Interview with Inception In Black by Tzina Dovve (DJ Lady Davinia)
Inception In Black… A brand new act comes to life during the pandemic on the dark/goth scene… Avant-garde synth duo Morgan and Marina talk about their new beginnings and future plans and give an insight on what they are all about… Inception In Black… by Tzina Dovve ( DJ Lady Davinia )…
Tzina: Welcome to Absolution NYC.. ‘Inception In Black’ are a brand new band/project to emerge on the dark/goth/alternative scene. How and when exactly did you form this act and what prompted you to do so to begin with. Who are the members of this act?
Inception In Black: The members comprise of Black Marine & Morgan King. We first came together in January 2020 as solo artists for a one-off concert featuring piano and vocals in Vienna. We called the event‘Inception in Black’. We really enjoyed this experience and thought why not do more concerts under this banner but then lockdown happened to scupper our plans. As we collaborated online during this period on our respective solo music we came to the conclusion that forming a band ‘Inception in Black’ may give us more scope with the music using synths and drum synthesis as our main tools of expression.
Tzina: What is the story behind the band’s name? Is there some sort of symbolic meaning behind the title ‘Inception In Black’? Can you elaborate…
Inception In Black: A good question and one that is difficult to answer. We feel that there is definitely something at work in the ether that adds gravity to our music. For sure we aim to dig as deep as possible into the hidden aspects of our feelings and at the same time be glaringly upfront and clear.
Tzina: As I understand you both come from musical backgrounds. Who is the main songwriter in the band? What inspires you most to write dark melodies and what are your main musical influences?
Inception In Black: Morgan started out on ‘The Some Bizzare Sampler Album’ as a drummer for ‘Illustration’ and Marina started to play piano at the age of 6 as well as developing her compositional technique in classical music. The songwriting aspect is a shared responsibility and at present we write individually except for one song that is in the development stage. This will change in the future once we have more time to collaborate, however whoever writes the music writes it in a way which it can be worked on to shape it into our own sound. Influences are many from classical to early experimental electronic artists to Punk and beyond.
Tzina: You only just released your first single ‘Big Brush’ this month on streaming platforms. Are you currently working on a full album or e.p? When can we expect to hear more new music by ‘Inception In Black’?
Inception In Black: We are as we speak working on the next single release so it will not be too long. We are also working towards an album which we hope to release in February 2023, however before then we would like to drop some beat driven tracks so watch this space.
Tzina: As I understand you are currently in the process of making a video for ‘Big Brush’. How important is the visual side of a band to you? Do you believe it’s as fundamental as the music? Can you elaborate?
Inception In Black: Absolutely! We feel the visual side is a very important aspect. Of course with music and lyrics you can create a good mental picture and feeling with a song, yet with the visual side there is the creative opportunity to take it further and add more layers to the meaning. Sadly, many do not listen to lyrics in the same way it seems, so if we can ask the visual question then the viewer can have an alternative way to engage as do we in the making of a video.
Tzina: You also made your debut live appearance at ‘Renaissance Alternative Music Festival’ in London earlier this month (May) at ‘The Electrowerkz’. How was that experience for you both? Do you have more upcoming shows in the near future?
Inception In Black: We did and loved the experience so much making what we worked hard with online become tangible. So, it’s a big yes to a tour. It may take a little time though as everyone is catching up with the loss of shows due to lockdown but emails have been sent so we are open to offers.
Tzina: What are your ambitions for ‘Inception In Black’? How would you like to see this band/project in the next five years or so?
Inception In Black: This is a lovely question because we feel this music is an integral part of our expression. Even though we do have our other commitments as solo artists and both as members of the ‘Lene Lovich Band’ we endeavour to throw ourselves into this. We would like to add something to the goth/dark/alternative community. It feels so vast creatively that we can make our music as we like. That is the beauty of this scene, to be unrestricted.
Tzina: The past two years have been extremely difficult for everyone especially the music industry and artists in particular. How did the pandemic affect you collaborating as musicians? Do you think things are back to how they used to be pre-pandemic days for this industry?
Inception In Black: We feel there were positives and negatives. It was hard not being able to play live, however without this time and space we may have not had the chance to develop new ideas and possibilities. A forced pause can be a good thing but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Not sure if things can ever be the same but do we want that because there could now be something better. We do believe from what has been experienced so far that there is more gratitude to play or view live music now.
Tzina: The pandemic did help livestreams flourish on social media during lockdown days. What are your views on these livestreams and the virtual world in general? Do you believe it is something more permanent now? Is ‘Inception In Black’ part of this virtual world?
Inception In Black: Livestreams can be an important aspect in future music so we can be financially self-sufficient in order to invest more into our art, especially when organising a tour it is not cost effective for bands or the audience. Less pollution too so we feel it will be a growing trend. We did a few online posts for our ‘Patreons’ as Black Marine & Morgan King. It was one of the thoughts to develop it for ‘Inception in Black’.
Tzina: Thank you for your time Morgan and Marina.. Anything else you would like to share with your new fans? What can they expect from ‘Inception In Black’ in the near future?
Inception In Black: It has been our pleasure having this opportunity to reach out so thank you! We are in conversation with a band about playing support on their UK tour later this year. We are also in the throws of organising shows in France,Belgium and Germany so if you see us in a place near you please come watch us.
