September 2008: Lanes

by THE ARTISTS FORUM
Andrei Lanes

Artist of the Month     >    2008 Artists


ARTIST PROFILE

NAME: Lanes (Andrei Terskikh / Andrei Lanes)
LOCATION: New York, NY
ORIGIN: Brooklyn, NY
ART: Music
MAIN GENRE: Electronic (Electro House, Progressive  House, Downtempo/ IDM)
TRAINING: Self-taught

LATEST WORKS: Fractal Collapse LP


INTERVIEW

Please describe your artistic themes

I am heavily attracted to a darker side of sound so I try to show it through the bulk of my songs. There are definitely some exceptions where I go into lighter and brighter directions but most of the time I attempt to invest as much intensity and suspense as possible and keep the overall theme somewhere between a dark game soundtrack and four-to-the-floor Electro.

Please describe your creative process

I’m lucky enough to know where my inspiration comes from so whenever I’m up for a new project it is just a matter of picking the source and getting my mind into it. Also, reshaping my earlier material can easily turn into creating something absolutely different from the original so it can take it’s own form and live it’s own life.   I never try to conceptualize a track in it’s finished condition beforehand. I don’t think it is even possible in my case because almost every time another one gets started I feel like I’m in this new place without a map so I have to draw it myself and to do so lots of walking around and exploring the possibilities must be done but I never know what is hiding around the corner or what can turn up the very next moment…That’s the beauty of an experiment – this everlasting chance of unexpected discoveries and no one knows how they will affect your mind.   Writing the kind of sound that I’m involved with is a full-scale trip and I’m not just talking about the emotional experience it puts you through but you also have to make sense of it all and figure out how you can improvise while en route and know how to approach it from a completely different prospective.

What are your artistic goals?

I want to write music that would live and be appreciated long after it was created I want to build an intuitive audio-visual environment that would serve as an outlet for my work so I would be very interested in collaborating with graphic and visual artists on cross-promotional basis. I want to continue pitching my music to video game and film production companies for possible placements in their projects so I would definitely consider offers on that. I happen to know that the whole part of my following is into games and almost all their feedback is somehow related to game soundtrack qualities of my compositions so we think it would be a proper field for my music to be used in.

What are your views on the industry?

I don’t have any personal experience to share but there is an informed opinion on the subject that I tend to trust, so here is a quote from Bob Lefsetz’s “Artistic Control” newsletter: “You see the label’s goal is to sell product. They’ve become no different from Procter & Gamble. They’ve assessed the marketplace, and are knowledgeable in what can be easily sold. And that’s what they want, what can be easily sold. But what the public hungers for, and becomes addicted to, is a unique vision. Something that thrills them. The major label system has done its best to eliminate the chance of this happening. If you don’t make music that can get on the radio, if you’re not good-looking, if you’re not chatty, able to promote yourself, the major has no interest”.

What advice could you give to emerging artists?

I will give three:
1.) Know exactly what you want from your creativity and have your goals prioritized.
2.) Constructive criticism is your best friend so always keep your ears open to it.
3.) NEVER let other people’s ignorance and rejection discourage you.

WEBSITE: Andrei Lanes

Related Articles

Leave a Comment