Interview with Gorazd Čapovski

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Interview with Gorazd Čapovski

Somewhere in the first half of 1998… Radio show “The Blues Brothers”… Program host: Igor Isakovski. Guests: Risto Vrtev and Gorazd Čapovski. Here comes the second part of that interview, slightly rearranged for BLESOK Sound.

I.I.: It has been two years time since we last met (in a “Blues Brothers” show). Tell me what has happened to you meanwhile?

#1 G.Č.: Many things have happened. Then, we talked about our second album, now about the third, we are stepping forward, producing albums…

I.I.: We will look at your past later, and now let us start with what was most popular from 1997 afterwards. The album that was produced by “Tone Casualties” in the USA is titled “Wake Up Gods”. If the people are weaking up?

G.Č.: Yes, slowly they are. Anyway, this was very important for us, I was looking for a producer for a long time and within Mizar (I am taking Mizar as a part of it) I can say, after 10 years, that I’ve finally found one. I think that you need a support for job like this to function properly because it is kind of a teamwork.

I.I.: Are you satisfied with the work of “Tone Casualties”?

G.Č.: I read about them in magazines and on Internet and at the beginning of 1997 I made a few demos, I sent them the tape and they accepted it. It is a coincidence that Rudy Carero was working in “Tone Casualties” at that time. Some time ago, when he was working in Slovenia, somebody gave him a tape from “Mizar”. It was a lucky moment because now, when I asked them if they accept demos they said they had no time for it because they received about 100 a week. It was a lucky moment, which came together with our moment, they liked the music.

I.I.: Gorazd, you said that here are some verses of Ivan Čapovski – your father?

G.Č.: I simply like his poetry so I took out some excerpts.

I.I.: While I was listening to “Till the next war”, and I must note that I am listening to this album for the first time now, I imagine people who are running away with their rugs, wandering tired in deserts… What did you see while you were making this music?

G.Č.: The music of “Kismet” is visual in its core, a “visual” element I inherited from “Mizar” something which can be connected with pictures, and which is very important.

I.I.: Which were yours pictures while you were making this music?

G.Č.: In fact, I do not think that way. This song is just like that, as the title says “Till the next war”. It is very stern, the motif of the theme is very strong, and still the same thing is happening every 50 years on the Balkans; that could be the base of this song. Really, the main reason was my revolt towards everything that was going on.

I.I.: In your view, what is the reason that every 50 years or so terrible things are happening here?

G.Č.: I think it is the politics and I do not want to get into that.

I.I.: You mean it is only politics and not any other story?

G.Č.: It is a history that is repeating every 50 years, people are slaughtering each other and I think that the time has come, they should stop, but I will not go into that.

I.I.: In ’81 the idea was born and you and Risto Vrtev formed “Mizar”. What did you have on mind then, what did you want to do at that moment?

G.Č.: I have to say that Risto had great influence, he with his ideas was the leader of the band, he was writing all of our songs, and this is in a way one of my dearest periods. I consider myself lucky to have met such a person and learn some things about the art. Simply, “Mizar – The First Revelation” as it was at the beginning, is the base of our urban sound, of a new style, Dark style.

I.I.: The CD “ The best of Mizar” that came our few months ago is very popular, What do you think about it?

G.Č.: I think it is a matter of copyrights. It is not authorized version and I don’ have anything to add to this. Badly recorded, badly packed and nobody is free to owe songs which are not his.

I.I.: What are you going to do about this?

G.Č.: If the judicial system was better… The Western Countries give you 20 years imprisonment and when you get out you wouldn’t think of it anymore. However, as I know, the judicial system here is not functioning properly… I will sue them, but it is still early for it.

I.I.: I have some magazines here, which are very important in the world of music. The first comes from USA, and the others are from England and Germany. In the German one, there is a review on “Wake up Gods” which is placed among the other famous groups. As I could notice, “Tone Casualties” has very interesting way of advertising. Here they state that: “this is the music for the next millennium”.

G.Č.: I think it is a part of the American propaganda, it is good they write about us and that we are there.

I.I.: You already have a page on the Internet, e-mail address… What do you think about Internet as a medium of presentation, communication of something that is a part of somebody’s creation?

G.Č.: Internet, the cyberspace, is a fantastic thing. It is a pity that we did not have Internet in the 80’s, the whole thing would have developed differently. I am talking from the point of view of Mizar, we would have appeared in the world more easily. In the America for example, nobody buys a record from a shop, everything goes through Internet.

I.I.: How does it feel like when this Gorazd from today looks back on the Gorazd from 17 years ago?

G.Č.: To be honest, I feel the same.

I.I.: When you are going on tour, soon or…?

G.Č.: Yes, in October we are going on a tour in America.

I.I.: Besides you and Ilija, who else is coming?

G.Č.: We still need a drummer, we have plans, but we’ll see. Somebody from Macedonia, for sure. We can find somebody in America, or in Melbourne, but we want to play with somebody from Macedonia.

I.I.: In this magazines, beside the ads for “Wake up gods” here are some famous names in the fields of the electronic and industrial music. “Wake Up Gods” is a transition to stream which is very trendy today – electronic music, techno…?

G.Č.: I cannot agree about “techno” term, it is not purely electronic album. Therefore, the electronic music is mixed with acoustics. Everything which is considered instrument: guitars, mandolin, zurla, drums… We play them, we do not use samples, which is very important. We do not like the sampled electronics and the electronics the way it is. Techno…? It is dead long ago.

I.I.: Tell that to the people!

G.Č.: I am saying: there is no techno, it is dead long ago.

I.I.: What are you doing in Melbourne?

G.Č.: What do you mean, what am I doing? Well, I bought some recording equipment and mainly that is my occupation.

I.I.: Do you go on some of the concerts?

G.Č.: Yes, I do. “Portishead” live do sound excellent; it is an old band, there are no samples, their equipment is from the 50’s, 60’ss, everything sounds better and extended, compared to the albums…

I.I.: What do you like the best from the new bands?

G.Č.: From the new bands… Sometimes I hear some of the bands on the radio… Merylin Manson, industrial american … I am not crazy about them, I listen to them just to be informed, I want to hear how does it sound like.

I.I.: The song “Rope” (“Ortoma”). Some of the words are in English and some in Macedonian?

G.Č.: I often use the English in the vocals. Moreover, all the vocals are treated like instruments, part of the atmosphere, and the language is not so important here. I had a wish to sing in English. Now, the next album will be only in Macedonian and the words will be much more important.

I.I.: You have your own lyrics on the previous albums as well. How do you link the words with the music, what comes first and what do you have in mind when you write the words?

G.Č.: I do not pay much attention on the words from that point of view. As I already said, the vocals are part of the atmosphere and I only want the song to sound nice. That’s it.

I.I.: Usually, we don’t talk about something which is not finished, but anyway – how would the words for the next album look like, what is the message of those words…?

G.Č.: I still do not know. I know there will be five love songs and five revenge songs. It will be done in this concept. I do not know how it will look like stylistically; I am still making the demos. There will be some electronics, but also live music, the energy that an alive man can give. The electronics become boring.

sound excerpts

Translated by: Maja Čanaćević

2018-08-21T17:24:01+00:00 January 1st, 1999|Categories: Reviews, Blesok no. 06, Sound|0 Comments