THE DARK AGE OF LOVE (Ré-Edition) (2 vinyls)

Description

11-2004: John Balance permanently left our planet, bringing a definitive end to Coil. I was shaken by this news, saddened by the passing of a man I admired and the end of a unique band I loved above all else. For the first time in my career as a label manager, I decided to pay tribute to this cruel loss by forming a fake band, mostly comprising musicians not accustomed to Coil's music, and to create 'classic' versions of their songs. 2008: I met P Christopherson at the Sonic Villette festival and gave him a burned disc with the first tracks of This Immortal Coil. Two weeks later, I received an email from him saying, 'It is the first time somebody with musical sensibility and talent has put so much time and effort into covering Coil songs. It totally passes my hairs on the back of your neck standing up!' What more could I have hoped for? The rest would be a bonus... 2009: This Immortal Coil 'The Dark Age Of Love' was released, featuring a supergroup including Y Naim, B Prince Billy, M Elliott, Y Tiersen, DAAU, C Ott, Oktopus from Dälek, S Chauveau... P Christopherson wrote, 'The Most extra-ordinary, beautiful and moving re-interpretations of Coil I have ever heard!' 11-2010: A fateful month! P Christopherson died in his sleep. It was a shock to me, an immeasurable loss. Should I pay tribute to him in turn? I had done so during his lifetime; the question haunted me, but the sadness was so strong, I didn't feel I had the courage. 2011: M Elliott recorded 'The Broken Man'. On that occasion, I met D Chalmin and his partner K Labèque; both told me they wished they had worked on This Immortal Coil. David would become a valuable partner for the Ici,d'ailleurs label. 2017: I brought together four kindred musicians, A Baker, G Claus, F Laurino, and M Tisserand, for an ambient project named 'Orchard'. We discussed various bands, and Coil naturally came up; we talked about 'Where are you' for its rhythm. Against all odds, we had a free morning for recording. I called M Elliott, and the track 'Where are you' was in the can. Magnificent, dark, powerful. The spirit of Coil was still alive! Should I reconsider my decision to only make one album? I didn't like the idea of capitalizing on the growing popularity of this band, which will forever remain one of the greatest in my eyes. The 'Orchard' project was expertly mixed by D Chalmin; he was delighted to mix 'Where are you' and encouraged me to continue. 2018: David introduced me to M Pupillo (Zü) to discuss the release of his collaborative project with Thighpaulsandra - Uruk - on our Mind Travels Series division. Massimo is a great admirer of Coil and told me how highly he thought of This Immortal Coil. Thighpaulsandra told me that P Christopherson used to play This Immortal Coil in venues before his concerts, which touched me deeply. 2020: Lockdown. I was living in a small cabin in my orchard. On a scorching Sunday, confined in the dark to preserve some coolness, I listened to the Orchard version of 'Where are you' on repeat; this track haunted me. I made a selection of Coil tracks in the afternoon. I chose the first artists who could participate. I sent the tracklisting to D Chalmin to discuss it; he was very enthusiastic. At the same time, I found Coil's watch 'The World Ended A Long Time Ago' in a box after my move. The message was clear... Here we go again! Only fools don't change their minds, as they say. M Pupillo took charge of recording and selecting musicians for certain tracks, including the actor Márton Csókás, a great admirer of Coil, and to my pleasant surprise, he informed me that the band Ulver would be very happy to participate. This new album will be international and plural, like the first one. This time, This Immortal Coil will be composed of Coil enthusiasts, but I will ensure that it is not done with 'transient' respect, as that would be antithetical to Coil's image. 06-2022: The album was finally mixed by D Chalmin; the second opus of This Immortal Coil 'The World Ended A Long Time Ago' was finalized. It was another long project, but like the first, I am very proud of it. I think John and Peter would be too.