Q: Can you talk about your musical history?
A: At the roots level my background is in classical music, having studied violin during childhood. This inspired a general interest in record collecting and music appreciation. It wasn't long until this branched off into alternative and more subversive audio. I believe it was seeing a Ministry video clip on TV and the tail end of ’80s metal that really got me interested. Some twenty years later I was finally in a position to try my hand at recording as a solo artist. This was during a four-year stint in Japan, when a work friend loaned me a Roland EP7 digital piano, and Adam from what is now 2DCAT introduced me to the joys of hardware synthesis. This early project was called Mystral Tide and was mainly focused on dark wave and moody classical-inspired electronica.
There was a side-project with Adam too, Trucido which was all about hard and aggressive EBM.
The first official Mystral Tide CD was released by an Australian friend and musician, Sean, through Zeitgeist records in 2001. More releases came during the next decade, until I put the project to bed and started something new. I wanted Minorarc to be something different. Heavier. Less dance and EBM influenced. More focused on progressive metal and heavy instrumental work. In 2010 the project released its self-titled first album Minorarc. It took eleven years to release another full album, a consequence of geographic relocation and family issues.
Q: How did you approach Untold/Overburden in terms of song writing and creativity? Was there much difference between the two albums?
A: Untold was never really “planned," at least not at the beginning. I finally found myself emotionally prepared and able to spend some time recording during 2020, so I set up the home studio again and spent quite a few months learning how software had progressed over the years. The instruments and routing were all fiddled with a lot, making the whole experience feel fresh, so as to avoid being a re-boot of the past. We finally had a good quality bass guitar, I ditched some hardware effects for software, built a Telecaster guitar with some carefully selected "hot" pickups, experimented with some of my family's acoustic instruments, and went from there. There was a lot of practicing happening during this period too. Several hours a day. It was just about re-familiarization with music making, and also challenging myself with some interesting new tools.
During the next couple of years, I recorded regularly and set about creating an album with an otherworldly and anxious theme. By mid 2021 Untold was written, and the time had come to establish a release plan... which is another story.
In contrast, Overburden took about three months to write and record, start to finish. It was like we were in the "zone" creatively speaking, so Untold's themes just kept flowing, and with little conscious effort, Overburden came to be, now a sister album to its predecessor.
These albums and most of those that came before them, were written in a rather flexible and experimental manner. Without strict plans, ideas for structure, locked-in key changes or components, I generally just "play" into the computer. Tracks get layered up and at points where it feels right, we fade in and out with instruments or melody transitions, or just cut into things more aggressively and inject something different. I find recording this way is more fun and organic, as there is plenty of predictable and traditionally structured music out there... so we'd rather try to create things that are more progressive and hopefully offer a surprise to listeners.
Q: I was wondering how you would explain the themes and concepts on Untold/Overburden?
A: A few followers of the project have described Untold as being "quite a trip,” which I gratefully and humbly take as a compliment. Early in the recording process, I'd decided that it would be interesting to mix ambient music, piano and modern forms of metal like djent. I also had a desire to use what is largely instrumental music, as a storytelling tool. The meaning of the separate pieces is really up to the individual listener of course, but our hope was to translate into sounds and moods, the final thoughts and dying visions of a victim of drowning. This could be literal or metaphorical of course. Thus, the focus was on presenting through sound, a dense and liquid-heavy atmosphere, contrasted by lighter passages to represent moments of clarity, acceptance, and futility.
Each track has a story built into it, and although much of the meaning is concealed, there are indeed some elements of method to the madness. These are secrets to reward attentive and engaged listeners. The idea of presenting puzzles through music has always been an interesting concept to me.
For example, "Four Years Untouched" (the extended track on the limited edition of Untold). It contains small sections of melody which are explorations of Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No.2. For the four years prior to the unveiling of the concerto, Rachmaninov is reported to have suffered deep depression and a prolonged absence from music. This all felt relatable, having had some seven years away from writing. I imagine that Sergei during these four years, could not bear to "touch" his keys, nor enjoy the touch of life itself. This track is placed about halfway through Untold, so it is part of the overarching theme or story where one begins to accept one's fate, right before beginning to fight against the murky waters once again.
A: At the roots level my background is in classical music, having studied violin during childhood. This inspired a general interest in record collecting and music appreciation. It wasn't long until this branched off into alternative and more subversive audio. I believe it was seeing a Ministry video clip on TV and the tail end of ’80s metal that really got me interested. Some twenty years later I was finally in a position to try my hand at recording as a solo artist. This was during a four-year stint in Japan, when a work friend loaned me a Roland EP7 digital piano, and Adam from what is now 2DCAT introduced me to the joys of hardware synthesis. This early project was called Mystral Tide and was mainly focused on dark wave and moody classical-inspired electronica.
There was a side-project with Adam too, Trucido which was all about hard and aggressive EBM.
The first official Mystral Tide CD was released by an Australian friend and musician, Sean, through Zeitgeist records in 2001. More releases came during the next decade, until I put the project to bed and started something new. I wanted Minorarc to be something different. Heavier. Less dance and EBM influenced. More focused on progressive metal and heavy instrumental work. In 2010 the project released its self-titled first album Minorarc. It took eleven years to release another full album, a consequence of geographic relocation and family issues.
Q: How did you approach Untold/Overburden in terms of song writing and creativity? Was there much difference between the two albums?
A: Untold was never really “planned," at least not at the beginning. I finally found myself emotionally prepared and able to spend some time recording during 2020, so I set up the home studio again and spent quite a few months learning how software had progressed over the years. The instruments and routing were all fiddled with a lot, making the whole experience feel fresh, so as to avoid being a re-boot of the past. We finally had a good quality bass guitar, I ditched some hardware effects for software, built a Telecaster guitar with some carefully selected "hot" pickups, experimented with some of my family's acoustic instruments, and went from there. There was a lot of practicing happening during this period too. Several hours a day. It was just about re-familiarization with music making, and also challenging myself with some interesting new tools.
During the next couple of years, I recorded regularly and set about creating an album with an otherworldly and anxious theme. By mid 2021 Untold was written, and the time had come to establish a release plan... which is another story.
In contrast, Overburden took about three months to write and record, start to finish. It was like we were in the "zone" creatively speaking, so Untold's themes just kept flowing, and with little conscious effort, Overburden came to be, now a sister album to its predecessor.
These albums and most of those that came before them, were written in a rather flexible and experimental manner. Without strict plans, ideas for structure, locked-in key changes or components, I generally just "play" into the computer. Tracks get layered up and at points where it feels right, we fade in and out with instruments or melody transitions, or just cut into things more aggressively and inject something different. I find recording this way is more fun and organic, as there is plenty of predictable and traditionally structured music out there... so we'd rather try to create things that are more progressive and hopefully offer a surprise to listeners.
Q: I was wondering how you would explain the themes and concepts on Untold/Overburden?
A: A few followers of the project have described Untold as being "quite a trip,” which I gratefully and humbly take as a compliment. Early in the recording process, I'd decided that it would be interesting to mix ambient music, piano and modern forms of metal like djent. I also had a desire to use what is largely instrumental music, as a storytelling tool. The meaning of the separate pieces is really up to the individual listener of course, but our hope was to translate into sounds and moods, the final thoughts and dying visions of a victim of drowning. This could be literal or metaphorical of course. Thus, the focus was on presenting through sound, a dense and liquid-heavy atmosphere, contrasted by lighter passages to represent moments of clarity, acceptance, and futility.
Each track has a story built into it, and although much of the meaning is concealed, there are indeed some elements of method to the madness. These are secrets to reward attentive and engaged listeners. The idea of presenting puzzles through music has always been an interesting concept to me.
For example, "Four Years Untouched" (the extended track on the limited edition of Untold). It contains small sections of melody which are explorations of Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No.2. For the four years prior to the unveiling of the concerto, Rachmaninov is reported to have suffered deep depression and a prolonged absence from music. This all felt relatable, having had some seven years away from writing. I imagine that Sergei during these four years, could not bear to "touch" his keys, nor enjoy the touch of life itself. This track is placed about halfway through Untold, so it is part of the overarching theme or story where one begins to accept one's fate, right before beginning to fight against the murky waters once again.
Q: What is your recording process like? And has it changed over the years?
A: The tools and techniques have changed a lot over the last twenty years, like the prior heavy reliance on rack-mounted hardware synths and effects, and the expanding capabilities of DAWs. My approach to recording hasn't really changed all that much though. I just like to sit down and play, and jam. Then I work with whatever has been laid down and build other elements over the top like orchestral pads, choir sounds or metal guitar. Generally, I start with gentle moments of music, and progressively add in the heavier instruments like distorted bass or harder seven-string guitar sections. Through experimentation and just playing music, gradually tracks just come together and find a natural ending point.
Untold and Overburden use a lot of tricks that I kind of just discovered along the way and had never previously paid much attention to. The EQ of metal guitar for starters, melding of real-world instruments with synthetically produced sounds, and deeper exploration into MIDI's uses. The advancements in computer speeds have really helped to make some forms of digital “experimentation,” that were once slow and torturous, far more fluid and easier to manipulate real-time.
Q: Have you started playing shows or virtual shows?
A: I've performed as and with various projects over the years. Trucido in Tokyo. Mystral Tide in Tokyo, Germany and Australia. A guest artist for Sleeplab in Melbourne Australia, and a few performances as Minorarc are there too. For around a decade in Melbourne we organized nineteen regular events for experimental music, called Enzyme, which featured artists doing everything from harsh noise to electronic pop.
Minorarc hasn't performed live for about six years now, and the idea of doing it again is very enticing! Perhaps when we move back to a bigger city where we have more musical friends to collaborate with. Also, the newest Minorarc creations are going to be a challenge to translate into a live performance, as there are a lot of instruments working together and quite a bit of processing going on as well. Guess we'll have to wait and see!
Q: What else should we know about your music?
A: I really enjoy creating it and have a deep appreciation of everyone who has supported my musical journeys and dabbling along the way.
A: The tools and techniques have changed a lot over the last twenty years, like the prior heavy reliance on rack-mounted hardware synths and effects, and the expanding capabilities of DAWs. My approach to recording hasn't really changed all that much though. I just like to sit down and play, and jam. Then I work with whatever has been laid down and build other elements over the top like orchestral pads, choir sounds or metal guitar. Generally, I start with gentle moments of music, and progressively add in the heavier instruments like distorted bass or harder seven-string guitar sections. Through experimentation and just playing music, gradually tracks just come together and find a natural ending point.
Untold and Overburden use a lot of tricks that I kind of just discovered along the way and had never previously paid much attention to. The EQ of metal guitar for starters, melding of real-world instruments with synthetically produced sounds, and deeper exploration into MIDI's uses. The advancements in computer speeds have really helped to make some forms of digital “experimentation,” that were once slow and torturous, far more fluid and easier to manipulate real-time.
Q: Have you started playing shows or virtual shows?
A: I've performed as and with various projects over the years. Trucido in Tokyo. Mystral Tide in Tokyo, Germany and Australia. A guest artist for Sleeplab in Melbourne Australia, and a few performances as Minorarc are there too. For around a decade in Melbourne we organized nineteen regular events for experimental music, called Enzyme, which featured artists doing everything from harsh noise to electronic pop.
Minorarc hasn't performed live for about six years now, and the idea of doing it again is very enticing! Perhaps when we move back to a bigger city where we have more musical friends to collaborate with. Also, the newest Minorarc creations are going to be a challenge to translate into a live performance, as there are a lot of instruments working together and quite a bit of processing going on as well. Guess we'll have to wait and see!
Q: What else should we know about your music?
A: I really enjoy creating it and have a deep appreciation of everyone who has supported my musical journeys and dabbling along the way.