Gleb Kolyadin Talks New Album, Musical Influences And More

Revered pianist and one half of atmospheric prog duo Iamthemorning, Gleb Kolyadin will release his new solo album ‘Mobula’ on 28th February 2025 via Kscope. We were very fortunate to talk to him about the new album and much more:

When did you begin performing/songwriting?
Well, technically I started when I was a kid and went to music school. So from 6 to 26, I studied in school, then in musical college, then in conservatoire, and there were at least 4 proper performances in a study year, every time with a different repertoire. Plus, some extra performances with chamber ensembles. So I’ve really been on stage all my life and feel very comfortable and natural. But speaking of non-classical or academic music, I started to play with some bands when I was a teenager, maybe around 16–17 years old. Then around 20, I was very curious to use a PC to record and compose some music… and then iamthemorning started, and I became quite confident performing as just a solo artist presenting my own stuff. It’s a bit difficult to detect the exact “first time” — it feels like I’ve always done it in my conscious life.

What is your earliest musical memory?
I loved music when I was a kid. I loved singing songs and listening to music on a turntable during the day. It was so cool to feel it like a colorful world from the speakers that could change everything around you. Now, for me, music is everywhere. Everything I see is music, and every film I watch is music, and every meeting with people is also like music. So I mean the music stopped being a separate world or medium — everything blended altogether, so I can barely split my life and perception into ordinary experience and musical experience. They are parts of one thing now.

Your new single ‘Glimmer,’ which is out now. What was the story/reason behind choosing to record that song?
Glimmer is a part of my next album, and I just felt like this is a self-sufficient track that could be released separately as a single with a beautiful animated video. Musically, it’s a simple tune where all layers are added step by step during the track. Honestly, there wasn’t any particular reason for choosing this track specifically — I just loved how it sounded in its draft version. A few years later, when I combined different drafts into one proper album, that tune became a good bridge between the previous track and the next one. I just love this track.

The single is accompanied by an official music video. What was the thought process behind the video, and who directed it?
I always wanted to make an animated video for my music. Especially when Water Movements came out, but I didn’t find the right person who could do it. Then The Outland was released, and all the tracks there were quite intense and very long in duration. But on this album, all the tracks are quite short — some of them are just 2–3 minutes. For me, every tune is like a short story about a fictional world. So I decided that it was time to do an animation finally, and then, spontaneously, I found the Instagram profile of a fantastic animation artist, Natalia Ryss, who had previously worked with Max Cooper. We chatted a bit, I sent her my music, and we chose this track.

The thing is, all the work is completely handmade — no AI, no tricks at all. Every frame is done by hand, so it is a very, very long and difficult process that takes some patience to finish. There were also some different techniques used, like rotoscoping. In the first minute, when the hands play the piano, every frame was redrawn from a real video, but it’s still entirely hand-drawn work. Natalia sent me some draft ideas, and then we decided that she would create one minute per month. But after a few frames and seconds of the video, I realized that I didn’t want to correct or ask her to redo anything because everything was right. I mean, there’s no right or wrong, but I just felt that something new and unique was happening. For every artist, it’s crucial to do only what they want to do, and any involvement in their process can ruin the whole picture. So I truly believed in what Natalia did, and the final result, I think, is stunning. This film has already been sent to a few animation festivals this year, so I guess there will be some feedback even from the professional film community.
By the way, another video for the second single is on its way.

In addition, you will release your new solo album Mobula on 28th February 2025 via Kscope. How did you want to approach the making of the album?
Well, honestly, this is the first album where I used mostly very old drafts. I listened to some old ideas a while ago and realized, “Wow, this actually sounds nice, let’s find a few more tracks with this vibe.” Then I chose 14 tracks from my draft library. I have about 500 tracks in draft form, so there’s a lot of different stuff.

This time, I just wanted to combine simple, short musical stories with a bit of a dreamy vibe. Some of them have folkish elements, some have neoclassical influences, there are some rockish guitars, and the time signatures are a bit quirky sometimes. But generally, they’re simple stories, beautiful and colorful landscapes. That’s how I chose to blend all the tunes together — just imagining they all describe a fictional planet. I’ve never done anything like that before. All my previous works were more proggish and acoustic, more complicated, and quite serious. This time, I intentionally saved the simplicity and made the color palette more quirky and contrasting.

Where did you record the album, and who produced it?

This album is my first work fully made while living in the UK, where I moved a couple of years ago. I recorded the grand piano in London at Elsden Music Studios in Hackney. This is a very nice and cozy studio with great equipment and top mics. My friends Marcel van Limbeek and Gianluca Capachione, who previously worked on iamthemorning’s Lighthouse, told me they have a new old Broadwood piano in the studio, so they invited me to check it out. I thought that despite the piano being quite old and me mostly preferring modern instruments, there would be an interesting contrast using a 100-year-old piano—sometimes even slightly untuned and with all its imperfections—combined with some electronic samples that appear on the album here and there. Then all the other instruments were recorded in private studios by other people involved in the recording across the whole country, from East Sussex to Scotland.

I then slightly edited all the material and sent everything to Vlad Avy, a Canadian producer and engineer and my old friend, who I’ve worked with all these years and who also recorded some electric guitar. He was in charge of how the whole work sounds. I’m good in terms of arrangement and deciding what parts should be played, but I know nothing about mixing and mastering properly. Vlad does. He’s a real pro at that and helped me a lot in deciding on some musical strategies during the recording.

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

Well, only the huge traffic in London comes to mind. The first day of the piano recording, I was late for almost two hours because all the trains from the town where I live were canceled, and there were also some roadworks in London. Classic! So it was a bit stressful. But apart from that, we all just step by step rebuilt and rerecorded old drafts into something that became ready to release. It took just 4-5 months to finish everything with no rush or hustle.

Did you use any particular instruments, microphones, or recording equipment to help you get a particular sound/tone for the record?

For the grand piano, we captured the sound using two vintage Neumann U87 microphones connected to a pair of vintage Telefunken V76 pre-amplifiers. We tried different stereo techniques (NOS, AB & ORTF) at varying distances from the instrument. The analog signals were digitized using a state-of-the-art and distinctly non-vintage RME converter. No signal processing was applied.

Evan Carson, who recorded all the percussion, used Hedwitschak Bodhrans, Requena Percussion, and Istanbul Agop Cymbals.

Who created/designed the album artwork?

This time, I asked my friend Maria Yurieva to create all the artwork and design for both the digital and physical releases. We’ve known each other for many years, and she has always helped with design for iamthemorning albums, but this time, even the artwork for the album, singles, and booklets were all done by her.

I think it’s very convenient to have someone you know well who has the freedom to use their own art for all the design aspects, like the inner booklet for the CD edition or everything you see when holding a vinyl copy. It’s much better than a situation where one person creates the cover art, and then someone else has to deal with transforming it into a design or adding their own elements. This time, all the visual parts were made by the same person, and it worked perfectly.

Which of your new album tracks hear you at your a) happiest, b) angriest, and c) most reflective?

Maybe The Radiant is the happiest one. For me, it’s the most joyful track on the album. I really love how the low whistles and bansuri played by Ford Collier added the perfect mood in the climax.

The angriest is possibly The Tempest, where my friend Liam McLaughlin recorded some electric guitars.

The most reflective is maybe the last track, Gaia — just a piano piece that feels a bit like a mantra and fades out, leaving us without any answers about what’s going on. It sounds quite self-reflective at the moment.

What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage?

First of all, I love to be in balance during the show — both physically and mentally. When you’re totally focused on the music you play but at the same time feel the freedom to improvise, it shapes everything you’re presenting to the audience. If you have this balance and enjoy the performance, other people usually feel the electricity from the stage. Every concert should be a bit like a magic ritual, to be honest. This is why the venue and the place where you play are so crucial, and it’s also why I don’t really enjoy playing in crowded small places. I feel much more comfortable performing on a proper big stage.

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

I’m very flexible about that. Maybe it’s because I still see myself as a classical pianist, even though I don’t play classical music these days. I mean, I’ve always been ready for any situation since I couldn’t bring my own instrument to concerts like string players, for example, can do. So, I don’t really have a favorite. All the tools just need to be useful and practical. When I moved out of St. Petersburg in 2022, I only had a backpack with me. Since then, I’ve just bought a Studiologic keyboard and some basic equipment for writing.

I’d love to take my own Bösendorfer, Steinway, or Yamaha Grand with me to shows, but I don’t have any of them. Maybe someday.

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?

As a theatre composer, I’d say that the best scores I’ve written were for the most unusual plays—projects where I didn’t even expect I could create something good. I love intimate plays, those that aren’t so action-packed in the literal sense but have deep psychological action.

For example, one of the best experiences I had was a few years ago, creating music for the mono-play In the Rays. It was a letter/diary monologue by Marie Curie. The production was small — a collaboration between a St. Petersburg theatre and Poland, with almost no budget — but it turned out to be one of the most sincere pieces of music I’ve ever written. I was given almost total creative freedom.

So, I’d love to compose a score for a psychological film or something similar. That said, it’s a dream of mine to create a proper big film score, so I’d be excited to try my hand at any genre.

Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations?

David Lynch and Wong Kar-Wai. They’re directors, but they’ve given me more musical inspiration than most musicians. I think it’s quite logical to find inspiration in other mediums outside your own because it can bring new experiences that you can transform into your field.

If you want names of musicians, then Mike Oldfield is the first that comes to mind. For me, he stands above all other multi-genre artists with his truly unique musical sincerity, intuition, and soulfulness. Everything he’s created is full of genuine love and joy, and I honestly don’t know anyone else who can craft a simple melody so beautifully.

Brian Eno, Dead Can Dance, David Sylvian (especially the Blemish era), Future Sound of London, and many others—they all inspire me. Artists who create their own fictional worlds, blending the familiar with the unfamiliar, always spark my imagination. That’s what music should be.

Do you have any live dates planned in the UK/Europe in 2025?

I’m playing a solo piano show in London on February 28 at Smithfield Piano. It’s kind of an album launch gig.

Other than that, I’m focused on finishing my next recording, which I started a few weeks ago. I’d love to play more shows, so we’ll see, maybe something will come up closer to autumn. Anyway, I think a couple of new tracks will be released later this year.

What two pieces of advice do you have for a novice pianist?

Practice thoughtfully, explore different mediums, and read more.

People often focus solely on their instrumental skills, but there’s endless beauty if you dig deeper and explore areas that might seem unrelated to your main goal.

What makes Gleb Kolyadin happy, and what makes you unhappy?

Good weather and thin, crispy pancakes with black coffee on a Sunday afternoon always make me happy.

Bad sound in the cinema and cold weather make me unhappy.

Feature Image Photo Credit: Avgusta Levina

Gleb Kolyadin’s new solo album ‘Mobula’ is released on Friday 28th February 2025 via Kscope. It will be released on Purple Vinyl LP, Black Vinyl LP, CD and download/stream.

Pre-order here: https://glebkolyadin.lnk.to/mobula

In addition, he will perform a show on the release day at Piano Smithfield, London, United Kingdom. Tickets are onsale here: https://wegottickets.com/event/646557

For more information visit his Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/gleb.kolyadin.music/