ALONE IN THE HOLLOW GARDEN Interview
First of all, thank you for giving us some of your time Dan... What personal, spiritual, or even painful forces motivated the creation of Alone In The Hollow Garden as a detachment from Tanz Ohne Musik? What did you need to express that the other project couldn't contain?
Hi dear Edgar, I have to thank you very much for the opportunity of sharing my ideas with you and your readers. I must outline that the birth of Alone In The Hollow Garden was not a detachment from Tanz Ohne Musik in any way. I always searched to expand my horizons and to experiment with different styles of music, trying to express different facets of my personality, emotions or ideas in multiple ways. In the early 90's I founded Archaos, maybe the first romanian dark ambient band, so I was very familiar with the connected genres and also I was very much into the amazing stuff released by Cold Meat Industry, a label which changed my approach to music completely. Returning to this kind of musical approach was very natural, but this time the experience was way more profound and constructed on a deep spiritual basis. In 2012 I was initiated in Transcendental Meditation and this became the start of my spiritual evolution. I was fascinated by the ancient cultures, different spiritualities and mythology from a very early age and back in 2012 I started to extend my interest in the occult realms. Everything is vibration and the creation of Alone In The Hollow Garden was an almost instinctual step for me to open myself as a channel for the universal consciousness to manifest through sound. In my opinion, music is the highest form of magick, it holds the power to transform our perception completely and to open transcendental portals in a very direct way. Getting back to Tanz Ohne Musik, the project is just dormant for the moment. "Babes Of The Abyss", the newest album was released in 2021 and also included a strong esoteric influence. I feel that Tanz Ohne Musik will be reborn soon, I just have to discover a new way of doing things in order to bring a fresh energy into the core of the project.
Why the name "Alone In The Hollow Garden"? What inner symbolism does this image of the hollow garden contain, and what does it mean to be "alone" in it? And how does your Romanian cultural and spiritual context influence the aesthetics and worldview that you display in your music?
The name just came natural to me, it was a vision, a channeling received from the void. The metaphor of the "hollow garden" represents the deserted modern world of the Kali Yuga, which is in many ways lacking true meaning, compassion, love, awareness, openness and true spirituality. In a material oriented society driven by conditioning, rules made against us, control, patriarchal values, famine and wars the only refuge we can trust can be found inside us by following the inner flame. We are all alone on this journey called life and we can only rely on our own intuition and awareness to be able to transmute the chaos into a method of personal evolution and to be able to find the divine nature in the most mundane experiences. I don't feel I am linked or influenced in any way by being born in Romania, I rather consider myself a child of the universe and I was always attracted by other spiritual and cultural realms rather than the local one. Deep in my bones I am a heretic and maybe it may seem strange that I'm not interested in my local heritage and that I have never identified myself with the local values. On the other hand, I can recognize my latin heritage flowing through my work in terms of expression and warmth, in the ability of making colourful music that pulses with passion and aliveness.
You use a wide range of elements: analog synthesizers, throat singing, ritual instruments such as kangling, Tibetan bells, gongs. How do you decide which instrument or spiritual element manifests itself in a piece?
I am attracted to anything that produces sound and I possess an innate ability to learn to play any instrument without knowing any musical theory. I use a lot of electronic and acoustic sources of sound, from analogue, digital, modular synthesizers, guitar, sitar, Saraswati Veena, harmonium, Turkish saz, a lot of wind instruments, classic and exotic percussion, ritual instruments, a lot of self made instruments and also organic and inorganic natural materials as stones, pieces of wood, leaves, water etc. A big part of Alone In The Hollow Garden's work is totally channelled, improvised and free of any rules or constrictions. The process is very instinctual, flowing and magic and most of the times is like entering a deep state of trance and knowing exactly what instruments to use to convey a specific atmosphere or to sustain a specific type of intention, invocation, evocation or personal ritual.
Your self-built piezoelectric devices seem to act like sonic portals. Could you explain the alchemical process of their creation and how you integrate them into your sound rituals?
The piezo devices I build are very simple, they are basically contact microphones placed in metal or wood housings with copper or brass sheets, metal rods, bells, steel springs or strings attached. But I infused them with sacred geometry elements, meaningful symbols and sigils to aid me in the process. I also have built wooden instruments with guitar pickups which I play with a slide steel bar or an Ebow, or simply acoustic ones like tanpura, talharpa, sistrum or lyre. I have a strong Taurus / Venus signature in my chart and maybe this is the reason I love making beautiful and tactile things. Most of the times I use the devices in conjunction with different effect pedals chains and that’s when the real magic happens, they are indeed becoming portals of transformation as they are helping me to create rich textures, loops of a hypnotic nature, by transforming very basic sounds into complex sonic structures. Somehow I feel this approach is very similar with the alchemical process of turning the lead into gold. These instruments are part of Alone In The Hollow Garden’s sound stamp and I always use them in the live rituals.
Do you consider your studio to be more of a temple than a recording space? What spiritual practices or personal protocols do you perform before, during, or after a session?
I see my studio as a sacred space in which ideas, emotions, subconscious dynamics, archetypes, energy, true will, intention are taking the shape of sound, being channelled, illuminated and manifested to be experienced in this plane. I have no specific rules in the process, sometimes I meditate before or after the sessions, other times I set a specific intention or clear my energetic field before the session, or I simply sit a few minutes to tune in to the proper mindset and the energy I desire to convey. Most of the times the sessions are becoming rituals, meditations or magical spaces by themselves and this turned in a constant practice for me over the years.
The title "Heart Lamp" evokes a deeply symbolic image. How do you interpret this "lamp of the heart"? Is it the light of consciousness, of the soul, or is it a metaphor for the subtle body according to Vajrayāna? And what specific teachings or practices of Tibetan Buddhism or Vedānta directly influenced you in the creation of this album?
"Heart Lamp" can translate as all of the above, of course. It's the light of awareness, the inner wisdom, the inherent clarity of the mind, the potential for enlightenment and also the light that dissolves ignorance. I was much into various Tibetan buddhist practices at that time, like mantra practices, making my own 108 beads malas knotted after every bead, dream and sleep yogas and also the wonderful practice of "Soul Retrieval", learned from the Bon heartfelt teachings of Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. Stillness, silence and spaciousness are the three doors to the inner refuge, the unbounded sacred space found within which can connect and nourish us with the qualities of the five cosmic elements - space, fire, air, water, earth. I also learned a bit of throat singing which can be heard on some tracks from the "Heart lamp" album and other Alone In The Hollow Garden pieces.
You have used instruments such as the damaru, the kangling, the mey-ney or even ritual bells. How do you use them within an unconventional musical structure without them losing their spiritual charge? And does throat singing that appears in some sections seek to invoke trance states or awaken specific energies of the listener? What ritual techniques accompany its execution?
The spiritual charge stands in my close connection with the ritual instruments and in the state of mind amplified by the act of playing them. So they cannot loose their spiritual charge as I feel I am channelling the musical process directly from the universal field of consciousness. I am not a buddhist practitioner by the book, I think I am more close to chaos magic and the intuitive freedom of the magical process, as I tend to include elements extracted from many spiritualities and cultures in my practices. The mantra throat singing was a powerful tool to actually feel the vibration in my body. It's an amazingly powerful sensation which cannot be explained and I used it mainly to alter my consciousness and to reach a transcendental trance-like state when channelling the musical process.
The music of "Heart Lamp" conveys a deep sense of inner space, but also of loss of ego. Was your intention to create a work to accompany practices such as meditation, internal yoga or the dissolution of the self? During the creation of "Heart Lamp" was there any internal experience of epiphany, lucid dreaming, vision or connection that defined the emotional tone of the album?
All Alone In The Hollow Garden's works are about the inner space and they reflect my own steps in the spiritual journey of transformation, but of course they can always accompany the listeners in their own contemplative, meditative or ritual practices. I always think of sound as the most powerful gateway, a portal to higher states of consciousness or as a cathartic method of purification through which I expose and process my subconscious patterns and alchemically transform them into powerful acts of will, or in spaces that can instantly transport you from the waking state consciousness into a higher state. In meditation we also experience a temporary dissolution of the self, so we transcend our physical ego driven personas and the physical world. In other words, for brief moments we return to the source, or to the endless void which holds the potential of infinite manifestation. And in the case of "Heart Lamp" or the other A.I.T.H.G. albums, music itself is the vision, the magical medium which is assisting me to explore myself at a deeper level and to bridge the microcosm with the macrocosm. And I am humbled and happy to see people that resonate with my work and use it as their own meditative or ritualistic gateway.
You have declared that your music is a "ritual offering." Before what invisible altar do you deposit these offerings? Is it a devotional, magical, meditative act for you, or all of these at the same time? What role does emptiness play as a mystical experience, as a matrix of sound, as a symbol in your creative philosophy?
It's a ritual offering on the altar of the creative and destructive forces and archetypes that define the universe and its evolution. Sometimes these forces are taking the form of various deities to assist me on my path, or to help me work with specific intentions or energies. The offering is magical, devotional and meditative in the same time, a constant reminder of being a point in the vastness of a circle and the interconnectedness of the two. Cultivating emptiness is a key part of the creative process, as it holds the inherent infinite power of creation and manifestation. Over the years I have received many insights, ideas or visions while touching the state of emptiness and I perceive these glimpses as practical confirmations of these concepts.
Let's talk about "Womb Ov Da'ath" album... Da'ath's womb is presented as a gestational space in the void, a hidden womb where form dissolves. What aspects of your interior, emotional or spiritual life were "gestated" or transformed during the creation of this album?
"Womb Ov Da'ath" was channelled and recorded in heavy times of depression and it's not the first A.I.T.H.G. album created through the process of Katabasis. Each one of us is experiencing the Abyss in our own way and depression is in fact a positive mechanism that allows us to confront our shadows and transmute them into methods of growth, in order to reach a more evolved version of ourselves. The Abyss is a space that dissolves everything you thought you knew about yourself and reconstructs you into a totally new form. I often feel the collective heaviness of the present times, even if I choose to stay true to my path and not to follow the news, media, the huge amount of information and all the drama that currently shapes the modern world. So in the last years I experienced many periods of depression, sometimes manifested as a loss of meaning, as a sense of dissolving identity, as a collapse of old outdated values or as a confrontation of the patterns that are no longer serving me. Sometimes I even have doubts about my spiritual practices but each time I get into the Abyss I feel that old parts of me are shedding away and every time I feel reborn, without exception. I believe that depression or the experience of the Abyss is a natural process that helps me transform and know myself better, so I deliberately link it with the creative process in order to understand and feel it with more intensity, even if the result might not be pleasant at all. It's also a method of catharsis through which I can expose my shadows and put them to work in a constructive way. Paradoxically the destructive forces are working in the same time with the creative ones and that is the beauty of Da'ath.
The number 11 appears as the symbolic key of the disc, associated with both the Atu of Lust in the Tarot of Thoth and the invisible sephira. What does that number represent for you in terms of rite, sacred sexuality and the breaking of the conventional Tree of Life?
As the number 11 is associated with Da’ath and also with the Lust Atu of the Thoth tarot, it was naturally welcomed as a main symbol for “Womb Ov Da’ath”. The Lust Atu was also my growth card for one year, starting with May 2024, so this was a theme that stayed with me for a whole year. For me it represents the exaltation of the ultimate balance and the union of the feminine and masculine archetypes, Babalon riding the Beast being also a perfect example of the sacred sexuality. Somehow very similar with the iconography of Samanthabadra in Tibetan buddhism. Without any doubt, the Lust Atu and Da’ath are interlinked and symbiotic. The raw beauty and power of Babalon being in union with the Beast is also an act of surrender, creation, destruction and transformation in the same time, mirroring the essence of the Abyss. Although the main linocut print I created for the main cover is a more abstract interpretation or a symbolic map of the Abyss, I also wanted to include in the physical edition of the album a small art print with a more figurative ink drawing of Babalon and the Beast and I think the two artworks are complementing each other in a very powerful way.
On the album "Tsalal" a dense and organic darkness unfolds. How did you design the sound layers to avoid saturation, allowing the listener to feel the density without falling into auditory chaos? What instruments or acoustic sources did you use to create that almost mineral, earthy texture that you perceive on the album? Are there field recordings, processed strings, or amplified metal elements?
As I said earlier, the process is deeply intuitive for me. It’s like being in a trance, guided by the magical power of sound. At that time, I didn’t think at all that I should avoid saturation and to be honest I love auditory chaos. I rely on my ears and on what the sound transmits to me and on the way that I direct it to tell a specific story. Maybe this is how I manage to create density without being too oversaturated, because I feel exactly when I have to stop. On “Samael”, the first track, I used for the main backgrounds some ritual acoustic percussion I recorded, but processed by granular synthesis to the point of being transmuted into completely something else. I also played a microtonal Arabic scale electric guitar for the main repeating theme of the track that unifies and enlivens the abstraction found in the background. I love microtonality, especially the Arabic scales and the Meantone tunings because they open a totally different way of expression than the traditional equal temperament found in 90% of the known current musical landscape. In the second track, besides the same ritual percussion processed by granular synthesis I played an Indian harmonium, or pump organ. The third track is constructed by overlaying primitive rhythmic structures created with my piezo metal percussion devices, different layers of Mey Ney flute and distorted vocals, as a visceral metaphor for expressing “Shemamah”, the title of the track, which translates as “desolation”. In the final track, “Yesh Me Ayin” I created different chaotic drone layers with an electric guitar played with an Ebow, further processed through effect pedals and complemented with different textures obtained with rattles, shakers and whispered vocals, all of these elements being the abyss from which the clean sound of a more melodic acoustic guitar sings its lament, also translating the title of the song, which roughly means “something from nothing”.
The rhythm in Tsalal seems latent, like a non-metric pulse creeping into the background. Did you build those pulses with ritual percussion or did you use low- frequency modulations to generate a somber heartbeat sensation?
Yes, almost all the backgrounds found in the album are constructed with ritual instruments heavily processed with granular synthesis. That’s the beauty of hearing a sound being transformed into something else, as if it was filtered by the powerful blackness of the void and returned back to us in a totally different form that alters our perception and makes us aware of the transformation that took place. I love the chaotic side of sound and I always try to create textures or factions of sound that can transport us in different dimensions.
In The Black Cube Ov Saturn you feel an almost architectural structure of sound, as if space were an invisible temple. How did you build that sense of volume, echo, and depth? Did you use specific reverb or spatialization techniques? The analog synthesizers on this record seem to invoke very low and sustained frequencies. What type of synthesis did you prefer: modular, FM, granular? Was any patch designed as a sound "magic stamp"?
Space is indeed an invisible temple and this was exactly the idea I wanted to emphasise in “The Black Cube Ov Saturn”. In the traditional astrology Saturn’s influence is seen as malefic but I think the opposite. Saturn is the frame, the structure of the whole world and known universe. Saturn is also the master of time and can also mean limitation but this may present to us as an opportunity to define ourselves, expand our horizons, know our true will, accumulate knowledge through direct experience of the physical plane, build resilience, develop skills and ultimately evolve inside the bounds of the “Black Cube”. I wanted to capture the linear, time oriented experience of the Saturnian existence but in the same time the sacredness of the so called limitation by creating a temple of sound. I used only modular synthesizers for creating this record, along with a few acoustic sources, processed vocals and my piezo devices. Many of the acoustic parts were processed through the modular synth, filtered and flattened to the point of integration into a whole unified soundscape. I also played with different layers of dense modulated and filtered white noise, here conveyed as a sonic sigil of Saturn. Paradoxically time can be interpreted as timelessness and I totally feel this when I am immersed in sound work. I also tried to point out the inseparable union between the the body and spirit, which were deliberately separated by the dualism imposed by the patriarchal society through the ages.
On the tracks "Shem Hamephorash" and "V.I.A.O.V.", the vocal layers seem to dissolve within the harmonic spectrum. What techniques did you use to integrate the voice as a ritual instrument rather than as a verbal channel? The metallic textures, the oscillating hums, the controlled noise... everything seems to fulfill a symbolic function. Are there sound elements designed to represent specific energies of Saturn or the black cube?
In many of my compositions the voice is a ritual tool and this happens by achieving the right frequency of vibration for the right context. Here, the vocal parts are conceived as mantras, the repetition of words being used as a depiction of the time based Saturnian existence. V.I.A.O.V. is the Thelemic alteration of the I.A.O. formula, where the enumeration using gematria results in the number 93 and I considered it to be representative in my own Saturnian context. Technically speaking, on some vocal parts I have used a small public announcement vintage microphone processed through the modular synth and the lo-fi character of the microphone helped me to obtain naturally the textural dissolution of the voice by the unification into the whole foundation of sound. The metallic textures, the repetitive rumbles, drones, oscillations, noise and dissolved mantras are metaphors of the Temple of Saturn, a place where I feel at home despite all the negative imprints and associations imposed upon the Saturnian archetype by society. We live exactly here and now and there is a reason for this, so we exist in communion with Saturn. And we also have to accept all limitations as a potential for expanding our consciousness.
How was Temple of Clear Light born? Was it conceived as a parallel project to A.I.T.H.G. or as a completely dicerent sound entity with its own esoteric lineage? The name "Temple Of Clear Light" suggests a fusion between Eastern mysticism and technology. What does that "Clear Light" represent for you? Is it a reference to Bard Thödol's Clear Light of the Void, gnosis, or a modern form of revelation?
Temple Of Clear Light was conceived as a different side-manifestation of A.I.T.H.G., being guided by the same occult content but embracing a very different sound aesthetic. I wanted to experiment more of the elaborated, more melodic, complex and refined side of electronic arts so back in 2016 I recorded the first material which was introduced to the pubic as "A.I.T.H.G. presents Temple Of Clear Light", roughly defining the style as "esoteric electronica". I am a big fan of Coil and their body of work is a constant inspiration for me, so I decided to create T.O.C.L. with the intention of exploring the deeper and sophisticated side of electronic music. The "Clear Light" metaphor is referring to the same concept found in many spiritual currents. Initially I thought of it as the Clear Light of Awareness but further on the path I realized this notion is similar to the the Black Flame in Luciferianism, to the Black Light in Sufism, to the Clear Light in Buddhism and so on. I embrace all these common points and integrate them in my own cosmology, so it's up to the listeners to choose their own familiar notion of "clear light" when interacting with T.O.C.L. I think it's a broader term that encompasses them all.
The use of analog synthesizers, modulars, FM, ribbon controllers, EWI and glitch textures make the sound organically complex. Could you describe your workflow when composing a piece from magical intent to technical execution?
This is quite a difficult question as I don't follow an exact recipe or clearly defined steps in the workflow. Sometimes it starts with a conceptual theme, intention of communion with a specific deity or archetype, magical words, numbers or symbols that are further translated into layers of sound, textures, modular patches, sample processing, lyrics etc. Creating the sound structure is like preparing the sacred space for the intended magic to manifest. It's a fine tuning of frequencies, textures, patches that facilitates the desired connection. Fortunately, I can always choose from a vast array of electronic and acoustic equipment that I collected over the years and this helps me a lot in creating appealing and complex sounds. I always spend a considerable amount of time to design my own synth sounds (analog, digital, fm, modular), to record my own samples or to construct my own textures, so I don't work with sample libraries or factory presets, but rather rely on my vision and my technical options as the source.
On the album "Communion," the concept of communion seems both spiritual and bodily. What was your intention in mixing rhythmic tribalism, digital trance, and devotional texts?
I see Spirit and Body as inseparable, contrary to the dualistic conditioning imposed upon humanity for thousands of years as a method of control for the masses, or as a way to make people feel insignificant, guilty, sinful, ashamed of their bodies or their desires, prone to the judgement of the so called "God". The body is a temple for the spirit to inhabit, a vehicle through which spirit manifests and experiences the physical existence. "Communion" embodies this sacred union of body and spirit which is expressed willingly through the rhythmic approach of the album. The symbiosis of the trance-like, industrial beats and esoteric sound structure of the songs offer a sacred and corporeal experience in the same time. The lyrical parts are also constructed by bridging and unifying the opposites into a strong heretical and iconoclastic approach. The art print that accompanies the physical edition contains a fragment of the lyrical content: "The Immaculate Sinner and The Profane Mystic", a relevant metaphor meant to introduce the listener into the core of "Communion". Going further, I was never afraid to depict the human body in my artworks, in simultaneously provocative and mystical context, and "Communion" is no exception. Sadly, the social media censorship forced me to change the main image from my Bandcamp page, as I wanted people to have the option of sharing the album without issues. I encountered obstacles with the algorithm when I tried to share it in the first place, being warned several times for not respecting the "community standards". And this wasn't a first. Of course, the original "offensive" artwork was still printed on the physical edition and also included in the digital download archive.
In “The Company of Snakes” album, you work with the ophidian archetype. What does the snake represent for you in this context? Is it temptation, wisdom, kundalini energy, transmutation?
The snake symbol is omnipresent in my musical and graphic work. For me, it represents hidden knowledge, primordial wisdom, life force, sacred sexuality, transformation, rebellion and the desire for individuation through your own powers and experiences. It's an ancient symbol holding a great amount of power, present in all cultures and spiritual currents and I found myself attracted to its mysteries very often. And I find it much more appealing and provocative knowing that the serpent archetype was deliberately distorted and imbued with negative connotations since biblical times.
Is each Temple Of Clear Light album designed as a complete ritual or as a set of separate operations? Is every track a stamp, a mantra, or a passage?
Every album holds a main theme that outlines the direction I wanna step in and explore. Most of the times each track is an individual ritual developed inside the main conceptual frame. The specific stage of the ritual is always over when a track is completed and it served its purpose. Nevertheless, the exhaustion process leads to the next stage of exploration. I feel the energy of each track as extremely dense and powerful in the moment of creation, as if no tracks were created before and no tracks will be created afterwards, like accessing a liminal portal or drawing a magical sigil.
Is there a piece within the project that you consider initiatory or especially charged as a threshold of access to the hidden system that you propose?
It's difficult to extract just a few tracks as I think the albums are working better in their wholeness, but I would suggest the title track and "Black Pomegranate Delusions" from "In The Company Of Snakes"; the "Amun : Atum" album where I work with the Egyptian solar archetype; the title track, "A Goddess In High Heels" and "One Star In Sight" from "Communion"; "Black Stars painted on the Arch of Night", "Sacred Hunter Of The Sun" and "A Higher Mind" from "Eschatology"; the "Eosphoros" album and also the "Hadit : Nuit" EP. For those interested, I would rather suggest patience to listen all the works as each one holds different themes, principles and musical aesthetics.
Finally, if Temple Of Clear Light were a living entity, an egregore, how would you describe it? Would it be a snake made of frequencies? Or a temple floating in vibrational sounds?
It would be a flying black serpent with piercing vermillion eyes and emerald tongue, with a golden sun disk beyond his head, radiating white stardust particles that are turning into blood droplets from its body, a bridge between the chthonic and celestial realms.
Thank you very much for your answers. And the last words for readers about the material that will be coming next years?
To be honest, I have no idea what will be next yet. I already released four albums this year and right now I try to recharge and make sense of some personal revelations received at the beginning of this autumn's eclipse portal. This will surely come together with new sound meditations. For those interested to explore my work, my Bandcamp page can be visited. Much gratitude to you for provoking me with this amazing set of questions, and nevertheless to the readers I will meet throughout this interview.
93 93/93!
ALONE IN THE HOLLOW GARDEN
https://aloneinthehollowgarden.bandcamp.com
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