Interview: Stefan Hertrich

It was Christmas night when some magic reindeers came in my house, so I asked them for a favour as they came here before other places (in the Fairies World we have that privilege), and I gave them some questions for Jeremiah Soto ("Solace" director) and Stefan Hertrich (soul of "Shiva in Exile")... tonight, smelling to incense and myrrh I came across two scrolls... the title of one of them was:

INTERVIEW: STEFAN HERTRICH
("SHIVA IN EXILE")

1. This question is an introduction for the interview, why the name "Shiva in Exile"?

S - This name came to my mind a long time before I formed the band Shiva In Exile, I think around 1997. For me it has the meaning that our world lacks spiritual points of views/morale etc. "Shiva" can be seen as symbol for "Spirituality" and "in Exile" as symbol for "banned by us from our everyday-life". However, I think the name is a bit too negative, because I notice that in fact more and more people integrate spiritual aspects into their life. People - at least in some corners of this planet - start to wake up and understand that the way how we behave to other people, to animals and to our planet in general should change.

2. "Ethnic" and "Nour" have different sounds... what inspired each one?

S - "Ethnic" was written in 2003, which was a time where I simply felt the need (and passion) to write an "ethnic" album, without any focus on one special culture. So you can hear elements from many cultures on this album: India, the Arabic world, China, Native America etc. From time to time I more and more got to know people from Arabic countries and apart from that I noticed a bizarre mood/atmosphere when seeing TV news from the wars in Iraq and Lebanon. This strange mood (for example mosque prayers while bomb explosions can be heard etc.) somehow catched my interest and I wanted to integrate this atmosphere into an album, so "Nour" became much more arabesque than "Ethnic". I think this bizarre mood is delivered most obvious in the song "Bullet".
Oh, and I was fascinated and inspired by the soundtrack of the movie "Black Hawk Down". "Blue Healing" is the only song on the album without any arabesque influences, and it was inspired by the soundtrack of "Whale Rider"

3. In "Nour", your music is full of mystic melodies, are there also mystic messages for the listeners?

S - It's nice that you regard "Nour" as a sort of mystic album, because I do so too. The music itself shall not deliver any special message, but just a sort of mood, as I described above. However, I tried to add some aspects you could consider as a "message", for example the album name "Nour" which is the arabic word for "Light". "Light" has a big meaning in mystic or spiritual ideologies. Or some songtitles, for example "Blue Healing" with which I want to express that nature can have a big healing effect on us (blue = ocean). Or "We are all one" which again is an important aspect of spirituality (to consider every single element on this planet being connected with each other in an energetic way, even animals, plants and stones). "Viva la Revolution" for me doesn't mean revolution in a political way, but revolution in concerns of belief, behaviour, habits etc. Life never stands still but changes each and every second. In every second we can define ourselves anew, experience and learn new things and by that improve our personality etc. I think every single day, no matter how boring it might seem, bears the potential of a small positive revolution that might happen in ourselves. We will notice this potential if we walk through the day with sharp and open eyes.
The main purpose of "Nour" is simply to entertain, but whoever wants to go beyond this listening experience and immerse themselves deeper into the album will find a meaning

4. What did you feel when you saw a dancer for the first time using your music for her performance?

S - Your videos were the first ones I saw and they really came in a perfect moment and teached me a sort of lesson. "Nour" is my 13th or 14th album and I was in a stage of lethargy after "Nour" was finished. I liked this album a lot and was happy with the result (and I still am!), but somehow the musician inside myself felt dead. It is really difficult for me to feel touched by any music because I am listening and doing it for such a long time, so I really suffered under a sort of "loss of sense/perspective". I thought "Yes, I like the album, but why did I write it? Again months of work, again a lot of costs, but for what?" Then I saw your videos and I really understood that writing music makes sense. I understood that by your dance videos the music of Shiva In Exile suddenly got so much life, heart and energy by a person (you) who got involved in the album AFTER it was written! Usually the creative process of an album is finished after the CD gets into stores, but now I saw "wow, writing the music isn't the whole process, it continues with people using the music for their own creative vision"! And by seeing your videos I suddendly liked the songs more than I did before and I really understood how much these songs are really able to "live"! So you were breathing life into these songs by your performances. I think that dance videos are a great way for me to discover my own songs again, as if I would hear them the first time!
The same happened when I saw Yana (the vocalist of Shiva In Exile) performing one song of "Nour" with her own band in Russia. Again I heard my own song as if I would hear it the first time
The main problem of Shiva In Exile is that it is just a studio project without any live activities so far. I hope one day there will be an opportunity to bring it on stage somehow, either as band or as dance group or as a mix of both But uff, it would cost so much time to organize everything :S

5. And now that you have seen many... what do you think?

S - Oh, I haven't seen many, hehe, but I am really happy for every video I can see, no matter how short or "unofficial" it might be! So whoever reads this interview, feel free to use my songs in dance shows whenever and whereever you want! I am happy if the music of Shiva In Exile gets "alive" somehow!

6. Musicians have a great power about dancers, sometimes you make us feel your songs so deeply that we "need" to express our feelings following your art, what do you thing about this kind of power you have?

S - It's a very interesting question, and in all these years I have never discussed "power" in an interview. You are right, musicians have a sort of "power", or let's better call it "influence", because "power" can easily be misunderstood and get a negative touch. I think every artist can have this influence on others, but especially musicians, because music touches the emotional side of a human. As a musician I can get "access" to people in my surroundings quickly, I mean, if people like my music and respect me as a musician, they usually also respect me as a human very quickly! They listen to my ideas, to my spiritual point of view etc. etc. etc. Music, or emotions in general, open the heart of people much faster than words can do! If somebody likes your music, you are able to make this listener happy and by that a sort of invisible connection is built between the listener and the musician. If people do not know the artist but "only" the human they usually behave different. The reason is: The artist gives the listener a present, and subconsciously the listener gives something back by behaving friendly and respectful. It's a very idealistic exchange of "presents", to some extend As a musician I have never met arrogant or "cold" people, but as non-musician (in supermarket or wherever) I often do! Many artists, including myself, often do not realize how thankful people are for their arts. Sure, in our days 99% of all listeners download the album illegally, but they are THANKFUL, no matter where or how they got the album! Maybe it's the lesson artists have to learn in our times. The times of big album sales are over, but the time of experiencing the listeners being thankful is not!
So whenever a dance group or band performs just in front of a handful of people: you can be sure that at least 1 person will be there who is ultimately thankful for what you do on stage! And if you observe the audience, you usually can find this person (or maybe even more persons), just look how the eyes of this person are shining You touch people more than you might imagine!

7. In which language are sung your songs?

S - Yana sings fantasy language and here and then mixes it with Russian or Arabic words. So the complete meaning of what she wanted to express by her wonderful voice will remain her secret forever I consider this album as a sort of "emotional journey", not so much a "journey of words".

8. Some new projects?

S - I am experimenting here and then, but didn't decide yet what kind of album to do next. There are several options, for example a very calm and peaceful oriental album, as contrast to the very impulsive and emotionally shaking album "Nour", or maybe something completely different, for example a Celtic/Medieval album, but again with hard percussion for dancing etc.
Apart from that I am also working on several esoteric/spiritual concepts including music + text material (more based on a message than on music, but only for the German market I guess).

9. And something you want to say to the students of Nieblas de Avalon school?

S - I know some of them already from MySpace and E-Mail, and I sometimes visit the Nieblas of Avalon website and the english message board too! Big hello and best wishes to Madrid from cold Munich!!!

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This man is like an angel. Just to say that he deserves respect and admiration as a 'person'
(And he has made me turn red as a beet! Ojos

)

Enjoy with the present!

Morgan