The new Asrai album “Pearls in Dirt” is quite incredible! It’s somewhat different than “Touch in the Dark” yet very emotional and intense. How were the fan and the media’s reaction?
Thanks for the compliment. Most of the tracks for “Touch in the Dark” were already written before Martin and Manon joined the band (they did record the album, however). But “Pearls in Dirt” was written and recorded by the five of us; this gives the album an extra value. Another difference between “Touch in the Dark” and “Pearls in Dirt” is the producer. “Touch in the Dark” was produced by Roman Schoensee and mixed by Sascha Paeth. This is also how we met him. Working with him was a great addition to our music. So we were really happy when Sascha wanted to produce “Pearls in Dirt.” He understood the direction we wanted to take the tracks to and the energy and emotions we wanted to express.

The media and fan’s reactions were quite enthusiastic, even though some didn’t know how to categorize the music. Have to love it or hate it; there’s no in-between really. Actually, this was always the case with our music.

What bands/music influenced this new album (or Asrai’s music in general)?
It’s really hard to say what kind of music were influential, but I do think that our roots (the eighties, new wave, punk, rock) can be heard in our music. But also everything around you or what you go through can be a source of inspiration, which we collectively translate into music.

How important are the lyrics to Asrai? And what are they concerning with on the new album?
Lyrics are quite important because they deal with things we have gone through, or things that have left a deep impression on us. We do not really go all too deep when it comes to lyrics; firstly, because they are very personal, but also so that people who hear them can recognize something that appeals to their own lives. In our opinion, it can harm the meaning for the listener if we were to explain everything thoroughly.

Are you satisfied with the outcome of the new album?
Yes, we are definitely satisfied with the result.

Does everyone in the band share the same musical taste?
We have more or less the same musical taste, although everyone has their own personal favorites; and there’s quite a difference there.

Concerning touring: You’ve played with many bands and in different countries, are there any cool or bizarre touring experiences you would like to tell us about?
Yes, we have experienced plenty of bizarre things... One of the most remarkable things we have gone through recently, which wasn’t very cool, was a show where we weren’t allowed to bring our own sound tech... We didn’t play... because of this and other circumstances. I have never heard of something so absurd. Also in Mexico we had many complications at the immigration. We were detained for two hours before all of the papers were in order. Afterwards, we didn’t have a lot of time because the gig was starting in a few hours. But in the immigration office, when we were filling in the form, a couple of men were asking us for our autographs; and that wasn’t for signing the forms only. Turns out, they checked our website out and wanted to take pictures with us too (not for the “wanted” list). When we finally made it to the tour bus, there where a camera crew following us around. This is something you never forget. Running out of gas alongside a road and having to push the bus to the nearest gas station is also one of those unforgettable moments.

Once we did a small tour in England and drove to Calais. So, fully packed, we did a final stop at a gas station in Belgium. When we wanted to drive off, the bus didn’t want to start up. We had to call the roadside assistance that, after trying to fix the bus, could not get it to work. They called their Belgian friends who came to help us tow the bus to an auto mechanic. A colleague towed the bus along with us and our stuff on the towing truck. Meanwhile, speeding down the highway at 120 km/h, the panicking Manon called the roadside assistance and told him off. They couldn’t do much at the garage but wished us good luck. Eventually, we did make it on time to catch the ferry. Up to this day we do not know what was faulty with the bus.
There are so much more to say about that. In any case, we’ve also experienced a lot of great things and met a lot of interesting people.

Where would you want to tour next?
We have planned this many times, but we still want to do a tour in Scandinavia. They have some great bands there. Also Scotland and UK (beautiful landscape). The gigs we’ve played in England have always been pleasant to us. We would love to go back to Mexico. We miss it. We had the chance to work with so many cool people. We never had such a great crew before. Spain, Brazil and Japan seem quite amusing as well. Playing outside of the Netherlands has its extra charm. It is also a chance to see the different gothic scenes in different countries and it’s also cool to travel around with each other.

I know you’ve been around officially since 1985, but how exactly did you meet each other? And how precisely did the band start?
How Margriet and I met wasn’t really that difficult, being twins. We always had the same interests too. When our brother Henk started his own band, we were always present going to their gigs. The 3 of us were always going out as well, mainly to see other bands perform. On regular basis, we use to go see our friend’s band practice as well (where Martin used to play). So we know Martin for a long time now, we even went to his first gig with that band too. It wasn’t long that we felt the urge to start our own band too. And with the sister of that friend of ours, we began to practice. We never really held an instrument in our lives before, but this was not going to stop us. Within 5 weeks, we had made 5 tracks and were getting ready for our first gig in an abandoned building. This is when we really got into playing. Martin usually came along with us as a roady and has also played with my brother in a band for about 10 years. We met Rik through Jos, our previous guitarist. We wanted to do something extra with the music, maybe add a keyboard player or an extra guitarist. This is how Rik joined the band. We met Manon through a musician friend of ours. The funny thing is that Manon and Rik already knew each other.
Right before the recording of “Touch in the Dark,” our bassist had problems because of RSI and we needed to find a replacement. We immediately thought of Martin (whom was also playing in another band with Karin). We never regretted this! The bassist played the keyboard for a while, but this wasn’t really her thing. So when we heard that Manon played the violin, we asked her whether she wanted to join the band. So she exchanged the bow for a piano and stood in no time with us on stage. Right after this, we started to record and became a solid group.

How was the scene back then compared to nowadays?
I can’t really speak for the whole scene, but when we were just starting out, the music culture was different. There were more possibilities in doing gigs at for example, abandoned buildings, youth centers etc. Because of the noise regulations, many venues had to be closed down. Certainly in Rotterdam, there were a lot of bands and they were always doing a gig somewhere. But with the introduction of the dance culture, it became difficult for bands to play. We had difficulties finding gigs too, and it seemed as if the whole music scene suffered a total blow.
Back then you had many zines that were distributed around, but with internet you can reach a bigger group of people... worldwide. Even people who, by definition, do not enjoy a specific sort of music but go out searching whenever they hear or read something new.

The gothic genre is nowadays also more elaborately defined: you have gothic metal, batcave, cyber, lolita etc. Luckily, there’s always a new band forming and there’s also an increased interest in seeing bands live.

Looking back at your previous albums, are you still satisfied with them?
This is a difficult question... especially with “As Voices Speak,” which was recorded in 3 days and without a producer. You can really hear the difference between the music as it is now and back then. But the album is quite intense and expresses what we were going through during that period. Especially what we were able to afford with that budget back then is incomparable to nowadays. The recording technique has improved a lot in the last years. This is similar with “Touch in the Dark” too. We have learned so much from Roman, even how to listen to the music in a different way. It was quite inspiring. Sascha has also taught us a lot and with the knowledge we owe nowadays, those previous albums would sound very different. But, for the period they stand in for, we are still quite satisfied with them. This is not only for the music, but also because we had to arrange everything ourselves. With “As Voices Speak” it was interesting and fun to experience how a CD gets pressed, going to the jewel case manufacturer etc. The artwork for “As voices Speak” was made by Beer Delsman who is also responsible for the artwork on “Pearls in Dirt.” All of this makes it seem as if we are going back to the start.

Thank you so very much for doing this interview for VM! Any final words?
Stay dark! And we hope to see you soon at a gig.

Want more info on Asrai?
Visit Asrai's band information page!

Other articles for Asrai:

Album review		Sour Ground»	by Randall 23 Dec, 2007
Album review		Pearls In Dirt»	by Randall 16 Nov, 2007