- The question ‘What is music?’ seems to be rather simple. Nevertheless some musicians are puzzled by such a question, others can talk on this subject for hours. How would you answer this question? Well, I’m also interested what will be my answer. Guess, I’ll be talking for a long time. Music is all around us. Sometimes I go out to the street at night to listen to it. It’s different all the time, like a picture. But if you mean music on digital media, well, it’s not always the real music.
- What is ‘not real music’ for you?
Hard to answer at once. I must go to a shop, ask, what’s popular today, buy some discs and listen. But I wouldn’t like to proceed this eternal topic about popular music, I’m not Shevchuk, you know;)
- Do you think good conditions are important for listening to music? Can’t true creative ideas and their presentation be spoiled by the poor sound section and speakers?
I’m not sure that it’s possible to hear music properly using multimedia speakers or headphones. However some people manage to read from monitor for example or to watch screen copies of films. Many people listen to music through telephone headset nowadays. In my childhood such ‘headset’ consisted of trousers and T-shirt. Such very ‘trousers’ they have put on their ears.
- Do you consider vinyl/CD vestiges of the past used only by conservative music fans? Or such media are still developed and popular? What about media tendencies in future? Do you think net labels will become more wide-spread?
Are books vestiges of the past too? Today we can read form the monitor…For example, I like to take a disk from a shelf and hold it in hands, it’s material. I don’t get so much pleasure downloading a net-release.
- Can we ask, what’s your profession these days? The thing is that we noticed: in most cases people’s job, the sphere of their activities influence a musician, his creative style. As well as the city, in which he lives, the atmosphere...
I work in the sphere of microelectronics. But I forget about my work when the working day is over, it’s just to have money for meals. It doesn’t influence my creative work. Earlier I worked as a designer in an advertising agency. As for the city and its atmosphere, eah, I agree with you.
- In which city do you live? How can you characterize its atmosphere?
Novopolozk. Huge industrial area, maybe wider that the city itself. A great number of talented people. Unfortunately, mainstream and glamour culture has already riched our city.
- I live in the city of such very kind… As a rule, mainstream and glamour comes to us in some perverted, odd form...
Well, that’s understandable. Funny to see people buying Dolce&Gabbana made in China by the original price. Awful situation with clubs. But sometimes interesting parties happen, for example, on Saturday live music was played in one of the night clubs. And there were pretty many people really interested in music.
- Would you like to move to another city?
Many people are dreaming of megalopolis and European cities. I don’t want to live in megalopolis, too much fuss there. But in general it’s cool to change places. Very often I feel like moving somewhere else. Iceland or Norway would be the best variants.
- What do you use while lives, only computer? In general, which media do you use for creative work?
Now computer + midi controller/keyboard. I had also analogue synth of emc-01 format, a huge one. I sold it to oloolo. Well, for creativity I use whatever I happen to have. Microphones... Two microphones are constantly in my ventlights. My first serious work was recorded in 1995 with the help of bobbin tape recorder, an old telephone (instead of microphone), soviet drum-machine and guitar. That was really noisy...
- Maybe this question is asked too often…Nevertheless what’s the story of your pseudonym i/dex?
Eah, frequent question. You see, it’s hard for me to invent titles and pseudonyms. My music is so abstract for me that I have to use random world generator. Music isn’t a definite picture or association, it’s a set of different feelings. I’ve heard, some musicians who think over their title first:)
- Also it’s interesting that some musicians see a picture first, a certain image. And they depict this picture with the help of music. Other musicians create in real time, so that they leave more freedom for creativity.
I hardly can talk with musicians for whom music is something definite, concrete. I burst with laughter when being asked: how to create music, create panorama and use gates and expanders. I call them arrangers.
- Who is microelectronics Guru for you? In general, what do you usually listen, which musicians, labels?
Never thought about Guru. I listen to different music: from microsound of ryoji ikeda to jazz of cinematic orchestra. For detailed information you can use http://www.lastfm.ru/user/i-dex. I’d like to point out the projects by Markus Popp (oval, so, microstoria) and Jan Werner (mouse on mars, microstoria, lithops). Maybe they are my Gurus.
- What about plans for future. Making something new? Tell about you work together with Kriipis Tulo - Footpaths Of Autumn recently released on net label Cold Room.
Don’t like to plan something for far future, though always have something new. Now making experiments with guitar, interesting work. That’s not the ‘electroacoustics’ you are used to listen. That music with Kriipis Tulo was recorded long ago in 2004, when I had a concert in Riga. It’s realtime improvisation, home live.
- Do you often visit musical sites? We constantly think of what’s gonna be interesting for our visitors besides articles…But nowadays most people aren’t interested in articles and reviews, they need mp3s…Few people in our country like to read about music.
Not so often. I happen to visit them mostly by chance. Don’t like to read reviews, I prefer to listen to music without anybody’s help. To my mind, articles are far more interesting than links for mp3.
- What are you listening right now?
Alva Noto - Xerrox Vol.1
october '07