fullonline: Who is "Nomad", where you are from and what is your musical background? Why you're changing your name from Nomad to Mael?

Mael: Nomad is one person, me, Mael that is also an artist name that I start with in 1992 in paris as Dj with Dj Lestat aka Talamasca, and my real name is Farid Merbouche in fact, but not really artistic (lol). I'm french and I have a mixed blood, from Slovenia which is the country of my mum, and Algeria for my Father' s side.
I grow with folkloric music from slovenia, and arabic influences, with my father who was playing guitar everyday at home; after that I had the chance to have 2 big sisters who were born in the 60's/70's, that make me opportunity to discover all kind of music, from blues, gospel, rock, folk, all kind of music, from this years, after that I start to listen Heavy metal for finally enter to the electronic world.

And for Info, I will stop my name Nomad to come back to Mael, that is my first artist name and more me. And for one year and half I worked on my new Electroacoustic Project, Nomadbrothers: www.electronicsummer.com

On my new label more lounge and other kind of electromusic, called Hootsrecords, so I left the trance scene for one year, but after that, I'm back more powerful in my music, thats the most important for me.

fullonline: Are you married and/or have kids?

Mael: No I'm not married, and I don't have any children nowhere as I know(lol), I'm a single in that moment thats I answer your question; I'm too romantic guy, hehe, but for sure thats the quest to have a wife and children, but for now I'm happy like this, and I'm not ready for having kids.

fullonline: Can you keep a comfortable lifestyle working only as a psychedelic artist or a second job is needed?

Mael: It depend who you are, if are a big star in the psy scene, yes you can easily, but for all the DJ that is now a real life now, its hard but you can, it up to you to succeed in this world, its a passion first, but its hard sometimes, because u have to be on top all the time, but when its done, its a really cool life.

fullonline: What is on your CD Player right now?

Mael: Right now I'm listening the Gorillaz album, the last one, that is a killer album, fuck, those guys rocks, coooooll

fullonline: Which one of your own music do you like the most? Does it have a special meaning to you?

Mael: Yes, Zergshake and Gladiator, and spaceshiptrippers, and Klm With christof , and the Game part 1 with Christof also, where I think its representing more my work, after that there is many also, but those are my favorite, and it was the best of my collection, hehe

fullonline: What other music style do you listen to?

Mael: Yes, as I said gorillaz, Bikini Rumble, that is a new french band that release my other label Hoots records ( more electroacoustic),i like to listen all stuff, somme dub also, some french music like "M" its the name like this, its rock-band, charles Aznavour, I like the cuban music south america, and Brazil also.

fullonline: What Psytrance Artists would you like to work with?

Mael: Hmm, the problem is that I don't move from my studio, hehe, so yes, its Space Cat, Joti Sidhu, Deedrah, Skazi, Gms, Dynamic, Protoculture, Domestic, Pixel, Sub6, Eskimo pfffff, the list is too long, hehe, X-Dream is my dream for me to make something with them, but I need to make more prove of my talent for that, hehe,

fullonline: Is there any equipment you think can help you produce better music?

Mael: Hmm, a good computer, with a good program like Cubase or Logic Audio or digitalperfomer, good speakers and good audio card, the rest is programs, synths, plugins, and today its enough, to start to make good things, I've heard stuff made from a Sound Blaster Audio Card, it was amazing production, so, it depends also who is in front of the computer.

fullonline: Do you prefer to play at parties at any specific time?

Mael: It depends, but the night as a special atmosphere its more commercial, or show, and everything, but the morning, is something, not describe, its so powerful, then I start to prefer the morning, but sometimes, I don't choose...

fullonline: How do you choose the samples of your tracks? What is your favorite
one?

Mael: Hmm, with a collection of cds , and videos, dvds, internet, tv, everywhere there is sound, my favorite, I don't have favorite, I listen I choose the best samples .

fullonline: 3D Vision Records released two Nomad albums, each one different in many aspects from the other. What gave that "high tech edge" to the second album?

Mael: Yes, its finally, a big difference between the 2 albums, my favorite is the first one, as musically, "HyperActive",the second one, is may be more dark, more confused also, you can feel inside a kind of rage that now get out of me, so after that experience, I decide to change my way to make music and to be more musical .

fullonline: Why do you decided to create a new label?

Mael: Ok, so because, it was already 6 years , and something was growing in our mind to Talamasca and myself, to build something for us, because we had our visions of releasing music, so it was time for us to create our label, we have 30 years old, and its now, so its cool . Now we are the boss of our label thats it, nobody else, (lol).

fullonline: You're one of the owners of Mind Control Records. Can you give us infos, links, scheduled releases?

Mael: Yes of course here we go:

Label: Mind Control Records
Mael: Mind Control Records - Mael

We release now the 2nd compilation Mindcontrollers2, expected july 2005, a Shagma album, that is a new killer french band, a compilation compil by talamasca himself.
My album Nomaly, that will be Mael and not Nomad, The Talamasca Album, and a compilation compil by me "DjMael", and also beside I'm preparing a compilation with Planet Ben on his label expected in oct/nov 2005, yes a lot of work (lol)

fullonline: Mind Control Records is a break through label in terms of contact with the fans: You and Lestat (Talamasca) are in constant contact with fans through Isratrance and Mind Control's high-tech website, your website have a hilarious "FUN session", you give 100% free .wav files of tracks for people to remix, free samples of track months before they get released, etc... I think this is really professional because it shows Mind Control care about their fans. Can you please talk about these ideas and the new version of the Website?

Mael: Yes, it shows how we are inside of us , with Talamasca we are friends for long time, from school, and we love to laugh and to have fun all the time like big kids, but for sure we think about the people who like our way into the Psytrance, and we think, that we need to be much more in touch with the people that make us enjoy to create things like, this, more they like more we will do, hehe . For the pics of artist , its always about playing with games ; Talamasca was playing with photoshop and with all the pictures we have of artist the idea came to put faces on famous Movie pictures, and the result is fantastic, the best one for us is the skazi one , "Hot Chicks", but we ask when it was a bit too much, for putting without authorization. Now we just put morphing of artist faces, Like Me and Dimitri from Wizzy Noise, is a killer one, hehe, but yes we try to update it often, but, its a lot of work instead of doing music, so, sorry for not updating so often .

fullonline: What are your future releases, and what are the labels you're currently working with?

Mael: I have released tracks on Planet BEN compilation Planetary Nation 001 called Fantasy, on Exposure Records last year, and the last On Mindcontrollers part 2 , called Tribute with no name, and a track that I did with Silicon Sound on Mindcontrolers part 1, and a track that I give for free on mp3 on my website, with Jeremy tsunami , only release on a dvd . There is a video of it , its called High Volume, and also a track a did with Polaris,for the compilation I do with planet ben .

fullonline: What do you think about people sharing music through mp3 instead of buying it?

Mael: What to do? Thats the new generation, we can not stop so we have to work with, but for listen I mean to have opinion, is good, but the real fans anyway will buy the cd on shop to have the real cd, and for those who are downloading mp3 its so easy, to not do, it, and the bad side is that people live from their music, and taking mp3 u don't have the real quality of the music, you loose informations, and dynamic, and bass, so u will listen music, with your ears at 60 % may be, because u don't get all the info to your ears so quality is less, its not good for the future I think people will change their way to mix sound if they only listen Mp3 tracks, thats what I think.

fullonline: How do you make your Live Acts? What equipment do you use in your Live Acts?

Mael: Hmm very simply, my laptop and my audiocard, and some synth around, in case, but for now, my last parties were in Fan Francisco, Japan and Canada, and soon Japan again and Germany, for now, I have a lot of new tracks not finished , but I do all the time versions to play .

fullonline: You prefer to play a DJ set or a Live Act? Why?

Mael: I prefer Dj set for sure,its more interesting and its my first love with the electronic music, u can control more the people, and change when you want the direction of your set, in live its not possible, everything is done before almost, and you can not change the order of your live , its electronic live.

fullonline: In your DJ sets you usually play tracks from which other artists?

Mael: Enterprise, Shagma, Quadra, InnerAction, Talamasca, Domestic, Dynamo, Gms, SpaceCat, Astrix, Joti, Sirius Isness, Electro Sun vs Phanatik, Xerox and Chakra, Illuminated, Sub6...

fullonline: What makes a good party? You think decoration is important?

Mael: The most important is good atmosphere made by the organizers, generosity, good sound system, good deco, Lights for the night is very important, and clean toilets, and not expensive drink, and not hot water in the toilet. The location is important too, warehouse, is not for our music, only for night music, but openair party is the best for our music in the nature.

fullonline: What do you think people should do to make a better scene? Any visions about the future?

Mael: The future will be a mess of a lot a new ideas completely crazy; it open now a millions of new way to make music, or to make parties, I think, the noise that make all the bands now like big star is good for the scene to show to other scene, that we exist , but there is a limit to keep is the spirit of what we are doing in this scene. Now many different kind of spirit in the same scene, so it make confusion in people's mind. But its a kind of revolution, and as a french revolution is good (lol).

fullonline: What is your favorite psychoactive molecule?

Mael: hmm, I'm addict to cigarettes and coffee, thats the most shit things ; I like to smoke also hash and weed,instead of pure cigarettes, and for all the psychoactive molecule, my favorite is LSD if in case of I have to take something, because its more pure and more useful, its an intelligent drug, but I don't make promo of it its my personal life and opinion about my experience, as cool drug user, I'm not saying that is cool to take, but if u have to choice to make in our psyworld its the LSD.

fullonline: We all know that all kind of weird stuff happen at psychedelic gatherings. Can you tell us something different/funny that you saw or happened to you in a party?

Mael: Yes, the Party was in Cape Town , south africa, in the forest, and in the morning, a band of 12 baboons came next to the food area, and the chef of the band start to make a mess, into the place where was the food, all the people where scared, and didn't know what to do, and hopefully one guy of the government, who was taking care of the forest there, came, and simply with his belt, make the baboon gone,that was related to me when I was playing in the party, hehe,

fullonline: Any last comment, message and/or promotional link?

Mael: http://www.mindcontrolrecords.com/mael

My new web site, where you can download free track from Me and Jeremy, and to see a sample of the video, because its one of the last track under the name Nomad, now I will sign all my tracks by MAEL thats the news, and for the fans, if you want to vote for me, http://www.thedjlist.com/djs/MAEL/

thx to you and see you soon somewhere,

fullonline: Thank you!
Respect!