Heyoka
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Heyoka

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While when asked about the rather off-beat description of his approach to composition he is willing to explain his understanding of the words, his response feels somewhat distanced from the description. His immediate response arrives, “That’s the first line in my artist bio. I didn’t write that though,” before explaining, “My take on that though is that in music and sound in general, there are sort of mathematical codes that I feel people are discovering through sound design and music production. In the same way as it’s believed fractal geometry or the Fibonacci sequence describe nature and the universe, there are similar kinds of codes in music and sound. So through a medium that is totally synthetic and created digitally, music producers are able to make sounds that seem somehow familiar and organic.”

While it is immediately apparent that there is a clear understanding of the definition and its relation to his musical approach, it seems only fair to allow Olenev the chance to explain his work in his own words. He reveals, “My approach is to just get in the zone, and mess around with different ideas till I stumble on something I like and try to make something new out of it and that usually inspires a series of new tracks.” In stark contrast to the logical and methodical approach implied by the term scientist, Olenev appears to be someone who simply enjoys experimentation, yet is open to plethora of results and is almost seeking that surprise element. He continues, “I don’t have a very set way that I start a track. My process can vary a lot.”

“I like to fuse elements of familiar traditional styles of music with completely alien types of sounds in an overall vibe of wacky psychedelia, and usually try to have it be something that will work for me on a dance floor.” As he continues with his explanation, it becomes apparent that while he may not be able to fully define his approach to sound innovation, he does have key ingredients that he enjoys having as constants. “I like my sound to be very alien and trippy, but still fun and wacky at the same time.”

His description is perfectly aligned with his product. Having released three full albums since his 2008 debut EP – Whomp Gland & Pineal Dub, Gate Code and Marklar – it appears to the outside that his recordings have, to date, simply been about a man wishing to capture a moment in sound. When probed if this might be the case, Olenev sighs an understanding. “I would say yes to that. All the albums have pretty much been collections of the style of music I was into making at the time.” While his approach may have maximised his output, the sighed affirmation intones a desire to make a move from marking magical musical moments. My suspicions are compounded as he notes, “I’m really wanting now to spend more time on an album with a more clear vision for how it will play out as a journey, as opposed to a collection of my current music.”

“I haven’t really formulated a clear intention as a musician. I just like to make what I want to hear.” Far from being a man with a clear plan, Olenev’s approach to his potential career trajectory mirrors his musical identity. Rather than shying away from opportunities, or even actively seeking others, Olenev simply sees what happens. His approach is far from nonchalance, but rather one of simple acceptance that all he can do is what he does, everything else just evolves around it. “For the music I make for parties, I make what I would want to hear dancing at a party or festival. I just want to keep evolving my sound, and coming up new musical ideas to keep in fun and interesting.”

“I take influences form all kinds of music. On the electronic side of things. A lot of my early influences were dub, down-tempo, IDM, and breaks. I have always listened to a lot of old music though. I like a lot of jazz, blues, ’60s rock, reggae, hip hop, ska, calypso, punk, many different kinds of world music, etc….” Through his more than slightly diverse musical tastes, Olenev has been able to cultivate a fully rounded and diverse soundscape, and though he waxes lyrical about his design being inspired by partying people, it appears his leaning is towards musical creation as opposed to performance. He states initially, “I enjoy both,” but concedes, “I think I really get into it more in the studio, because for me one of the funnest things about it is stumbling on new ideas, and a sort of zone I get into where I feel like the inspiration is really flowing. There is a lot of time for me in the studio too where it doesn’t work like that and I get stuck, but then when I get into a zone where I’m making something new that I really like, it is very fun and exciting.”

Though he may be one of the few artists out there who will willingly admit to preferring studio time to stage time, Olenev clearly gets a buzz out of making people move. With Shine On serving as one of the highlights of his upcoming schedule, he is already contemplating how he can make his set memorable for all the body movers. “I’m working on new music now that I’m hoping will be ready for them. I’ve also been completely reworking my live setup to allow me to change up my tracks a lot more on the fly with playing and chopping up beats live. Last summer, I did a lot of kind of circusy tracks that were on my last release, so that style has definitely been a part of my sets lately. I have been finishing up some tunes that are very different to those though too, so I’m hoping to have a good selection of new tracks in time for Shine On.”

“I think everything needs to fall into place in the right way,” he says of making a set memorable. Though it is impossible to predict exactly how things will play out, it is clear to him that there are certain factors that make things run better than others. “There are those certain moments at parties or festivals where you feel like everyone is riding this wave together, and it’s very hard to describe. I think a combination of good music, good sound, location, crowd, stage design, visuals, art etc. all play big parts in making a good dancefloor experience that really goes off.”