E.S. Posthumus
Music from Off the Map - Page 2

ON CARTOGRAPHER


CC: How did you come to decide to release both vocal and instrumental versions of your latest compositions on CARTOGRAPHER?

Helmut Vonlichten:  This was our intention from the very beginning. I can best describe it as such: one can observe a painting either up-close or far away. Each vantage point will offer a different experience. Up close, one sees the detail in the subjects of the painting... it's a very personal experience... you see the expressions, the clothing, the shadows. Further away, the experience becomes much grander and epical in a way.  You are sort of washed over with emotion. Luna's version is the up-close vantage point. The Piri Reis is the distant view.

CC: Do you write primarily for yourselves or do you have a specific audience in mind when you write, arrange and mix?

Helmut Vonlichten:  On the most banal level, we write for ourselves. If we don't like what we hear, it gets tossed. For Cartographer, we knew that we were going to be working with Luna Sans, the vocalist. So, in that case, every composition was composed with her in mind. She has a very unique timbre and we wanted to compose songs that would highlight her sound. As well, we wanted melodies in a range that blended well with the tapestry of the orchestra.

CC: How did you come to work with LUNA SANS?

Helmut Vonlichten:  After Unearthed, we decided that we wanted to record a solo vocal project. So, we put the word out that we were looking for a singer. A mutual producer friend of Luna's and ours introduced us. We saw her perform live and really liked what we heard. So we scheduled a vocal session and had her come in and sing on a pre-Cartographer demo.  We were blown away.


CC: Was there any other vocalist you had in mind?

Helmut Vonlichten:  No. She was it.


CC: In your interview with soundtrack.net you mentioned that you wanted to record the orchestra in Rome and go to work with a Liberian percussionist. Did that end up happening?

Helmut Vonlichten:  Rome, yes. Negative on the Liberian percussionist due to schedule conflicts.


Fan submitted question: Tim asks, "From what I have gathered, the lyrics to the Luna Sans songs in Cartographer sound like a mash-up of words from numerous languages. Firstly, would this assumption be correct and if so, did you guys decide to create a fictional language from the very beginning of the project?"

Helmut Vonlichten:  Numanian is a Latin derivative and, therefore, sounds similar to many of the Romance languages. The use of a secret language encourages the listener to engage their own imagination and, thereby, create a unique personal interpretation.


CC: Was this language specifically for your music or does it have some life outside of that context?

Helmut Vonlichten:  We may use it on future projects; for now, it is exclusive to Cartographer.

 

ON THEIR FUTURE

CC: Do you have any aspirations to score a feature film, television show or video game?

Helmut Vonlichten:  We value our autonomy. I think one tends to lose this in scoring for film and the like. However, "never say never." Ensembles can be quite effective if everyone is on the same page. So, I guess if we met the right director then a collaboration might be exciting.



CC: Is there a particular film genre you'd like to do?

Helmut Vonlichten:  Drama, action



CC: What can we expect on your next release and when?

Helmut Vonlichten:  We are just enjoying the completion of Cartographer.... we shall see.....

 

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*Special thanks to Ariel Publicity and all those who submitted interview questions!