also consider Tangerine Dream and The Doors in that category although I wouldn’t.We weren’t into things like Yes, or Genesis, so the “Tubular Bells” comparison comes from being inspired by the theme in The Exorcist which just so happens to be an excerpt from Mike Oldfield’s famous track. It’s not quite the same notes, though, but I know my brother really liked the sequence. Joris Voorn was kind enough to write to me and inform me of making, “The Secret.” To be honest, if I wasn’t asked, I may never have known about it, as that is a music scene from another planet as far as I’m concerned. Even though I once did a remix for Richie Hawtin’s Plastikman – “I Don’t Know” (Psyche’s Haunted Whisper Remix Featuring Darrin Huss) but these artists are famous in a whole different scene. I’m just glad they found something inspiring frommy music. You moved into more synthpop with Mystery Hotel (1988) . What were you thinking at the time that led you to make this change? It was a natural progression as we were just continuing to develop our sound and didn’t want to just repeat what we’d done.All the artists I really admire such as Blondie,The Doors, Soft Cell, Eurythmics, Fad Gadget, Grace Jones, and Soft Cell showed me that you could be innovative with your music and yet still be you.If the vocalist was recognisable and the music didn’t suddenly become another genre completely, you still have your sound. Some have said we “changed too drastically”, but we thought we were just developing our repertoire and defining our own boundaries really. Mystery Hotel had everything, synth funk, psychedelic, dark wave, synth pop,and even the unlikely pop song“Eternal,”but it was all still pure Psyche style. Just like any album of The Doors. You know it’s them, whether it’s “Light My Fire” or “The End.” It’s about the range that you bring while still defining your own sound. Although it’s not part of the initial three records The Influence (1989) (that should have been called The Influencer), was another important record. Was the darker mood of the album a reflection of your life at the moment? Yes,and ironically after all I said about different styles on one album,The Influence comes much closer to one unit of sound overall. This was the first album I made without my brother after he was diagnosed with schizophrenia, and I was having trouble deciding what to do about making a future with Psyche. The whole album was made with just the Casio FZ1 - 19 - sampler by David Kristian. Even though there are some normal sounding bass synth sounds on the record, all of it was created by him. That’s what I am always looking for. I always say that I feel like Psyche is a science experiment, as life is in a way. I want new experiences, I want to hear different things that surprise me. It was a moment of luck and courage to make such an album. The freedom to not know where your next paycheck is coming from, but believing in your art. The album is dark because even though I was only 24 at the time, I felt like an old man who’d already experienced a lot of pain and sorrow in life, and I was reflecting on all of it. When it was finished, I actually felt a little nausea at first hearing it entirely. “The Sundial,” made me cry. It’s a very emotional album, and yet that’s why it actually reached a lot of people. I am glad Psyche’s music makes people feel something. That’s all I ever wanted. Loud radio pop just isn’t my business. I saw your music described as horror electronic, do you enjoy horror movies or literature? I read that some of your songs were inspired by different books and movies. In the beginning we were mainly inspired by Horror. The atmosphere and music of the films by George Romero, John Carpenter,David Cronenberg,Dario Argento, and Lucio Fulci. I was reading a lot of H.P. Lovecraft,“The Saint Became A Lush” was inspired by The Case Of Charles Dexter Ward, and “The Outsider” by the short story of the same name. We even dedicated the Unveiling The Secret album to Lovecraft and Cronenberg.Stephen was very inspired by all the 70s and 80s horror stuff. I prefer the atmosphere of the supernatural elements as opposed to straight ahead slashers. Other authors such as Ramsey Campbell inspired my song “Nocturnal Passenger,” and “The Influence.” Then there’s Shirley Jackson who inspired “The Sundial” and “Haunted.” We’re also all indebted to the imagination of Stephen King as well. www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be
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