Celsius Recordings
Label
An interview with the Shiny Radio project (Ilya Shiny and vocalist La Kos) for the online magazine Overlooker.
How and when did you manage to put together such a collective? How did it all begin, and who took the main initiative in creating the collective?
Ilya Shiny (chef): A very long time ago, the Shiny Radio project released its first full-length DIY album. It was an atmospheric Downtempo record, with original scratches and all the characteristic features of the style.
At that point, there could be no question of putting together a live collective, since the specific Downtempo style is based entirely on looped samples and chopped-up fragments from various records from the 1970s.
The situation changed completely with the release of the first drum and bass album in 2012. That was when I realized that, for a driving sound at a venue, we needed at least live drums and vocals.
In 2013, we recorded an EP with La Kos, consisting of four tracks. It received quite a few positive reviews both in Russia and abroad. But a half-hour record was not enough for a full live-performance program.
It took considerable effort and time to record the complete new album Sweet&Wild, with which we could put on a proper concert. At the final stage of writing the album, negotiations were held with Nikolay Bannikov about his participation in the Sweet&Wild presentation. Then, after several rehearsals, we were ready to play live!
La Kos (vocals): I was searching for myself musically, but of course I did not want to do pop music. A friend shared a link to Shiny on social media, saying that he was looking for a vocalist for his project.
It turned out to be a drum and bass project, which was exactly what inspired me. Without thinking for too long, I took a chance:) and it turned out, I have to say, pretty well:)
In your opinion, what is most important when promoting a project like yours? There are many electronic-music producers and a whole range of supporting websites, yet not every artist manages to achieve popularity like yours (people in the audience were singing along). What gives you an advantage over others?
Ilya: I am sure that promoting music, a project like ours, is impossible without a creative and unconventional approach. I mean that presenting music that makes the listener experience certain emotions, stokes an inner fire or, conversely, makes them feel a certain tranquility is fundamentally different from presenting music that is more saturated with technical tricks and flourishes. Since our music is currently intended primarily for listening, we try to present it in an emotional way. I also want to point out that our project is not commercial. And non-commercial projects are very difficult to promote. Especially in our country. But in Russia, and particularly abroad, there will always be people who appreciate this kind of music. Although, as far as I know, “listenable” drum and bass is highly valued in Europe. To be honest, I do not think our project is very popular. Still, our first joint album (EP) with La Kos, Feel The Fire, left many people far from indifferent. Most likely, the people in the audience were singing along to tracks from this release in particular :)
La Kos: What gives us an advantage? It is liquid funk performed with live instruments and vocals. There are very, very few groups doing something like this. Despite the difficulties, and despite living in different cities, we spent a lot of time in the studio to make our music genuinely distinctive. Besides, liquid funk is atmospheric music that will appeal even to people who listen to hard rock:)
How did you manage to move beyond the local level and gain popularity abroad?
Ilya: The thing is that drum and bass culture in Russia is not mainstream, unlike, for example, in the United Kingdom, where it emerged more than 20 years ago and continues to receive incredible support to this day in the form of new singles and albums from producers around the world.
And we managed to achieve a distinctive, high-quality sound: it was time to win over listeners abroad. Some time later, after brief negotiations with the Dutch label Celsius Recordings, our first release abroad came out. An unexpectedly large number of positive reviews and good wishes immediately appeared online, from several European countries. It was incredibly gratifying. Later, we received requests from three British radio stations to put our tracks into rotation.
La Kos: We immediately set ourselves the goal of reaching a European standard. Since we had no problems with the foreign language, this was not difficult for us. The tracks from the Feel The Fire album spread like hot cakes: people liked the sound. We confidently decided to release through a foreign label and did everything according to our plans.
Ilya, the idea and music belong to you (that is what it says in your VKontakte group). Where do you draw inspiration for your creative work?
Ilya: In fact, inspiration is everywhere. It all comes from various experiences; whether they are positive or negative does not matter. Every day brings new impressions and experiences. Sometimes there are far more ideas than time to realize them. At best, I sometimes even manage to combine them into one thing, such as a track :)
Ilya, what is your project's mission, and what do you want to convey to the public in your tracks? Is there some deeper meaning, or do you simply like it, enjoy performing, and want to make money?
Ilya: Let me repeat: in my opinion, music should stoke a fire inside the listener. That is precisely what guides us when writing material. Personally, I like giving people my experiences in the form of music. In turn, people dream or think about something of their own while listening to it. It is like a game of associations, and I am the host. I do not know anyone who would not enjoy playing associations.
Ilya, you are the project leader. How are contentious issues resolved within the collective?
Ilya: You know, contentious issues are not resolved within the collective at all. They simply do not exist. We are devoted to something great that we love dearly. Everyone puts a substantial piece of their soul into it, so there is no room for disagreements.
La Kos, what attracts you to this type of electronic music (drum and bass)? Do you sing anywhere else?
La Kos: I have been into this style since 2007, from the moment it first entered my ears. I have always liked broken beats, and over time I discovered more and more new performers in the genre. Yes, I sing in many other settings, in jazz and blues styles, host parties—in general, my element is the stage, music, and liquid funk:)
La Kos, what advice can you give girls who want to express themselves through vocals? How can they make themselves known?
La Kos: Make themselves known? To be honest, my advice here would hardly be appropriate. Everyone has their own methods of self-promotion creatively. You have to act, not be lazy, and believe in what you are doing.
Translated from the Russian version published by the online magazine Overlooker.
