Transcript for the Piece Audio version of Qntal: Medieval tradition plugged into electronic grooves

:26
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT GOTHIC ROCK, IT'S USUALLY IMAGES OF POST-PUNK BANDS LIKE PETER MURPHY, BAUHAUS AND SISTERS OF MERCY THAT COME TO MIND. BUT THERE'S ANOTHER STRAIN OF THAT DARK, MYSTERIOSOS SOUND THAT DRAWS ITS INSPIRATION FROM THE REAL GOTHIC ERA. DEAD CAN DANCE ARE THE PATRON SAINTS OF THIS MUSIC AND AMONG THEIR LEADING ACOLYTES ARE QNTAL. THEY'RE A BAND FROM GERMANY THAT'S IMMERSED IN ANCIENT TIMES, BUT IS CREATING A VERY MODERN MUSIC.

MUSIC BITE

:09
MANY OF QNTAL'S MUSICIANS ARE SCHOLARS OF EARLY MUSIC AND THE BAND SHARES MANY MEMBERS WITH A MORE TRADITIONAL MEDIEVAL GROUP, ESTAMPIE.

MUSIC

:24
BUT QNTAL IS A MORE CONTEMPORARY VERSION BRISTLING WITH MODERN PRODUCTION AND ELECTRONIC BEATS. SYRAH IS THE SINGER OF THE BAND. HER REAL NAME IS SIGRID HAUSEN WHICH SHE USES WITH ESTAMPIE. WHEN MICHAEL POPP CREATED THE BAND IN 1991, ALL HE NEEDED WAS A SINGER WHO COULD INTONE MEDIEVAL SONGS IN 4 OR FIVE DIFFERENT LANGUAGES FROM OLDE GERMAN TO LATIN.

:10
MP:.....which was not easy to find because most of those singers at that time, they were very puristic and they, for them electronic sounds were just like, like the devil, you know,

IT'S A DEVIL THAT SIGRID HAUSEN IS HAPPY TO DANCE WITH.

MUSIC

:18
QNTAL MIXES THE MEDIEVAL AND THE MODERN. MICHAEL POPP PLAYS INSTRUMENTS LIKE THE OUD, THE SHAUM AND THE BAGLAMA, ALL STRINGED INSTRUMENTS DATING BACK TO THE MIDDLE AGES. BUT THOSE ARE MIXED WITH THE ELECTRONICS OF FIL WHO GENERATES ELECTRONIC GROOVES AND SYNTHESIZER TEXTURES.

MUSIC

:09
WHILE THE MUSIC OF QNTAL WON'T MAKE MEDIEVAL PURISTS HAPPY, MICHAEL POPP SAYS THAT THEY ALWAYS MAINTAIN FIDELITY TO THEIR ANCIENT LYRICS.

:16
MP: The lyrics are ancient and this is a law actually, we have, this is one of our, of our rules we, we gave to ourselves that the lyrics are not to be touched, and the music in opposite, the musical is everything is possible, everything.

MUSIC

:15
DON'T LOOK UP A GERMAN TRANSLATION FOR QNTAL OR TRACK IT DOWN IN SOME MEDIEVAL TOME. SPELLED Q-N-T-A-L. SIGRID HAUSEN SAYS SHE FOUND IT IN A DREAM. QNTAL HAS A HALF DOZEN CDS OUT INCLUDING "TRANSLUCIDA" AND "THE SILVER SWAN" ON THE E-WAve label. I'M JOHN DILIBERTO AND THIS HAS BEEN AN ECHO LOCATION, SOUNDINGS FOR NEW MUSIC.