We are pleased to offer you an interview with a German band that offers Instrumental Prog sounds whose new album “Mondbesteigung” was released on January 17, 2022. We welcome Fraktal.
Hi how are you?
Nicole: springlike
Bert: Hmm
Robert: Well, we could say that we nonetheless are a little annoyed and, well, it pulls on the
band as well, that it seems something is over. It is kinda hard to get any concerts or
possibilities to present our music. We never really took care of the organisational part of the
business. We just asked someone, or have been asked, and we could play somewhere. Ok,
this also relsulted in maybe 4 or 5 concerts per year, but that’s enough for us. Because we
are doing this for our fun and because we think our music is really great. We don’t have to
prove anything or show off or get rich and famous. We all have our families and income and
just meet us to make some great music.
Stefan: But the kick, the highlight is kinda missing for 2 years now.
Robert: Exactly. And so we have to see how the future plays out or what’s the next big
problem in the world. And if no one wants to see and listen to us, then we just leave it be.
The genre you propose is an instrumental Progressive Rock with different contaminations
and 70s reminiscences, where does your passion for these sounds come from?
Nicole: laughs Out of our hearts and the influences and situations we experienced in life so
far.
Robert: Well, I always just play how it drips out of my fingers. It’s nothing planned, it’s just
nature dripping out of us.
Nicole: And the Melodies and Harmonies just come natural, how we are feeling in the
moment of creation or finding it.
Robert: The way we feel, the song will sound.
Your debut album “Mondbesteigung” was released in January 2022, how would you
describe this work?
Stefan: Puh
Nicole: Well, the songs suddenly were ready. general laughter We always have a lot of
output. We polished it and thought we could do a pre production or pre recording. But those
recordings have already been that good and our drummer has made such a pressure that
we said, well ok, we take the pre recordings and use them to create our record. We just
beautified it a little with overdubs and sounds and a cello.
Stefan: And we recorded it quite relaxed in our rehearsal room.
Nicole: Yes, with our favorite mix buddy.
Stefan: It took two weekends, if I remember correctly?
Robert: Well, there is half of the story missing. general laughter The funny part is that we
decided to make a pre production. We did it before and it was a good decision. So we can
record with microphones etc, doing it really great and then a lot of things just come up with
which we can enhance the songs. Which changes the sound of songs so drastically that we
have ro record everything again. Or that the tempo of a song has to be adjusted because it’s
not fitting now. Sometimes even the feeling of a song has changed completely for us.
But this time everything just seems to be alright, especially from the drum part, or I just was
too lazy to record it again, so we just took the pre production and added the post production
and overdubs to it.
And then I can add, that a lot of bands just lock themselves up for recording or go to Spain
or Sweden or something like that and take three or four weeks to write songs and put them
on tape. And then they are doing a tour with this material. We are doing it in a different way,
so that we only play songs live we really know how to play and which are considered done
and creating new material in the peacefulness of our rehearsal room all the time. So when
we are finally done with a record, we already have enough material for half or a full new
record. But we are too afraid to play this newest stuff live and so the newest record was
done, when we still played the old ones. So we did first some concerts, then covid struck and
then suddenly the new record was there.
Long-lasting tracks and sophisticated musical textures with fine weaves, mixing different
genres and styles, what are your sources of inspiration?
Nicole: We just play what is in our fingers.
Stefan: We have no fixed style or genre. We’re just doing what we want to play right at the
moment.
Robert: But we have at least two philosophers in the band…
Stefan: At least.
Robert: .. which are currently trying to answer the question where inspiration and ideas are
coming from. And of course they are coming from the spiritual world. If anyone has an idea
about what he or she wants to do, creating a car or whatever, it comes from there, it is
polished and changed in the head and then transferred to the physical world. That’s how we
are doing it with the music.
Your music is full of tempo changes and keyboard weaves, how does the composition of
the tracks happen?
Stefan: Often we just have some kind of idea. Mostly from Nicole or from me where suddenly
Robert yells: Oh, that sounds quite nice. Let’s do something with that.
Nicole: This often resonates with the other band members. Often Robert corrects tempi or
the rhythm.
Stefan: For example adding an eighth note so that the metrum won’t be 63/8.
Nicole: And then we add ideas and parts from everyone and polish it until we reach the point
where we unanimously are sensing that the song is kind of done and ready. And our
drummer always has a lot of ideas to add overdub lines.
Stefan: Often the songs are ready and done when we record them, often, not always.
laughter
Robert: Our bass player, Bert, is always so quiet that it always seems unanimous. more laughter
Many of your fans and our readers are wondering if there will be a chance to hear your music
live, do you have any plans for that?
Nicole: Yes, we have. We started again sending out requests to a lot of venues if maybe we
could play there. To finally start playing live again.
Stefan: After a long time of nothing
Nicole: After a long time of almost nothing. We had some rare concerts during the corona
time. And now we want to go back to at least our four to five concerts a year. If this is
somehow possible. Because it has always been a lot of fun to us.
Stefan: and a lot of fun for the audience as well.
Nicole: The sharing of the music with the audience always is a nice symbioses. We always
had the feeling that the audience really enjoyed us and of course was surprised by strange
changes in tempo or rhythm. Well, it was always a lot of fun and some kind of win-win
situation for everyone.
Robert: I have to add something to that. The question was that the people are wondering if
there is a chance to see or hear us. I have to say I am wondering why the people are waiting
for uns to come loud laughter So if you want to get us live, just invite us and we’re coming,
but if no one asks us … we are musicians, we aren’t bookers or managers, we are just doing
the music. If you really want us, just write us an email (fraktaldresden@gmail.com) “we have
a barn or room..” it doesn’t need to be big and fancy, we need some PA and something to
eat and drink. We don’t need a lot of money, we just enjoy playing our music for you. So if
some of our expenses are covered we will come… but only if we are asked laughter If we
don’t get asked, we won’t come
Stefan: well we wouldn’t know where to go to
Robert: Y’all can wonder about as long as you want. It doesn’t have to be in our hometown
Dresden. Also not too far of a trip would be nice. But I already drove to England and Wales
for a concert sometimes.
Yours is a very interesting album full of ideas, do you already have plans for future
releases?
Nicole: There are already four songs done for the next record. So technically we could
already record again. Well the ideas are there.
Stefan: And our bass player is already stressed about finding the time to record with us. He
already stated: not before winter.
Bert: nods to confirm
The music market has changed a lot in recent years, how difficult is it to establish yourself
with a more sought-after music genre like yours?
Nicole: What does difficult mean? We publish our music and the people who like it, like it.
We just want our music to be heard if it wants to be heard.
Stefan: At least up until now no one told us that our music is crap.
Nicole: Right, up until now we always got a lot of positive feedback.
Stefan: But yes, it’s hard to get this kind of music to the people. You can not put in a kind of
drawer (as we say in Germany) or stereotype. It’s not metal, it’s not stoner, it’s not pop, it’s
not techno, so it’s hard to get people interested in the first place. If the people experienced
us, than they like it.
Robert: Which is actually a good situation, because with our songs we could play in a
discotheque or in a metal club or in the jazz bar because the influences of all are in the
songs.
Nicole: According to the venue we can create a setlist fitting the place. We have soft sets or
sets going more forward.
Stefan: Well we have a three hour song collection. There will be something for everyone.
What advice would you give to a young band approaching the modern music scene by
offering Progressive sounds?
Stefan: Don’t do it. Except you’re doing it because you want to do it and it doesn’t matter if
there are 10000 people who want to see you or just 10.
As usual I leave the last question free, to allow you to talk about any topic of your choice
not touched on in the previous questions.
silcence
Robert: I have a hard time running around with a raised index finger, which I did quite a
while, and telling everyone about the newest insights. I’ve recognized that everyone has to
find out by itself. That’s the reason we don’t have a singer, because we are just doing music
which shall feel good and we have to leave a lot of room for interpretation so that no one is
turned off by raised index fingers.
Stefan: and everyone can classify as he wishes. Some say it’s like a movie score, some use
it to get relaxed, some say it really picks them up or touches them. Others say it could fit for
computer games or they just dance to it and go crazy over it.
Nicole: And we always tell the audience to just close their eyes and admit to the music,
space off a little and see what the music will do to them
Thanks to Fraktal for the pleasant interview, wishing them the best for the continuation of their musical career.