First thing first...it was only January of 2008 when you released ‘How pure would your Utopia be?’ on HIVE records and now we find you in Tympanik with a brand new album. Give us an insight into this and what made you choose Tympanic over Hive?

JAMIE says: Wow..straight for the jugular. That's a tough question as I don't wish to highlight negatives. So I will state the positive reasons for the move instead.

Since Sept 2008 I had been hearing both consistent and also very positive feedback regarding Tympanik. I knew a hand full of artists on the label who I both look up to and know personally and they were all advising me it would be a positive move. Tympanik have done something really special over the last 16 months. They have managed to emerge from almost nowhere (to us ignorant Yorkshire folk anyway) and have consistently released really good quality albums, by bands/projects that I was totally unaware of as well as the bigger name artists such as Displacer, Pneumatic Detach and others.

I felt like it was a move that was inevitable, I trusted those who advised me to go with Tympanik Audio and it has worked out brilliantly. I strongly believe that Tympanik will be regarded as the premier dark electronic label within the next two years.

 Based on my experience it seems so, since they have earned the tag of the most innovative and hard working label I’ve seen years.

JAMIE says: That’s quite a Pro Tympanik sound bite isn't it...

 Indeed 

Jamie says: I get a cheque quarterly for my plugs..

 In less than a year you changed label and a new album saw the light of day....The Sea & the Silence. First of all what was different in this new release as opposed to the HPWYUB?

JAMIE says: I think that musically (if I'm totally honest) 'S&S' is probably far more commercial. There are some really accessible sounds on this release which I believe will probably attract a different audience. It's still really hard and inevitably dark..as esa always will be. But I feel I allowed myself to experiment with different sound themes and instruments. For example there are a lot more synths and  bass lines. I also feel on a whole, it may be regarded as slightly less rhythmical and  more straightforward in its beat arrangements. I think as a result esa may well be no longer regarded as a Power/Rhythmical Noise project..which in all honesty, I didn't think was an accurate description anyway, even though most of my generic influences in writing for esa are from pre-dominantly rhythmical based bands. I also think there is far more variation on this album. For example, there is an esa style techno track, a bangra influenced track, a 14 minute satanic dark ambient track and all the more harder rhythmic material as well.

I feel that I have allowed myself to explore my creative boundaries, I haven’t done this to this extent before as I have always been reasonably worried as to how it will be accepted. Truthfully..I no longer take that into account, I feel that I have earned the right to push myself in different directions. I have to say, in doing so..it was really difficult to make the album flow as well. Taking into account the broad spectrum of sounds, it was harder to find that flow which was much easier with HPWYUB, however I think we (Mastering engineer Alex Stilts and I) managed it.

 You certainly did if you ask me!

So this new era and experimentation for ESA. How is this related with the new album title (TS&TS)?

JAMIE says: The main focus behind the album title is quite a personal one. I found 2008 an extremely demanding year. I encountered a major stumbling block which proceeded to somehow breed other problems, I found my life falling apart and to a certain point, so did my head (collective awwww). I found myself visiting the sea on a number of occasions throughout 2008 (namely a place called Whitby, which will be familiar with all the UK Goths). On these visits I felt like was given a small slice of solitude when sitting by the waves (I'm reading this back and it sounds like cheese on a stick..but I'll continue). I guess I just feel at home by the sea and it means a lot to me personally. I decided that I wanted to use the sea as a focal point to the album and to do so I realised I would have to create a concept of sorts (much like HPWYUB).

However I would like to point out that this is NOT a concept album, the title track is split into two parts which I feel play out the threatening side and also the calmer side of what the waves offer. As an ironic slant, I cannot swim..at all! I have nearly drowned twice and look like I have major dyspraxia issues when left in water so I guess that's where the concept of the album’s title track comes from. You will have to buy the album to get into the concept, but I'm pretty proud of it and I just hope people get it. There is a spoken word piece on there (much like the last album) which is quite beautiful and I am really proud of also.

 Mind to share it with the ones who haven’t buy it yet? as an appetiser? 

JAMIE says: It is a poem that I wrote about a woman who is in a very dark part of her life who dreams of visiting the Sea and becomes enchanted, aroused and inevitably enveloped in it. The artwork displays this concept incredibly.

 Which comes to my next question. Being so personal (the new experimentation in music and the album title). how does the cover art relate to the album?

JAMIE says: As I said, although the catalyst to the albums artwork and title track was a personal one. I still had to create a concept/theme of sorts. I decided that if that was to be the concept then I would have to display artistically as accurately as I could. I therefore hired a model (a friend of a friend), enlisted a professional underwater photographer and did it properly. I felt I wanted to  communicate a beautiful image which linked in with the poem (the album images are original underwater images of aforesaid woman sinking and gently flailing in black water). I wanted to convey that the subject was happy to be taken by the water and was appreciative of her watery demise.........This is such a fucking Goth interview! You seem to have massaged out my inner grump!

 LOL....well it is not..musically wise at least *snigger*

JAMIE says: I think in all honesty..I find that I am also attracted (to the point of joining it) but also intimidated by the sea so that’s probably sub consciously where the main spine of the concept comes from.

 Technically you released 2 albums in 1 year through 2 different labels. How long did it take to create S&S? Do you work quite quickly or was it the personal situation that gave you more inspiration day by day.

JAMIE says: I think definitely the latter had something to do with it. The issue in question meant I had more time to kill so from a practical point of view I had more time to spend working also. Also, I think that if you ask any musician who writes for himself, once you get into a habit of writing..it's extremely difficult to get out of that loop. I think to a certain degree, writing an album is almost like a security blanket. Once the damn things been released, you find yourself suffering withdrawal symptoms. I know a few people who have said the same. Therefore once you starting creating music with a view to being released, it's hard to get off that merry-go-round. To be fair (and I will dutifully have my prolific artist kudos points taken away) the writing process for HPWYUB ended about 3 months before came out, so it probably seems like I'm a crazed beat addict tied to his sequencer..much more than I really am.

 So it was like you never stopped composing

JAMIE says:No, As I said..once you start that creative process, it's fairly hard to stop it. If I didn’t have this in my life to vent out all that dirt in my head, I would probably end up being a flasher or a human size life-like doll collector...it's good to vent.

 Back to your previous statement you said that you don’t care if people will accept your new direction since this is what you felt you wanted to do/compose. still most if not all people tag music and you have been tagged in the past as an industrial act.........I mean let’s face it, some people have restrictions when it comes to music and your cd will be most probably purchased from people that follow a genre called industrial even if I disagree since it seems that there is a bastardize of the music tags nowadays....

JAMIE says: Hmmmm...what a broad term that is.

 ...do you feel that this new age of "Industrial music" will restrict your music from reaching a wider audience and is this a problem that you are trying (or the label) to overcome?

JAMIE says: It's dark and heavy electronics..simple! People jump on genre classifications quicker and quicker these days. They love it, and I think bands like to also make up their own as it gives them identification. I heard a new one the other day : Terror Techno or and Horror EBM. What the fuck is that?

 Terror EBM....A couple of years title to be honest 

JAMIE says: I think that the music that I make will always appeal to a certain audience, that's inevitable as it is dark and heavy. People who get into esa are usually an 'Industrial/rhythmical' crowd but there’s a lot of metal heads that get into it co’s it’s nasty, angry and it has hooks. I think it's always going to be difficult to get to a wider audience for so many reasons. Me and my friend were saying the other day that there is a whole techno/power beats scene in Germany that seems to be completely unaware of the industrial/power noise acts that are running parallel to it. However I bet it earns far more cash, we just need to cross that threshold..but I don’t think it will happen any time soon.

 In this new release we can hear your vocals in some of the tracks as well as guest vocalists. recently I heard a new track from the forthcoming Autoclav1.1 album and again you sing. Do you see in the future adding more vocals in your music?

JAMIE says: You know what..I enjoy working vocals into tracks more than anything right now. However, to me there is a fine line between laying down a intricate vocal melody or recited venomous spout which raises a track and provides it with an instant identification....and in comparison, essentially making a great song sound awful. I am constantly looking for that new slice of satisfaction. I can’t sing..I’m awful! I used to be in a band when I was 14, screaming at the top of my under developed lungs about maiming Jesus in the Junior School hall. I used to get chairs thrown at me. But if you persevere enough and find exactly the right combination of effects and vocal placement..it can work beautifully and at the moment, is my new 'thing'. I’m pretty proud of the Autoclav vs esa thing. I think it freaked Tony out when I sent this whining progressive rock/ Ulver-esque gothic warble, but he learnt to love it. I think I just want to be a singer so I can get more attention from the opposite sex, truth be told!

 Lol

JAMIE says: Everybody loves a front man...

 ....except for the people behind him.

 Apart from ESA and the work you are doing the last years...have you in plans any side project or thinking your involvement with another band and maybe from a different role (Instrument wise) like different music direction and role in the band.

JAMIE says: I currently have two 'side projects'. Firstly I am the guitarist/songwriter in an industrial black/death metal band (here comes the plug) : www.myspace.com/theblackmillennium . It's essentially me and the drummer from My Dying Bride (Dan Mullins) who created this horrible little project and we are accompanied by Juiseppe Romano who provides some of the most guttural roars of general dissatisfaction this side of Florida. Neither of us have a great deal of time to spend on this project unfortunately for obvious reasons so to date we have only recorded and released one 'home made' demo 'Etchings of a New Order'. I really enjoy working with Dan on this as we can pretty much do what we want. We have been in black/death metal bands together all the way through my adult life so we kinda know what makes each other tick. It's a sweet relationship!

My other project is very much a work in progress. I am totally and utterly in love with a band called 'Ulver', (I'm not sure how many of your readers will be familiar with that band?) and it's basically my tribute to them. It's kind of easy listening but (I like to think) innovative rock music and again it's only something I do when I have a substantial slice of spare time to allocate to it. At the moment (as it is a work in progress) I have just named it Jamie Blacker (Imaginative) and it can be located here : www.trig.com/jamieblacker.

Going back to Ulver, I have to admit..if it wasn't for this band I feel that I may have stopped 'writing' music some time ago, but listening to what Ulver produces..essentially provides me with the inspiration I need to feel enthusiastic again. They genuinely encapsulate the word 'innovation' and forward thinking music and it in stills me with faith that music is as boundary less as you want it to be and the only limits you will ever encounter are those set by yourself!

 I think I could be a outsourcing company motivational speaker, what do you think!?

 I think that you are very talented mate cause i am on trig space as we speak and that you should carry on this side project.

JAMIE says: Thank you

 Talking with such admiration about Ulver, apart them mention me 1-2 artists that you would like at the moment to do a song with or would like to work with on stage and why?

JAMIE says: That is so fucking tough. Ulver is my obvious answer (and you're not allowing me that), I would genuinely work with them in any regard, I would literally clean up after their mess and provide with hot cups of coffee on demand should they require. Trying to imagine two other bands that come close is pretty tough. I’m gonna have to put that question on ice and come back to it later..is this acceptable?

 Fair enough as long as you give me an answer by the end of this interview. One of the facts about ESA is that on the last 2  releases, your music evolves. What do you think will be the next step for ESA and are you thinking  in adding some of the abovementioned elements in your music (black/death metal or what I hear in the side project)?

JAMIE says: I have attempted incorporating 'metal' guitars on a number of occasions with esa. There are hints of it on every album, however I don't think that mixing the esa style of industrial with black/death metal is all that easy. I have a track called 'Satan is Real' that was originally released on 'Devotion, Discipline & Denial' back in 2006, this has recently been re-recorded with Luke from 'Sermon of Hypocrisy'  contributing vocals. This is a novelty event that I manage to organise at most UK shows and have had so many requests to re-record with Luke that I felt it was inevitable, the result is pure venom. This guy really doesn’t need any effects. There's a scream on there that last 19 seconds, he really has a good pair of black soaked lungs ha. It was fun  and I imagine that we will work again in the future in probably the same capacity. This track btw will be released on the the esa remix/collab album which is likely to be brought out towards the end of the year.

I do however believe that there are lots of black metal sub conscious elements to the esa sound, especially now. I feel like (as I said earlier), I have earned the right to experiment in different ways now so I can allow myself that freedom to integrate external influences in to the esa sound. The next step for esa?..I don’t want to go into too much. However I have begun work on the next instalment which will be a conceptual double album and will probably be written over the course of the next two years. I do believe that the 'Ulver' inspirations will seep uncontrollably into this output to be honest as the next step for me is to experiment even more and create something intelligent, important and forward thinking, whilst still holding the core esa sound.

 You mentioned a remix/collaboration cd that is planned to be released by end of 2009? Give us an insight into this like bands participating and what motivates you to release such an album?

JAMIE says: Originally 'The Sea & the Silence' was going to be a double disc'er. The second disc comprising of remixes from 'HPWYUB'. In the end both I and Paul at Tympanik felt it would probably end up detracting from the album proper. Therefore I have many mixes that warrant release that don’t have a home. A brief hint at the contributing artists : Alter Der Ruine, Displacer, Detritus, HIV +, Urasai and Modulate. In addition to that I wanted to get the tracks from the new album mangled, manipulated and generally abused so there are a number of artists working on a selection of tracks at this very moment, you will have to wait and see who this crack team is comprised of but it's pretty damn eclectic and I'm a 'kid in a candy store' about hearing these.

In response to why I would want to release such an album. It's tough because a lot of people turn their noses up at remix albums but I think if you get the recipe right and select the appropriate artists, it can SO work. I guess I just want to hear how other people interpret structure and how they can create something a world apart from myself with essentially the same samples and sounds. I think that remixes (if done right) can be extremely engaging and I hope to communicate with this release. 

There will also be some remixes that I have created myself, originally from tracks appearing on' TS&TS' too which I wanted to do in order to see if I could separate the original and create something of a 'evil twin'   There will also be some collab tracks, a couple of brand new esa tracks and the re-recording that I stated earlier, so I imagine it will be a pretty complete and viable product.

 There is a hidden track in the end of your cd....is there a title and why hide it at the end of  your cd?

JAMIE says: Yeah, the title is actually listed on the back of the cd, it's quite negatively named 'All you brought to me was fucking Nothing'. This was a track that was written at the end of the HPWYUB sessions which was finished way too late for release. I was pretty adamant since then that it deserved to get out there somehow, however I honestly did not feel that it would have slotted in comfortably within  the album main. It's a pretty different track from anything I have written under the esa guise and contains some filthy vocals and something of a Pantera style guitar riff complimenting the chorus. Again it's a live favourite because it's just pure un-adulterated noise junk and it's when I get to let go as it's usually at the end of the set. I think it works where it is and I just hope that people aren’t too lazy to skip a few mins to get to it. I always liked the idea of bonus tracks as it is that 'special' little place where one can display a totally different slant on the projects style and..well go a little leftfield shall we say.

 In your previous release and in some live videos of ESA I’ve noticed you use guitars and hardware for your sound production. How is the hardware Vs Software working for you and in which direction you find yourself more involved?

JAMIE says: Well, pre-dominantly I'm a hardware Junkie! I think it comes from being in bands and being able to get your grimy excited little hands on something that is manipulatible in a phycsical sense, not just on a screen. I love those old sequencers and synths and ideally would use exclusively for live and studio. However this is just not practical, as I have begun to learn and (finally admitted to myself). Hardware is limited, especially when playing live and it is just one person controlling the total output. I have had to admit defeat now and started taking the laptop with me to provide a backing loop of sorts, I then take the kicks, snares and any other percussion out of the mix and assign them to a drum sampler, then I get to play those physically on drum pads. This raises the 'live' feel for me and also shows the crowd that there IS something 'real' going on.

I've seen SO many bands play through 'front of house' (mini-disc) with vocals over it..which is essentially karaoke. And although this works, it's fucking fraud and it annoys me incredibly, especially when most of these bands are earning much more money per show. I guess there is an element of jealousy if I’m totally honest but I spend a ridiculous amount of time practising and working out a live show (probably far too much in hindsight). I try and incorporate guitars (as you mentioned) real time sequencing manipulation..and of course real time beats. The only problem with this approach is that so many more problems can arise sound wise, I guess it's about finding an equilibrium.

 Studio wise, again I feel that I have had to come out of denial and accept that the relative boundaries of using hardware means that software has got to be acknowledged. Most of 'TS&TS' was written on software and although I managed to put off becoming what I term 'a laptop musician' I think that I have had to accept that in order to move forward, software offers you much more capabilities.

 I can only agree...and by mentioning the "laptop musician" I think there is a huge difference here. It comes down to personal ambitious really. You like to go on stage and play live, even if you face limitation and difficulties while other bands choose to practically karaoke and DJ their own songs.

JAMIE says: Agreed

 So element of jealousy should be from their side to yours 

JAMIE says: I never thought of it that way. The question is..do they care?

 Do we? 

JAMIE says: I don’t like the cheating and then soaking up the cred for a 'flawless' live show, when there is indeed about as much chance of a live glitch as there would be if you put on the cd in your living room. Sad old school and proud of it   I'll shut up whining now...

Have you figured out yet what are these 2 bands apart from ULVER that you would Love to experiment on stage?

JAMIE says: Yes, I have been scratching my head in between questions. Ok, these choices are probably going to sound like chalk and cheese but I had a heavy night last night and strange thoughts sometimes ensue..

1. Strapping Young Lad. I feel that this band are unquestionably the most talented and blaze musicians in the extreme metal genre! Its essentially a rather odd looking gentleman (kinda resembles a mad scientist) named Devin Townsend who got this crew together and it's sonically..enormous. I think they have five albums out and the sound that they produce is monolithic. It really is a genre all on its own to me but if I had to categorise, I would say it's kind of death / thrash with garnish of industrial condiment. They kinda took what Fear Factory did and then made a planet with that style instead of a song ha. I don’t know what I could possibly contribute but to play guitar on stage with them would be ridiculous. I guess I could humbly offer some weird ass sound scapes, however I get the feeling that Mr Townsend is probably also quite comfortable with that himself.
2. Diamanda Gallas. This is a women in her fifties now I think that has a big story behind her. I will not quote this history as I may have details wrong and readers who are more familiar may hunt me down as she has a VERY cult and protective fan base. She is essentially a song writer of..I guess a sub section of Dark Ambient (don’t crucify me guys). The difference with Diamanda is her very specific vocals style. She uses her vocals to create some ridiculously disturbing sounds and creates what can only be described as exorcisms through her voice. A couple of albums are more, let's say accessible in vocal style but here first release 'proper' was essentially what sounded like Hell. I would very much like to write an album/ep with Diamanda, I think I could totally work with her style and we could produce something pretty fucking awful.

 Last but not least....apart from release parties any live shows in plan for the promotion of TS&TS?

JAMIE says: Why yes, thanks for asking. Esa will be appearing alongside Izoloscope, Asche and Keef Baker at Propulsion 2009 in Rotterdam on April 3^rd. I also plan to visit Germany again and there is also a visit to Copenhagen on the cards sometime before the Summer.

 Any message to readers and fan of yours?

JAMIE says: Ah, the emotional bit! I guess just thanks for the support so far and I hope to see you either on the road or by any other means. Get in touch, even if you want to provide messages of anger and resentment, I like to hear the publics thoughts! Also I hope to keep providing everybody that has followed esa with more reasons to continue following this horrible audio outlet. I write for myself..but pleasing others keeps me going! So thanks!

Thank you. It was a great pleasure talking to you and I hope to see you again in the near future!

JAMIE says: Thank you Yiannis.

 * Special thanks to RICHARD HALFPENNY for the live pic.