Interview
(Progressive Newsletter Nr.61 01/08)
excerpts from an interview with Wojtek Szadkowski (Drums)
All those three are similar in the way they were created. I brought most of songs, wrote lyrics, arranged and produced it. All three albums were created in my mind and developed in the studio. No rehearsals with the band. But the main difference between first two and the third one is the deeper involvement in the creative process of Krzysiek, Sarhan and Robert. While recording and making arrangements they KNEW what is right, now they are satellite. It was not necessary to stimulate Sarhan, to direct him as far as what kind of solo he should play in the particular moment of song. The same with Krzysiek – he came up with some great sound and arrangement ideas I accepted. Robert did marvelous vocal arrangements and his voice is stronger and more close to Collage performance. Also the new bass player is a great thing because he gave the solid backing to my drums. The next difference is in production.Drums are put forward and are stronger. Guitars also more visible and more riffs appear. Sparse keyboard layers. This resulted in achieving more space. Also songs are a bit different – I let them evolve more slowly. There is an element of “trance” here – not this techno trance, but some patterns are repeated more often. The rhythm is not that complicated.
Did you feel any pressure after the success of the first two albums to release another high quality album?
No pressure at all, because I always create to express myself, not to do another album for the audience. I am focused on my emotions trying to find the best possible way of bringing them up on the surface. And I never listen to my previous albums. I also do not care about the reviews… I mean while I am composing new songs and producing an album. So such thoughts have no effect whatsoever upon creative process. Besides I never plan any album, never think before I start composing what this next material should be like and sound like. I always let music to lead me and to surprise me. So I do not write for people – always for myself. Not in the sense that I compose songs I would love to listen to. This is wrong. I just want to express my emotions and when I do so, I leave them on an album and this becomes immediately a pas event. This is the past. Not mine anymore. Besides – what does ‘high quality album” mean?“ How can you possibly measure it? How could You define it. Hey! C’mon let’s start composing another high quality album! … ee… ???? This is not my attitude . I can’t understand musicians saying in interviews that they learned what they did wrong on previous record and now they produced an album that will be more successful! I have got no such thoughts whatsoever.
When you compose the tracks, to you specifically have in mind what to other have to play or are they free in their interpretation?
In my first approach to a song I always got in mind every melody a given instrument should play, but while working on the track it changes, I improvise compose new melodies – they stimulate what’s next … and finally there are some places for solos… So far I was telling Sarhan or Krzeysiek what they should play, explained the emotions they should cover in their performance. During the recording of "Into The Night" it was not necessary anymore… of course I composed some main melodies, like this lead guitar tune in the second and third part of "Dreams", but the solos are Sarhan’s own. Not only solos – Sarhan and Krzysiek are now free to play anything they feel is right , add any sound and note, chords they want to. And they do make a lot of contribution. They now are creating Satellite style on their own… they just feel what is right… so no point in instructing them. They bring some new fresh ideas too and I am very glad of this fact!!!! But even when I compose some main melody I let them change it a bit when they feel a change in interpretation should be made so now it is much more group work than it used to be on first two albums… But I am in control of all this mess.
What’s the idea behind the bonus tracks of the last two albums? Are they also a part of the concept?
No. They are just tracks that do not fit to the whole album… But they are so good it was no point in throwing them away! Besides those tracks are composed by Sarhan and Krzysiek… I only added a vocal line to Time Stands Still. Great songs again!
You also shot a video of “Love is around you”. Were has it been broadcasted on TV and why did you decide to shot this video?
It has been broadcasted in Polish TV a few times. The reason of shooting is simple – If you want to have TV interview you have to bring a Clip with you…
How demanding are you to yourself until you are satisfied with the music that you create?
I am the perfectionist and I am never satisfied with what I did. This is why I never listen to the album after it’s released. Sometimes I change the whole arrangement of the song iust while mastering it. I say – ok. Stop . I got a different idea, and I get back to the studio and rearrange the whole thing. (as it happened eg. With the track Beautiful World on Evening games) I try to find a perfect expression to my emotions. This is why I compose music. To express myself and not to imitate other band’s music. And this is extremely difficult to find the right means of expression suitable for a different track
How important is it for you to have the complete control over Satellite?
My music expresses my emotion, not somebody elses. Satellite started as my solo project and in fact it is still a solo event in the way that The Waterboys is Mike Scott’s solo project and ELO is Jeff Lynn’s solo project and Jethro Tull is Ian Anderson’s solo project. I compose most of music and lyrics and arrange a lot. But from the other hand , Satellite is on the way to become a band, well in fact I think that from Into The Night you may call satellite a real band. Robert, sarhan and Krzysiek were involved stronger emotionally with this music. They now feel it as their own. And now the new member jarek Michalski added a lot of fine bass lines completed this work They are Satellite.I do not have to control them as much as I did on the previous albums. Although I compose some main melodies for the guitar or keyboards and vocal lines too.. I got a very strong personality and I could not play In somebody elses band as the main band. Now I also play in my friend’s band called Metropolis. I just play drums there. This is great music and I consider it mine although I composed nothing there. Just drumming.On "Into The Night" my colleagues started to compose too – sarhan did a great song Around The World and They together with krzysiek composed Time Stand Still – I only composed vocals there. Robert made fabulous vocal arrangements! If all the members of the band are able to produce and share the same emotions - this is the real thing!
Kristian Selm © Progressive Newsletter 2007