Q:
Can you give us a bit of general information
about yourself and your musical background.
Well, to begin with I am an ordinary man, like all of you.
I have my own life, enriched with all kind of emotions and
doings. Life looks quite simple and complex at the same time,
but I think I find myself on the right path – to live
and work with music. Most of the time, I am working over my
stuff or any client’s material in my studio –
AMA Sound (online studio for mixing and mastering music)(www.ama-sound.com),
which I officially opened 1.5 year ago. I have a solid musical
background, which has come from long studying here in Bulgaria.
I have a bachelor degree in music – New Bulgarian University,
by subject "Computer Systems & Technology in the
branch of Music" and I have a master degree in the same
university, by subject “Sound-engineer”. In the
music scene I am known with the pseudonym Sleepwalker and
I am composing generally in the New Age/World genre, but I
have great appetites for film music and symphonic soundtracks.
Since 2003 I have officially released 2 solo albums and a
single. Since 2005 I am an official member of ASCAP (American
Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers). My basic
instrument is Native American flute.
Q:
What’s the story behind the new
album ‘Amenti’?
Amenti is my latest official release, which is the result
of 2 years of hard work. The music inside is a tender blend
of low and high acoustic guitar lines with soaring wordless
vocals moving in and out of the background, noble tones of
Native American flutes and innovative combo of bongos, djembe,
doumbek and timbal that fits nicely in the New Age, World
& Ethnic genres. The main concept for the album comes
from the story about “Halls of Amenti”, a place
which exists only in the world of Atlantis. It is said that
Egypt is the inheritor of Atlantis’s civilization. So,
I like the name, it has good sonority.
Q:
How would you say that your music has
progressed since Flower Of Life?
I feel the new album is more
advanced and developed. The orchestration and compositions
are more complex. This actually is a continuation of my previous
album “Flower Of Life”, because it is said that
“Flower Of Life” is decorated in the “Halls
of Amenti”. The difference with my past works is huge,
as I had 2 years to create my compositions, to find the proper
musicians and instruments that I wanted to blend with my music.
More than 60% of the music this time was recorded with real
instruments, not samples. I wanted to replace as much as I
could with real instruments, which required a lot of time
and organization. As the height of perfection the album is
mastered by the Grammy award-winning engineer Bob Katz, Digital
Domain Studio, USA. It’s really nice to see the progress,
it’s a normal step which is a reflection of our own
development as humans.
Q:
What influenced you to write music in
the style that you have adopted?
There are many artists and
bands that reflect on my own sound, but I can distinguish
a few of them as most important – Enigma, Jens Gad,
Deep Forest, Afro Celts, Lesiem & Douglas Spotted Eagle.
In addition I can point as well to some Soundtrack music
composers, whose music influenced me – Hans Zimmer,
Klaus Badelt & Howard Shore.
Q:
How do you go about
making your music?
If we accept
that the man is born with his talent, I can say that in my
case it came suddenly. I was 16 years old and found a music
computer program. I was enchanted and so began my journey
into the world of creating music.
5.1 Where do you start?
It’s different every time. The main point is the melody.
I do not follow any structure or template. It’s just
like notes comes out from my head and I am putting them into
composition.
5.2 How do you develop a piece?
Once I have the melody I design easily the composition with
inclusion of recorded instruments and vocals.
5.3 How do you decide when a piece is complete?
Good question! Well perhaps in the moment, when I start to
feel that the harmony becomes too loaded with lines and there
is a chance to destroy the piece. It’s never agood approach
to throw all ideas into one song, because there is a big chance
of breaking it.
Q:
Where did you find the collaborators
that worked with you on Amenti?
I am always searching for talented
instrumentalists. In this case the answer is just hard effort
in looking for musicians around.
Q:
Can you tell us a bit about your graphics,
the album and website have a powerful visual impact.
The album art cover took 4 months to develop. I have worked
closely with one of the finest designers in Bulgaria and I
am glad he succeeded to expose my vision in artistic pictures.
The website is also the result of closely hard working with
a web design team here in Bulgaria. It’s never hard
to find quality people to create your imagination, it’s
hard to find the right people for that. I am glad I found
them.
Q:
How involved are you with the imagery?
Well, a lot maybe. When I do compose music, I feel like I
am living in own word. Everything that is ancient and mystic
involves me completely as a human and this reflects on my
music. The world is full of inspiration, you just have to
look for it.
Q:
How do you feel about the album now that
it is complete?
I feel great,
full of energy for the upcoming album. I feel like I can develop
more and more. There is nothing better than a new album.
Q:
What is the musical scene like currently
in Bulgaria?
Well,
currently there are a lot of new artists and bands, that
follow their own path. Our country was always rich with
musicians. Still everyone knows our root folklore music,
which even Peter Gabriel used in his music.
Q:
What musical plans do you have for
the future?
Well certainly five or ten years ago, I
was at the beginning level and I had only dreams, for which
I knew that I have to work hard and don’t give up ahead
of trammels, lack of knowledge and hindrances. I had a lot
of things to overcome, but I have always lead from my heart
and my wish to make spiritual & atmospheric music. After
five or ten years, I find myself still composing music and
hopefuly it will reach many more listeners around the world.
The music is cosmic and I hope to contribute even a little
bit for its eternity.
Thanks
to Lyubomir Yordanov a.k.a. Sleepwalker for allowing us
that interview.
