Interview with Frédéric Arbour

March 16th 2007 - by O.S.

All images by Frédéric Arbour, except where noted.

Frédéric Arbour is the man behind the Canadian label of dark soundscapes, Cylic Law Records, which has its five year anniversary this year. He is also the artist behind dark ambient projects Instincts and Visions, and a member of the funeral doom metal band Longing For Dawn. Two years ago, I had interviewed him for www.doom-metal.com, mostly about that last band. Now, we felt it was time to take a look at the developments in Frédéric's other creative areas. The result is this email conversation.

O.S.: First of all, congratulations with your five year anniversary at Cylic Law this year! Could you give our readers a brief introduction of the label? How did it start, what are its vision and its aims?

Frédéric: Thank you! Well the label was established in January 2002 to release the first album of one of my projects named INSTINCTS, this was also a collaborative work with long time friend Yvan Arsenault, the release not only included my CD but also 15 oversized cards of Yvan's hand collages, this gave birth to the INSTINCTS / BUSTUM 'The Mystery Visions' CD and was at the same time the birth of Cyclic Law. Things were not to clear at the time as to where the label would go, but my interest in the Dark Ambient Industrial scene and the contacts I made with this release made it so that I would profess in this wonderful musical movement. I also had an interest in doing more unconventional packagings, bringing back the fold outs, posters, paper textures and smells of the vinyl format to the CD format so all releases also have their unique character.

What achievement of Cyclic Law are you most proud of so far?

I can't point to a specific thing, but for sure, looking back on these past 5 years and now 18 releases, I'd say that the overall work of the label's artists, the great friends I made and the respect and recognition the label has gotten through the years is what I'm most proud of. When you start something you never know where it's going to lead you and I'm glad to now be able to look back on this venture and see how much of a positive thing it's been in my life.

Are there things you would have done differently, looking back in hindsight?

Not really, there's always a trial and error aspect when you establish something so what ever things I did and figured I should have done differently I've corrected it, it's still a learning process but I fix things as I go. I think you can do as many "mistakes" as you can but just don't do the same one twice...

What would you like to achieve in the next five years?

I'd simply like things to keep progressing as they have, to be able to give the artists on the label and the ones yet to join the exposure they greatly deserve. I will also soon be making TWILIGHT FOUNDATION, the division that I started in 2005, more official, with it's own website and specific releases, etc... and will start releasing a more varied type of music, still obscure and unique but slightly outside of the Dark Ambient Industrial scene, the first release on Twilight Foundation was of my Atmospheric Doom band LONGING FOR DAWN and the second release will be of Montreal based Doom band TOWARDS DARKNESS, of which some of the members are and were in Longing For Dawn as well as Quebec's most unique Black Metal acts, Esker which also features members of Longing For Dawn. There's also a few other acts that I'm hoping to work with. We'll see where this venture will lead...

The visual aspect of music plays in important role for Cyclic Law releases, in terms of artwork, but also for artists, who use film in their live performances and sometimes in the form of bonus videos on the CDs. Would you like to produce DVDs sometime that fully combine music and film in one release?

Yes that would be quite interesting, there's been thoughts of doing this for some time so it's not impossible that something of the sort will be produced in the future.

What do you find most attractive about working as a label and artist in the dark ambient / electronic scene?

Well I do find it's one of the most interesting scenes out there, so many great and unique acts take part of this big family and I'm definitely thankful to be a part of this movement. It's hard to pinpoint a specific thing that I find most attractive but the scene's spiritual depth is definitely one of it's attributes.

In 2005, you put your project INSTINCTS to rest. What led to this decision?

I was becoming dissatisfied with the way I was working and composing, this being my first attempt at the genre I was somewhat limited in my skills back then, I then wanted to explore different ways of composing which didn't fit the results I wanted to have with INSTINCTS, so I started VISIONS in 2004 to explore new realms. I still have a lot of INSTINCTS tracks that I've now started to dust off and rework and have decided lately to slowly resurrect INSTINCTS, so the project is not completely put to rest, I might have new material released this year or the next.

VISIONS, however, is still going strong, I presume. You released the debut CD 'Lapse' yourself in 2005, and the 'Celestial Sphere' 10" came out on Angle Records last year. What is coming up?

I've been working on new material for some time now and should have a new album ready for 2007, there's also been a lot of concerts in the past year and a few others coming this year, VISIONS is definitely active and should remain so for some time.

It's obvious that VISIONS, like your label artist GUSTAF HILDEBRAND, takes a lot of inspiration from extra-terrestrial space. In what way does space and the universe send you these visions?

I have a lot of interests in various forms of Esoteric cosmology and all the great questions, that will remain unanswered, of where we come from and why we are here etc... I find it very interesting to take the time to really put ourselves in context, being that we are these beings that have no clear idea why or how they got here on this one planet we call earth and that we are at the same time floating in this ever expanding and limitless void called the cosmos, surrounded by billions of other planets and galaxies, a limitless universe that we know very little of and is in a sense beyond our understanding. VISIONS is simply a means to put ourselves back into this context and to take the time to acknowledge this fact, to be one with it and in turn go beyond all the fragmenting limits of the mind, to see beyond race, country, religion etc...

Do you feel that there is some kind of journey to the music of VISIONS? Do you intend to 'explore' different aspects of the universe in different releases?

Not necessarily explore different aspects of the universe but more to simply go on this journey, beyond the limits of what we see with our eyes and go with the minds eye. Yes, I do feel there's a journey involved, the purpose is just that, to be able to travel, discover and come out changed in some way, music definitely has this power.

In what way does the music of VISIONS reflect your spiritual approach to these concepts of space?

VISIONS is the channel, the path or as mentioned above the actual journey to higher states, through the music one is able to drift off, to see and feel things otherwise not apparent, seeing the invisible, to me that is spirit and VISIONS is the tool.

How do you think space and the universe relates to life here on earth? And how do you think that people should look at these things?

Well we seem to think it's something out there, out of reach and in a way abstract to our understanding but we are completely a part of it, it's in us, we are cosmos, we are not only part of it but we are it.

Are there any concepts that you used to express with INSTINCTS that have found their way into your other projects now, or is there some sort of gap, that needs to be filled by a new project?

INSTINCTS was of a more Nature / shamanistic approach, more at one and in awe of our immediate surroundings and natural world. These concepts have slightly been integrated with my Doom band Longing For Dawn. I do not feel there's a gap right now, let's say I've covered all my main spiritual interests for the moment.

Some readers might also be interested in Longing For Dawn, the band in which you combine doom metal with ambient influences. A new album is coming up soon on Grau Records. What can you tell us about it?

Yes, I started this band in 2002 with an old friend of mine, Stefan Laroche (Vocals), I play guitar and do all the atmospherics also, there's 5 of us in this project. It's heavy, melancholic Doom heavily doused in Dark Ambient soundscapes. I've been a fan of the genre of many years and things just happened and it's been a great journey so far. I do feel we have been able to find our unique sound and style and in a way stand out from the crowd. Our second album has just been released and the reviews and response have been very positive.

What can we expect in the near future from Cyclic Law?

A lot of releases are planned ahead with many new and well respected acts. New Risen Throne, Sinke Dus, Tholen, Cities Last Broadcast (new project from Kammarheit), Lacus Somiorum (new project from Gustaf Hildebrand and Amanda Votta/The Floating World) and many more....

And of course, thank you for the interview. Please bestow some parting words of wisdom upon us... :-)

"There is no religion higher than truth" - H.P. Blavatsky

Thank you once again Oscar for your great support and I wish all the very best with your activities.

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