Interview:

Aluk Todolo was created out of the band
called Diamatregon back in the 2005. What was an original concept to change
your music played as Diamatregon and start more experimental band, that has
many very interesting influences including many “krautrock” bands
(I really hate the word) and also some other experimental stuff?

When we started Aluk Todolo in 2004, it was
not a continuation of Diamatregon who already had a break of 2 years without
rehearsal. The line up was also different, the drummer
was not in Diamatregon, plus we switched bass & guitar holders. It’s only in 2006 that Antoine (drummer of
Aluk Todolo) joined Diamatregon for the album Crossroad.

Well, Diamatregon is now a studio project
exclusively. We had 7 inch released this year: …to death
(Drakkar Productions). Aluk Todolo is our main band at this day.

In 2006 your released your first
recording as an EP on Implied Sound. It’s quite an experiment with really nice
dark atmosphere. A year later your debut was out on which you progressed in a
musical sense. Back in 2009 your second LP was out and it was a bit different.
Not so noisy I guess. Tell us about this releases?

I think our most noisy release are
Descension and Ordre. But it’s an interesting vision from outside. All the
releases we made are sonic experimentations and we don’t think in terms of
progression, it’s better to talk about exploration to define our albums.

What would you say is the main concept
behind Aluk Todolo? Do particular albums have their own concept or its just Aluk
Todolo all the way?

I won’t say we do concept albums, but that
all our releases have their own conception.

Aluk Todolo is the main concept itself, the
ultimate commandment. Each album is a different experimentation of the basic
formulas of the Occult Rock. If Finsternis was a musical exploration of the 5
steps of an eclipse, Occult Rock is the manifest of our music ; an absolute statement.

Where do you record this stuff and what
can you tell us about recording sessions?

Each recordings were done in different
places, with different conditions of creation and materialisation. We used garage, caves, basements, barns…
some of them were real studios, for some others we brought the equipment
required.

Our last album was recorded at the
Drudenhaus Studio, in the countryside of France, an amazing place with a deep
natural atmosphere. Xort, the sound engineer totally revealed our sound in it’s acoustic dimension.

I read somewhere that your main
influences are Träd Gräs Och Stenar, Ash Ra Tempel, Faust, Amon Dull II,
Gunther Schichert and Jacula and I find it really interesting, because I did
interviews with all mentioned bands. What’s your opinion on Jacula? I find them
groundbreaking even though they were not recognized in their time…

The bands you mentioned are indeed great.
The first Ash Ra Tempel or Amon Düül II’s Yeti are immortal masterworks. We
often refer to Jacula, it’s unbelievable that he made In Cauda Semper Stat
Venenum in 1969 !

Did you interviewed Paul Chain ? He is
another of our references.

Not yet.

We are expecting your new album. It will
be called “Occult Rock” which draw a lot of attention from fans of more
esoteric music. What can you tell me about the making of this album?

We called our music occult rock since our
very beginning in 2004. Our new album is a sum of our past work and a gate
opened on the future. Some compositions have been conceived years ago, some
other are fresh and have been finished during the recording sessions. Occult rock contains eight tracks, on a four
sides LP. We recorded it totally live, and it’s a faithful document of our performances on stage.

Will it be a lot different than previous
releases?

Yes and no. For those who follow us since
the beginning it can seem different. The album is faster than anything we did.
But the core is the same. We are driven by the same formulas, the same faith.

How about concerts? I see you are
playing also in the USA and in November with Stephen O’Malley ( Sunn O))) ). Is
there any chance to come to Ljubljana in the near future?

Yes, we played in US recently. We have been
invited at the Stella Natura Festival. An amazing event! Playing at dusk under
the trees and the open sky is on of the most wonderful live experience we had
with the band. Also we did the Jazz-Off festival in Colmar
where the mighty Christian Wander played a few nights before us. We’d love to play in Ljubljana, of course!

Where can we purchase your new album?
Will it be available also on vinyl?

It will be available on double digipak CD,
and on double vinyl LP. It will be released in USA by the Ajna
Offensive (Bobby Beausoleil, Sabbath Assembly, Negative Plane
….www.theajnaoffensive.com)

and on Norma Evangelium Diaboli for Europe
(Deathspell Omega, Watain, Funeral Mist, Katharsis… www.noevdia.com).

Are you currently active also with some
other projects?

We tend to focus on Aluk Todolo only.

Aleister Crowley is one of your main
influences. In what sense in particular?

Il est une des voix des ancêtres.

Hallucination drugs must be part of
you. I think drugs have to be respected in a way, you know why you use
them…it’s a sort of a ritual, don’t you think? How do you use them and if you
may say what in particular do you find mind expanding?

It is not something that needs to be talked
about. The important is the mind not the tools.

Thanks a lot for taking your time. Hope
to see you down the road somewhere. I heard from many, that your concerts are
unbelievable. Would you like to send a message to It’s Psychedelic Baby
readers?

Stay psychedelic, baby!