Name - Rob
Country - Romania
The very first interview I have ever done, so my skills at questioning may seem a little rusty at times, but hopefully this will give you an enjoying read about the life and thoughts of a great ambient musician. Many thanks to Robert for being such a good sport too.
- Questions -
1.
I wish to talk to you about how Koldvoid came into existence first,
what got you into ambient music?
Rob: I am not
sure what got me into ambient music, I guess since the very early ages of my
existance when I came in contact with music, besides rock music, I got an
injection of meditative stuff like Pink Floyd, Vangelis, Jean Michel Jarre,
than later in early 90s Angelo Badalamenti, Dead Can Dance, Ennio Morricone. I
also have grown an attraction for movie soundtracks. All these influences made
me experimenting with sounds and textures which years later, in 2008 culminated
in the ambition of recording and releasing this style of introspective music under the name of KOLDVOID. I had hours of
recordings earlier, but only by the year 2008 I could finally put up all the
puzzles from my head and start making it more serious, if I can say so.
2. You have certainly evolved your sound since your
first release Touching the Void, is
this evolution from acquiring new equipment, or from new ideas?
Rob: Both of
them. I was/am always searching for new methods of writing and recording, but I
also bought new instruments.
3. Can you give the readers some insight into how you record your music?
Rob: Most of the
times I am trying to catch on synth, or piano or on any other instrument a
melody I have in my head. This is why KoldVoid is more musical and less noisy
than other ambient/industrial music I guess. I try to catch a mood and melody
on acoustic guitar, or a piano, this is from where the songs always starts. I
use also a metronome or a basic drum, which later I remove from the mix, just
to keep up the tempo. After the main melody and chords are recorded, then comes
the other instruments, which colours it all up, then I mix it and there you
have it. Sometimes I also use also field recordings, sometimes I sample monologues/dialogues
from movies, to make it more interesting.
4. Are there any outside inspirations other than music (such as urban
life or nature) which help shape your music?
Rob I think music is just one of the inspiration channels. I never start
to record something just because I heard an album I like. Most of the times I
record after longer periods of non-creative times. Both nature and urban life
is an inspiration, some people said that KoldVoid is somewhere on the border
between urban feeling and nature. I live almost in the forest, near the city,
so there you are...it might be true.
5. I wish to talk to you about how you feel about the Dark Ambient genre
as a whole. What do you think defines it as a genre, or, do you feel that it
covers a range of unusual but similar styles of music?
Rob: I think of
Dark Ambient mainly as a genre or sub-genre. For me Dark Ambient is the music
for the mind, not for the body, so it’s a meditative music, most of the times
evoking feelings of melancholy or sadness, hence the tag "Dark"
Ambient. A music with an electronic base
derived from the industrial scene of the 70s and 80s and later combined with a
lot of other influences, ritualistic, noise, tribal, new-age, post-rock, etc,
but I think for most of the times Dark Ambient doesn't cover all those similar
styles or sub-genres.
6. Are you satisfied with how the genre is received in the public? How is
your own project received?
Rob: Depends on
what do you think by "received". I think dark ambient is exactly
where it should be. Underground. The biggest names like Lustmord, Raison
D'etre, etc, can hardly sell more than 2000-3000 copies of their albums, so
that's the economical fact. You can go whatever country you want and you will
not see more than 200-300 individuals at a Dark ambient show, or festival, but that’s
OK for me. I make music as self-therapy, some people buy the releases, that’s
all, it’s enough for me. Koldvoid got for more than 90% only good and very good
reviews, I never read actually one really negative one, so I guess the dark
ambient underground likes it.
7. What is in store for the future of Koldvoid?
Rob: I am
currently writing and recording a new album, which may appear in 2014, we'll
see. The working title is "Complete
Annihilation of Joy". It will be more electronical and more experimental,
but with "real" songs, not only textures...I am trying to find also
people to work on some videos. Not much besides this.
8. Any finishing words for the readers?
Rob: Thank you
James for the opportunity and the interesting questions. May the Dark lights be
with you!
