Interview with Arnaud Nicolas the brain behind SHADEWORKS

How did you decide to start this solo project?

I always liked to experiment with things and sounds. When I was a kid, I liked to build my own instruments. I remember my first "guitar" was a poster package with only one chord and a microphone inside. I nearly exploded my parent's Hi-Fi with it but that Mac Guyverish attitude made me realize that I needed to produce music at any cost...

Why did you decide to change the name of the project from Icy Winds At Dusk to Shadeworks?

In 1999 I was looking for a female vocalist that would be able to sing on my solo projects. When Fae arrived, I liked her voice so much that I decided to start a real band with her. So my project Icy Winds At Dusk became our band Icy Winds and I just found a new name for my own musical project. I know I could have done the contrary but that's how things came out and I'm happy with both names now, so...

Are you satisfied with the way "Sooty limbs" came out? Would you like to change something on it?

I am very satisfied with it. There's nothing I'd like to change on it. After all, what is done is done. I know my vocal performance is not the best you can hear around but that was me at that period. Next time, I'll try to concentrate on my vocals, maybe experiment a bit more with different timbres. I think I sound a bit too "shy". Some people liked that calm attitude but I'd like to be more expressive...

Do you have plans to rerecord the songs from the "Endless Snowfields" demo?

No one asked me about that before... So, you've got the exclusivity man!!! Yes, I definitely plan to re-release all my earlier work on a full CD, but that won't be done before I have my fist album out. So don't expect to hear that before 2 years or so...

How big was the evolution between "Lights Hiding in 8-D Architecture" and "Sooty Limbs"?

Well, I learned to give the releases a shorter title, haha! Musically, the same thing happened, I made my music easier to understand. My first works were very experimental and I'm pretty proud of them, but I knew I needed to make things more accessible to the listeners and to me too... Talking about sound quality, there also was a great improvement. "Lights..." was recorded on my 8 track recorder and the mix was quite difficult to do on that machine, nothing was automated. I remember that I spent hours to mix it live, cutting here or equalizing there... A real ball buster!

What can you tell me about your band Icy Winds?

We've been in big trouble twice since it seems quite difficult to find musicians who actually act professionally. We're now testing a new lead guitarist and I hope this one won't disappoint us in a few months as the others did... We'll try to build that great concept album Fae wrote the lyrics for.

How important are Fae's vocals to Shadeworks music?

She's a recurring guest. She may participate again on my next releases or not depending on her will to perform for me and my need of female vocals. The great advantage is that she doesn't need hours of rehearsing to understand a song... Maybe I'll invite some other guests later, but I don't know yet...

Do you have new material ready for recording?

Are you planning to add more musicians to Shadeworks?

As I told you, I don't know yet. You know, Shadeworks is something very personal and I can't get people involved so easily. I don't want my feelings to be altered one way or another. To me, a solo project is something special because it is usually very coherent. When it's well done, you can feel the man who's behind the compositions and that's great! I'm not saying that a band can't have such advantages, but both situations aren't comparable...

Something more to add?

Interview by Federico Marongiu