GAGARIN Talks New Album, Hometown And More

Your new album ‘Komorebi’ was released on 12th April 2024. How did you want to approach the making of the album?

Some of the tracks already existed in different forms – these I took into the studio and reworked to try to make them fit with the current vibe I had and was working on. New tracks usually arise from finding a sound, rhythm or tune and improvise around that, then start adding complementary parts and slowly building up to a completed track. I wanted to create a homogenous feel that had light and dark, floaty and beaty so that the tracks all felt sonically connected though distinct. I work in quite an abstract way so there is never a grand design until the end really – I just let it happen.

Where did you record the album and who produced it?

I recorded it all in my Margate studio – Soyuz 2.0 and produced it all myself. It was mastered by my good friend Mark Beazley from the band Rothko.

Who plays on the album with you?

 Only myself except for some wild recording of sticks, trees and twigs made with some autistic young people from a school in Surrey and some birds and the local sea.

You have also released the revamping of a 1981 single by Nico, ‘saeta’ from the album. What was the story/inspiration behind the track? Is there anything that you would like to say about Nico in your own words?

In 2022 I was hired to create part of a soundtrack to a film by Nina Danino called Solitude. The film features Nico and I recreated three Nico songs for it including Saeta that I used to play with Nico a long time ago. I loved the original and what I had done with it so decided to rework it further to include on the album. There is so much to say about Nico but firstly she was incredibly creative to work with, encouraging and open minded musically though at times a little tricky. Her voice is mind-blowing and she was also very humorous despite her image. Her legacy will never fade.

Who are some of your musical influences?

So many – Debussy, King Tubby, Pauline Oliveiros, Public Enemy, Tangerine Dream, Temptations, Hawkwind, Actress – today at least.

You are given the opportunity to write the score for a film adaptation of a novel that you enjoy. Which novel is it and why?

Wild Boys by William Burroughs cos it’s mad, crazy, twisted and so unlike my music it would be a great challenge.

Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones etc?

I use an MPC live sampler and Roland SPD6 drum pads controlling it with trigger pedals. With that setup I can pretty much do anything.

Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?

South London – gritty, diverse, chaotic, bassy, familiar.

Do you have any interesting, funny or memorable stories from the album recording sessions?

Not really – working alone means not interacting generally but my studio is kind of in the woods and when I’m editing and playing around with birdsong samples it usually attracts the external birds to come close and start to join in, which is really cool.

Do you have any plans for live shows in Europe/UK in 2024?

I am in middle of around 15 live dates across England mostly –

11.05.24 BRIGHTON The Prince Albert (Real Music Club)

25.05.24 Morphic Resonance – Livestream

15.06.24 MANCHESTER Cultplex (performing OST of ‘Solitude’, a film about Nico)

22.06.24 COLCHESTER Cuckoo Farm Studios

24.08.24 GAINSBOROUGH Church Of Sound

29.08.24 COLCHESTER Arts Centre (Control Voltage)

08.11.24-10.11.24 WHITBY Switched On Festival

Which of your new album tracks hear you at your

a) happiest,

Pam 7 10

b) angriest

Codeswitch

and c) most reflective?

Stanmer

Was it a difficult album to write?

Not really – I set a deadline and finished it three days late. I was, and still am, struggling with Stage 4 cancer which made concentration harder than usual but making the music acted as the best medicine too.

How do you look after your voice?

Rest, exercise, drinking water, eating well.

What is the meaning behind the album title?

Komorebi is a Japanese word for sunlight filtered through trees – so light and shade combined, like I hope my music, where they aren’t separate but come and go in a natural way.

What makes GAGARIN happy

Nature, music, good food, nice people

and what makes you unhappy?

The effects of Neo liberal capitalism – inequality, racism, environmental degradation. Oppression and hate.