Interview Fedor Svolotch (Theodor Bastrad) for the German magazine SONIC SEDUCER (10/2013)
Q: You’re-until August, 24th,, touring in East Europe. How has the tour been so far? Are you concentrating on your Full-Length “Oikoumene” as re-release?
Fedor Svolotch: The tour was really great! The audience kickback was awesome. I think we have picked the concert program correctly for the first time in many years . We played songs both from “Oikoumene” and new as well, as we wanted to test our unreleased songs in public. And it worked: the reaction of the audience was as we had planned it. In short – it was a complete delight! We drove almost 7,000 kilometers, visited 7 countries – Latvia, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Ukraine, Belarus, played 8 gigs were headliners on 4 of them. It was something insanely cool!Интервью Фёдора для немецкого журнала SONIC SEDUCER (10/2013) Q: You’re-until August, 24th,, touring in East Europe. How has the tour been so far? Are you concentrating on your Full-Length “Oikoumene” as re-release? Fedor Svolotch: The tour was really great! The audience kickback was awesome. I think we have picked the concert program correctly for the first time in many years . We played songs both from “Oikoumene” and new as well, as we wanted to test our unreleased songs in public. And it worked: the reaction of the audience was as we had planned it. In short – it was a complete delight! We drove almost 7,000 kilometers, visited 7 countries – Latvia, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Ukraine, Belarus, played 8 gigs were headliners on 4 of them. It was something insanely cool! Q: On Facebook you thanked your fans for a great show in Budapest and Romania. How important is keeping in contact and interacting with your fans for you as a band?
Q: On Facebook you thanked your fans for a great show in Budapest and Romania. How important is keeping in contact and interacting with your fans for you as a band?
Fedor Svolotch: We have always tried to be very closed while making our first albums – as it is customary in music industry. This was our previous position. But now I think it is insincere and false. We have been communicating with fans actively for more than five years and I am proud to speak of those who have become our best friends. All the same, we create this magic together on our gigs. There wouldn’t be place for magic without them or without us because it is born in interaction: nothing is heard without listeners.
Q: Does every member of the band appreciate the work with social networks, or do you have different opinions when it comes to that topic? If so, in how far do your opinions about social netwoks differ from each other?
Fedor Svolotch: Basically we compose together some messages and news for our listeners, post our appreciation also. Of course the main work with advertising in social networks is held mainly by our manager. Nevertheless any fan can write to me at Facebook, and when I have time – I always reply. Me and Yana (our vocalist) receive very interesting letters sometimes: from people who are studying extinct language – Native American, for example, or those who practice traditional healing.
Q: You have already released “Oikoumene” back in 2012 on your own. Why did you decide to publish it once more via Danse Macabre?
Fedor Svolotch: Our release “Oikoumene” was published for Russia. We almost did not sell it abroad. But many fans from Europe asked us often about where they can buy our CDs. Being a kind of cosmopolitan band we try to reflect in the music our passion for acting in different locations as well as for communication with different cultures and peoples. We would like our music to be known in Europe, of course. Danse Macabre seems to be very suitable label for this.
Q: Why did you choose Danse Macabre for this job? How did the collaboration happen?
Fedor Svolotch: I think they are very interesting people. We spoke with Bruno Kramm and he said some flattering and profound words about our music. I think he clearly saw the essence of our concept. This is what we liked. Most labels are run by not a very far-sighted people, in the case of Bruno Kramm – everything is exactly the opposite. We are happy to work with his label.
Q: Why did you choose “Oikoumene” for re-publishing instead of releasing a completely new album via Danse Macabre later on?
Fedor Svolotch: I suppose “Oikoumene” is our best album at the moment. We worked over it in various studios around the world and collaborated with a variety of talented musicians from different countries. I was looking for this conception of sound for more than two years, until it has become the basis of this album. The sound of the album seems to be absolutely innovative. I am proud of this work. I hope the next album not to be worse (laughing). But I’m not sure that we can release it before 2015. You know, work on the album always turns to be laborious process for us.
Q: Doesn’t it feel strange to go through the complete “press and promotion” programme that happens when a new release takes place once again? Do you probably feel as if having a Déjà-vu?
Fedor Svolotch: I think that’s a part of our musicians’ work. Sometimes you have to be repeated in the interview, but if someone (like you for example) asks an interesting question – then the interview looks like a conversation with an interesting person. Why not? It is always nice. Furthermore, during interview I’m talking about things I care about most – our album and our creativity.
Q: How would you say does “Oikoumene” differ from the work you did before? What exactly makes it special?
Fedor Svolotch: First of all – Yana’s vocal, I think she surpassed herself, and she sang in a very uncommon vocal manner. Her voice is one of the strongest female voices I’ve ever heard, but in recording and creating arrangements we tried our best to decorate this power of her voice with some details that she sings quietly, almost in a whisper, or with a slight huskiness. And somewhere – as in duet with African singer Julien Jacob – she had to sing on the contrary in a very rough manner to match his voice.
The second point that makes this album special – this is the sound. We used in the recording a huge number of rare musical folk instruments – from sarod which Rani Rampur used to play, to various talking drums, marimba, kalimba and more. Yana played on the Chinese flute bavu. And I tried to put all this variety of instruments into our songs with pretty fixed sound-basis. I can not stand the smeared sound of 70’s hippie bands. Even so the roots of our music still lay in electronics. And in fact the challenge was to make an electronic album, but playing it like live folk music. And I think we succeeded.
Q: On “Oikoumene” you already distanced from electronic sounds and replaced them with more organic, taditional instrumental sound. Will you continue and expand that in your future work?
Fedor Svolotch: We have started composing some new songs already. They will not be similar to “Oecumene” but of course – we will use traditional instruments. For example Dung Chen (Tibetan ritual horn) is involved already. I also working hard over darbuka sounds. I have a guru from Lebanon. Our percussionist explores Indian percussion – kadzhira etc. All of this will affect the sound of course. But I don’t want to be repeated in new album, so it will sound quite different.
Q: In an interview you once stated that Yana had been the one who added the spiritual-traditional component to Theodor Bastard. As in “Oikoumene” those elements are very strong in both music as lyrics, could one state that she has become the most dominant influence of the band?
Fedor Svolotch: Yes, of course, Yana’s voice sets the tone for the entire arrangement. Especially because many harmony and even the sounds of synthesizers – is her merit. But her main influence – it’s on me, for several years i keep on plunging into the folk music of the people of the whole world: from the Maghreb countries, to Africa and Cuba. And this passion does not left me ever since.
Q: When is a new release planned?
Fedor Svolotch: In winter after the Russian tour we will start recording. But it’s a long process. I hope that we will finish recording in 2015.
?
Fedor Svolotch: We have always tried to be very closed while making our first albums – as it is customary in music industry. This was our previous position. But now I think it is insincere and false. We have been communicating with fans actively for more than five years and I am proud to speak of those who have become our best friends. All the same, we create this magic together on our gigs. There wouldn’t be place for magic without them or without us because it is born in interaction: nothing is heard without listeners. Q: Does every member of the band appreciate the work with social networks, or do you have different opinions when it comes to that topic? If so, in how far do your opinions about social netwoks differ from each other? Fedor Svolotch: Basically we compose together some messages and news for our listeners, post our appreciation also. Of course the main work with advertising in social networks is held mainly by our manager. Nevertheless any fan can write to me at Facebook, and when I have time – I always reply. Me and Yana (our vocalist) receive very interesting letters sometimes: from people who are studying extinct language – Native American, for example, or those who practice traditional healing. Q: You have already released “Oikoumene” back in 2012 on your own. Why did you decide to publish it once more via Danse Macabre? Fedor Svolotch: Our release “Oikoumene” was published for Russia. We almost did not sell it abroad. But many fans from Europe asked us often about where they can buy our CDs. Being a kind of cosmopolitan band we try to reflect in the music our passion for acting in different locations as well as for communication with different cultures and peoples. We would like our music to be known in Europe, of course. Danse Macabre seems to be very suitable label for this. Q: Why did you choose Danse Macabre for this job? How did the collaboration happen? Fedor Svolotch: I think they are very interesting people. We spoke with Bruno Kramm and he said some flattering and profound words about our music. I think he clearly saw the essence of our concept. This is what we liked. Most labels are run by not a very far-sighted people, in the case of Bruno Kramm – everything is exactly the opposite. We are happy to work with his label. Q: Why did you choose “Oikoumene” for re-publishing instead of releasing a completely new album via Danse Macabre later on? Fedor Svolotch: I suppose “Oikoumene” is our best album at the moment. We worked over it in various studios around the world and collaborated with a variety of talented musicians from different countries. I was looking for this conception of sound for more than two years, until it has become the basis of this album. The sound of the album seems to be absolutely innovative. I am proud of this work. I hope the next album not to be worse (laughing). But I’m not sure that we can release it before 2015. You know, work on the album always turns to be laborious process for us. Q: Doesn’t it feel strange to go through the complete “press and promotion” programme that happens when a new release takes place once again? Do you probably feel as if having a Déjà-vu? Fedor Svolotch: I think that’s a part of our musicians’ work. Sometimes you have to be repeated in the interview, but if someone (like you for example) asks an interesting question – then the interview looks like a conversation with an interesting person. Why not? It is always nice. Furthermore, during interview I’m talking about things I care about most – our album and our creativity. Q: How would you say does “Oikoumene” differ from the work you did before? What exactly makes it special? Fedor Svolotch: First of all – Yana’s vocal, I think she surpassed herself, and she sang in a very uncommon vocal manner. Her voice is one of the strongest female voices I’ve ever heard, but in recording and creating arrangements we tried our best to decorate this power of her voice with some details that she sings quietly, almost in a whisper, or with a slight huskiness. And somewhere – as in duet with African singer Julien Jacob – she had to sing on the contrary in a very rough manner to match his voice. The second point that makes this album special – this is the sound. We used in the recording a huge number of rare musical folk instruments – from sarod which Rani Rampur used to play, to various talking drums, marimba, kalimba and more. Yana played on the Chinese flute bavu. And I tried to put all this variety of instruments into our songs with pretty fixed sound-basis. I can not stand the smeared sound of 70’s hippie bands. Even so the roots of our music still lay in electronics. And in fact the challenge was to make an electronic album, but playing it like live folk music. And I think we succeeded. Q: On “Oikoumene” you already distanced from electronic sounds and replaced them with more organic, taditional instrumental sound. Will you continue and expand that in your future work? Fedor Svolotch: We have started composing some new songs already. They will not be similar to “Oecumene” but of course – we will use traditional instruments. For example Dung Chen (Tibetan ritual horn) is involved already. I also working hard over darbuka sounds. I have a guru from Lebanon. Our percussionist explores Indian percussion – kadzhira etc. All of this will affect the sound of course. But I don’t want to be repeated in new album, so it will sound quite different. Q: In an interview you once stated that Yana had been the one who added the spiritual-traditional component to Theodor Bastard. As in “Oikoumene” those elements are very strong in both music as lyrics, could one state that she has become the most dominant influence of the band? Fedor Svolotch: Yes, of course, Yana’s voice sets the tone for the entire arrangement. Especially because many harmony and even the sounds of synthesizers – is her merit. But her main influence – it’s on me, for several years i keep on plunging into the folk music of the people of the whole world: from the Maghreb countries, to Africa and Cuba. And this passion does not left me ever since. Q: When is a new release planned? Fedor Svolotch: In winter after the Russian tour we will start recording. But it’s a long process. I hope that we will finish recording in 2015. SONIC SEDUCER (10/2013)