Igor Volk… E-Volk-active sounds
Interview: Igor Volk
Published on August 2nd, 2012 | Jonny Abrams
Former New Young Pony Club bassist Igor Volk might just be the finest purveyor of smart, groovy synth-pop to emerge from the former USSR. Currently working on his debut album with Nick Phillips of New Sins, his utterly splendid single “Voice” came out in June accompanied by the below video, courtesy of Polish director Dawid Krepski, so Rocksucker fired Igor over some questions to find out a little bit more about his bold leap into solo-dom…
How long have you been writing, performing and recording music for?
I wrote my first song when I was 15. I started my first band the same year. Though often the main or one of the main writers, I have always been playing in bands. This is the first time I am doing a solo project.
How would you describe your music, if pushed?
Progressive, laid-back, introspective pop.
Where are you based, and what do you use to record with?
As many musicians do I live in East London. It works in many ways. I start recording songs at home on my old PC running Cubase with a few bits of gear I have collected. At a certain stage they get transferred into Logic to get finished when me and Nick are working together.
Are you signed to a label? If so, how did you come to their attention?
No. At the moment I am releasing material on my own label Fools Paradise Records.
Is there a full album in the works? If so, what can you tell us about it? (Feel free to be as abstract as you like!)
It certainly is. The songs are at a different stages of being finished, but overall I am pleased with the way the material fits together and forms the overall sound of the album. Your perception of the album changes as you keep writing and sometimes I think I would like for it to also be at the same time a scientific study of personality, not just mine but anyone who listens to it.
Where can we hear your music online?
The video for my single “Voice” is available on YouTube, Daily Motion and Vimeo. Numerous blogs feature the song as a free download. If you want a high quality version you can buy it on Colette’s website. Best is to get it on vinyl. Pop to Phonica in Soho or Rough Trade.
Which have been your most exciting gigs and/or overall moments so far?
It was exciting to get over ten thousand views on the day the video got released. Sometimes it is hard to know what people’s real response to your music is when they hear it online. But this time it was very positive.
Got any more coming up? (Gigs, that is…)
We have just played our first show with the new line-up which we all really enjoyed, but I haven’t really been looking at live dates until very recently. There is one at Village Underground in October, but there will be more before then.
Are there any obscure and/or up-and-coming acts that you’d like to recommend or give a shout-out to?
Madrid have a great first single out, My Tiger My Timing who have just released their first album, have just discovered a band called Dibidim.
Finally, if you were forced to spend the rest of your days in solitary confinement, but were allowed to bring the entire works of five different artists along to tide you over, whose would you choose?
Tough, but I’d try to cover as much of my musical taste as possible, so I’d bring Bill Evans, Prokofiev, Frank Sinatra, Black Sabbath and The Smiths (though they only had 4 albums).
Igor Volk, thank you.
For more information, please visit igorvolk.com
About the Author
Jonny Abrams Editor of Rocksucker and the website's founder, Jonny is passionate about the music he listens to, both good and bad, as well as interviewing his favourite musicians.
