Oloolo

- Hi. We know that there are two people in the Oloolo. What are the responsibilities of each member? Tell us when did you start and how? What does the name mean?

We don't have any specific responsibilities. Everybody is doing whatever he is best at. In our works you get the influence from both of us. We were always looking for new sound. Whoever finds a new concept puts it as the base of a track.
We started Oloolo in 2001, in parallel with Kolka-music. The project was collected, compiled and mastered by v/a Kratzputz Konzentrat as were all the other releases of Kolka. This cd reflects the work of Oloolo as the work of producers and sound engineers. Oloolo doesn't mean anything. We suppose that the word Oloolo came from analogue sounds of out of tune synthesisers, which sounded around us at that time. For example, we have a non-released album "Na-parnik" (Co-worker) of 2001. This is where you can hear all these sounds that resemble the word Oloolo...

- How did you come up with this project? When was it? How did you start writing music in general?

It was spontaneous. We were in music from the childhood.
Kriipis under stage name Bongo played drums in various indie-rock bands in Riga in 90s. He visited Russia with Dima Zagga with one of such bands called "Pasaki Onkuliem Ata". It was a festival Indjushata (Little turkeys). Later he was playing in Yaputhma Sound System (theatre of clowns and donkeys)! They broke up in 1997. Still there are some proposals from foreign producers regarding resurrection of this band.

Rodion  Zolotarev:
At the end of 80s I heard a few remixes on Sabrina tracks and also Fishermans Friend, Kraftwerk, Rockets. At the beginning of 90s I started making music on Amiga, using a 4 channel Amigatracker. I met Andis Gailis and Janis Krauklis, which were working for underground radio station RADIODEJAS (RADIO DANCES). My first release was on tape on Illegal Records Riga! in 1998 under RD. The second release was on Mad Monkey Records in 1999 under the same name RD. This was the first release on the label ever. Also I released my works under Mr.Fixit name on sub label of Kolka music - STIRNA. Then in 1999 through a seller of computer spare parts I met Kriipis Tulo. This has drastically changed the direction of our music and we started to work together in Oloolo project.

- What was your first release?

The first release was Kosta album (Nexsound 2004). It was recorded with a Dutch sound designer and field-recordings professional Derek Holzer. This was our second work. You can hear their field-recordings in parallel to music, almost unconsciously. The album was released in mp3 format on Andrei Kirichenko label Nexsound.

- Can you brief us on your discography?

We have 3 albums released in 3 different countries, Russia, US and Ukraine. Kosta, you still can find a review of it, Audiotbit (Foxglove 2004) and Pavilosta in 2006. Some of our tracks and remixes you can find on different v/a releases in cd and mp3 formats. They were released in Latvia, Ukraine, Austria and Russia.

- Do you have any works that are especially memorable to you?

Yes, these are unreleased albums "Poly Zal", "Sok chemodana", "Svistni v ulei" and a concert record, where Oloolo plays Pierre Henry live. We have 5 full unrealesed albums.

- How do you write music? What does each of your team bring to you work? Do you invent tracks in the process? What is the inspiration of Oloolo?

Oloolo is a studio project. Its foundation is a total improvisation! We are inspired by the world around us, events, people and inherent irony. This is all on our web site.

- We know that you often use analogue synthesisers when writing music. Do you use them to get a sound different from others? Is it a brand sound of Oloolo?

We are music lovers and philophonists! We are always in search of music seeds. We like live and warm analogue sound. Sound means something accidental. Use of analogue sound sources has a priority meaning for us. We didn't plan to become outstanding on the basis of sound.

- Have you seen any computer program simulations of analogue synthesisers that could substitute a real synthesiser?

This is not possible. Simulations will always be tried by many. Sound in its nature is closer accidental events, which is supported by the sound of analogue synthesisers.

- Did you modify your synthesisers? Did it influence the sound?

We influenced sound by trivially twisting knobs. We recorded a full album recorded in 2003 called "Poly Zal" before the festival of Klus Dub. The album has 9 tracks. It is a live album recorded in our studio "Tok stoka" in Riga using unique soviet synthesisers Formanta EMS-01. This is an improvisation using two of these units in parallel.

- Do you agree with the fact that the more possibilities/instruments a musician has the less motivated he is? Having an old cheap synthesiser you can have many good ideas and having a whole studio you will get lost in the variety of sound and will not find the main thing?

It depends on the person, on his talent. Everything is inside. You have to be able to find a compromise between the number of ideas and possibilities of their realisation.

- What happens during your work? Sound forms a concept of a track or the idea of a track makes a sound?

This is a deep question. I can not answer it.

- Are you musicians or sound designers? What is closer to you playing music or non-music?

Eclectics.

- Would you prefer working in a studio or playing live?

Oloolo is a studio project. This is it. Compromises are possible.

- We know that you played once with Pan Sonic. What kind of a concert it was? What did you play there?

It was in 2002. Pan Sonic had a single concert in Riga in the old shooting range. There were a lot of people. We were not only ones from Latvia. There were others, mainly DJs. The venue was held in several halls. We were playing live tracks from Audiotbit album. This album was later released in the US.

- Apart from your project Oloolo one of you is working with Kriipis Tulo. The music and audience are different there. Are you involved in any other projects we are unaware of? Tell us about Kriipis Tulo.

Kriipis Tulo is a half of Oloolo. Kriipis is making a different kind of music. It is as experimental but it is designed for a different audience. This is more sophisticated minimalism. In music of Kriipis you hear developed melodic lines, rhythmic pulsations and romanticism! For several years Kriipis was actively involved with European labels (synergy networks, rump recordings, sutemos) as an artist and as a remixer with such sound artists as I/dex, My-ym, Derek Holzer, etc and Latvian painter Ritums Ivanov. The most recent project of Kriipis is called Astrowind. The first live concert was on the international festival Sound Forrest 2007 (Skanu Mezs) in Riga in May 2007.

- Sometimes Kriipis Tulo plays outside of Latvia at different festivals. Is there a difference between concerts in Latvia and outside?

Events outside Latvia, for example in Europe, are much better organised. We have been in many places in the past six years in Denmark, Sweden, Estonia, etc. In every place we were surprised with the selection of musicians and high professionalism of organisers! In Latvia until recently there wasn't a place where we would want to play!

- We got your works from v/a Kratzputz Konzentrat from Kolka music. We have heard other original releases from Latvia. What is happening in Riga with music making? Is there a chance that after a long break Kolka will revive and will release music in the future?

Everything is fine in Riga with music! Latvian pop, folk and national hard-rock are widely released! The rest, including avant-garde and progressive electronic are not of the interest to local audience. All original releases of Kolka-Music, which we made in 2001-2002 - v/a Kratzputz Konzentrat and project Turbulence (with M.Gonzalez) were distributed mostly in Russia or between friends. We were releasing exclusively what we liked ourselves. Maybe Kolka is going to revive. Depends if people are interested in it or not.

- How are the things going in Latvia with microelectronics? What is the Audiot project, where you were involved? Are there any independent musicians? Can you name outstanding Latvian musicians? Do you regard Oloolo as a part of Latvian scene or your life in Riga is a coincidence?

There is no microelectronics in Latvia. We heard that it exists in Belorussia. Noise is more in favour in Latvia!!! Audiot is an mp3 label made together with Kriipis and My-Ym. The project was finished in 2005.
We would name the following people from Latvia Selffish, Alexandroid, Gonzаlez, Ingarins, Ugis Vitins, My-Ym, Psychedelic dream. We regard ourselves as Latvian ambient-sound-design scene!

- How is your music perceived in Latvia? There are some crazy people in Russia that like what you are doing. How are the things in Riga and in neighbour countries, in Europe for example?

Our music is not really known in Latvia. We are not doing active promotion of Oloolo. We don't regard our music as commercial. We will see what is going to happen in the future.

- What else do you do apart from music? What is interesting to you? Films? Books? Photography?

We are interested in art-house. I'd like to mention Asian films, animation, photography. Anything extraordinary in art.

- What is going to happen with experimental music in the future? Is there future for experimental electronics? Where it all is going to finish?

There is always future for experiments in music! Everything is going to...

- Oloolo
- Lagunamuch records