Interview with DIAF
I first came across DIAF’s music on the occasion of Prague Gothic Treffen in August 2021 and I decided it’s worth further introduction. As the project’s author says about it himself, “DIAF is an expression of the dark side of the Bavarian soul. It was founded in the beginning of 2020, with the debut album ‘WEIDA’ being released in July 2020.” We develop a bit on music, live performances and creative process.
Reflections of Darkness RoD: Hello DIAF, since this is our first meeting when it comes to the interviews, could we start by talking about the beginnings of the project? What brought you the idea of forming it, and how does it represent your musical taste?
DIAF: The idea came to me many years ago, and went through a lot of different forms and iterations, some of which are in circulation, while others remain private. The fully formed incarnation of the idea was revealed to the public in February 2020 on the eve of the spiritual apocalypse with the release of the first single ‘LIACHT’. Everything in DIAF is in one way or another a reflection of his experiences and taste, both in music and aesthetics.
RoD: Your music - even though it’s very energetic and dancy - carries a huge emotional load. The same goes for live performances - I could notice it very quickly during your last concert in Prague. Could you tell me what inspires you to create?
DIAF: An inner spark, a flame that burns brighter than the sun and roars louder than a thunderstorm in the mountains. Pain and suffering, filtered and transmuted through a multitude of spheres, from excrement to gold.
RoD: Speaking of live performances - it was indeed music but also sweat, not to say blood. Open heart on stage. What are live shows for you? You seemed totally devoted to your audience and immersed in your music, and the impression was incredible indeed...
DIAF: Live shows are a religious experience. The stage is the altar, the club is the church. While performing, I am in a state of possession, while being absolutely naked emotionally, willing to sacrifice everything. The veil between the words has been ripped apart for the duration of the show, and something transcends. I merge with the audience into one being, one emotion, one eruption of divine ecstasy and inner bliss supreme.
RoD: Your lyrics are solely in German - do you think it may be an obstacle in reaching a broader, non-German speaking audience?
DIAF: No, not at all. The current of the egregore flows freely without regard for illusory barriers.
RoD: You define DIAF as a Gothwave from Bavaria - you also mentioned your roots in our previous conversation. Is the place the project was brought to life important to you? A source of inspiration to some extent? If yes, in what way?
DIAF: DIAF was conceived in the pitch-black heart of Bavaria, deep inside womb of Patrona Bavariae, where the ghosts of Neuschwanstein dwell. This tract of land emanates a bleak sombreness that remains locked away in the souls of its inhabitants most of the time. DIAF is as much an expression of that sombreness as it is an alchemical transformation of it.
RoD: Red colour seems to be prevailing in your visual representation - both in the album artwork, scenic lights and the video - why is that? Does it have a unique, symbolic meaning?
DIAF: With all due respect, the people who would need it explained wouldn’t benefit from the explanation. And the people who would benefit from the explanation, wouldn’t need it explained to them in the first place.
RoD: Speaking of the video, ‘NACHT’ was the second single promoting ‘WEIDA’. Who was responsible for the concept?
DIAF: It was shot in front of a haunted chapel located inside a godforsaken forest. I can neither disclose the location of the chapel nor the exact circumstances under which the music video for ‘NACHT’ was shot.
RoD: Tell me more about recording and writing the songs for ‘WEIDA’. How would you yourself describe the album? And why is that city so important to you?
DIAF: The city of Weida is located at the crossing point of multiple geomantic lines that originate at a secret place in Bavaria, forming a unicursal Hexagram. That is all I am allowed to reveal. The album was composed and recorded in voluntary isolation somewhere in the Bavarian Hinterland. All instruments were played by me. The process of creation was one of intense self-reflection, self-destruction, from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. At the climax of its manifestation came the bittersweet pain of rebirth, bliss and agony at the same time, unified in a cathartic explosion.
RoD: There are several concerts planned - including Herbstzauber II the upcoming weekend (17-18th September) in Leipzig with SELOFAN, BRAGOLIN, ASH CODE - to name just a few. What else can we expect from you in the upcoming months in terms of live shows and new music?
DIAF: The sophomore DIAF album is currently in the process of crystallization, along with some other things. There are going to be further Live appearances, with the next one at the 10th of October in the city of Augsburg.
Photos by Kevin Murphy
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