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Return to success

Enigma frontman Michael Cretu, in an exclusive interview with MetroPlus, speaks about the band's new album, his fascination for the weird, and copyright issues

HIS MUSE Michael Cretu: 'I could do what everyone else does, but that doesn't appeal to me'

Overcrowded as the contemporary pop universe is, few of its stars stand out as uniquely as Michael Cretu, whose brainchild Enigma has single-handedly redefined electronica for all ages to come. Sixteen years ago, he first burst onto the scene with MCMXC a.D., with its incredible combination of Gregorian chants and pop grooves on the hit single "Sadeness (Part 1)". And four years later, he forever imprinted himself on popular culture with "Return to Innocence", a song that caught as many eyes as it did ears, with its iconic video.

And just when one had begun to wonder if it was time to write off the Enigma musical project, Cretu has returned to the scene with an album that broke into the top 20 in Germany and into the top 100 in the U.S. Continuing with the intention of showcasing radically new sounds without losing the essence of the Enigma feeling, A Posteriori (Virgin/EMI) captures Cretu's childhood fascination for the grand cosmic ballet, with the tale of an alchemist's journey through the cosmos.

Personal philosophy

"I have to have weird ideas," says Cretu of the thinking behind this latest and other works of the Enigma project. "I could do what everyone else does, but that doesn't appeal to me. At heart I am still a little kid, and the weirder the ideas are, the more they appeal to me."

Which explains why A Posteriori, like the albums that came before it, credits Cretu with everything from arranging and performing to engineering and producing the album. "Everybody would come with just one phone call," he clarifies. "But I am happy to work alone. Enigma is very soulish, very autobiographical and every language's vocabulary is too limited to express those ideas. It's easier for me to just translate them directly than to explain them to someone else."

An absence that is noticeable on the album, however, is that of Sandra Cretu, his wife and seemingly favourite singer who has provided vocals on most of the other albums. But Cretu dismisses any questions about it as simply a creative decision. "It had nothing to do with her being my wife. I just felt that Louisa Stanley (who appears on two of the tracks) had a voice that better expressed what I was trying to say."

A Posteriori's fairly good run in Germany and elsewhere serves to emphasise Enigma's place of honour in pop history, with Cretu becoming one of the most successful German artistes of his time. But Cretu is all modesty when his successes are brought up. "It feels strange and fantastic, but I have no idea why I am more popular than many other German artistes. I am just happy that I can create music that can jump over cultures and religions," he says, adding that it gives him great pride to be able to influence so many artistes, as is visible from the number of Enigma imitations that have popped up over the years.

Of course, success hasn't come without its share of controversies, the most famous being a copyright lawsuit against him brought about by two members of Taiwan's Ami tribe over samples used in "Return to Innocence". "It was a very strange situation," says Cretu. "I got permission to use those samples from the French Ministry of Culture. You would think that if you got permission from the government, all the papers would be in order."

Despite his personal difficulties, however, Cretu is a strong supporter of the principle of copyright. "Whether you give money or not you can work out later. But getting permission to use any work is very important."

Low profile

Besides, the tides of the outside world it seems rarely touch him, as he prefers to maintain a low profile and work from behind the scenes always. Indeed, Cretu has never once performed live, and is not looking to do so any time in the future either.

"I am not somebody who travels and does shows because I think that I could use that time to make a new record.

I like working behind the curtain," he says, letting the world know him through what he does best, his music.

R.M.

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