Azure

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Music
Interview : Mikko Pöllä from "Azure"

When and how was your band created?
The idea of Azure was created by two guitar players, Mikko Holma and Tommi Raivio, who wanted to have a metal band. Severi Seppänen was persuaded into playing drums after days of severe torture. I, a bassist, was the last one to join in. This was in the autumn of 1995.

Were is the name of the band coming from?
Upon creating their metal band, Mikko (Holma) and Tommi were thinking profoundly about some subjects, such as the sky-blue in the blue sky. Then they looked it up from a dictionary that said "azure". This both looked and sounded like the name of their band. Later on, Ilkka Juopperi designed a killer logo.

What musicians or artists did have a major influence in your life / work?
There are many musicians and artists that have influenced us. If I would have to name just one single band that has had a major influence on all of us, I would name Iron Maiden.

What are the positive and negative aspects of being a musician / singer (in Finland)?
For a metal musician in Finland, the positive aspect must be the marginal, yet existing, group of metal listeners. For any musician in Finland, the relatively small population means a relatively small potential audience. This is a negative aspect with a certain touch of positivity in it.

How could you qualify your style of music?
"Ghost metal". This has been the definition from the beginning. There are no strict guidelines to playing "ghost metal". And we like to mess around.

Have you ever considered the possibilty to change totally your style of music? If so, what style of music would you choose?
Change totally? No. But we have considered many changes. For example, we have thought about having some singing alongside the murmurring. There are many directions that the members of the band are taking the band. Until now, we have chosen to put out "a compromised compilation" of our views. We are currently expanding our musical minds, so you could expect a lot of things, maybe anything.

What are stories/topics you tell/treat in your songs?
Whatever that affects us emotionally or makes us think. Our songs have always dealt with contemporary subjects and situations, such as hangovers. The lyrics to our songs present these topics, sometimes explicitly, sometimes implicitly. There may be some sarcasm, too.
What is your favorite song in your repertoire and why?
If our audience likes a song, I can't dislike it. A successful rock'n'roll-song makes an arse move. "Life Is Something" is something that is very personal for me, and I'm going through an emotional hell, when letting out the words, which is nice.

Do you tour regularly? Do you actually prefer performing your music live or in a studio?
We don't actually tour. But we do play live, whenever we feel like it and get a chance to do so. I prefer performing our music live. No alcoholic intoxication compares to the orgasmic euphoria I get on stage.

During the process of making an album, what is the moment that you prefer? Why?
I like the sessions in which we try things out and "write songs". When recording, things don't always work out as they should, and then I get frustrated. I love the moment, when everything is recorded, and can't be changed anymore. It just is there, with all the failures and mistakes that make it our personal output.

What kind of music / What artists do you currently listen?
Currently, My Dying Bride, Fantômas, Queens Of The Stone Age, Ludwig Van Beethoven, The Beatles, and pretty much everything else, as well, according to my moods.

A stupid question but... what is among all the songs you've been listening in your life the BEST song?
This is not a stupid question, but a tough question that makes me poo-poo into my pants. Always.

Internet is something interesting for musicians because it gives them the opportunity to touch a larger audience but it is also a threat for them (regarding the copyrights). What is your opinion regarding this medium?
I see the Internet more as an opportunity than a threat. I understand that more established bands and artists may see it more as a threat.

Do you use computers or home studios during the process of making an album or a song?
We recorded our first and second release using eight and sixteen trackers inside "home studios". Our third, and latest release (Liquador) was recorded in a real studio. We sometimes use computers in training sessions, when we want to record rapidly emerging ideas quickly.

What are your actual and future projects?
Our actual project is the preparation for the next studio session in early June that will result in our fourth recording. Before that, we'll be playing a gig or two in May. I must remain cryptic, when it comes to the events following the studio session, so that you wouldn't know that I don't know, what will happen.
Interview by Vincent Lefrançois - 2002