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Netherworld

Tedeschi: I composed Morketid after an excursion to Norway last year. What I felt during my trip in that land was a sense of peace, calm, cold and solitude. Such sensations have been the starting point of my Morketid soundscapes. I was in Norway in the summer, so I didn't experience the 'morketid' time, but I did 'feel it' anyway, in its deep sense, listening to the local people's tales and living in such a unique atmosphere.

What sound sources did you use on the album? Did you do your own field recordings?

Tedeschi: I used a lot of field recordings, people's spoken words and the ice noise of Norway's glaciers. All of these recordings were manipulated and totally transformed in my home studio. Then I added some light percussion and some effects, like reverb and delay.

Many people view the arctic as a cold, lonely and uncomfortable place, but the album is actually very peaceful, almost soothing. What is it about the arctic landscape that inspires you, and how did you first become interested in it?

Tedeschi: Yes, it's true. Morketid is the most peaceful composition I've ever recorded. I live in Rome, which is very chaotic—a lot of noise, people and traffic. What I experienced in Norway is the immense silence of that land, a new and wonderful sense of peace I didn't know before. It's for this reason that Morketid is not as dark as many people might expect; it's more for relaxation and dreaming. Since I was a child, I've always been attracted to snow, cold atmospheres and the winter season.

You've started a record label devoted to the idea of 'glacial and isolationist ambient.' What does this description mean to you? How would you say that the 'glacial ambient' of your label differs from the dark ambient and industrial soundscapes of other labels, like Cold Meat Industry?

Tedeschi: The concept of 'glacial and isolationist ambient' represents music that moves people who listen it to peaceful and icy lands, where the cold nature still rules. Glacial Movements isn't a dark industrial record label, and I don't play the dark side of ambient or focus on the darkness of Arctic landscapes. You can understand what I mean by listening to my CD productions and also having a look at the artwork on their packaging. My intention is to give a new sense to the term 'glacial ambient' by creating the right harmony between light, cold, silence, peace and isolation, which finds its most powerful means of expression in the farthest north.

In addition to your own material, you've also recently released a CD from Rapoon. What releases do you have planned for 2008?

Tedeschi: I have also released the first CD of my label; it was a compilation called Cryosphere (a term that means 'the world in a frozen state') that featured artist such as Troum, Aiden Baker, Oophoi, Lightwave and more. In 2008, I have planned two new releases: one by the Italian artist Oophoi and one by the great ambient isolationist composer Lull (a.k.a. Mick Harris).

Can you describe the Wurm Series you're planning to release? How will albums in the Wurm Series be different from the other releases on your label? Is there a concept tying them all together?

Tedeschi: 'Wurm' is the name of the world's most recent glaciation, which ended around 10,000 years ago and occurred in the Pleistocene epoch. Oophoi will be the first artist who will give his own musical 'vision' of this ice age. It will be released in the first part of 2008. The difference from the other regular releases from Glacial Movements is that the Wurm releases will consist of only one track of a circular, slowly unfolding and ethereal long-form musical piece in which the artist will describe this endless ice age, its eternal ice, the blinding white light, the abyssal silence.

Running your label must keep you very busy. Have you also had time to work on more of your own material?

Tedeschi: Yes, Glacial Movements keeps me very busy, and note that I have a regular job for 10 hours a day! But I always find time and inspiration for my Netherworld project. I'm working now on a split CD collaboration with the Canadian group Nadja. Our music will be released for the acclaimed French record label Fario. Also, available from Thisco Records is a CD compilation and book called Antibothis. They used my music together with great international artists such as Jarboe, Rapoon and others.

Do you have any concerts or other events planned in the near future?

Tedeschi: It's not easy to play my music here in Rome, but I'm planning a Glacial Movements night with a friend of mine who works for a great organization. But at the moment there isn't anything official yet.