Narrator of the Unknown World – Interview with Onasander

Onasander is a cinematic dark ambient solo project created by Maurizio Landini. He has been creating immersive soundscapes exploring themes of philosophy, cosmology, and esoteric traditions. Back in 2020, during the challenging days of the pandemic, my first encounter with Onasander was through “Shadows of Forgotten Legends”, a collaborative album featuring Alphaxone, ProtoU, and Onasander. He is one of the artists who inspires me to delve deeper into the boundless world of Dark Ambient. Throughout his career, Onasander has released several albums and collaborated with notable artists in the dark ambient genre, which we will discuss throughout the interview.

First, thank you so much for taking the time to answer the questions in this interview for Blessed Altar Zine. Let’s start our discussion with your journey into creating dark ambient music. What initially drew you to this atmospheric genre, and how long have you been crafting your soundscapes?

I started playing Dark Ambient in 1998 with several projects. When I resumed playing in 2016, it came naturally to compose dark ambient music.

What inspired you to choose ‘Onasander’ as the name for your project? As far as I know, it’s the name of a Greek philosopher. Could you share the story behind this choice?

Being passionate about military history, I thought of the name of the author of “Strategikos.”

How do you approach choosing the titles for your albums or tracks, especially given that your music is abstract and wordless? What inspires the naming process?

I draw much inspiration from space horror. From the terrible void of deep space.

As the audience may know, other than Onasader, you have an industrial side project “Les Anges Morts” Is there a link between these two?

LAM was born from the need to differentiate itself from Onasander, to have a more distorted and modern sound capable of adding a new path to the old-school, CMI-oriented industrial.

What are the primary sources of inspiration for your creative process and help shape your soundscapes?

As I mentioned above, space horror is my main inspiration. At the beginning of Onasander, there was also the mysticism of early Christianity, military history, and later on, Rudolf Steiner’s more “cosmic” anthroposophy.

Do you see your music as a space for introspection, or do you hope to evoke specific emotions in the listener? does your music aim to challenge the listener’s perceptions of reality?

I hope my music conveys the emptiness and cold of the cosmos. In the case of LAM, I hope it conveys the sense of decay of modern humanity.

For me, listening to ambient music, especially dark ambient, feels like embarking on a journey through an imaginal world—my own world—or even floating in space. I specifically experienced these feelings with “Cosmic Extinction”, “Under Unknown Stars”, and “Dawn Metrics”. How do you approach creating sounds that evoke such introspective and immersive feelings?

It’s all very instinctive. I’m not a musician, let alone an artist. I simply feel the need to play and write.

You are so modest; it’s best not to debate this topic! Let’s talk about darkness in your music. I believe that darkness, along with a balanced touch of sadness, can have a healing quality, which is one of the reasons I adore dark ambient music. I sense that same beautiful and comforting darkness in your work. How do you perceive the role of darkness in your art? How much of your own inner darkness finds its way into your music?

I’ve always been very drawn to darkness. And to light. Along with some aesthetically dark aspects of light.

Now we got to the releases in 2024. You’ve had a highly productive year, including some notable collaborations and labels. Could you share how the idea for these partnerships came about? and how is the creative process going?

In some cases, I’m the one asking particularly talented artists to collaborate with me, as in the case of a great, underrated artist like Kloob. In other cases, far rarer, they invite me. For the latter, I must thank Alphaxone and ProtoU.

Let’s start with “Animic Atmospheres” a collaboration with two well-known artists in this genre – Ashtoreth & Gydja released via Winter Light. You mentioned in another interview that “Animic Atmospheres” was made according to the theories of Radulf Steiner. As an explanation for our readers, he believed that humans used to be more connected to the spiritual processes, however, over time, focusing on material things limited this connection. Now would you please explain how you relate his ideas to this album?

I don’t think such a profound topic can be addressed in the limited space of an interview… Let’s say that many aspects of Steinerian cosmic thought struck and inspired me enough to create the Animic Atmospheres project.

In historical thought, there’s a perspective that draws a structural similarity between humanity and the cosmos. This idea seems to be reflected in some of your works, particularly in “Under Unknown Stars” (via Dark Odyssey Records), which explores the connection between humanity and the cosmos. What are your thoughts on this theory?”

Under Unknown Stars doesn’t actually have a philosophical background at all. Instead, it is inspired by films like Alien Covenant as exploratory space horror and, in this sense, tries to tell a story.

I see…That’s truly fascinating—how the perception of art can vary so greatly from one individual to another! Then let’s move to the next album released in 2024 which is “Futuristic Dereliction”. Another collaboration with Mehdi Saleh (Alphaxone) via Cryo Chamber label. First, could you share what it’s like to work with this label? Additionally, tell us about your collaboration with Mehdi Saleh. You already worked together on another album back in 2020—did anything change in your collaborative process or approach over the years?

Working with Cryo Chamber is very hard indeed. Simon is extremely demanding and expects the proposed work to be of the highest quality. There are no half-measures. And about Mehdi, I can say that he is the greatest contemporary space ambient artist. Working with him is an honor and a pleasure. But keeping up with his compositional level is VERY difficult.

Now it’s time to talk about “Dawn Metrics”, which is a solo album released this year via Winter Light, and from what I’ve seen, it received significant attention and positive feedback. In fact, after I wrote about your album, I had several requests for reviews. Could you share the story or inspiration behind this album?

Dawn Metrics is inspired by one of my unpublished military sci-fi stories from 2011. It was a bit like merging the initial concept of Onasander with the more recent one of cosmic emptiness.

To my mind, “Animic Atmospheres” and “Dawn Metrics” share common mystical atmospheres to some extent, is there a connection between these two albums?

Absolutely not, except for the fact that they were created around the same time.

Your latest album, a remarkable collaboration with E.M.P.A.U.S.E. via Cyclic Law, seems to lean more into your cinematic side. Could you tell us about the concept behind this album?

The concept of this wonderful collaboration is entirely EMPUSAE’s, which is a legendary project. I contributed with some bases and drones. It’s a very sophisticated collaboration that involved several artists of an impressive level.

One can quickly notice your strong attention to visual art when looking at your albums. How do you approach the design of your cover art, and what factors influence your decisions for choosing the artist?

Most of my album covers are designed by others, and I must say I always find myself quite aligned with their choices. On my Bandcamp page, I design myself, and it becomes a very instinctive matter.

What do you think dark ambient music reveals about the human condition that other art forms might not? how do you foresee the future of dark ambient?

The first is a question I can’t answer. As for the second question, I believe the future of dark ambient lies in contamination with other genres, enriching it and undoubtedly opening it up to new possibilities.

Which album released in 2024 is the most special for you, and why?

“Under Unknown Stars”, without a doubt. Because it’s my first narrative project.

What other music genres do you enjoy listening to?

Industrial, metal, and dark ambient.

And for the last question, is 2025 going to be as productive as 2024?

There are many finished albums waiting to be released and a new side project. But now I’m slowing down to dedicate more time to painting.

I truly appreciate you taking the time for this interview. I know how busy you are these days, and your willingness to speak with us truly means a lot. Before we wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?

I’d like to thank you for this interview and especially for the interest you’ve shown in my projects. I’d also like to thank everyone who listens to and follows the productions of Onasander and LAM.

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