Dark Interview - Zalys
By Casey Douglass
Zalys is a French
one-woman ambient project that was created in 2013 with a focus on
deep space ambient and ethereal atmospheres. Her music transports the
listener into the deeper realms of space, her albums following the
concept of a lone space wanderer as he travels through the void. I
first heard Zalys’ work in the form of her Reminiscences album and
was very impressed, particularly liking the sounds that seemed to
echo from video games like Half Life. Zalys kindly granted me an
interview which you can read below.
Hello Zalys, thank
you very much for this interview, it’s great to have the chance to
quiz you on your creative endeavours. When did you first become
interested in making music? Did you land straight on the experimental
ambient genre or did you get there from more typical avenues?
I became
interested in making music when I was young, I think I was 6 or 7. I
studied the music theory for 3 years. I wanted to play the piano but
we could not afford the music lessons so I kept moving on my own. I
was then offered a little keyboard and I had some fun creating
melodies on my own and reproducing some music I liked. That's how I
learnt. Also, my parents listened to a lot of music and I grew up in
this atmosphere : it was mainly electronics and rock, hard rock/metal
music, so nothing to do with ambient music. I am more into metal
music to be honest and when I started Zalys, I did not know much
about dark ambient and ambient music in general.
You have said on
your website that the main goal of your music is to "take the
listeners into the cosmos where the brightness meets the darkness,
where the warmth of the stars mixes with the coldness of the void,
where serenity and threat are like one."
That sounds like a statement from a personality who is pretty
in touch with the Yin and the Yang of life, someone that sees the
beauty in balance and acknowledging the dark as well as the light.
Would you say this is accurate and if so, how do you think that
translates to your music making process?
This is totally
accurate. There is always a balance between good and evil, coldness
and warmth, darkness and brightness...I mean one can't be without the
other. That's how life is all about. That's why I try to get my music
to sound as bright as dark. Nothing is totally dark, cold or dead.
There is always a sound or a melody which reminds us this statement.
What would you say
are the main influences on your music, be it from another
musician/band or something from another area of life?
First, I think I
am very influenced by metal music in general, especially the darkest
styles such as symphonic or atmospheric black metal for example. I
love the atmospheres. My most influential bands would be Arcturus and
Darkspace. I also like electronic music a lot. I remember being
totally astonished by the Jean-Michel Jarre albums when I was
younger. I often listen to some OST too, I like those mixing
electronics and symphonic.
Your music has a
strong sci-fi concept running through from album to album, a space
wanderer leaving his planet before its destruction and now adrift in
the cosmos. This story has played out in four chapters so far on your
albums Wandering Through Space, Summoning the Phoenix,
Towards the Sun and The Icarus System. What was the
attraction to you of doing this kind of running narrative concept and
why did you choose sci-fi?
Actually there are
5 chapters. "Reminiscences" is the sequel of "The
Icarus System". It's not the same kind of sound but it is
linked. Narrative concepts are important to me. When I listen to an
album - for example a metal album - I always look for a story through
the lyrics, the atmospheres, the sounds...linking the first track to
the last track. I am very enthusiastic when the band manages to tell
a story through music and when I manage to represent myself the
story. Music creates images in my mind. I wanted the same with Zalys.
I don't know if I did the job. But I always told myself : "if
you create a music project, it must be a conceptual project!
What are some of
your favourite sci-fi films/TV shows/books?
My favourite sci-fi
films are Star Wars, Stargate, Terminator, Aliens, and as far as TV
shows I enjoy the X-Files and Stargate SG-1. Books I like are Isaac Asimov and
Philip K. Dick's books in general (especially "Ubik"),
"Neuromancer" by William Gibson, "The Martian
Chronicles" by Ray Bradburry and "The Machine Stops"
by E.M. Forster. Finally, my favourite sci-fi video game is Fallout.
Do you have a set
composing process or does it tend to vary depending on how
inspiration strikes? Can you reveal a little about it?
I don't really
have a composing process. It depends on the inspiration but even when
I am inspired, I'm stuck! So it depends on the sound I use, the pads
I play with, the modulation of the drones...I try some improvisations
and sometimes it works ! "Lux in Tenebris" or "Icarus"
were made in one shot.
Do you have some
favourite composing tools and instruments that always seem to make
their way into your work?
Yes I have. At the
beginning, I always used the HG Fortune VST such as Avatar, STS...the
first two albums were made with those sounds. Now I play more with
the libraries of the Refx Nexus synths and some Native Instruments
programs. They always make their way into my work.
Do you have any
news of your next project that you can share, maybe its theme or
title and when it might be out?
Yes, I have some
news. I have recently finished two albums (yeah, you read well, two
albums). The first one will be spacey and brighter, the second one
will be darker, with more drones and dark pads. I don't have the
titles for the moment. But the themes are always about space
exploration, isolation, planets/nebulas/...discoveries....For the
moment I don't know when exactly they might be out but it would be
before the end of the year, maybe this summer or the beginning of the fall.
Thank
you very much Zalys for the great interview and good luck with your
new audio releases.
You
can check out Zalys’ website at this link. You might also like to
check out my review of her album Reminiscences at this link too.
