Friends,

Today we would like to share with you something special! In 2013, when we started psybient.org, we wanted to create something that had never existed before; a place dedicated to ‘downtempo’ – also known as ‘psychedelic chillout’ – music lovers. We were pretty sure we were the first to do it, but later we found out about the Chillbase.org website. This project and site were active in 2009-2010, but unfortunately later stopped activity.

As for today, the site is not accessible and it looks like almost all of the content is lost. The good news is that we have managed to restore some of the information, and we share it with you here. In memory of Chillbase.org, we would like to introduce the first “restored” interview from our new category, “‘anthology’“.

original Interview with Asura written by MaJah on 05 Jan 2010

Asura project was started 1996 as a collaboration between Charles Farewell and Vincet Villuis. In 1998, Christopher Maze joins the band and in 2000, Code Eternity is out, being the first album of Asura and Infinium Records (ex Ultimae Records). Vincent Villuis left the band to concentrate on his new project, Aes Dana, in 2001, and the same year Alex Ackerman took his place. In the year 2003 another album has been released – Lost Eden. Since July 2005, after the departure of Christopher Maze and Alex Ackerman, Asura became a solo project, exclusively composed by Charles Farewell. What are can we expect from him in the future read in the following interview he gave to a Chillbase.



1. What’s the origins of the name Asura and why did you choose it?

In Hinduism, the Asura are a group of power-seeking deities, sometimes referred to as demons. They were opposed to the devas. Both groups are children of Kashyapa.The negative character of the asura in Hinduism seems to have evolved over time. In general, the earliest texts have the asuras presiding over moral and social phenomena and the devas presiding over natural phenomena.

In Zoroastrianism, the term asura is linguistically related to the ahuras of Zoroastrianism, but with an inverted morality. Thus, while in Vedic religion the asuras are demonic, in Zoroastrianism, the ahuras are benign. This inversion also applies to the other class of immortals: where the Vedic devas are benevolent, the Zoroastrian daevas are malevolent.

That’s why we chose this name. For his ambivalence, not totally good, not totally bad. Like a human. The Asuras are very human deity, in fact.

2. What is your music background and what brings you to chill out and ambient sounds?

I am a self-taught musician. I was a student at the University of Literature of Lyon III in 1994, and I met Vincent Villuis (aka Aes Dana, created in 2001), and we decided to make music together. In 1996, the project Asura was born…

3. Who are your major influences and what inspires you in making music and life in general?

When I was a little kid, I listened to Vangelis and Jean Michel Jarre. They gave me the sense of epic and dramatic compositions. I am not at all a child of Kraftwerk ;). Afterward, I discovered Tangerine Dream and Peter Gabriel, who inspired me for my space ambient side and my world fusion side too. I love to mix every kind of musical moods in a same track.

4. Will you briefly describe your music making process and gear that you are using?

I think it’s like many other musicians. I have an idea, and at the end of the track, it doesn’t look like at all what I was thinking about at the beginning. This is what is magical in music. You don’t know where you go, but you go on! My stuff is in its most important part virtual. But I still sometimes use a korg n5, who gave the sound of Code Eternity, and a Minimoog.

5. Can you tell us more about the chill out scene going on in France?

Chill out music, and above all Ambient, or Trance Ambient are very underground genres all over the world. And France isn’t an exception. I would say it’s even worse, cause French electronic souls are not really turned to the outside.

6. Are there any other projects you are involved in? With whom do you collaborate in your work?

I am creating a space ambient project with another artist who is not at all in the ambient scene. Our aim is to relaunch the real live act in electronic music and to put into emphasis a musical genre totally put apart for several decades, since Michael Stearns, the Tangerine Dream or the Klaus Schulze of the 70’s.

7. Would you share some details from your upcoming album? When can we expect it to be released?

There will be 10 tracks, its name will be “360” and it should be released around June or July 2010 on Ultimae.

8. Plans for the future?

Yes. I want to make a solo space ambient album in 2011.

9. A few thoughts about you behind Asura?

Life is beautiful. Hope it’s the same for the most of Chillbase users ;) Love and Light everybody!

Outro

more news from ASURA http://www.asura-music.com

MaJah’s profile on souncloud

here is 2011 interview with Charles http://schizoid.in/blog/?p=144