Where are you based?
I’m from a small town of Pravdinsk (Kaliningrad region, Russia). At the moment I live in one of the districts of Kaliningrad.
What influenced the sound behind your debut EP on Soma Records, titled Rave Is Dead?
I started working on the release in the first wave of covid, when we were all at home, it was spring, I remember it like it was yesterday. It was warm enough and the windows of the house were constantly opened. A public warning system was often triggered on the street, where police told everyone through the loud speakers to stay at home and follow the rules. At that time only food stores and pharmacies worked. Everything was not clear, what’s next?! This made me angry. But at the same time I had a lot of free time and was locked in 4 walls. It all pressed psychologically, I wanted to destroy these walls. So I began to write this EP.
What inspired the title of the EP?
Rave Is Dead is a kind of “scream of despair”. We’re all locked up, the rave is out of breath and needs a new impulse. Hope it happens soon. Very soon …
What is your creative process like and how much did lockdown influence this?
At that time, nothing distracted me. I devoted most of my time to music, so I could distract myself from everything that was happening around. Only occasionally I watched TV series or my brother and I went into the woods to the old broken bridge so that the police would not catch us and issue a fine, then it was impossible to leave the house, and there we listened to new demos through small speakers. Then we discussed them. Sounds weird, but it was also a weird time.
How did you approach the recording and production process for the Rave Is Dead EP?
When I sit down to work, I immerse myself in it. Sometimes I don’t even hear when my family members call me from the next room. I have a laptop, sound card, microphone and headphones at my disposal. I record a lot of live sounds; how the car brakes outside the window or for example, the metallic sound of a pan, a lot of things. Then you process it all and choose the best moments. I experiment a lot.
Have you always been a fan of Soma Records?
Yes, I’ve been following the label for a long time. And to be honest, I couldn’t even imagine that my tracks someday will be released on this label. I am very happy.
When did you first start playing music and how did this evolve into electronic music?
It was about 2006, I don’t remember exactly. I was in high school and began to make the first steps in creativity. I was listening to drum’n’bass and started to write it. Over time tastes and quality changed and in the end I came to the music that I make now.
Who would you say are your biggest musical influences?
This is my brother. It was he who “hooked” me on music: The Prodigy, The Chemical Brothers, etc. I fell in love with this music.
Once the world can dance again, where are you most excited to play?
Let me dream a little. I haven’t traveled outside the country for a long time. Now it has become much more difficult, but I really hope that this is all temporary. I would like to visit and perform in cities such as London, Berlin, Amsterdam and many others.
What does the rest of 2021 hold for Namesis?
New releases, new collaborations, preparing a live performance and that’s not all. Soon you will definitely hear and see everything yourself!
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