Next SL-artist in Millis Music Magazine is Krakov Letov. He is a busy man with many projects. Krakov runs the pub
Notes Shack Pub with a live stage, which often offer events with more or less famous but always exciting musicians. He also has a store KLP HQ Store that includes instruments of various kinds and even a small art gallery.
But the reason why Krakov is in this blogpost is because of his musical talent. He plays a soft and relaxing music. Its like I´m always gets sleepy when I´m listening to his music and that is not a bad thing for me because I find his music very soothing and of course good.
Krakov has a
website and a
gig calender there you can check out more about him.
How would you describe your music, what style is it?It's an improvisational music with a mix of ambient, electronica, experimental and post-rock elements. Still to classify it as a one whole, I would go as experimental music.
How long have you been doing music?I started learning Piano when I was 13, however "more seriously" I started to make music about 2 years ago which was the start of some sort of minimal Experimental and Drone Ambient music, involving nothing but only guitar and loops.
Are you writing your own songs?I like to think I am composing on the go. Every different show I do in Second Life is a different type of song, something I don't think I would ever play before. However there is these songs I come up during the show that leaves me a good impression and I try to turn them into a shorter version than the 30 minute limit I have for each song I play in Second Life.
If you do, what comes first when writing your songs, the lyrics or the music?I am not a lyricist, nor a singer but the whole process of creating the music comes from one simple loop. If I like the loop I try to "evolve" it into more complex forms of music.
Where do you find the inspiration for your music?The inspiration comes from the music and radio stations I am listening too. I even get inspirations while taking a stroll in the park, or waiting in a busy airport for your next destination.
Who are your role models in music?Nick McCabe, Brian Eno, Jón Þór Birgisson, Robert Fripp, David Sylvian and Laurie Anderson.
How long have you played in SL?I started around April 2009, so far almost 2 years.
Do you also play in RL?I do. I have played few times, and I hope to play more in the future.
What is the difference between playing in SL compared to RL?In Second Life people come to your event just so they can focus on your music. You have more freedom to experiment with sounds, and more feedback. Hard to get a good ammount of crowd to come to the events, but still the right crowd who respects and enjoy your music is better than a laggy sim full of people.
In Real Life is much different. The hard thing is setting up the equipment and soundcheck, but then its a different feeling. I think people need to have the guts to go out in the crowd and show them what you can do. It's really more accomplishing than Second Life, but still I preffer playing in Second Life. In Real Life it's harder to please the crowd, esspecialy where I live people are not that open minded for different type of music. Not much space to experiment with sounds too.
Why did you join SL?Was it because of your music-making or something else?I found out about SL in 2005, but then I couldn't really play it because I didn't have much bandwith to spare. I joined with this avatar in December 2007 and I had no idea that there was a live music community at first. I found out about it in April 2008 and was a follower since. I created The Notes Shack Pub (under a different name) in May 2008 and since then have had many live musicians and bands play at the venue.
Which is your favorite venue to play in?My favourite venue's to play at are Germelshausen Coffeeshop, The Haus of Lux and F.A.B. They offer great range of artists and DJ's, have great listeners and for the main reason they are really great looking.
Do you remember your first SL gig? Please, tell us about it.For Live Music it was in April 2009. It was a open mic event and did a 30 minutes set. I had predefined set back then, but improvised more with guitar.
What are your plans for the future in SL?Find more venues to play at and more listeners into this kind of music. Same for artists who want to collaborate for dual stream events.
I asked Krakov if he wanted to pick out one or two videos from Youtube with his music and of course he wanted to do that. Here they are:
Thank you Krakov for answering my questions and good luck with your muscial career in both SL and RL.
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