Interview with Die Sonne Satans

Not much has been said, written, heard, seen or felt about this old and obscure Italian industrial-ambient project. Still, it´s one of those band names you remember from when you went through the endless pages of a mail-order catalog from Cold Meat Industry. Or maybe you ended up buying one of your favorite post-industrial/ambient compilations and Die Sonne Satans was on it. Or you are just a die-hard fan of that classic era in Italian industrial music history who knows that this act can be linked to the great projects of Atrax Morgue and Runes Order (both on Slaughter Productions of course). Ultimately we can only talk about 3 cassette releases and 2 CD compilations as their discography so why the hell is people still talking about this act?!.

Yes, I'm going to dissect this mystery once and for all. To reveal information about this one-man band, and interrogate the poor fellow out of his Italian socks!.

For the first question in this investigation, tell me how, why and when did Die Sonne Satans start?

Die Sonne Satans, who borrows the name of a 1926 Georges Bernanos novel from which Maurice Pialat took the eponymous film in 1987, was born in 1991. At that time I was often in Milan, for study reasons, where a few years earlier I met Stefano Musso (Alio Die) and with whom I began to explore the possibility of producing music. Following a first tape called Opus Vix Inchoatum titled "Nullae Procreationis Germines" I refined my technique and my musical aesthetics by giving life to the project as you know it. For me, DSS has always been synonymous with self-determination, an antidote to the tangle of conventions that I am bound to, and this is the reason why an iconoclastic and nihilistic approach pervades my entire production.

When you started this act, what bands inspired you back then?

When I was young I enjoyed, like most of us in our field, darkwave music, especially 4AD aesthetics. Then I passed to more experimental listening through Death In June, Coil, Current 93 and Nurse With Wound. I loved so much dark ambient so I can not deny that among my most admired listening were then Lustmord, Cranioclast, Nocturnal Emissions and for other reasons Hafler Trio. I still have great admiration for Asmus Tietchens, but the record that most changed my listening perspective was Teimo by Thomas Koner. In this sense, "Orbis", taken from Metaphora, is a clear tribute to his work. All the music I loved listening to from my childhood inevitably permeated my sensitivity and poured into DSS.

How was the scene in Italy at that time you started?

At the end of the '80s in Italy, it was an interesting and mature underground scene that was linked to industrial styles, just to mention Tac, Tasaday, Sigillum S. Personally, for geographical reasons, I wound up meeting Mauro Guazzotti from F:a.r., a volcanic person for ideas and energies. However, I have always been quite defined, my own has always been a very DIY and solipsistic approach and this has not led me to share ideas with other projects of the Italian scene, except with Claudio of Runes Order.

You did some collaborations with Claudio Dondo of Runes Order including Atom Infant Incubator, how did you guys meet and how did it work with you two working together?

I met Claudio through Deca (Federico Decaroli) who was a common friend. We immediately got in touch and decided to produce something together. The first Atom Infant Incubator originated from old tape recordings of Claudio's first project, "Order 68", which I added heavy treatments and new tracks, Copula is still a good job, too underestimated, I would like to remaster it and reproduce it in a more consonant design. The second work we made as AII was born from common sessions where everyone has contributed to their own parts and tools. It is perhaps more improvised and paradoxically more composed and contains many of the ideas that I wanted to pour into the DSS's fourth release.

How fondly do you remember Marco and Slaughter Productions?

Marco, for me, was a very important figure. He supported me and always believed in my productions. I'm in debt to Slaughter Productions. I have a good memory of him and as far as I knew he was a kindly person, always very helpful, almost as opposed to what the Atrax Morgue productions might make you think. His sudden death struck me a lot even though we were not in touch for a while.

Have you ever played live, and if so what is the greatest experience of this?

I have never played live, I don't think my music could be suitable for a live performance. And then I'm a very retired person to expose myself in a context like that. Uwe of Dark Vinyl as me to tour in Germany but I refused.

Are you surprised, that people are still talking about Die Sonne Satans?

In fact, I am very surprised. My production was very small compared to other similar projects. In retrospect, the mystery around my person and of course the music I've produced have helped make DSS a little worship.

How do you feel about the new post-industrial/experimental scene nowadays?

I'm no longer particularly involved in the industrial scene. Over the years my eyes have been laid on other horizons.

What are the plans for the future? I've heard rumors of re-issues?

DSS: I just signed an agreement with a new Italian label that has already released some MZ 412 old and live material. The idea is to release the three tapes and some compilations tracks in new formats (vinyl, cd...) The first work, Metaphora, is finished and the master and new cover art are ready as well. I hope it will be published in the Fall, followed by Factotum and Omega. Maurizio Pustianaz (Gerstein) helmed the remastered versions and maybe in the future, we could work together again. I want to also retrieve some materials published with another moniker a lot of time ago and maybe reworking it for a new album.

Stay tuned...

Facebook (band):

https://www.facebook.com/1d9s9s1/