Russian duo Namesis & Corvad return for their second release on Soma Records with the World On Fire EP. After an explosive debut in 2021 with the Rave Is Dead EP, the pair strike back with even darker and more sinister EBM / techno hybrids backed by a stunning remix of the enigma that is Vril.
Like their debut release, the next EP it is a product of uncertain times in Russia and the world. The statement was written during the lockdown in Russia when police released public warning messages telling people to stay home and not protest in the streets. Due to the repression, Namesis withdrew in the field to make music as a means of escape and the world on fire is the product of those sessions.
We have had the pleasure of interviewing Namesis & Corvad about their latest work and future projects.
Hi ! Where can we find you right now? How did you start your day?
Namesis: Hey! Right now I’m in Kaliningrad in a rented apartment. At the moment I am on sick leave and do not work, do not worry, everything is fine, I have free time and can talk to you 😉 And in the morning I started writing a new track, I try not to miss the opportunity when I have time.
Corvad: Hey guys, I just got back in my studio after visiting IKEA in the morning, the last 3 months I almost live there because of big repairs in my apartment and studio, the main good thing about that is that I can often eat meat balls and almond cake from the IKEA restaurant.
What was your first foray into the world of electronic music?
Namesis: It was like a daze, my first release was back in 2010, if I’m not mistaken on I Hate U Records. And literally a couple of days later I got into the top 100 indie dance / nu disco on beatport and every day climbed higher reaching the 4th place. Next to me were guys like: A-Trak, Digitalism, Boys Noize, Vitalic and others. The release came out on the next day after my birthday and it was 3 days before the New Year. To convey what I felt, I was glad and drunk.
Corvad: I fell in love with electronic music at a quite young age, I started to visit huge raves which were popular in Saint-Petersburg (my city) in the middle of the 2000s. Closer to school graduation I became a school sound engineer which allowed me to lead school discos, which looked more like underground raves than just a usual school party. People from other districts came to our school to rock under the sounds of drum’n’bass and pumping house (russian type of hard house). That was so crazy, so at one moment we completely lost control and discos were prohibited in our school! Since then I realized that electronic music is what I want to do further.
When did the idea of starting a project start to take shape? Has it always been something you wanted to do?
Namesis: It was over 12 years ago. My friend Edgar helped with the start of the project and motivated me. This is probably one of the key people in the development of my project. And many years later, I relaunched the project with a mask, completely different music. Also nothing would work without the support and help of Corvad. Have you always wanted to do this?! More yes than no. Of course there were days, months, when I did not touch the program, did not sit down to projects and did not even listen to music. But on the whole, I would like to work in this direction. But for now, it’s more like a hobby.
Corvad: Yes, I realized that I want to make my own music quite early and was experimenting with different styles like drum’n’bass, house, breakbeat and dubstep, was searching my own sound in between and it finally formed as Corvad in 2015, since then I absolutely sure that I follow my own right way.
How would you define the sound of the EP World On Fire?
Namesis and Corvad: It is a well shaken mixture of industrial, electro, ebm and new beat which came out at the right time on the right label.
What is the concept behind?
Namesis: This is a cry from the heart. To tell about what is happening in the world in 4 words about what is happening in the world through the emotions of the track itself. I hope we succeeded and many people understood us.
Corvad: World On Fire EP is a kind of reflection on the events that took place in the world in 2020/2021, to all this madness and unpredictability, you can hear it very well in the title track of the release.
What artists are you interested in these days?
Namesis: There are so many of them: Identified Patient, Kris Baha, Djedjotronic, The Hacker, David Carretta, Alessandro Adriani, Corvad, Rudiment, Sinusoidal, Randstad, Sophie Du Palais, and many others.
Corvad: I am big fan of Ital Tek, Throwing Snow and Lorn, really like the heavy unique sound of Tzusing, TSVI, Identified Patient, Zamilska and guys from SVBKVLT label. If to talk about a more mainstream sound then I would say Two Fingers, Baauer, SebastiAn and Mr. Oizo, they are geniuses.
How do you manage to combine such disparate genres? How do you manage to give them unity and harmony? What do they have in common for you?
Namesis: I just do what I like, how I feel. There is no algorithm. Each time in a different way. Considering that now I am preparing new material, it is a little different and faster. However you will surely hear everything soon.
Corvad: I don’t follow any algorithm too, just hear the sound in my head or being inspired by something, it can be absolutely different things like current events, books, places, music, movies… That is all the bright emotions that I want to capture and transform into music.
How would you define your sound?
Namesis: Electronic, industrial, gloomy – probably so.
Corvad: Experimental, deep, dark, slow – sounds cool, isn’t it?
Can you tell us something about your current or future projects?
Namesis: Now I am working on 2 projects. For Namesis project I am writing a new release, collecting material for the album. And for my second project Ninetees together with Sunko, we are waiting for the debut album release on Dalmata Daniel. You will surely hear everything soon!
Corvad: I am preparing the release of my new album this Fall, it will be something special that I was cooking for a couple of years. There will be some EPs before it and also a collab track release on deadmau5’s label mau5trap as well. Follow the news very soon!
