Phil: Hey Igor, you are from Moscow, can you tell us something about the electronic music in Russia, is there a big scene?
Igor: Yep, that’s true, I was born and grew up in Moscow, Russia. I can’t say that I consider myself a member of the Russian minimal-techno scene. I have a feeling it’s not very big and pretty closed,. All artist are friends or know each other personally, but that’s not typical for the Russian techno-scene. It’s common practice in all techno-communities in most countries. Unfortunately, I must say that there are no top-class techno artists here, most of them moved and living in Europe now. But still there are some nice artists here, Easy Changes, Bip Soup, Andrey Zots and Suokas for example.
Regarding the music which is being played in Russian clubs – it’s definitely not underground minimal techno, but usually pop-oriented tech-house. Moscow clubbers don’t really like newcomers and like to visit parties with world-top-class DJ’s, which is not making local scene stronger of course. But it’s not so bad as it seems: Moscow is a real club paradise, most of the world-class DJs have played here and many of them are residents of Moscow clubs now.
Phil: Since when are you interested in electronic Music?
Igor: I started to take interest in electronic music when I was 16. At the beginning, it was classic electronica, such as: Orbital, Underworld, Leftfield, Future Sound of London, Orb etc. But then I was carried away by IDM music (labels such Warp, Mille Plateaux, Hymen and etc.), projects like Autechre, Aphex Twin, Venetian Snares, Apparat became my idols. Regarding minimal techno - I became a fan of such music approximately 1.5 years ago, since I started to produce my own tracks. My current musical tastes were heavily influenced by my friendship with members of Bip Soup duo (which was a real-time techno improvisation band). I was in a real culture shock, I never could imagine that it’s possible to play techno music in such a way. So, this friendship influenced my decision to try myself in techno production.
Phil: You are producing minimal-techno in a very unique style, what are your influences for these sounds?
Igor: I don’t think that my style is unique. It’s inspired by the sound of labels like: FoundSound, Igloo, Lessizmore, 11:AM, Dumb Unit, Stock5, Multi Vitamins etc.
I’m using Max/MSP (its kind of visual audio programming environment), so it adds some sounding). The samples I’m using in the tracks could be everything from movie sounds and field recordings, to domestic noises and ambiences.
Phil: Most techno producers are releasing to get bookings, but you are not performing. Please tell us why?
Igor: Seems I’m not very interesting to Russian promoters and clubs. And regarding to European live gigs – at this time I’m still searching for good booking agency, but I’m sure I will find it soon.
Phil: Couple of days ago you released an EP on a new Dutch label "Tracer". You get awesome feedback from guys like Pheek, Someone Else, Kasper and Papol, Hakan Lidbo, Brett Johnson and many more. How did it came to this collaboration?
Igor: The release on Tracer Records.....it happened so fast and sudden, that I’m still wondering.
Kevin Bogaard just wrote me on my page on MySpace something like: "Hello, we are from new label - Tracer Records, don’t you want to show us some of your tracks for a vinyl release?" I sent them my tunes and the guys from Tracer liked them.
Then I asked my friend Petr Serkin (a man who is behind the Bip Soup project, whose productions influenced my music tastes) to make a remix on Citadel track. Petr made a fantastic remix which I sent to Tracer records. They liked the remix very much. So that’s all. Then I got cool feedbacks from famous artists, it was a real surprise for me.
Phil: What can we expect from Phoiod /Igor in the future?
Igor:This year, next to the vinyl release on Tracer, I will release vinyl EPs on Kaufe Minimal Musik and Multi Vitamins labels.
Phil: Please tell us your current Top 5 of artists and tracks, and name tracks which influenced you in the past.
Igor:
My techno-heroes are:
From Karaoke to Stardom,
Cesar vs. Disorder,
Seph,
Pheek
Someone Else.
My current tracks Top5:
1. Marco Shuttle - Dont laugh at me - Serialism Records
2. Cesare vs Disorder and Rudolf - Burludos – Archipel
3. Seph and Pablo Denegri - Obsure - Dumb Unit
4. Speedy J - Red shift - Electric Deluxe
5. From Karaoke To Stardom – Do you speak in glitch – Rrygular
And considering music, which I was influenced by – it’s definitely Autechre!
My mind was really damaged by their sounds and unique approach to tracks structure.
Phil: Have you had some special highlights in your career in recent memory and can you tell us what it was like to hold your first record your hands? Does it have a special place?
Igor: My absolute No1 highlight in music career- signing contract on my first vinyl release with techno-star Alex Bau. It was fast and suddenly, as always. Alex wrote me that he liked my track CY30 and wanted to release it on his label Momentum. I was shocked, because all newcomers are sending tons of demos to release their first vinyl. I didn't send demos at all. Not every artist is signing his first vinyl contract in such a way. About the moment I was holding my first record - it was in post-office, so it wasn’t really special place...but anyway, at that moment, I realized that I’m a real techno artist. It was fantastic.
Phil: Next to vinyls you also released on digital labels. How do you feel about digital releases compared to vinyls?
Igor: Before I started to release vinyls, my first two EPs and several tracks on VAs were released digitally on Beatport. I don’t think it helped me a lot (maybe it’s about bad label choice too), because the main problem of digital music - is the dominance of low quality tracks, in which some of the cool tracks simply disappear. Vinyl is working like some kind of quality filter, not so many artists could afford themselves to release vinyls.
Phil: What non-electronic music do you listen to these days?
Igor: I really like kraut-rock, it’s fusion music from jazz, rock and improvisation. It was popular in 1960-1970, projects such early Kraftwerk, Cluster, Can and etc. And also I like early non-electronic Brian Eno's ambient.
Contact and Information about Phoiod:
www.myspace.com/phoiod
www.residentadvisor.net
soundcloud.com/phoiod
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Igor Tikhonov is a Moscow based media artist, electronic music producer and partly - programmer. Igor began his media experiments in 2004. Approximately in 2005 he took a great interest in visual media programming environments such as Max/MSP and began to develop his own interactive applications and later - MIDI generating programs and sound tools. In 2006 his interests shifted in interactive installations and entertainments area. At present time Igor fully concentrated on his music project Phoiod, which oriented on algorithmic minimal techno with heavily using of Max/MSP. And also, he still is programming Max/MSP applications for alghorithmic audio and MIDI processing.