Interview with Electronic Artist Andrei Lanes

Electronic music canvasses a broad spectrum of styles from the tranquilizing atmospherics of Enigma to the club-driven melodies of David Guetta. Its terrain is the product of music technology made mostly from synthesizers, sequencers, midi files/samples, and drum machines which are accessible from an audio digital workstation. Electronic music is tilled by artists who bridge world cultures by being able to produce sounds that are identifiable to distinct regions, sometimes replicating Australia's didgeridoo or Scotland's bagpipes, and then layering the exotic accents with melodic expressions that have a futuristic-slant. In effect, electronic music can form visuals by shaping sounds, and New York City-based Andrei Lanes is one of the genre's finest illusionists to shape its landscape.

Andrei Lanes is a man who channels his thoughts, emotions, and creative leanings into his music. His latest CD, Verity is a product of his agile imagination furnishing an ambient mix of sci-fi imbued spirals and wind-whipping swells. His three previous records, Smoke & Mirrors, Hydra Missing: Fear The Worst, and Fractal Collapse, all received critical acclaim and enabled Lanes to hone his talent for crafting cinematic riffs putting him on the path to becoming a vanguard of electronic properties liken to Tiesto and The Chemical Brothers. The possibilities which he kindles by manipulating sound waves is inspiring as he sculpts synth-textured tones into melodic patterns that flicker elegantly and move profoundly.

Lanes describes about Verity, "I love it. It's definitely a step up from Fractal Collapse both musically and technically, and the substance in it, in my opinion, is way more expressive. I can honestly say I did the best with it."

Electronic music is more than a chic art form played in clubs to Andrei Lanes, it is music inspired by the voices in the mind holding a dialogue between the ego and the conflicting alter-ego. Electronic music is the conduit for those voices which do not speak in linear lines used by traditional instruments but rather is comprised of multiple layers that interact spontaneously, similarly to the way the mind works while playing a video game. Andrei Lanes' mission is to compose electronic music that impacts the world and opens people's consciousness to the elusive realm of the unknown.

What are the origins for the concept behind Verity?

Lanes: Most of the ideas for Verity came from a series of video game soundtracks. Despite the common view of video game music as a background addition to visuals intended to be just an atmosphere enhancer, I thought that maybe I can try to write something that would remind [people] of a video game sound, but could be capable of creating a mood all by itself. So, I looked for the elements that might work in making a difference here and implemented them in the album.

Do you play video games?

Lanes: Aha. I'm a big fan of the Silent Hill series. it's my all time fave and I like mystery/adventure especially those with an interesting story, elaborate puzzles, and unusual environments like Riven and Syberia. I think my imagination adds a lot to a gaming experience because I always try to imagine myself inside a game and let its atmosphere devour me. And since I pay attention to the sound, not a bit less than to the visuals, it helps a lot in getting a deeper appreciation of the whole thing.

Can you see yourself as a video game music composer?

Lanes: No, this is not what I'm looking for. I mean, it's definitely one of the very interesting jobs out there, which allows and stimulates creativity, but I'm an artist and I want to build my career on turning out albums and playing live gigs. I need live interaction. I need to see the eyes and feel the reaction [of an audience]. But I'd surely be very happy to give my music to video game guys and see it used in their projects, especially small independent developers with interesting ideas.

What can audiences expect to hear on Verity?

Lanes: Fast ones like "Motion Creates Emotion" and "Amyland Triquettra" sound more bracing and uplifting, which is in contrast with songs like "Midwich Element," "Things Down There" and "Amyland" that are dark and disturbing."

What is the basis for creating such duality on the recording?

Lanes: I thought it gives some dynamics to the album. I didn't feel like going with complete uniformity so I decided to diversify a bit by adding some edgy stuff.

How did you determine when a song was finished and reedy to be cut? What do you listen for in the songs?

Lanes: That's probably the only process that can give me a headache and mostly because the criteria I use to evaluate my own stuff tends to change. Whatever looks fine today might disappoint me tomorrow. It's relatively easy to find the elements that create a clash in the mix or jump out, but if a problem is more subtle and harder to pinpoint, it can become a real nuisance. Plus, what would constitute a full potential is different between compositions. The approach I use is to let an original version cool off for a few days before revisiting it. It clears the perspective like nothing else... Things I pay attention to in my songs is how completely do they express my vision, how interesting is the musical substance, how do they change my mood, and do they remind me of anything.

Where did you record Verity? Did you have an engineer or a producer?

Lanes: All of the work was done at my home studio. I used a combination of software synthesizers, plug-ins, and editors that were capable of handling the processes I had to use. I did all the writing, programming and producing myself. Additional mixing was handled by FPM and mastering was done by Sam Skaff at Mixlab.

What is your formula for making your music interesting?

Lanes: I define 'interesting' in terms of music as appealing to my personal taste and having textures and elements that sound cohesive together and have some kind of a sonic intrigue hidden within, so to speak, that is good enough to stimulate an emotional response in me. It's not so much about the quality of such an impression but how deep and long it affects my mind. So that's what I'm going for in my stuff.

Were there any tracks or musical ideas that you wanted to include on Verity but decided against it for some reason?

Lanes: Nothing as far as I remember. The factors I chose to adhere to when deciding on what to use in a song are my personal taste and the vision for a particular composition. Since I'm an indie