Interview with Gözde Duzer from Aux Animaux
Gözde is a genuine creative force, known for her full-blooded and intense concerts, her unapologetic approach to art, and her unwavering commitment to music. She stands out as a remarkable gem within the music scene. Originally hailing from Turkey, she has now set her sights on Sweden, where she is making a significant impact. With beautiful, dynamic music, exceptional vocals, and a captivating stage presence, her project AUX ANIMAUX is an absolute must-see, or at the very least, a must-listen. Today we discuss her inspirations, her experiences touring with SHE PAST AWAY, and her thoughts on the Swedish music scene… and more…
Reflections of Darkness [RoD]: Hello, Gözde! Thank you for taking a moment for this chat. I understand you’ve just wrapped up a portion of your tour, with two more gigs scheduled for December in Stockholm and Helsinki. How have your overall impressions been?
Gözde: Thank you for having me! It’s been great! This year is the most I have toured since I started AUX ANIMAUX and also, I played in places I never played before. Touring with bigger bands such as SHE PAST AWAY, THEN COMES SILENCE and THE SOFT MOON has really helped me broaden my audience. They’re all some of my favourite bands and humans, so it’s amazing to get to tour with these gems.
RoD: You’ve been touring with SHE PAST AWAY; have you known each other for an extended period?
Gözde: Although we’re both from Turkey, I actually met SHE PAST AWAY in 2019 when we played together in Prague. Then came the pandemic and we did a couple of more shows in 2021 & 2022. After our last show in 2022 they asked me if I’d like to go on a longer tour with them, to which I gladly agreed, so this year we’ve been touring in Germany, Netherlands and Turkey together. In December we have a couple of more shows in Scandinavia. They are really great people, and I truly appreciate they help out other bands such as myself in the scene. Touring with them has been super smooth and I can say we’re practically family now. It’s also felt so luxurious to get to speak my mother tongue a whole tour during both on and off stage, which is something I rarely get to do. Doruk also has been mastering my music for a while now which I am thankful for.
RoD: Your performances are highly expressive and theatrical, and your music exudes power and dynamism. Could you delve into the inspirations that fuel your stage presence and your musical creations?
Gözde: Thank you! I see AUX ANIMAUX as an audiovisual project, the visual part has definitely an important role in expressing myself and my music. I am a horror movie nerd and I’m really into occultism too, so these two things have deeply impacted my visual expression. I usually start the gig with a satanic ritual. You can usually find references to horror movies in my videos as well, which I make myself as well as the music.
RoD: You wear many hats as a “singer, thereminist, bass player, and producer”. It’s quite the Renaissance woman role! When did your musical journey commence?
Gözde: Haha yeah, I like to call myself a one-woman-band! My musical journey started when I was a teenager like most. I first started with the guitar and then picked up the bass. I worked as professional bass player and touring musician for several years in Turkey before I moved to Sweden. After I moved to Sweden, I decided I wanted to do my own music. I was really inspired by horror movie soundtracks, which got me into the world of synthesizers. This is also how I discovered the theremin, and started playing it and developed my own technique. In the meantime, I also learnt music production, literally from scratch, so it took me some time to get on my feet and also find my sound, but once I did that, I continued producing music nonstop. I also have a side project called Melaina Chole where I make drone doom, again all by myself.
RoD: Could you elaborate on the overarching concept behind AUX ANIMAUX?
Gözde: As I mentioned before it’s an audiovisual project drawing inspiration from horror movies and occultism. As it’s my solo project it really reflects me as an artist, which is not different from how I am in my private life. I am very me both on stage and on studio, I don’t have an artist persona or anything. The lyrics as the music have been much inspired by the same concepts, although I will be giving away more from my private experiences in the upcoming album ‘Body Horror’. As to the name itself it came to be in French as everything, I wanted in English was already taken. I was living in France at the time and studying French, when the name came to me. I have also been vegan for over a decade so a name that pays homage to animals felt suitable. Plus, I like the symmetry of it as it starts and finishes with “aux”. The only downside is almost no one except for native French speakers can pronounce the name right, so it’s butchered oftentimes. I have heard a lot of crazy variations over the years.
RoD: Do you have any musical heroes who serve as a driving force behind your creative process?
Gözde: A lot! Among others PORTISHEAD, which to me is the best band in the world! I also love KRAFTWERK; I think they are geniuses and pioneers! John Carpenter as horror movie director and also soundtrack composer has definitely been a major influence. From more contemporary artists I absolutely love THE SOFT MOON, Luis and I have a lot in common, so I can really relate to his music. I certainly love my friends SHE PAST AWAY’s sound as well. I also really like ANNA VON HAUSSWOLFF from Sweden.
RoD: You recently received a grant from the Swedish Arts Grants Committee. Can you share more about this?
Gözde: Sure, this was a grant I received as international cultural exchange as I have been touring so much in other countries this fall. Sweden still is a great place that supports culture, something that doesn’t exist for example in Turkey.
RoD: It’s no secret that you’re in a relationship with Jonas Fransson from THEN COMES SILENCE. Have you collaborated on any artistic projects together?
Gözde: Not really as we’re both so busy with our own projects. We did get to tour this year together though both in EU & UK, which was a lot of fun!
RoD: Could you shed some light on the current music scene in Sweden? It seems like you all know each other quite well.
Gözde: It’s true! We call it the “black family” here in Sweden, as we all wear all black clothes! The Synth / Goth community is quite tightly knit and we all support each other, this applies both support between bands but also between bands and the audience. Bands like to collaborate with each other quite a lot too. I am singing in one of the songs in ABU NEIN’s and THEN COMES SILENCE’s last albums. I also play theremin in a track in TCS’s new album that they are recording right now. Then also PRIEST, TOBIAS BERNSTRUP, MAJESTOLUXE did remixes of my songs in my last EP and we produced my song ‘Haunted’ together with ABU NEIN. I also played bass in the last AGENT SIDE GRINDER concert here in Stockholm as their guest artist recently, we had a lot of fun on and off stage!
RoD: Beyond the December shows, what can we look forward to from you in the upcoming months?
Gözde: I have new album coming out on December 8th. It’s called ‘Body Horror’. This will be my first LP as I only released EPs and singles before. I am also collaborating with Manic Depression Records for this one, so for the first time I will be selling physical copies like vinyl and CD and not just digital tracks. Other than that, I am in the process of booking shows for the next year, and I will play in at least one major German festival although I am not allowed to say which one yet.
RoD: Thank you so much for your time!
Gözde: Thank you too! Alles goth!
Pictures by Jannike Viveka
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