Interview with Rastko / Shadowdream.
𝟏. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐣𝐚𝐳𝐳 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐝𝐝 𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐭𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐭?
The love of jazz came from my father and his collection of old vinyls such as Art Blakey, Coltrane, Charles Mingus... However I did not think much about it while I was a kid and went to discover other musical styles and genres. As I grew older and more mature to appreciate the jazz I got back to it. Then this whole loophole opened and I started to look for different jazz musicians and bands, which finally led me to the darker side, the one I am implementing as well. I started to work on my own dark side of jazz, aa it gave me the possibility of creating thriller and crime films without a camera.
𝟐. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐜?
When creating music, there is no ultimate goal for me to make people feel something, I only create a vessel which they can board in their mind. This can take them to all sorts of emotional plains. I try to create basically a soundtrack to a non existing film - a film which each person can create in their own mind. With that comes a vast array of individual feelings for each one of the listeners, or at least that's what I hope happens.
𝟑. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤?
It is not a preparation per se, but more of a lifestyle which puts the music on paper. A lot of cinema, a lot of different music, a lot of stories picked here and there and of course obligatory time for myself to process all of that. There is a good Stoic exercise I practice - every now and then I go to the cemetery and sit/walk there, collecting my thoughts among the silence of the dead. After a while being surrounded by the dead, when you get back to the busy streets you kind of feel even more alive and collected and that gives me the strength to put my thoughts and ideas in music and other (creative) work.
𝟒. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞?
I think the realization that I don't have to be limited stylistically, ideologically etc. in music. If I would have to do only one style of music without any experimentations, limited to only one theme, I would quit in no time. There are so many undiscovered musical and thematic journeys through which I can reinvent myself, that, for example, I have no idea which genre or style my next album will be.
𝟓. 𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮?
There aren't any specific musical artists or artists in general that influenced me. Or better yet, there are just too many. I could mention, as music goes, Cypress Hill, Urfaust and John Surman, but they are just some personal favorites of mine, which do not necessarily influence each album. I am more interested in exploring different peoples stories, experiences, be them positive or negative, interpret them and put them in musical tones
𝟔. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐜 𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞?
I guess looking back at it, I can see my own evolution with the music. From the kid trying to go to the extremes, trying to prove something to someone, to just being a plane old me doing something that fulfills me. No expectations, nothing to prove to anyone. That is why I guess my music evolved, or better yet matured.
𝟕. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡?
Wormholedeath is not just a label, but a family. And as such, an artist is not being treated like a name on the contract, but a creative person who has unlimited support from the personel. That is what I get from Carlo, Natascia etc. I think that is the highest compliment I can give them.
𝟖. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥?
Well, I guess it's to find a way not to repeat myself in the creative process. To reinvent myself as much as I can. While this is happening I will be on this journey, when it doesn't anymore I guess the goal will already be achieved.
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JAZZ SOUNDTRACKS FOR ENBALMING
