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Peter Aries Interview on Nagamag

Categories: Electronica Features, Electronica Interviews, Features, Interviews, The Latest|Tags: , , , , , |

Peter Aries
Interview

Photo by Huba Adorjan


Nagamag:
What are the genres that describe better your music style?

Peter Aries:
I'm quite "genre-fluid", but I mostly identify myself with electronic genres such as synthwave and trance, which is why I chose "This is the 80s" as my signature track. I do however mix in other genres, and have been incorporating quite a bit of classical themes in some of my tracks. Which for me made it feel quite natural to try out a classical only themed release. Thus "Stories" came to be.


Nagamag:
Few words about your musical background and career?

Peter Aries:
I've been playing the piano since I was 10 and I started making music on the family's first computer when I was 14 (I used Fasttracker back then). My first official (or known rather) release was in 2006, an EP called "Finally" which was only released on CD. Since then I've released over 100 tracks in various genres and styles. I've mostly worked by myself, but I have also made some collaborations with artists such as MarsTv and Social Ambitions. My most streamed track of all times is currently "When All Things End", a collaboration I did with the very talented vocalist and artist Karin My. She has recently released a new album, so definitely go check it out.
Unfortunately the music doesn't pay the bills yet, so I work as a product manager as my daily job. I have great colleagues and it's quite a challenging job. I still feel like I learn new things every day. However, if money was not an issue, if I'd have to choose occupation between music creation and product management, music would win every day of the week. :)


Nagamag:
Do you remember your first connection of love to music that was the right impact to be a music artist now?

Peter Aries:
For sure. It was at my day care, when I was 4 or 5 years old. Someone played Super Mario Bros 1 on Nintendo while at the same time someone else played something on a keyboard in the room. I thought the sounds I heard were so incredibly cool that it sparked something within me. So there and then I knew I just had to play the synth when I got old enough. So it's my one true call in life you could say.


Nagamag:
Most artists have a favorite song from a different music genre than the one they are producing music for... Which is yours?

Peter Aries:
Vangelis "Tears in Rain"


Nagamag:
Of Course Nagamag would love to listen also which track from a similar artist you admire?

Peter Aries:
Pylot "The Return"

Discover & Listen to Peter Aries

Peter Aries on Spotify

Peter Aries' Signature Track

Peter Aries on Social Media

peterariesmusic
peterariesmusic

Peter Aries' Website

linktr.ee/peteraries

Kit Kido – Bonnie & Clyde (Spotify)

Categories: Audio, Features, Pop, Pop Features, The Latest|Tags: , , , |

Kit Kido – Bonnie & Clyde
(Spotify)

“Stringy pace, clearly standing rhythm patterns and bass sound. A strong overall view of depression and melancholy shown by -Bonnie & Clyde- while having some weight of trip-hop sound. A distinct voice with synth sounds create the perfect backdrop for the most discerning listeners.”

“Тягучий темп, отчётливые партии ритм-блока и баса. Характерная общая картина депрессивности и меланхолии лишь выделают -Bonnie & Clyde- из общей массы trip-hop звучания. Приглушённый голос и звуки синтезаторов создают идеальный фон неповторимого настроения для самых искушенных слушателей.”

-Nagamag.com

Kit Kido is a contemporary torch singer that blends lyrical storytelling with digital soundscapes. Noir synth sounds, loops, guitars and a touch of 90s nostalgia create the perfect backdrop for her dystopian love stories. Between the present and the future, Kit Kido finds herself in that thin line where reality meets fantasy.

https://www.facebook.com/kitkidomusic
https://www.instagram.com/kit.kido/
https://twitter.com/kido_kit

4am Kru Interview on Nagamag

Categories: Electronica Features, Electronica Interviews, Features, Interviews, The Latest, Top Music Discoveries|Tags: , , , , , , , |

4am Kru
Interview

.


Nagamag:
What are the genres that describe better your music style?

4am Kru:
4am Kru grew from a love of old school jungle, hardcore & early 90s rave. We take inspiration from all sorts of music, from R&B slow jams to 80s film soundtracks. Our favourite Jungle tunes from back in the day often reinterpret great bits of existing music in homage & we like to do the same! From the beginning there's always been so much variety within the framework of the 94' Jungle sound.


Nagamag:
Few words about your musical background and career?

4am Kru:
4am Kru is a duo at the core, plus a number of talented collaborative artists. Howie & Stu are at the production helm. We both met years ago touring in different bands, cutting our teeth in the London live scene. Jungle is the point where our tastes intersect & we started 4am Kru to bring that sound to the stage & feature some incredibly gifted artists we've met along the way.
Right now we’re working with super talented singer Layla Sibelle, and continue to work with superb vocalist SHANTÉH. There’s a whole extended family of artists who are part of our writing and live performance crew and we're excited to take 4am Kru to the stage.


Nagamag:
Do you remember your first connection of love to music that was the right impact to be a music artist now?

4am Kru:
Howie: When I was a kid I remember being given jungle mix tapes that had been passed down from some older kids we knew, they were actually going to these raves, whereas I was too young. These tapes featured Shy FX, DJ Rap + all the gold from early Lucky Spin and Kemet releases. At the time I was learning to play bass guitar; then suddenly Jungle entered my world and it changed my whole thought process. It really pushed me in so many ways and still does.
Stu: I'm the same, some '92 hardcore tapes made their way to me when I was a kid and I remember listening while playing with my Star Wars toys in the bath and being blown away by this music I knew nothing about other than it just sounded otherworldly and cool.


Nagamag:
Most artists have a favorite song from a different music genre than the one they are producing music for... Which is yours?

4am Kru:
Paul Giovanni "Corn Rigs"


Nagamag:
Of Course Nagamag would love to listen also which track from a similar artist you admire?

4am Kru:
Decibella "Outta London"

Discover & Listen to 4am Kru

4am Kru on Spotify

4am Kru's Signature Track

4am Kru on Social Media

4amkrulondon

4am Kru's Website

4amkru.com/

Maria Grönlund Interview on Nagamag

Categories: Features, Interviews, Neoclassical Features, Neoclassical Interviews, The Latest|Tags: , , , , , |

Maria Grönlund
Interview

.


Nagamag:
What are the genres that describe better your music style?

Maria Grönlund:
Neo-Classical, Modern Classical, Contemporary Classical


Nagamag:
Few words about your musical background and career?

Maria Grönlund:
You may know Stockholm’s Maria Gronlund from her weekly live stream ‘Meet Me At The Piano’ on Facebook. Or from her debut album ‘Songs of a Sad Sailor’, which was a Spotify Classical Pick. Or even from her short collection last Autumn called ‘Colors of my Mind: Pt. 1’, which was the first of three releases that will go to make up her next LP ‘Colors of my Mind’. Part 2 of the collection is nearly upon us with three pieces of neo-classical imagination due later this month.


Nagamag:
Do you remember your first connection of love to music that was the right impact to be a music artist now?

Maria Grönlund:
There was a lot of music and singing in my family, and I was five or six years old when we inherited a big, black, shiny piano from my grandfather. My mother had always dreamed of learning how to play the piano, and she found us an Austrian piano teacher named Helga, who taught us both to play in her house. I was tiny, and I got my lessons at a brown piano in her basement, and then I stood and peeked into the living room with the two grand pianos standing opposite each other, while my mom got her lesson. I was totally fascinated by the instruments and imagined they were like fairy tale ships to another world, since they gave out such amazing sound. I've been in love with the piano ever since.


Nagamag:
Tell us more about the project you're working on right now!

Maria Grönlund:
I'm in the midst of a project called 'Colors of my mind', which will culminate in a full album released both digitally and physically, and with an online album experience which will feature the creation process of the music and all the art involved. Artwork merch will also be an important part of this project.
It all originates from a lengthy, filmed joint improvisation I made together with an artist, Madelene Egerfält, where she painted what she heard me play and i played what I saw her paint. We both came into a state of flow and had a really intense experience. The painting is just amazing, and I feel it depicts both her and me, and the situation it was created in.

I've used the musical material from this occasion and built it out to ten piano pieces that I release in three rounds. EP Colors of my mind Pt.1 was released in the late fall, Pt.2 now in March, and Pt.3 and thus the full album is planned for late spring/early summer this year.


Nagamag:
What's the ethos behind your music?

Maria Grönlund:
I feel so rich having music in my life. It helps me cope with stress and difficulties. I often play to calm myself down and to sort my thoughts and feelings out. My vision is to share the feeling of relief and joy I get from playing with people who might need it.


Nagamag:
Most artists have a favorite song from a different music genre than the one they are producing music for... Which is yours?

Maria Grönlund:
Imogen Heap "Earth"


Nagamag:
Of Course Nagamag would love to listen also which track from a similar artist you admire?

Maria Grönlund:
Poppy Ackroyd "Time"

Discover & Listen to Maria Grönlund

Maria Grönlund on Spotify

Maria Grönlund's Signature Track

Maria Grönlund on Social Media

MariaGronlundmusic
maria_gronlund
maria_gronlund

Maria Grönlund's Website

www.mariagronlund.com

Bjorn Rydhog – I Don’t Wanna Be Alone (Spotify)

Categories: Audio, Blogwave, Blogwave Features, Features, The Latest|Tags: , , , , |

Bjorn Rydhog – I Don’t Wanna Be Alone
(Spotify)

“There are moments we feel boredom and loneliness in a totally decaying world. This is the right time to pick some fine music and give ourselves a breath of hope. Bjorn Rydhog is here to offer his best work for this purpose. Don't miss his new single "I Don't Wanna Be Alone".”

-Nagamag.com

Together with producer Johan Sigerud (JRSS) and co-writer Olof Gråhamn, Bjorn Rydhog continues to take his melodic indie pop into an electronic and beat-based realm. Melancholic progressions are blended with a modern retro sound inspired by M83 and The Weeknd. A logical continuation of their previous collaboration, the single ‘Just to Be with You’, which was released in 2020 and was picked up by Swedish radio.

"The single ‘I Don’t Wanna Be Alone’ shows an electronic direction I’m currently exploring. The tracks of the song were recorded separately at our different homes. I guess the creation process, as well as the theme of the song, reflect the distant and lonely, but also creative times we currently live in”.

https://www.instagram.com/bjorn.rydhog

Adam Tsarouchis – Esthimata mou (Spotify)

Categories: Audio, Features, Jazz, Jazz Features, The Latest|Tags: , , , , |

Adam Tsarouchis – Esthimata mou
(Spotify)

“Our breath holds from the captivating voice of -Adam Tsarouchis- pouring an endless stream of his soul in our souls. His song -Esthimata mou- lays between Brazilian bossa nova and classical jazz. Exotic jewel of an exquisite compilation.”

“Дыхание перехватывает, когда пленительный голос -Adam Tsarouchis- льётся нескончаемым потоком из души в душу. Его песня -Esthimata mou- это танец жанров бразильского bossa nova и классического джаза. Диковинный бриллиант в изысканном ассортименте.”

-Nagamag.com

a Greek Latin bossa nova song

https://www.instagram.com/adamtsarouchis
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5cfNAD7gcHnxquTrdLQTPg
https://www.facebook.com/AdamtsarouchisOfficial

Jaap Mol Interview on Nagamag

Categories: Features, Interviews, Neoclassical Features, Neoclassical Interviews, The Latest|Tags: , , , , , |

Jaap Mol
Interview

.


Nagamag:
What are the genres that describe better your music style?

Jaap Mol:
My main genre is neo classical. But I tend to expand it to ambient electronic music with some beats where I feel they add something to the music.


Nagamag:
Few words about your musical background and career?

Jaap Mol:
I started taking classical piano lessons when I was about 6 years old. I don't exactly remember why it were piano lessons and not another instrument, but I kept playing for years. I even played church organ for while, but discovered I'm way more inspired by a piano.
When I was around 15 years old, I discovered punk bands and that was all I wanted to play from that point on. So I bought a bass guitar, started a band and quit my piano lessons when I was 18. Since then I played in all kinds of bands, mostly pop punk, but also bands inspired on those really cool emo core bands from the zeros which I still love.

But when I finished my study, that musical environment dried up and so did the bands. I went back to my keys, sang in a a capella group and worked on some music on my own but never really got back to it; life happened and I got a job as a teacher. Back then I thought I'd never do any serious music at all ever again.

But then a friend of mine started a band and needed someone to play keys and that's how I got back into music. It worked out really well and I started playing in bands again, but this time no punk and bass guitars, but keys in pop, pop-rock and electro pop bands.

Meanwhile I discovered that my love for pop music and my interest in quiet piano and string music could be mixed pretty good and I started experimenting with what turned out to be the neo classical ambient music I create now. But I am always tempted to try new styles and experiment with other genres. Right now, for example, I worked on a live show for which I remixed all my tracks into an ambient electronic hybrid DJ-set.

That's what I love about music the most; I get bored quite easily, but never with music. It's an endless source of inspiration.


Nagamag:
Do you remember your first connection of love to music that was the right impact to be a music artist now?

Jaap Mol:
I think, funnily enough, that first feeling when I heard a punk track on the radio has been one of the most important moments to spark my music career. I waited for weeks, glued to the radio, to record that one song to tape, because I never heard anything like it. That was a really important moment, because that was when I realised that it was actually possible to create something myself.


Nagamag:
What inspires you to create new music?

Jaap Mol:
Everything I create in music always starts with a sound I love. That can be the sound of a beautiful old piano, something I come up with when tweaking a synth, or just a sample from a plugin in my DAW.
I'm not a very technical player, and at first I saw that as a limitation. But I learned that to be really creative, you have to set boundaries and limitations, and mine forces me to really dive into a sound I love, and create something beautiful from that. I'm embracing that now, and I'm really happy with how it turns out.


Nagamag:
What does your creative process look like?

Jaap Mol:
I like to do a lot by myself. I'm kind of a control freak, so when I didn't find what I wanted to create elsewhere, I wanted to master the whole process. I compose and produce while writing, just like pop records.
Sometimes I ask other studios for help because they have better equipment, but most parts I record at my own place. I like to do the mixing myself as wel, because a lot of mixing happens during the production.

I like to work with concepts for my music, so that's why I prefer to do al the artwork, photography and video's myself as well. To master all theses parts of the creative process takes a long learning curve, but I like to be curious and just love discovering new things to improve. It's an infinite playground.


Nagamag:
Most artists have a favorite song from a different music genre than the one they are producing music for... Which is yours?

Jaap Mol:
Sufjan Stevens "A Little Lost"


Nagamag:
Of Course Nagamag would love to listen also which track from a similar artist you admire?

Jaap Mol:
Jon Hopkins "Echo Dissolve"

Discover & Listen to Jaap Mol

Jaap Mol on Spotify

Jaap Mol's Signature Track

Jaap Mol on Social Media

jaapmolmusic
jaapmol

Jaap Mol's Website

www.jaapmol.com

Kristine Bratlie Interview on Nagamag

Categories: Features, Interviews, Neoclassical Features, Neoclassical Interviews, The Latest|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Kristine Bratlie
Interview

.


Nagamag:
What are the genres that describe better your music style?

Kristine Bratlie:
I like to call my music style a cross over between classical piano music, film, musical and jazz. It stretches in multiple directions, often even inside one song.


Nagamag:
Few words about your musical background and career?

Kristine Bratlie:
I am a norwegian classical pianist that developed into a composer, curios about HOW I could reach peoples heart with my music.
My musical education is from academies in Oslo, Norway and Salzburg, Austria (the birthplace of Mozart).
After turning back home, doing concerts and teaching with classical piano literature, I eventually started publishing music, both piano, chamber music and singing.
Now I live in Sweden, in a small town called Aneby.


Nagamag:
Do you remember your first connection of love to music that was the right impact to be a music artist now?

Kristine Bratlie:
I started to play piano at the age of 9, and had many fine years developing. But what I think gave me that boost, that feeling of joy and meaning was when I began singing (and playing) in a gospel choir at 13. I felt this inspiration from the harmonies, the rhythm, the joy. It became really a manifestation of music in my soul.


Nagamag:
Most artists have a favorite song from a different music genre than the one they are producing music for... Which is yours?

Kristine Bratlie:
Tiziano Ferro "Lo Stadio"


Nagamag:
Of Course Nagamag would love to listen also which track from a similar artist you admire?

Kristine Bratlie:
Ludovico Einaudi "Una Mattina"

Discover & Listen to Kristine Bratlie

Kristine Bratlie on Spotify

Kristine Bratlie's Signature Track

Kristine Bratlie on Social Media

kbratlie
kbratlie_composer_pianist

Kristine Bratlie's Website

www.kristinebratlie.com

Mirabai Ceiba – She (Video)

Categories: Features, Neoclassical, Neoclassical Features, The Latest, Video|Tags: , , |

Mirabai Ceiba – She
(Video)

“Peaceful and meditative work by Mirabai Ceiba. Acoustic performance dedicated to all the women out there. A song that opens a gate to inner self giving the chance for spiritual and emotional development.”

-Nagamag.com

The serene beauty of duo Mirabai Ceiba’s upcoming album The Quiet Hour is a timely antidote, set for a June 11th release on Spirit Voyage. Mastered by Martyn Heyne (7K!), gently plucked strings and beckoning textures lead the listener on an inward journey of calm centeredness. Angelika Baumbach’s voice wells up like an undulating stream, blossoming forth with sublime poetry.

The deep, loving bond between Baumbach and her musical life partner—multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Markus Sieber (Aukai)—is palpable, as their instruments and voices intertwine on Mirabai Ceiba’s most intimate and meditative album to date.

The serene new single “She” embraces calm acoustics, an inward pulse, and the defining quality of silence.

https://www.mirabaiceiba.com/
https://www.instagram.com/mirabaiceiba/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2qBg3GRK1U9XCkJ9JabBt3
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnjjMT2nK6LEQyUta6sCgTA

Andrei Poliakov Interview on Nagamag

Categories: Features, Interviews, Neoclassical Features, Neoclassical Interviews, The Latest|Tags: , , , , , , |

Andrei Poliakov
Interview

.


Nagamag:
What are the genres that describe better your music style?

Andrei Poliakov:
The foundation of my works is a well-educated neoclassical, romantic soundscape, but as soon as the music begins, it starts looking for cross-over opportunities to develop into an exciting house-party, jazz, pop, or electronic music, all these easily transforming to warm classical follow-ups – hence the eclectic style which I hope helps me tell better stories without words.
Essentially, I treat a musical genre as an additional color for the compositions, like seasoning in food; these colors help me get the emotions across and tell the stories to the listener with better precision and stronger impact:

I do not feel bound by a genre or a style, and instead I use and abuse the variety of styles to paint a deeper and more colorful, meaningful musical picture. Nevertheless, the Piano is always staying as a centerpiece of my compositions as I believe the richness and diversity of sounds of the “king of music” easily trumps any other instrument I know


Nagamag:
Few words about your musical background and career?

Andrei Poliakov:
I am a professional musician, composer and producer, received a fundamental classical music master education as a pianist and an oboist in Russia, and then continued with the professional musical career performing with world-renowned orchestras. Later I diversified my musical taste and capacity into jazz, rock, and pop genres, performing and recording with various bands and solo.
Since 2012 I have been living in Switzerland, Geneva, engaging into various professional activities both in artistic and business domains.


Nagamag:
Do you remember your first connection of love to music that was the right impact to be a music artist now?

Andrei Poliakov:
I started learning piano at a very early age of 3 or 4 years old: my parents are pianists and music has always been in the center of my life.
When I was in school (yes, seriously underage…) my favorite pastime while cutting lessons was to grab a couple of friends, buy a box of beers, go to a nearest abandoned building (which we had a lot in Russia in the 90s), sit down on a window sill, take a sip of a cold one, and put the 6th symphony by Tchaikovsky, or the 2nd (no, 3rd… any of them!) Rachmaninov’s piano concerto on a Walkman and basically drown in emotions and thoughts… and beer.

Hence, the music that has influenced me the most, comes from the second half of 19th – first half of 20th century – and I must admit, most of it is Russian music or music with Russian roots. Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, Skryabin, Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Stravinsky – but also Mahler, Bruckner, Richard Strauss – these composers influenced my taste the most. Depth of thought, wide array of emotions, unimaginable soundscape and extremely clever and elegant arrangement solutions; beautiful harmonies and melodies…

Being a teenager, I of course dived into the world of rock and pop music, starting with The Beatles - the band that still remains my all time favorite, and all the usual suspects: Queen, Michael Jackson, Metallica... and this journey continues to date.


Nagamag:
Is there a story behind your latest release "Moonlight" and would you like to share it?

Andrei Poliakov:
I dedicated this short piano essay to the Moon and to the most beautiful village in the world: Céligny - a tiny little place in Switzerland, where I live.
Céligny is inhabited by incredibly kind, smart, and very warm people, has an unbelievably rich and beautiful nature, and stunning views along with very old historical houses drowning in floral multi-coloredness, and there is #MontBlanc 🏔 on the horizon... and don't get me started on the birds' chirping and singing...

Once it was a home for Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, the latter is buried in the old cemetery of the village.

Céligny is an unfathomably cozy place on this planet, and I feel very blessed to have had a chance to engrave my very intimate memories of this village.

I have actually composed the Moonlight in the heart of a former water mill!

And then one early morning in February I woke up and couldn’t fall asleep again. I decided to go for a walk and took along a video camera, and there was a full Moon in the skies! I was so enchanted and intrigued by mysterious flair of that morning that I couldn’t stop the camera running - and then I decided to use some of that footage for the video of this track.


Nagamag:
Is Moonlight going to be a part of a bigger project you are working on right now?

Andrei Poliakov:
Yes, this new solo piano release “MOONLIGHT” is continuing to form my live album “Moonlight & Sunshine”, and it follows the previous releases of 2020: “Declaration of Love”, “Lullaby”, and “La Promenade in Paris”
The “Moonlight & Sunshine” album has an uncommon approach for the neoclassics genre: every next release features 2 different versions of one motive, coming to life as a piano solo piece, interpreting a narrative in the moonlight, and as a fully arranged piece, revealing the same story under the sunshine.

The album has been evolving live on the major streaming platforms as a playlist (Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others), thereby gradually forming the full album as new pairs of tracks are released.

The album Moonlight & Sunshine on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3MCyNWldBXCbZdLKehspn2?si=882c2e2dc09d4074

In a few weeks I am planning to follow up and release the fully arranged track called "Sunshine", which is inspired by the melodics of Moonlight, but features a duet of piano and violin (played by a very talented violinist from Russia) and other instruments.


Nagamag:
Most artists have a favorite song from a different music genre than the one they are producing music for... Which is yours?

Andrei Poliakov:
The Beatles "Here comes the Sun"


Nagamag:
Of Course Nagamag would love to listen also which track from a similar artist you admire?

Andrei Poliakov:
Ludovico Einaudi Una Mattina

Discover & Listen to Andrei Poliakov

Andrei Poliakov on Spotify

Andrei Poliakov's Signature Track

Andrei Poliakov on Social Media

funkypianoplay
funkypianoplay

Andrei Poliakov's Website

www.funkypianoplay.com
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