Interview: Weress
Photo by Litha Films, Luna Dreamind, and John Lordswood
France and dungeon synth go together like a good grilled cheese sandwich and crisp, delicious pickles. It just works immaculately, especially with all of the history and rich cultural heritage derived from France. Same goes for pickles and cheese. Immaculate combination. Enough about food though. I’m getting hungry with this analogy…
Weress, a dungeon synth artist out of France, is one such composer that has caught my attention as a listener to dungeon synth and fantasy music. He has the knack of incorporating enigmatic elements and contemplative melodies that enrapture the listening mind. Beauty and mystery flow from the music, all while it retains a sense of eeriness that is essential to good dungeon synth.
We had the joy of getting to interview the artist behind Weress, talking with them about their music, who they are outside of Weress, and what inspires them as an artist. Enjoy the interview!
Thanks for joining Blacforje for an interview! So, for starters, you’re based in France. Correct?
Thanks for having me, I’m delighted to do this interview with you! Yes, I live in France in Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It is a region which is rich in legends and medieval stories with many castles, also beautiful panoramas such as large forests in Corrèze, beautiful mountain ranges and waterfalls in the Pyrenees, the desert with the Dune du Pilat which runs along the ocean, and many other places all very inspiring.
You recently released your new album titled Rêvasseries Chevaleresques, a magical work of fantasy and dungeon synth intertwined. Tell us a little bit more about the album and the inspiration behind it. Is there a theme?
Weress is a project where I present all my sensitivity. There is a large part of myself which is quite introspective. It is an interpretation of my life and my dreams through the mysteries of space which I transform into something magical and fantastic.
Solitude, memories, goodbyes, the reflection of my own emotions, darkness, friendship, the strength of being accompanied, the beauty of simple things, sadness, dreams, fears, nature under its nocturnal form - it's all of this brought together in a single album, the chivalrous daydreams. All these inspirations and feelings were important for Rêvasseries Chevaleresques. If I had to give a precise theme, it would be a reflection of my emotions. The reflection is as if slightly disappeared in the water, like an emotional metaphor of my experiences, observing time, overcoming the sad episodes that a life has to offer us. I recently went through a very difficult period in my life last year. It was during this period that I made these tracks; all of them were made suddenly. Each of these tracks are precious moments that I did not want to forget. I put strong emotions into them through these atmospheres and melodies. They are the reflection of my soul.
There was a change in my life, and a lot of things changed - a lot of questioning. This album really allowed me to grow as a person and express feelings that are very important to me. It's my way of moving forward in my life, as well as offering something sincere to the people who listen to my music. It is, above all, thanks to this and to the people around me that I am a better person today and that I am doing better. It was Joan Llopis Doménech who illustrated this album, known very well through these magnificent illustrations which he created for Lustre. I'm grateful that such a brilliant person was able to translate into hand drawing something so important to me. He perfectly understood the whole concept that I wanted to tell and represent.
‘Rêvasseries Chevaleresques’ by Weress
Your first album, Vision d'une Étoile, was released in 2016. 8 years and four albums later, how do you feel you have evolved as an artist?
I started in 2012 with ambient music. I experimented a lot with Weress and many other projects. I started composing very young. For example, when the first Weress album was released it was in 2016. I must have been 19 years old. I was only making simple atmospheric layers about space at that time, sometimes sounding like drone or moise on some tracks. The stories were also blurred. I was searching for myself musically through Weress. Over the years, I gradually created my personal universe which I named "l'Univers des Songes" (the Universe of Dreams). When the first fantasy inspirations appeared, it was sometime later with the demo of The Dungeon on the Moon that I released in 2019 that the first dungeon synth sounds were heard. What is certain is that I knew from the start of this project that playing on a synth with electronic sounds suited me perfectly. Even if I continued to experiment with other instruments afterwards, such as drums or guitars, I always came back to synths and VSTs. It is the instrument that has always allowed me to best express my feelings and ideas.
I have a better control of my sounds now, as well as the instruments I use, and I can say that I am finally satisfied with what I have presented over the last three years. I know how to present my music better, unlike my first years of making music. I always continue to experiment with new sounds because I love to surpass myself and learn new things. I would like to know more about modular synths, for example. But it is obvious now, my vision as an artist is clearer than 8 years ago.
How did you get into dungeon synth and fantasy music?
When I was a teenager I listened to a lot of black metal inspired by the Medieval or fantastic universe and played with orchestral sounds. We can cite Dimmu Borgir and Summoning, for example. Then I remember listening at the same time to artists like Burzum, Mortiis, Valar, and Wongraven. These were the first dungeon synth projects that I listened to via blogs where you could download music and read reviews, but also musicians. In 2012, on the internet you could sometimes see "Dark Medieval Ambient" to name the genre, even if the name dungeon synth already existed. That same year, I started working with Obscure Dungeon Records with a childhood friend with whom we had together forged this curiosity about this underground scene. This label mainly offered dungeon synth. He had produced at that time the first cassettes of Lord Lovidicus, for example. Generally, I found that this music reminded me of something similar with the movies of my childhood like Willow, Robin Hood, Conan the Barbarian, and The Lord of the Rings, of which I already really loved the fantastic universe of these cinematographic works.
Then, over the years, dungeon synth took on more and more space and importance in my life. I think it aroused a curiosity that I particularly loved. It became a passion. So, I took great pleasure in listening and regularly discovering what dungeon synth artists had to offer musically in this scene on the internet, whether it was the new releases that appeared on Bandcamp, but also by exploring the blogs because it's like that I loved discovering all the varieties that there could be in this genre. As it was a smaller scene than today, there was something mysterious to constantly discover, but also new sounds to create with fantastic universes, because, obviously, all of this was very inspiring for me and also good times to share with this long-time friend.
So, who are you outside of music? What are some of your passions?
I am an ordinary person like everyone else, often on the moon. People around me often tell me that I am someone immersed in my thoughts, cut off from the world around me. What I'm passionate about is creating, in whatever way possible. I have always been aware of creativity in general, so since childhood I have never stopped expressing myself through drawing, painting, DIY, theatrical, and video production. But, above all, music takes up a large part of my passions. Music greatly shaped who I am, because what's great about it is that it can bring together everything that I love in creativity and art in general. Whether it's theater that I I'm particularly fond of, I also really like cinema or rather creating videos in order to stage stories. I really like playing melodies and composing new pieces for different musical projects. In general, I like to tell stories, and I also like to discover them through all the fine arts that can be offered to me. I'm not a big sportsman, but cycling is also something that fascinates me - certainly the best way to get around in the open air in a morning mist to see some castle ruins in my native region.
Photo by Litha Films, Luna Dreamind, and John Lordswood
Does spirituality or philosophy play any part in your life as both an individual and as an artist? If so, can you tell us about that?
Not really. I grew up in an atheist environment. Some people around me have different religions, and I find them interesting to analyze. For example, to know the historical events that happened on our planet and to better understand the behavior of the different peoples who had their mythologies with their lifestyles different from ours at a certain time. These are subjects that have repeatedly inspired me for some of my albums. I am thinking in particular of "Sunrise on the Old Kingdom" with Skhemty, whose mythology of ancient Egypt allowed me to better understand the history as well as the myths and legends that have been told. As an individual, it taught me things, and as an artist, I was able to create music about a concept that fascinates me. I am a curious person who learns and observes, but that's all. Apart from that, I don't believe in anything.
I prefer to do my own meditation by going into nature; that’s especially where I find peace. I have less of the impression that humans are at the center of the world. The night is also a place that I particularly love to be and to observe. Astronomy, for example, is something that has always interested me - this immensity of the universe, but I see nothing in it in relation to a higher power.
Have you ever performed as Weress live at a dungeon synth festival or as a solo artist? If not, have you considered it?
I finally have the opportunity to play my first live performance for the second edition of the Dark Dungeon Festival in Belgium, the first festival in Europe to present dungeon synth. It's an honor for me to play there. I attended the first edition as an exhibitor with my own label, Ancient King Records. I feel that the dungeon synth scene needs to present new things in recent years. We have all virtually met brilliant people who share our same universes and sensibilities through this music. I think it is time to have more events like concerts or festivals, such as this one, so that we can really meet, create friendships, and share beautiful and memorable moments together.
For this first live performance of Weress, I will present a large number of tracks from Rêvasseries Chevaleresques. I will be accompanied by my friends Henri (aka: Descort) and Rose who will play with me. I am particularly proud that they will be at my side to present the tracks that I have chosen. I hope that during this concert we will be able to make the people who will be present at the festival escape. We will offer the maximum of ourselves with the most faithful vision possible so that everyone can feel this space and fantasy magic. It will also be a way for me to release my emotions in another way. I have already done concerts in the past with some of my metal bands. I know the strong feeling that it gives deep inside me, so through tracks that are particularly strong in my eyes, I know that it's going to be a more meaningful feeling with a great moment of pure freedom and escape for my soul.
What are some other projects you’re working on, either with Weress or outside of it?
I spend a lot of my free time at my music label. There are quite a few things I want to make on YouTube soon with Ancient King Records through podcasts, live radio, and music videos clips. I would like to also continue to present physical productions.
I have many musical projects, so I continue little by little on each release. I set myself a challenge at the beginning of the year to try to release an album at the beginning of each month. A new release of Ondes should see the light of day. It's an experimental project where I have a lot of fun playing. If all goes well, Skhemty's second album should also arrive this summer. It will be the opportunity to present new dungeon synth projects like La Tour Sombre. I am very satisfied with the final result. With Anomy, my metal band from Bordeaux, we have just finished recording for our first album Shifting Colors, and so we are in the final process of producing video clips, I hope we can find the time to present this to you this year, because we are very happy of our songs. For me, it was a new way of working with people on a single release, while I am used to working alone most of the time. A great experience. Anyway, lots of things to come. I never stop.
Last question, which is usually me being sarcastic and stupid (forgive me ahead of time). Do you think you’ll ever record an album from an actual dungeon, or do you think you’ll just keep making records under false pretenses of being a “dungeon synth” artist?
Well, some time ago with one of my Dreamy Knight projects I recorded Ruins of the Old Kingdom in a dungeon, or let's say, in caves that look like an old neo-Medieval tower like the interior of a dungeon. The concept popped out of my head in 2017 after repeated walks in the park of Majolan Caves. The ruins and the mist inspired me in the forest and the lake - childhood memories that arose, the stories and legends that we told of this so charming place. I was alone there, sometimes accompanied by my friends or some persons of my family. I experienced absolutely magical moments in the places. I wanted to mark them as they should. I regularly listened to dungeon synth albums in these places with my cassette player or by playing music on my speaker. Particularly, I was listening there Mournlord, Secret Stairways, and other projects from the 90s scene, which are great inspirations and fantastic influences in our imaginary world. In 2020, I was finally able to start writing the project. I knew what I was going to tell about this place, and it was also that same year when I began to experiment with sounds more old-school. I wanted to put myself in the best conditions to record; that's what took the longest. In 2022, I recorded three times inside the caves with a laptop and a midi keyboard. They were days full of emotions. Once the different tracks had been recorded, all I had to do was finish some sudden arrangements, mixing, choose what I wanted to keep, and mastering the tracks for the album.
So, it's already done for me, but I certainly plan to record again in other places, playing in ruins more lost in nature or in particular places. The dungeon synth does not necessarily have to be recorded in these conditions to be true. In any case, I don't think so, but if you have the opportunity to record in places that inspire you, I really invite you to do so because they are significant experiences.
