April: Did you learn to sing by studying formally, by imitating singers you like – or some other way?
Hubi: I’m more or less what you call an autodidact. Some years ago I took a few classical/jazz vocal lessons, but I somehow felt that
I would lose too much of my own vocal identity by these influences. Therefore I continued practicing on my own and also set great store by the technical sides of singing. However, my main focus has always been on the emotional side of singing and not so much on purely technical aspects. The best way to improve your vocals is probably to sing along with the CDs of your vocal heroes!

April: Who were you listening to as a teenager?
Hubi: Until 1986 I preferred listening to 80’s Pop-Songs; later I acquired a taste for Rock & the NWOBHM and listened to groups like Accept, Maiden etc. When I heard the music of Dream Theater and Queensryche for the first time in 1989, I was totally thrilled and discovered my love for progressive music. However, I have always liked many different kinds of music, also classical stuff like Mozart or Vivaldi.

April: Who are you listening to now?
Hubi: At the moment I’m very fond of the new Steve Vai DVD (“Live at the Astoria London”) and the CDs of Spanish guitarist Jorge Salán and Missa Mercuria. Apart from that, I also like listening to Dream Theater and Shadow Gallery, who both belong to my all-time faves.

April: Please give our listeners some of your musical history.
Hubi: OK! I’m a singer and producer from Munich/Germany, and in the years 1990-1998, I was a member of several German local Hardrock/Metal acts, e.g. Triple X. In early 1998, I entered the German Prog-Metal band Dreamscape and we recorded the album “very” together, which was released in at the beginning of 1999. In summer 1999, however, we went separate ways because of musical differences. I decided to go my own path, and my first solo album HUBI MEISEL - "C U T" was released in January 2002. It was the realization of an old childhood dream and represents my personal tribute to the 80’s. In spring 2002, I already started working on my second solo album “EmOcean”, which should become much more progressive again. Some weeks ago “EmOcean” was finally released by LION MUSIC in Europe & USA and by Avalon/Marquee in Japan.

April: For the gearheads out there – what’s currently in your arsenal of music-making toys?
Hubi: I must confess that I’m ADDICTED to great studio gear! Some days ago I invested quite a lot of money to get the “VIPRE” of Groove Tubes. It’s probably the best all-tube microphone pre-amp in the world …and a wonderful toy as well, haha!

April: I hear choral sounds on this CD. Are they samples, synthesized, or a recorded choir?
Hubi: Apart from the very short monk choir passage at the beginning of “The Souls of Atlantis”, all vocals and choirs on “EmOcean” have been sung & recorded by me.

April: Tell us how the seed to write EmOcean began. Where did the inspiration for an oceanic voyage come from?
Hubi: It may sound strange, but the inspiration for “EmOcean” came from some very intense dreams that could be described as a kind of vision. The morning after I simply knew what to do :-)

April:. The background behind this album takes us through some mythology, and quite a bit of history and background of the things this album is about – the Bermuda Triangle, the Sargasso Sea, even Plato and Edgar Cayce. You’ve obviously been interested in this for some time. Which came first – the desire to write a concept album like this, or the knowledge of it all?
Hubi: It all started with these dreams that I had at night. Only then I knew that my next album would become a concept album about the mysteries of the underwater world. The day after I immediately started reading a lot about these topics, and especially the original texts of Plato’s unfinished “Kritias” have been a great inspiration and helped me to add scientific, historical and mythological elements to the concept & lyrics.

April: In the midst of the mythological stories and history, do I see a story of redemption? The Phoenix out of the ashes?
Hubi: At the end of each life-cycle the mythical bird Phoenix built itself a nest of which it then ignited; both bird and nest burned down and were reduced to ashes, from which a new Phoenix would arise. The mythical bird of “EmOcean” is a mighty blue sea animal…and in the song “Aqua Phoenix”, when the man is lifted to the surface of the ocean again and becomes a witness of a wonderful sunrise… this bird and the sunrise are a metaphor for the new beginning for mankind after the receipt of the important message from the “Souls of Atlantis”. (Btw, Phoenix had often also been associated with the sun-gods such as the Egyptian RA or the Greek Apollo).

April: Are most of your writings and music inspired by literature and history? Please elaborate on what triggers your desire or impulse to write.
Hubi: Dreams and my inner voice have always been the main trigger… Then I start specifying these initial ideas, e.g. by doing some research. My vocal melodies are a purely intuitive thing, however. I don’t like “constructed” melodies very much... I rather trust my feelings.

April: I see that you write the lyrics, and the melodies. How then do you and Vivien proceed to write the rest?
Hubi: Vivien and I first agreed that he would play the keys on “EmOcean”, but since he really seemed to understand my vision of “EmOcean” and what it should sound like, we decided a bit later that he would also compose the instrumental music according to my directions. First I gave him the concept with detailed information on each song. He sent me MP3s with his initial song ideas and we discussed and arranged the parts of each song together. After the instrumental base of the songs was finished, I started writing the lyrics & vocal melodies. That way of working may sound a bit complicated, but it worked pretty well and we both had much fun during this process!

April: I see that this current band lineup was put together in 2002. Is this a permanent lineup, or do you change the artists you work with from album to album?
Hubi: I know a lot of great international musicians and therefore the line-up of my CDs will always change a bit. Nevertheless I will definitely continue to work with some guys of the “EmOcean”-crew in future, too!

April: How did you come to play with each of the members of your band?
Hubi: Marcel Coenen (Sun Caged, Ex-Lemur Voice) from the Netherlands had already played the guitars on my first solo album “CUT”, and since I liked his guitars a lot, I simply asked him again! French keyboardist Vivien Lalu contacted me 2 ½ years ago, as he happened to come across my homepage and knew me from a CD with my former band. After he had sent me some MP3s of his keyboard tracks, I was very impressed by his abilities! Daniel Flores (Mind's Eye - drums) from Sweden is is good friend of mine and also one of my favorite drummers! “EmOcean” was a great opportunity to work together. French Bass player Jean B. Affonço a.k.a. "Bamby" was recommended to my by Vivien, and he actually plays in a hardcore band called Absolute. On the two bonus tracks “Crystal Moon” and “Tears of an Enchanted Sea” you can hear Joop Wolters from the Netherlands on guitars & bass (he is a LION MUSIC artist, too). The fretless bass on the Japanese bonus track was played by Johan Niemann (Therion). He is a close friend of Daniel and I am glad that Johan will also play on my next album! All of these guys did a real great job on “EmOcean”!

April: Who would you like to work with that you’ve not had the opportunity?
Hubi: There are many great musicians that I admire… It would be incredible to cooperate with Steve Vai, Shadow Gallery or John Petrucci…

April: You’re all from 4 different countries – do you all still live there now? If you do, how did you get together to work?
Hubi: The fact that we live in 4 different countries had no negative impact on the recordings. Since we were exchanging MP3s during the whole process, we could avoid misunderstandings. All musicians recorded their parts in a studio in their town; then I received their tracks for the final mixdown in my studio in Munich, where I also recorded my vocals. Many listeners have told me me that they cannot believe that “EmOcean” was recorded in different studios, and I’m very glad about that!

April: Any other singers on this album? Nice harmonies.
Hubi: Cool that you like it! All vocals & harmonies were done by me… except for the dolphin squeaks and the horse whinny, haha!

April: If music wasn’t a career option, what do you think you’d be doing for creativity?
Hubi: I was studying teacher for children with mental handicaps but 2 years ago, after I had finished my final exams at university, I finally decided to work as producer and singer only. There is no other option that I could imagine…haha!

April: Finally – what’s next?
Hubi: The main focus will be on my next solo album, which will become a huge concept CD again. I won’t tell any details yet, but I will give my best to produce something special during the next few months! Some months ago I recorded vocals for 3 songs of a cool Melodic Power Metal project called “Book of Reflections”, featuring Vitalji Kupriji, Lars Eric Mattson, Andy Engberg and other cool musicians. This album will be released through LION MUSIC on June 25, 2004. I’ve also recorded vocals for a ballad of Mistheria’s next album “Messenger of the Gods”, which will feature a huge array of international guests like Rob Rock, Anders Johansson, Matt Bissonette, John Macaluso, etc…).

Thanks for taking the time to fill us in on what’s behind Hubi Meisel and EmOcean. It’s a great CD! Keep us posted on
your upcoming projects. Listeners can request cuts from ‘EmOcean’ at www.theprogpalace.com.

Thanks for your interest in “EmOcean”! I wish you a great time and send my best wishes to all readers of THE PROG PALACE!

Thanks to Hubi for taking the time to answer our questions. To learn more about Hubi check out his webiste at http://hubimeisel.com