Russian solo-artist, Denis Tverdokhleb, last year released his second full length album “Kelevra”. The work…
Russian solo-artist, Denis Tverdokhleb, last year released his second full length album “Kelevra”. The work has been released by Aliens Production, which remains a home for intelligent electronics. Stairway Maze mixes IDM, ambient, EBM and cinematic music. Bombast and refinement have been merged together resulting in multiple great songs. I hope this interview will incite you to discover a hidden talent from Russia.
Q: Can you first of all introduce yourself
and briefly tell us the way you got in touch with electronic music to finally
set up Stairway Maze?
Denis: My name is Denis. I am from
Petrozavodsk, a small nice town in Karelia, a region in Russia that is famous
for its fantastic Northern nature and landscapes. The surroundings are very
inspiring here and I want to believe that the music of Stairway Maze somehow
reflects the atmosphere of the North, the place where it was born. And I think
it won’t be an exaggeration to say that my music is mainly influenced by the
place I grew up and live in, than by other music, bands and projects. But at
the same time I can’t deny the fact that many musical genres and styles are
also a source of inspiration to me.
Q: Stairway Maze in an interesting and
somewhat enigmatic name for a project so what inspired you and is there any
further link between the name of the project and the music you compose?
Denis: I think the name of the project
came from our contemporary way of living itself. I mean, just look around! When
I look out the window I can see nothing, but tower blocks! And what is a tower
block if not a stairway maze? So I guess on the one hand Stairway Maze is
about city life rhythm, but on the other it’s about serenity, beauty and the
opportunity to take a breath.
Q: You last year released your second full
length album “Kelevra”. What kind of album is it and how did the writing and
production process happened?
Denis: The process turned out to be quite
complicated actually. First of all it took me much time to pull wits together
and to understand which direction I want to choose in writing the album.
I had a few ideas at the moment which I tried to implement, but all of them
didn’t work. But then life itself gave me a clue. In September 2018 my father
died from cancer, so it obviously made an impact on the mood of the album and
the way it sounds. And this album is a dedication to him. But at the same time
I didn’t want “Kelevra” to be completely dark. If you listen to the
album you can hear that there is also a light within some tracks. It was
important for me. I wanted the album to be diverse.
Q: That’s maybe why your album sounds
eclectic and I should even say it’s a real maze… a kind of sonic labyrinth
filled with different influences and music styles; IDM, EBM, ambient and
cinematic.. What do all these music genres mean- and evoke to you and what
explains your eclecticism?
Denis: Thank you. I do really love
cinematic electronics. And if I’ve managed to make it noticeable, that’s the
greatest praise for me. As a listener I’ve always loved the music that make
your imagination draw some pictures in your mind, that mesmerizes you and puts
you into a trance, music that helps you escape from reality. Yet I love
grooves, beats and music that pumps ears as well. So all of this of course
affects my own music. At the end of the day, as I’ve said already, I prefer
diversity.
Q: How do you look back at your debut
album “Hollow Spaces” and what have been the main changes compared with
“Kelevra”?
Denis: I truly love “Hollow
Spaces” although it seems quite raw to me technically (now I see that
clearly) and there are things I would like to change if I’d a chance to. Anyway
there definitely are some good tracks on it, which I really like. And I don’t
think that there’re fundamental differences between the first album and
“Kelevra”. I suppose that the main and the only aim of the latter is
just to reveal the nature of Stairway Maze a bit further. And that’s it. No
undertones.
Q: What are the pros and cons living in
Russia and dealing with this kind of music, which is often liked by a
restricted number of listeners? How do you see Stairway Maze evolving towards
further releases?
Denis: Honestly I don’t want to expatiate
much upon that. I would just say that the situation leaves much to be desired,
at least concerning small towns like the one I live in.
And as for Stairway Maze future
releases… I don’t know. There is no point of thinking far too ahead. Time
will tell, what it would be like. But what really matters for me is that I’m
totally sure that there WILL DEFINITELY BE future releases) But no hurry!
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