Dementia ‘99 – Interview with Cain
http://www.myspace.com/dementia99
GJF: Dementia’99 was formed in 1996. You decided to play Californian death-rock. Why did you choose this music style?
Cain: I love that music; don’t you think that is the best music of the world? No more comments. :)
GJF: Tell us please in details, how was the recording of “Smile Before Die” going?
Cain: It was recorded in Mallorca in the ’99, cause we wanted to record at the same year our name included.
We had to record the whole album only in 5 days. It was stressing. In fact, on the last day, in the last hour, we had to record two songs yet, and we recorded JESUS CHRIST and the COVER OF SHADOW PROJECT live.
We had to record in one shoot, that’s the reason why there are no females voices, and those songs are incompletes.
I’d never play so nervous in my life.
GJF: This album contains the cover of Shadow Project «Death Plays His Role» & you play this song on stage as well. Why have you decided to cover this song of Rozz Williams?
Cain: It was the first shadow project cover we played. We played it on April’ 98 in the First Mallorca Gothic Festival we organized.
GJF: What is this song for you?
Cain: We played it on the Festival, three days before Rozz Williams’s suicide.
I think we were the first band which made a tribute to Rozz, very affected about his death.
This song will stay the part of my memories forever.
We loved Shadow Project and these two songs were fabulous and it’s very funny to play them.
GJF: What can you tell about your project Daityas?
Cain: It was a trying to do something like Dementia, with other friends. The band was very nice, but the bad lucky again… … hrew down our projects
GJF: As I know, the project’s records disappeared in a strange way. But can we find something in network?
Cain: No. Nothing. It’s a shame.
GJF: Dementia’99 made soundtrack for the “Cuarentena” movie. What the film it was? Describe it in your own words.
Cain: That was the idea of a friend who makes four short movies a year. It is the Ed Wodds Recarnation. It’s a vampire story based on the stories of the famous role-playing game, the masquerade.
GJF: Your last album is devoted to Valor. Why him?
Cain: Valor Kand is one of the most great genious of the goth music. I think he has been victimized on the net.
The original Christian Death broke up in 83 and Rozz stayed without the band. Valor who looked up to Rozz and he still does, talked to Rozz about joining with Pompeii 99. Their plans were to make a European tour as «two bands»,
Rozz Williams was supposed to sing Christian Death songs and Valor Kand – Pompeii 99 ones.
The manager didn’t let them do it and they had to choose one name and play as a «one band» and that name was Christian because Valor Kand enjoyed it.
At the time Rozz was the singer in the Valor Kand’s band. Valor Kand wrote all the songs. Obviously, the influence of Rozz was there, but the sound of these records is the Valor Kand sound, who says «sick of love»" ……. are not death rock, he has no fucking idea what is Death Rock
Misfits had a lot of problems with the copyright of their songs, between Danzing and Ciafa brothers, and nobody condemned those records, it is not the same in the Christian Death case.
Rozz Williams never felt comfortable as Rock Gothic singer; he left Christian Death in 84. His electronic experiments,…. and all that stuff of Spoken music, he came back because Eva O, and the managers’s promises and audience, the managers promised to him a lot of money if the first Christian Death back. That was the reason of Shadow Project and all the Rozz Williams’s album with the name of Christian Death in the 90′s. Making money.
The real history of Christian Death has not been well explained.
Before Rozz’s death, nobody cared about him. I remember his two concerts in Barcelona, we were only 30 people.
After his death, Rozz became as a god, and Valor almost his killer.
I tried to make a tribute to Valor because I wanted to justice for him, for his quality as a performer.
GJF: And why the whole album for that theme?
Cain: Valor’s work is intense and complex. The tribute has to be something bigger than only one song.
I wouldn’t like if my words were understood as anti-Rozz. It’s absurd. Rozz in heaven was included for this. Because people understand we can love and respect both.
Rozz is in my heart with all his music, especially his rocker side of Shadow Project and Daucus Karota.
Dementia 99 never hated Valor Kand because we lived these years, records and news, year by year, and we know what happens with Christian Death history.
We cannot look down on this artist, for his records. Music is music plus feelings, it’s not politics, it’s not football.
You cannot reject something to be more radical, more death rocker.
That is bullshit of young people that never lived the Christian Death history.
GJF: You have placed «Waiting For Valor» in network. What are the reasons of this decision?
Cain: The first Dementia 99′s record was rejected for all the record companies. I was very depressing, five years trying to publish it. Finally I decided to do for ourselves, 500 copies at the end of 2004. We sold only 20 copies in all these years, and on the other hand there were plenty of people downloading on the net. And I thought it would be better upload my record for free.
To make it easier to access to the record.
Thanks to this decision we had more than 3.000 download in a several places on the net, blogs….. and several countries, from around the world.
GJF: Dementia 99 plays authentic Death-Rock, with elements of gothic -rock and post-punk. Today many groups try to add some alien elements of electro music and to vary the sound in general , what often removes the genre from the initial idea … How do you treat that and have you ever wanted to experiment?
Cain: For me Death rock is well-balanced mixture of punk energy with gothic atmosphere. It’s Gothic punk. The mixture and the experimentations are cool, but I prefer to play rock’n'roll, of course with no limits. In fact, Waiting for valor, is less rock and original than Smile Before Die , and my idea is to record another Gothic punk record.
GJF: You are not freshmen on the scene, you play much more interesting music than a number of popular nowadays neo-death-rock groups, but, for example, in Russia you are not so well-known for our regret among the admirers of neo-death-rock groups. What about «popularity» of Dementia ‘ 99 (among the scene) at home & world-wide?
Cain: Thanks to power of the net, we are part of Death Rock Scene.
GJF: You’ve been involved in different projects for a long time. Now, when death-rock/post-punk is on the peak of its popularity and we can see some kind of rebirth & renaissance of the movement, many new bands have appeared. But there are some negative moments in any fashion trend. What do you feel? Do you prefer scene’s classic to the modern trends?
Cain: I think that fashions go away, but the true fans never fall. For me is atemporal the music that I like it, I never worried about my favorite music, ..it is living eternally in my heart. Obviously, Classic. Anybody prefer the modern trends? I can’t understand that, cause the modern trends is a consequence of the past
About Fans: We have fans all over the world, it’s really exciting and a very successful.
I don’t know if I record or play live again, but I am very proud to be «The Spanish Christian Death» all over the world.
I am really grateful.
GJF: Do you consider your band as the successful one?
Cain: I think so.
GJF: And what is success for you?
Cain: To feel you are an active part of the music you love. Looking for prestige, not fame
GJF: What about Spanish underground scene nowadays?
Cain: The Gothic Scene in Spain is rather average, there’s the movement in Madrid and Barcelona only. Rock ‘n’ Roll is wounded.
But I think Death Rock never dies and some people of Spain keep this music for the rest of the times.
GJF: Can you call some bands, which are likable for you?
Cain: Spanish Bands: Paralisis Permanente, Paralitikos, Los Carniceros del Norte, Horror Vacui, Quidam, El Desvan del Macho…
GJF: Cain, you nave very powerful, beautiful & sensitive vocal. Do you work & train your voice?
Cain: Singing Bauhaus song when I take a shower. :)
GJF: What have you & your musicians been doing during the last year?
Cain: Dark Cavity y Venus have formed another band, my best feelings for them.
Last time we met, it was in Madrid on the last Valor Kand tour. We gave him our tribute.
GJF: What should we wait from you in the next year?
Cain: I wish to record the third album, it’ll be called «Dark Philosophy». Vinyl Album if it’s possible.
I want to do an entire album of cover songs for free downloading
I don’t want to die before record the three albums I have in my head…
GJF: Tell us in details about Gothic Festivals in Mallorca?
Cain: It was a long time ago.
Was a very ambitious project failed in his second time.
At least we have friends with Sepulcrum Mentis, and we could hear in live Madre del Vizio. Unforgettable.
GJF: Tell us in details about «The Gothic Virus Culture», a bar in Mallorca of Gothic music. Do you have this business now?
Cain: No. I left in 2004. Was a Gothic Club, with all the styles. From primitive punk to EBM and Electro industrial. It was very funny. Many parties and very good people.
GJF: Can you tell us about yourself: How passes your usual day?
Сain: With the madness of having many songs in my head that I can not edit. Looking for life in the best way I can, and hoping that fate leads me to study again.
GJF: Do you have interests besides music? What writers do you read?
Cain: I like many stiles of music. But, with gothic atmosferic preferenly. If the music goes to my heart is stay forever. I don’t read fiction writers. I like the philosophy, Religions and books of science, psychology, anthropology, quantum physics, etc…
My favorites writers are Gurdjieff, Ouspensky, Krisnamurty, Emile Cioran, Sufi pensament of Rumi, Ibn Arabi, Idries Shah,Fritjof Capra, and many others.
GJF: The Spanish football team kept the first place in the 2008. Are you fond of Spanish football? Are you go in for sport?
Cain: I like football as a sport. But I’m not going to soccer stadiums. In Spain are full of skinheads.
Despite this, my favorite team is Atletico Madrid. It is a team that suffers a lot, and therefore, for me, is the team most «gothic» of the Spanish league.
I practice SeiTai. No is a Sport but I like it.
GJF: And the final words are yours….
Cain: I’m very excited for you interest about the band and I hope your magazine stay forever.
I want to give my regards to the Russian death rocker guys, and I wish all them wishes be completed.
…and take care with the Skin Nazis!
Sex, Drugs and Death Rock!
Questions: Afonina”Diegabrial” Irina,
Vadim“Bars-Ursula”Barsov,
Pall ‘Nattsol’ Zarutskiy
“Grave Jibes Fanzine”
