Cybiont Newsletter Interview

How did you come up with the name Cybiont?

The name Cybiont was coined by French scientist and thinker Joel de Rosnay.

In his book ‘The Symbiotic Man’ he argues that we are on the verge of a new, profound evolutionary leap. The next stage in the natural progression from lower to higher levels of organization – cell into organism, organism into population, population into ecosystem – is the Cybiont – a hybrid biological/mechanical/electronic super organism that includes humans, machines and networks. The Cybiont is a living planetary super-organism under construction.

As a “wanna-be symbiotic man” – there was no better name to chose for this musical venture.

How do you describe Cybiont’s music?

A personal journey – that’s been made available for others to explore. Probably something that is stuck in-between music and junk… It has been compared to Nick Cave, traditional african music, Kraftwerk, Cirque de Solei, Kurt Veil and more. NZ Magazine called it ‘eco-electro’ and others have compared it to a modern day Lou Reed. I would be happy if listeners described it as ‘passionate’ and ‘powerful’ – music with ‘spirit’; music that makes the heart beat faster and provokes thoughts to explore new ways. It is an exhibition of a heart and could be called “soul cabaret”.

What inspired you to start Cybiont?

A flow of sounds, melodies wanting to become compositions and lyrics urging to be sung.

How do you come up with your compositions?

There is usually something that triggers a new song idea. It can be a sound, an observation, a tree, a book, a thought or a philosophical moment. The song ‘Hold On’ was initiated by a synthesizer sound, ‘Butterflies’ by seeing a butterfly landing on a persons heart, ‘Talking To Birds’ by.. yeah… talking to quite a few. Everything got its own sound, and often a specific sound makes you feel a certain way. At times it takes a lot of work to express that with lyrics; other times you’ve got lyrics wanting to be part of a song but you can’t find the right tune. Mostly I let the music and the lyrics work and develop together.

What really inspires me to make music are all those brave enough to bring something new into this world. The small man standing up for justice, the tiny voice that dares to speak the truth, and the ones – who against all odds – continue working for what they believe is right. They touch my heart, and often that comes out as music.

What will Cybiont’s next release be?

Would love to manage to release 3 full-length albums in 1 year.

The first album ‘A Trilogy of Random Thoughts and Considerations’ was released June 2009, ‘Angels & Demons’ March 2010, and there are already a number of new compositions that qualify for the next release, preliminarily named ‘Upgraded & Spiritualized’. I suspect there will be about 15 new compositions exploring some other musical spheres. There will probably be some abstract soundscapes, some weird stuff, as well as some “poppier” songs.

How do you believe Cybiont fits into the NZ music industry?

Some have said that Cybiont is singular within the national music scene and I would agree that Cybiont is probably in its own unique NZ music category.

What is in your CD collection at home?

The newest CD purchase is the album ‘Pop Crimes’ by Birthday Party legend Rowland S. Howard.

In the last weeks I’ve been listening a bit to Scott Walker, early Ultravox, and Tom Waits. Find that when I make music – I don’t spend as much time listening to others – expect for an occasional live concert. In the CD collection you find a variety of artists; Mavis Staples, Nine Inch Nails, MONO, Nick Cave, The Three Penny Opera, Elliot Brown and more…

Who would you most like to support live?

Would love to open up for Carl Orff’s master piece Carmina Burana – accompanied by the entire symphony orchestra! And the ballet troop!

What can we expect to see from Cybiont over the next year?

A number of singles, a new album and maybe even a couple of concerts. Additionally Cybiont will record and produce with a number of New Zealand upcoming artists. 

Cybiont is also looking to develop more music in collaboration with other like-minded artists which could lead to something completely different again.

What is your favourite place in NZ to be?

A good place is always where you are together with some good people but I could head into the South Island mountains any time!