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Interview with

vocalist Michael Sele from The Beauty of Gemina

There are not many “dark” bands from Switzerland. With THE BEAUTY OF GEMINA, a new group is going to enter the scene. Until now there are only a few people knowing what to expect, but on Friday 26th January their debut album “Diary of a Lost” will be released. For those who can not wait until Friday there are already some songs and a video on http://www.myspace.com/thebeautyofgemina. We could do a little mail interview with the vocalist Michael Sele. Some will remember him as a member of NUUK, who supported ASP in the past. Homepage: http://www.thebeautyofgemina.ch/

“Diary of a Lost” is your debut album. Please, tell us something about the band.
TBOG: We never worked together in this composition, so we had to find an approach first. I worked as a producer, co-songwriter and guitar player with NUUK (Dark Wave Band from Switzerland) since 1997. We released three albums and played some tours. At the end of 2005 we decided to separate. After that I started to write new songs on my own and I carried them out in my own studio. Mac Vinzens and Martin Luzio worked with me. They already took part in the NUUK live band. Together we decided to release “Diary of a Lost” and start a new musical period with THE BEAUTY OF GEMINA.

What does THE BEAUTY OF GEMINA mean? The name “Gemina” is used in some different contexts.
TBOG: Basically the name is fantasy, although there was a real woman “Gemina”. She was a schoolgirl and the muse of the philosopher Plotin (Plotinus – Greek 205-270). Using this for the band’s name there is still some space left for individual interpretations. This is really fascinating for us. Who is Gemina? Is it a woman’s name, a place, a condition? Love or hate, beginning or the end. For me the name became a synonym for hope and the positive things, which will always be successful in the end.

Who do you want to appeal with the album? What kind of reactions from the listeners are you expecting?
TBOG: We know that “Diary of a Lost” is not a mainstream product. So we’ll give it some time. The internet is a big help for this. So we can find new listeners all over the world. You can make the funniest experiences there. Until now we got a lot of positive feedback. Especially in England we seem to fit in. Of course I would be lucky if we can find same reactions in Germany, too.

All stories on the album are told out of the darker side of human feelings. Where did you collect al these experiences and emotions? Who inspired you to the lyrics?
TBOG: I used up my own personal experiences for the lyrics, but also meetings with persons, who are close to me. So I created a musical diary, which tells stories of people, who are standing at the edge. They can not find a place in this world. Besides, it’s a great pleasure for me that the lyrics are printed in the booklet of the digi-pack in English and also in the German translation.

In comparison with the other album songs, “Forgiveness” is really quiet and some kind of “minimalist”. Why did you make this break in the middle of the album?
TBOG: I’m really happy taking this classical ballad on the album. It was a big challenge working with the Zurich “Tonhalle” orchestra, but we all got enriched of it. Working with opposites is a part of our concept and the world of THE BEAUTY OF GEMINA. I wanted to use the whole musical pallet on our debut album.

The last song “La reve de l´infidele” is nearly an instrumental one. So the album ends really “gentle”. What was the difference in this song? Why didn’t you add lyrics to it?
TBOG: After I had finished the first songs, I realised this was going to be a musical diary. Because of that the whole work became conceptually. So it was important for me to create a kind of musical epilogue, which shall be an instrumental song. At the end of the song I’m speaking some whispers. They end up the album, because after that every word would be too much.

You wrote all the music and lyrics, Michael. How did you work on the album? How did the music change during the working process?
TBOG: We are not that kind of band working together and writing songs in sessions. It’s part of my way to work. I like to be on my own during the creative phase. I spent a lot of time searching the right sounds for the songs. After that I showed my ideas to the other musicians. Of course we talked a lot and discussed about our musical ideas. Together we put the 13 songs for the album out of many song fragments. All in all I worked on the album for a year. It was the concept to work as complex as possible. We wanted to develop a typical THE BEAUTY OF GEMINA sound and to reach independence and intensity.



You did a video for “Suicide Landscape”. What’s the intention of this video? Why did you make it?
TBOG: The theme refers a lot to us, because our region has got the highest suicide rate statistically. So it was even more interesting, because the “shadow land” is right before our doors. This aspect tempted us, too. Our graphic designer Marcel Näf created the video together with the cameraman Dirk Frenkel. They developed the storyboard, too. Of course we talked a lot about the story and my suggestions took part in the realisation. It was my wish to add the story of the “lost girl” in the video. I’m very happy we found the young gothic model Ayse Ayman for this character.

Working with NUUK you mostly took part as a guitar and keyboard player. Why did you change to the microphone? What aroused you becoming a singer and band leader?
TBOG: It was the biggest challenge not only to write the music but also all melodies and lyrics for the album. At the beginning I took a lot of time to experiment with my voice and to find my own sound. To interpret the lyrics as the singer and to work out the matching phrases for a song were surely some of the most beautiful experiences of my work.

Mac and Martin took part of NUUK, too? Why did you not work on as “NUUK” in a smaller cast?
TBOG: It’s important for me that the people see THE BEAUTY OF GEMINA as a new band. We decided not to keep our musical past in secrets, but even not to concentrate on it. It’s neither comparable nor a musical continue. We worked on our revival for about a year.

The live premiere is set for March 2007. How do you want to bring the concept of “Diary of a lost” live on stage?
TBOG: At the 16th March we are going to enter the stage of the famous X-tra Club Zurich. It’s an honour for us and we are going to perform the whole album that evening. There are plans for guest musicians and some surprises. We are making preparations now.

Are there any plans for a tour? What can you already tell us about the future of THE BEAUTY OF GEMINA?
TBOG: We are going on tour with our friends of ASP in April. We got positive feedbacks from England and we are preparing for a club release there. We hope we can take part of some festival this summer and we are anxious to see how the diary will go on.

Thanks for answering and spending time.

Pictures: courtsey of THE BEAUTY OF GEMINA
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