Ossaserpia: Interview by Ivan Racheck

Chain D.L.K.: Please tell us how you got the idea to make the album "Music For Solve et Coagula".
Ossaserpia: Firstly it was a collection of tracks I made at nighttime sitting in a small studio... I liked to make covers of old baroque lute composerīs but the tracks finally were too different from the originals, sort of alchemy... The name was inspired by "Magick In Theory And Practice" by Aleister Crowley.

Chain D.L.K.: I think the artwork for that album must be one of the most ambitious ones I have ever seen. Some might say it is too much. Speak to us about the artwork and booklet.
Ossaserpia: Yes the artwork is unusual for musical format. I'm not a designer and all ideas were developed my Martin (Mrskos) with paintings by Madeleine. We had never corresponded with her and I think it was good idea to let one person feel individually, to watch from different angles.. Anyway I felt a bit nervous if the artwork would be too "gothic". But in contrary it is too "classical" which is really great as it brings a touch of ancient art.

Chain D.L.K.: Do you have any musical education?
Ossaserpia: No and Iīm thankful for it. Musical education in Russia is absolutely ill and useless. It stopped at teaching music of times of Tchaikovsky and Glinka and has nothing to do with music now... I like mathematics instead, it's modern forever.

Chain D.L.K.: What are your main music inspirations?
Ossaserpia: They are different from year to year, I liked Depeche Mode in school and was astonished by The Cure's "Head On The Door". The next revelation was Throbbing Gristle "TGCD1" and then Current 93 " Of Ruine Or Some Blazing Starre".Presently it is classic industrial of 80s - Eric Random, Test Dept, Zoviet France and especially Bourbonese Qualk, Legendary Pink Dots. But I don't like to divide music in styles; there are great artists in each kind... It's stupid to restrict yourself in a kind of a style like metal heads do and then try to get out from your own restrictions trying to invent something new.

Chain D.L.K.: Any other inspirations you like to mention?
Ossaserpia: Michel Houellebecq.

Chain D.L.K.: How have the changes in the Russian government, political ideology and the current Russian economic situation influenced you?
Ossaserpia: I live in a strange area; this land is under Russian government 60 years only. Alas old Koenigsberg is almost demolished by war and communists but anyway it's great to live near the borders of Europe. I really don't like the post-communist government of Moscow who do nothing for integration of this region into European Union. There's too much propaganda about times of war and enemies from Poland and Germany, etc. It's really disgusting to spend funds on it when 50 percents of Russia live in poverty...

Chain D.L.K.: Do you like "Stalker" (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1979)?
Ossaserpia: Rather "Solaris" if to speak about Tarkovsky.

Chain D.L.K.: For me your album breathes sci-fi and space. I also felt some of that feeling in the K.Meizter release prior to yours. Did you have thoughts about sci-fi when creating your opus?
Ossaserpia: I'm not too much into sci-fi. Maybe Lovecraft or Houellebecq "La possibilite d'une ile".

Chain D.L.K.: What is your opinion on K.Meizterīs album "traveling light"?
Ossaserpia: I very rarely listen to fresh releases, usually new albums of artists I liked before, for example it was nice album from Current 93 or new Nick Cave's Grinderman release.

Chain D.L.K.: Another very good album release on Horus CyclicDaemon is Musterion with "The black lodge". What do you think about Musterion? Outside of Horus CyclicDaemon (but in the scene) what do you like (music)?

Ossaserpia: I'm not too much into dark ambient releases. Probably early releases of Nocturnal Emissions or Maurizio Bianchi, Zoviet France.

Chain D.L.K.: What is next for you? Any new releases planned?
Ossaserpia: There's some new material but it let's say more psychedelic... I'm not sure if Martin will like it...

Chain D.L.K.: If you got unlimited funds what would you do with your music?
Ossaserpia: Nothing. It's not pop/commercial music. It has nothing common with funds. A.

Chain D.L.K.: Talk to us about Martin Mrskos (the mind behind Horus CyclicDaemon). How did you get in touch, how is your contact today and how did you get him to create such a deluxe booklet/release?
Ossaserpia: I met him around 10 years ago; he promoted a concert of Ordo Equitum Solis, a great Italian band. I was for the first time in Czech Republic and wanted to see a concert of them. So we met in Trebic, a small town near Brno and it was a great time. Since that I have met Martin a couple of more times, I like his beautiful shop in Brno. But now as a Russian citizen I need visa to go to Czech so I haven't meet Martin in around 5 years. We discussed everything by e-mail and all concerned artwork was his ideas...

Chain D.L.K.: Your Tracklist is weird. Talk to us about it please.
Ossaserpia: Everything is very simple; the material was recorded around 5 years ago. So I used just file names of the tracks left in the computer.

Chain D.L.K.: Madeline von Foerster made art for you. How did that happen?
Ossaserpia: It's all the idea of Martin, I never met her.

Chain D.L.K.: Anything to add?
Ossaserpia: I really like the town I live in, old Koenigsberg... And the scene here... Romowe Rikoito, Kratong, etc...