Emer: So, here we are. Firstly, What impression do you get of playing at Castlefest?
Niel: We have just had our new cd out, Eden, and we are quite proud of it. It’s a nice feeling to be here at Castlefest and to see the people keen on the new album. We love to play at Castlefest!
Emer: Tell me about Faun ‘s new album.
Niel: The album is called Eden, like the garden of Paradise and this is like the main theme of our new recording. On the way to the album we found many aspects of the garden of Eden in the music we play. At the beginning we didn’t have a plan of making a concept album in this direction, but it crystallized that. There are turkish songs where boys and girls are playing in a garden, it’s got a headline like heaven. It is about people telling you that heaven is not on earth. We have come across many songs, also about the aspect and meaning of the apple.
Emer: What is Faun about for you personally?
Niel: Not a difficult but really a great question because many things can be said. We combine instruments from medieval times, from other cultures and try to make modern music, combining it with electronics and percussion. We try to promote a feeling to connect people back to nature, to a spiritual connection with it and with the world.
Emer: This is certainly a very interesting trait of Faun ‘s music, and the content, I personally find, is very simple and straightforward, it goes directly to the point: the simple values of life. It says “enjoy life” !
Niel: oh yeah.
Emer: How is this tour going?
Niel: Autumn will see a long big tour with Eden. A specialised stage show which will be connected to Eden.
Emer: What is your favourite song from Faun?
Niel: woah! Arcadia is my favourite song but is is also very difficult. You know, once I was out of the studio, sitting at home listening to the cd waiting for some kind of feeling. At a certain point I said to myself, “Ok, now I’m gonna listen to it as a record”, focusing on every single track and from the beginning I liked it so much that the album was playing for days in my house! I just couldn’t stop! I think this is the best thing that can happen when you come out of the studio.
Emer: What can you tell me about the instruments that Faun use? I find very interesting the blend of old with the new, of the traditional instruments with the use of electronic frequencies.
Niel: The special message that Faun wants to express would not be possible with the normal setup, like guitars, bass, drums. What we play are traditional instruments such as the nickelharp, irish bouzouki, overtone flutes…all of this give a characteristic sound. And here we have a specialist of drums and percussions.
Rüdiger: I play also Brasilian drums, a very light drum that has also an oriental sound.
Emer: As you said before, if you want to connect people through your music, you need “natural instruments” too…
Niel: We also use electronics of course. Before Faun, I was making ambient, quiet music, taking samples from the woods.
Emer: Through the use of frequencies to get to the underlying message
Niel: Yeah. What I mostly did in the album Eden was using samples of special instruments, like for example the noise you obtain from a bouzouki hitting the body. What I personally find great about the album is that it is very “organic”, you don’t notice the borders between electronics and natural sounds. This was also my goal.
Emer: So they blend together very naturally
Niel: Exactly.
From: https://musicadraconia.wordpress.com/2011/10/18/faun-interview-at-castlefest-2011/
