was 8-9 years and remember how I had clearly in my mind, in the process of composing, some symphonic parts and other sounds and effects. I used to walk to the school picturing in my mind that I was playing different instruments and beautiful melodies. However, I was very attracted by the strange effects, by some genuine sounds, by a different approach to the depths of the mind through the sound. In the '90 I understood that the only way to get to my inspirations was the synthesizer technology. That is why I quickly plunged into the mysteries of EM. As in a full desire for expressing all the waves of sound from my soul and mind, I released on the market many albums, covering different styles in EM but still keeping together the characteristics of a certain vector which surely defines my own style. There are 31 albums in my discography; nevertheless, only 17 are yet available. Some of the first creations do not suite anymore to the standard quality of sound. Still, for the sake of the fans, some of them would be probably released on the market in a not too far future. In 2006 I entered the German market through Spheric Music Records with the album 'SIGNS'. The boss Lambert Ringlage made a very good job. On the other hand, all the other available titles are distributed in Germany by Cue-Records.

Stephan: Do you offer some CDs as CDR?

INDRA: Most of the titles are offered as CDRs but the quality is very good. However, the last albums, as well as the 12 CDs comprising the Special Edition (which started with KALI) will be released as factory CDs.

Stephan: How did you come to the electronicmusic?

INDRA: At first I played as a drummer and then mostly as a guitarist with some bands but there was not 'enough room' for expressing my ideas, if you know what I mean. Even playing the guitar I was intensely searching for some cosmic kind of sounds, some different effects, using diverse effect pedals. In that period, Pink Floyd had a strong influence upon my inspiration. Then suddenly I came to the idea that the real field of acting my feelings in music was the EM. In doing that, I had already been 'prepared' by Klaus Schulze... Some of my good friends from Denmark believed in my enthusiasm and helped me bringing about my first home studio. Soon after, I had started to create my own universe of sounds... and still working on it!

Stephan: What kind of Music do you play in the early bands?

INDRA: In those times I used to play as a solo guitarist, at first with  ROCKING and then with the progressive-folk band ECHO.  However, the real performance was in the case of ROCKING as we played a kind of progressive rock music, something related with the style of  PINK FLOYD. My personal style was like 'slow-hand',  infused by a long, delayed  and sustained sound which gave more presence to the solos and kept the audition to the top. Even starting with that period I was very interested by playing strange sounds (I used some effect pedals and genuine kinds of  touching the strings) and I stayed many hours aside my friend from keybords, searching together particular sound effects. My interest was to create a special atmosphere so that the human subconscious mind being profoundly  influenced by the whole harmonic play.

Stephan: The Projectname INDRA and many of the Coverartworks are very asiatic style. Whats the reason about you/your music and asia or india?

INDRA: That's because of my great interest comcerning the oriental philosophy and practice. I've been studying it from 21 years and naturally I found many things to be revealed in a special manner through the music. As for my stage name (INDRA), this is a very special story... It is related with an astonishing spiritual experience I had many years ago, during a special retrait; I was performing a special yoga meditation technique which required special environmental conditions. One day the great hindu god INDRA appeared in his very splendour before me, overwhelming me with his extraordinary effulgent radiance. I know this is hard to believe in present days; nevertheless I know very well what I was living and feeling then. Suffice to say that INDRA told me that he will inspire my music and he was also willing to help the humans to become aware of the hidden realms and beings of the Universe. He also told me that everyone could contact him providing with sincerity in one's heart and real aspiration for that. To help this spiritual communion between human being and himself, the great god INDRA told me that listening carefully to my music will ease this kind of esoteric experience. One has only to try sincerely in order to check it for oneself.

Stephan: A great part of your music is like Klaus Schulze’s stile. Is Klaus an musical idol for you?

INDRA: It's true there is a certain influence from Klaus Schulze's style in my own compositions but saying he is a kind of idol for me is far too much. I respect and appreciate at best his musical work, which is included in the so called Berlin School style. As a matter of fact, I consider it the most elevated style of electronic music, if we take into consideration the link which has to be created between the mind of the listener and the music itself. It is the most profound and complex style of EM in its core. This I love the best. But there are also some things to improve here; in my opinion, there is a lack of imagination in Berlin School music and the 'structure' of the music could be somehow changed to a better 'presentation' to the listener. The trance-like state of mind has to be obtained not really trough very long ostinato sequences but through some little melodic parts and variations in it so that the listener keep always awake his/her attention.  The true inspiration is crucial here. Klaus made the pioneering work; now we have to develop it and make it perfect.

Stephan: The Tracks on „Signs“, this cd is the only one who came out at the spheric music label, are different to the “Berliner Schule” sound, that you use on many other cds. Why did you change the german label for this cd?

INDRA: “SIGNS” is really something special in my musical activity; it is really like many 'signs', amprents of apparent different styles which still combine into the one encompassing way of playing music. The vigilent listener could feel it after repeated auditions. Nevertheless, I like making music in different styles (ambient, new-age and even techno-trance, along with the Berlin School style) but this is mainly to express a greater pallette of feelings, ideas and archetypes in our lives and in the cosmic one too. I thought it would be for the real benefit of the listeners. In the end, this is the true aim for I make music.

Stephan: Is there an electronicscene in Rumania?

INDRA: We can not talk actually about any activity on the electronic music scene in Romania at the present.That's why myself am envolved in different musical projects outside my country. It's like the prophet in his country, hahaha! Hope    soon in the future the taste for the hidden message of EM will enter the soul of my people. However, there are some who like very much this kind of music and they listen carefully to it having strong and full of common sens opinions concerning it.

Stephan: Did you played live in the past in Rumania?

INDRA: I had several live concerts in Romania (the last one was on the 1st of November 2006 in Bucharest) but Open Air Festival from Germany was the really start for my performances dedicated to the foreign people. The fact is that the long distances do not allow a rich activity in this sense, due to high financial expenses. Still, I'm very glad that Germany was the first country where I performed live; it's like a tribute to the great masters of EM who showed us the way.

Stephan: What’s the feeling you get home from this gig in Schleiden?

INDRA: The feeling is that of a great plesure having known other famous artists and get in touch with their ideas and projects. But the real accomplishment is from the listeners' part, because thus I had the opportunity to perceive their  kind of sensibility and also receive their response to my music. Taking into consideration that it was Germany, that was a real challenge!

Stephan: You’ll offer a 12CD-Box called „Special Edition“. Why? Do you have a lot of material? And is the material new or is it old stuff?

INDRA: The 12 CDs 'Special Edition – TANTRIC CELEBRATION' is going to be a major concept and work too in the EM domain. It is related with the Ten Wisdom Goddesses (or the Ten Great Cosmic Powers) from the hindu spiritual tradition. So I conceived the whole structure of the project into 10 CDs, each for one Great Cosmic Power; there'll be also the 11th CD with a theme about the Divine Couple Shiva-Shakti and the last one, the 12th CD, about The Divine Absolute (in the tantric tradition it is called Bhairava). Even the idea of this Edition may seem too 'oriental' and new age, still the music is far far away of what the listener is accoustomed to in this direction. The general style is Berlin School music and I may say that people would enjoy most of the tracks. There is a certain rezonance between the huge energetic spheres of subtle influence coming from every Great Cosmic Power and the music dedicated to it in the respective album. So the listener could try to get access to this very elevated state of consciousness using as a proper support the music of the the album he/she likes. For example, the first CD (KALI) of the series has been already released on the market and one could easily realise the 'connection' I was talking about. Some of the musical ideas of the tracks which would be included on the next albums from the Special Edition were settled down during the course of time, but the major part of the work (round 90%) is done in the present. So we talk about a brand new musical material. And my expectations are to add in this way something interesting to the Berlin School style in EM.