Email

Hubi Meisel has just recently released the epic concept album 'Kailash'.  Many will recognise Hubi's name as the former frontman of prog metallers Dreamscape, but Hubi is now making serious waves on the prog metal scene with his latest solo album.  We caught up with Hubi for an insight into the making of Kailash and much more.

Hubi, first of all I would like to congratulate you on Kailash being the virtuosityone.com March album of the month.
Thank you very much, I’m really happy about that!!!

Kailash had a production time of 2 years. Where did the initial seed for the idea of this concept come from?
The inspiration for “KAILASH” came over night, just like it had been with “EmOcean”. I knew from the very start that the new album would become a concept disc again, but I really had no specific plan or idea about the topic of this next album. And then one night, shortly before waking up, it was suddenly there: I saw a beautiful, fiery sky in red and golden shades and below there was a giant mountain range covered by eternal ice and snow... This very morning I it was clear to me that the new album would be about Tibet & the Himalayas, and I also felt a strong connection to the elements of Earth & air. The basic story of “KAILASH” came to my mind quite spontaneously, but in order to get more into this overall theme, I then also started reading books and ancient writings about the Himalayan regions, Tibetan culture and history, Buddhist/Hindu mythology, as well as speeches of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, which also helped to enrich the story with more details and background information.

The concept is a very big one with a lot of intricate stories.  How do you go about putting a story like Kailash into an accessible body of work?
The core of the story was a rather intuitive thing, and when the  inspiration is there, I just have to write down the ideas and images that appear in my mind. This process usually goes rather quickly, whereas the background research on the conceptual topic took me several weeks. I really had collected tons of material, but as I had already written the basic outline of the story before, it was not so hard to decide what to choose from this big amount of information.

 What came first - music or lyrics?
I prefer to work out my lyrics & vocal melodies after the instrumental base of the songs is done.  

How long into those 2 years was it that you started working with Vivien Lalu on the musical direction?
This whole process took about 3-4 months, which is actually not that long… we really form a good team, and as Viv is very versatile and flexible as a composer, the musical “translation” of the concept usually goes quite smoothly!

How did the writing between the pair of you work?
First I wrote the concept, and then sent it to Vivien, together with additional information about song structures and rough musical directions. He then started sending me his first instrumental ideas via MP3, and we were arranging and discussing the material together, until each song sounded like I had it in mind. After the instrumental base of the songs was done, I started working out my vocal melodies & lyrics. I feel really blessed to work with Vivien on these CDs. He patiently did changes until I was happy with each song, and he understood in a fantastic way what I had in mind… I’m really glad about the result of our cooperation!

You have a superb backing band on Kailash, with the aforementioned Vivien Lalu, guitarists Marcel Coenen and Jorge Salán and the great Mind’s Eye rhythm section of Daniel Flores and Johan Niemann.  You worked with Vivien, Marcel and Daniel on your previous album EmOcean, how did you hook up with Jorge and Johan?
I agree ALL of them are incredibly gifted and skilled musicians! Johan Niemann had already played the fretless bass on the Japanese Bonus Track of “EmOcean”, and his emotional playing really fascinated me! Jorge is a good friend of mine and I met him via the internet a few years ago, during the time when he was studying guitar at Berklee College of Music in Boston. He has a very busy schedule and is always touring a lot with Mago de Oz, so I was really happy that he took the time to participate in “KAILASH”!

Who decided how the guitar work would be split up?
This was my idea.

I must admit that Jorge Salán was a new name to me, but his performances are superb.  What were you looking for in the guitar pairing of Jorge and Marcel?
Marcel already played on my previous CDs “CUT” and “EmOcean”; he is definitely one of the best and most versatile guitar players in Europe and I’m happy that he also joined me for Kailash again!  However Jorge and I wanted to cooperate for a long time already, so I felt KAILASH would be a good opportunity to finally realize this. I think it was the right decision to share the guitars, as Marcel and Jorge both have unique and rather different styles, which in my opinion adds a very interesting touch to the album!

Joop Walters played on the 2 bonus tracks.  Where these tracks recorded during the rest of the album or after?
These two songs are definitely NO “leftovers” or “garbage”…haha! After the mastering and completion of “KAILASH”, I wanted to realize two special songs that are connected with the overall concept story, though, but add a new dimension to the album. The “Gentleman of Great Magic” describes the life of Tibetan saint Milarepa and his complete change from a master of “evil” into a master of LIGHT. The 2^nd Bonus Track “Tigers of Everest” describes the tragic fate of the Sherpa people. Joop’s style was the perfect match for these 2 songs, and I especially love the soli he did on these tracks!

How did you first hook up with Vivien?
It all started when I got an e-mail from him some years ago, as he liked my work on the Dreamscape/”very” album. We got into a conversation and stayed in touch, and as I was in fact looking for a keyboardist at that time, we soon agreed on a co-operation. This decision was taken rather spontaneously, but soon it turned out that he was indeed the perfect man for “translating” my visions!

The sound of Kailash is huge.  What were you trying to achieve sonically with the album?
I gave my best to realize a mighty sound and this time I fortunately could invest about 2 ½ months in the mixdown of the album. I was using a lot of expensive analogue gear to achieve a warm and punchy sound. I was also working a lot with effects, audio samples and different reverb rooms in order to create special soundscapes matching the storyline. In the song “Potala Palace”, for example, in which the storyteller walks through the countless mighty halls of Potala, I used about 20 different reverb types in order to sonically express this special atmosphere.

The album is a great mix of hooks with musical punch.  What other music do you enjoy listening to?
I love music that expresses honest emotions, and like many different styles of music. Apart from the progressive sector, I like all different kinds of Rock & Metal, but I also enjoy classical music and New Age, it always depends on the mood I’m in!

Your website www.hubimeisel.com is a great site, its apparent that you are very closely involved in its content.  How important is the internet as a promotional tool to you?
My web programmer Art Vandalay is a very skilled and creative guy, and the same applies to my artworker Chris Kallias from Switzerland! Together with these two guys I can realize and adapt the design of my site with each album. During the past few years the internet has become more and more important for artists, and I guess this tendency will become even stronger in future!

How has the reception been for the album elsewhere?
The first press feedback has really been very positive. To name a few, Sweden Rock Magazine gave 10/10, and it was rated “Dynamite” in Rock Hard Italy… I’m also happy about the promotional work of Lion Music, they are really doing a very good job!

Do you have any plans to tour behind this release?
I’m quite sure it would be great fun to perform “EmOcean” or “KAILASH” on stage together with the other guys, and I really miss playing live a bit, but right now it’s still too early to go on tour, especially as we are from 5 different countries, which would increase the costs and risk a lot. However, the number of people who ask me to play live is increasing more and more, so I guess that it will sooner or later be possible to present these CDs also on stage.

What’s next in 2006 for Hubi Meisel?
During the next few weeks I will focus on the promotion of “KAILASH” but when the promotional period is over, I will hole up in the studio again. It’s really too early to talk about details now, but I already have something in mind…

Hubi, finally, do you have any parting messages for the readers of Virtuosity One?
Thanks a lot for your time & interest! I invite you to check out the free online single "Potala Palace” (click banner below) as well as excerpts from the album on my site www.HubiMeisel.com ! Have a great time & BEST WISHES from Munich!

 

 

Links

• Official Hubi Meisel website