personal tribute to Ganriki-san, and to record the experience of the pilgrimage in a composition,as it were, just as someone else would keep a diary, so as not to let it be lost. You speak of a ‘epiphany’ that you had when you had travelled the road to the shrine. You do add that the revelation is the result of the journey and not of the god. How important was the spiritual and mystical dimension of the trip for you? It is very ambiguous for me, and I am still not sure whether it is the journey itself, the emotions and overcoming of all the obstacles I have encountered, that has given me the epiphany, or the Kami itself. I honestly think it's a combination of both. I link the strength I have had to go up and down the tens of thousands of steps, to confront the heat and the hustle and bustle of the crowds, more and more directly with this nature spirit. The moment of prayer at the shrine touched me deeply and effectively changed something. It resulted in a click in my head. It is an inexpressible experience that is still evolving to this day and from which I draw ceaselessly. It is the most important – and only! – mystical experience I have ever had. In a previous interview – following your 2017 masterpiece ‘Lueur’ – you told us about your disease, retinitis pigmentosa, which is slowly making you blind. Were you able to visit the shrine despite your reduced vision? It was a serious challenge. I also wasn’t aware that it would be so trying. Despite the guidance of Christel and my white cane, going up and down stairs – especially without a handrail and with many people in front of, next to and behind me in two directions – remains something very complicated. What started as a tourist hike evolved into a hellish ordeal. But with every step towards Ganriki-san, I felt more strength and selfconfidence, much to the surprise of Christel, who could not really understand what was happening to me. I started to experience it as a pilgrimage and a challenge, things that I previously avoided because they were too confrontational. How has your disease evolved since the release of ‘Lueur’? Does retinitis pigmentosa hinder your ability to compose music or perform? During the period of ‘Lueur’, my disability was mainly night blindness and reduced contrast vision. Meanwhile, these aspects have worsened and were supplemented by new symptoms such as tunnel vision, loss of depth and myopia. In the studio I remain inventive in order to be able to compose with numerous adjustments. This gives - 7 - me new techniques for creating that I would otherwise never have come up with. Performing is more complicated. I used to play percussion with various projects such as Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio, Tzolk'in, Triarii and In Slaughter Natives. Unfortunately, I had to stop these collaborations. As Empusae, I have not completely given up yet, but it is not easy to ask for the necessary conditions and adjustments from concert organizations and venues. I currently continue to look for ways to make it possible. The biggest problem is not the moment of the performance itself, but the hours and days before it, the travelling, getting to and from the venue, and the hours I have to spend in dark spaces in the presence of other people. Social events are very difficult and confrontational in these times. I think ‘Lueur’ from 2017 was also the first album for which your life partner Christel Morvan or Nesisart had designed the cover. She has been making all the artwork for your work since then. How does that work, such a collaboration in a couple? Does Christel work completely independently based on your music, or is there a kind of dialogue in which you give her instructions? Christel has been creating artwork for Empusae since the 2012 album ‘Symbiosis’. There is no fixed way of working. Sometimes I give her an idea of what I had thought of as a cover. Other times I give her carte blanche and she lets herself be inspired by the music. Other times she is inspired by the titles or concept of the record,such as with ‘Lueur’ or ‘Pilgrimage to Ganriki’. I am currently writing a new record based on images she made around her own concept. Her images and my music can no longer be separated. Both influence each other around the Empusae project. She visualizes what I write down in music and vice versa. She is my vision and also represents my compositions. On ‘Iter in Tenebris’ from 2019, Nesisart designed works of art that can move through augmented reality, if you view them with the right app on your smartphone. How did you come up with that idea? Do you feel like it helped sell the physical record on vinyl and CD because people were interested in the art that accompanied it? Christel is very familiar with this technology and has published several works in this style in books and at exhibitions. She of course came up with the idea of illustrating the demons and the cover of the record in augmented reality. The question remains whether it has contributed much to sales. It is mainly the label that deals with this, but I do know of many people who bought the CD and www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be
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