With the demise of Third Mind Records, Sheffield's In The Nursery have chosen to release their music themselves rather than look for a new company to sign with. They had already set up their own ITN Corporation to re-release back catalog, but the past year has seen the release of two new albums. "Deco" is a continuation of the orchestral, soundtrack-style sound ITN have come to be know for. "Feathercut," released under the name Les Jumeaux, shows the group experimenting more with dance music styles.

In The Nursery was formed in the early 80's by twin bothers Klive and Nigel Humberstone. In 1987, vocalist Dolores Marquerite C joined the group, and they've also collaborated with a percussionist named Q. ITN's latest project is a soundtrack they were commissioned to do for the silent film "The Cabinet Of Dr Caligari." The following is an email interview with Nigel; to keep up with the latst ITN news, but sure to also check out their web site.

How did the Les Jumeaux side project come about? Do you see it as completely separate from ITN, or do you start writing music and decide as it evolves which project it will be used for?

Nigel: For many years we have been writing music alongside our normal work which didn't quite fit into the style and character of In The Nursery. Having access to our own record label and studio it was ideal to experiment with this different direction and so the 'Feathercut' album was created. We had already used the name Les Jumeaux as an alias when working with Andrew Weatheral on the single 'Smokebelch', because of the different nature of the music. Having a side-project allows us much more freedom to experiment with all the different musical ideas we have - of course there will be similiarities and similar threads in the sound, but it also presents our music to a different audience base.

What are the advantages/disadvantages to having your own label now? Was starting your own label something you have been thinking about doing before the dismantling of Third Mind?

Nigel: The ITN Corporation was initially set up in order to re-release a number of back-catalogue titles that had finally reverted to our ownership following the demise of Sweatbox Records. Once our ties with Roadrunner/Third Mind were relinquished, we were in the situation where we had the distribution contacts and knowledge of the music business to continue ourselves. Inevitably there is an awful amount of work involved, which can threaten creative commitments, but we realised that we had always been very involved with all stages of our career to such an extent that we never even considered approaching another record label.

Are there any plans for North American distribution for the label so fans here don't have to pay import prices?

Nigel: Yes. Those plans are now in place and distribution for the entire ITN Corporation catalogue is being handled by Com-Four in New York. Please refer to Alternative Press (Sept issue - page 29)

What is your new soundtrack to "The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari" like? How did that project come about?

Nigel: We have always been interested in the prospect of creating a new soundtrack for a silent classic film, and after discussions we were commissioned to present a one-off performance at an independent film theatre in Derby. The event was such a success, with many requests by people for a CD, that we decided to re-arrange the score and record it for general release. The new score takes it's reference point from the startling imagery and Expressionistic symbolism of the film. As such it features hypnotic and subliminal sound textures.

Do you have any other soundtrack projects in the works? Ideally, what types of films would you like to work on?

Nigel: Following our decision to perform the score at other film theatres in the UK (and hopefully also Germany) in November, there has been talk of other commissions next year. One film being considered is Pandora's Box by Pabst (I am also a great fan of Louise Brooks) In a way that also answers your second question - because for me silent German expressionist films of that era have so much scope for a new accompanying soundtrack.

How has your web site been working out?

Nigel: The ITN Home Page (set-up and enthusiastically maintained by a Dutch fan) has been a great success for allowing people to access information about the band. We have always attracted a lot of communications from fans, to whom we always respond personally, and the web enables the interaction to be that more immediate. It's very rewarding to be in contact with people all over the world who are in some way or another affected by our music. The site is constantly being updated and for the future we plan many more visuals and hopefully sound samples.

Do you plan on expanding the ITN corporation label to release music from other artists?

Nigel: Up to this point we have not considered the idea of releasing other artists on our label. The facilities and possibilities are there, but I feel that we have enough on our plate organising our own productions.

Do you have any type of specific roles within the band, in terms of who composes which types of parts, or is it completely collaborative?

Nigel: We both play an active part in the band and its operation. Musically, we can jointly work on an idea or similarly develop them individually, but we are both involved at all stages. Out of habit, or through familiarity, I tend to concentrate on the production and engineering whilst Klive operates the computer sequencing and sampling. But once again we both interact and there are no specific roles.

Q isn't listed as appearing on "Deco" - is he not working with the group anymore?

Nigel: Q's involvement with ITN grew out of friendship. He has never played an active role in the composition of the music or the everyday running of the band. So his presence has really only been in the studio and for live work. Q is a painter, and more recently his studies have taken him away from Sheffield, such that he was not available for the recording of 'Deco', for which we employed a session drummer. Future plans with Q are still unclear and we have no immediate plans for working with him.

Are you satisfied with the current musical technology? Are there any particular features you'd like to see in new equipment in order to make it better suited to the music you do?

Nigel: We have utilised computer technolgy as a means of composition for many years now. Having started with an Atari ST in 1989, we have recently switched to Macintosh based system running Logic Audio software and Session 8 interface. As with all technology the boundaries are endlessly being pushed back by new advancements, but we are very content with the system we have. It allows us great freedom and creativity in the manipulation of sequencing and audio data. In building up our studio we have chosen equipment which best suits our needs and the music that we create. Our experimentation with alternative music styles (such as the Les Jumeaux project) has meant that we've also introduced new equipment (like the Mutronics Mutator, an analogue filter unit) into our arsenal of gear.

What type of set-up do you use for live performance (in terms of instrumentation and visuals)?

Nigel: When performing live (and at this moment we are negotiating plans to play in Minniapolis next May) we use a great deal of orchestral percussion; 3 tympanis, 2 orchestral bass drums, snare drums, hand cymbals etc. A number of songs are performed totally live with sampling keyboards (Emax 1 & Roland S10), but for the majority of recent compositions, which are more complex , we utilise backing tracks from ADAT, which are augmented with live keyboard parts, vocals and percussion. Visually we have always used a pair of slide projectors showing random images (selected by ourselves) onto the two plain flags strapped to the sides of the two bass drums. It has become an ITN trademark, and so far we have not felt the need to change this very simple, but effective set up.

What's in the immediate future for you?

Nigel:The soundtrack to 'The Cabinet Of Dr Caligari' is released early in November (UK, Europe and USA), and we have a number of select UK shows planned where we will be presenting 'live performance screenings' along with the film. We have also just finished a reworking of the track 'Glenn Street' from Andrew Weatheralls 'Two Lone Swordsmen' project, which will be released shortly. Our next recording project is the follow up Les Jumeaux album, then another silent film score, followed by the next ITN album which we have great plans for.