Sitting around at the local cafe, Dirk Monapert and Nicole Buetti look like a normal couple – with perhaps a skeleton or two in their closets. But once engaged in a conversation heavily laced with dark humor, thoughts on their dreaded day jobs and the universal language that is music, their alter ego, In a World, rips at the seams only to spew massive weirdness and a big ‘f-you!’ to mainstream music.

Self-proclaimed weirdos, Monapert and Buetti take great pride in their “unique” gothic/progressive sound.

The beginnings of In a World date back to when Monapert and Buetti met while working as composers for film, television and radio advertising.

While working together on several projects, both Monapert and Buetti became frustrated with the monotony and the “unfair” tactics of some Hollywood producers and directors.
Often their musical compositions would be used, but slightly altered, leaving them bummed, without a musical credit and without that extra money in their pockets.

In an effort to get their music out there to the masses and create the sound that they wanted, In a World decided to create their own, full-length album, taking complete control over the writing, recording and producing process.

The album showcases their vocal, instrumental and sound-designing abilities.

Their “very personal studios,” as Buetti would call them, went a long way in creating an album consisting of symphonic strings, rock guitars, sound design, piano solos and a bassoon, courtesy of Buetti.

The album is a conglomerate of sounds while still keeping faithful to their Gothic/progressive sound.

“We wanted to create movie music with a new wave sound,” said Monapert. “But we really wanted something different because everything you hear on the radio sounds similar.”

The overall sound of their debut album emits a very blatant Depeche Mode sound, accompanied by a film score, fit for a Tim Burton film, comparisons all too familiar to them.

“I would throw the CD at him,” said Buetti, explaining that if given an opportunity to meet Burton or to even come within 20 feet of him, she would take advantage of the encounter and expose him to In a World music.

“[I would tell him] ‘check this out, you’d like it,'” she joked.

Although their music has yet to be exposed to Burton, In a World has generated some interest in several European countries, one of them being Italy.

Buetti’s father joked that it may be because both she and Monapert are of Italian descent, but Monapert believes that their success in Europe is attributed to the Europeans progressive music scene, which is years ahead than that of the U.S.

Currently, In a World is in the editing process, polishing up a music video for the song “Nightmares,” a track off their self-debut album. They are looking to jump on the You Tube and My Space boat in an effort to generate an even greater fan base.

The video should be up and ready for viewing in the beginning of July on both My Space and You Tube.

“We are hoping that [interest] increases once the video is up,” said Buetti.

Already on My Space, the duo has gotten several hits with fans expressing their appreciation for their “interesting sound.”
Fans of In a World can expect to hear some new music, fairly soon.

The duo is currently finishing up work on two new singles, one of them titled “Risked it All,” which should be released around the same time as the video for “Nightmares.”

The duo hopes to tour at some point in order to really “push” their music, but the hard part right now is to find venues and some “good” musicians to back them up on stage, according to Buetti.

“[The trick is] finding people that wouldn’t mind going out and playing live…and having some fun,” added Monapert.

For now, the duo continues to work their movie trailer music day jobs, without completely sacrificing their passion for being creative.

“[Doing In a World music] full-time is scary,” said Monapert. “But I’d rather do what I want to do and have little money than not do it at all.”

For more information on In a World, visit www.inaworldmusic.net

In a World music can be purchased through I-tunes, Amoeba Music in Hollywood, Backside Records in Burbank and other independent retailers.