DeepDark - Interview

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Published on Sunday, 11 February 2018 19:53

Interview with: Dmitry Dark
Conducted by: T.V.

DeepDark ia a relatively new dark ambient project, formed in 2015 by Russian artist Dmitry Dark, who on the other side is not a newcomer in the musical scene, he was active before in many different bands/projects for more than 20 years, playing everything from punk rock to black metal. Under the monicker DeepDark Dmitry released in these two and half years of existence many releases, among the albums it must be exposed the dark and sinister work named Human Corrosion, released in June 2016 and the latest album titled The Ruins Of Immortality, which was released in October last year. There were many other releases, one track album series, singles, EP's and a lot of collaborations were done with acts like Sun Through Eyelids, Arctica, Breinskam, Psionic Asylum and others. DeepDark creates deeply sinister music filled with very evident "in your face" thrown field recordings. DeepDark is strongly marking his position inside the dark ambient scene quite fast, his music was released on many different labels such are Cvltforest, Petroglyph Music, Ignis Fatum, Kalpamantra, Whales Devouring Hopes Records and the last album on Twilight Zone Production, as well his tracks were present on many compilations. Read the interesting interview with Dmitry, we talked about his latest album, his musical endeavors, projects, collaborations, future plans, influences and yet much more. DeepDark is one of the most intriguing new acts in the dark ambient scene, and with every new release is showing more maturity, professionalism and coherence.

T.V.: DeepDark is relatively a new name inside the dark ambient genre, but still, those who follow this scene know it. So, can you say some words to present this project of yours to our readers who still don't know DeepDark?
Dmitry: Greetings! In fact, DeepDark was born on 10th October 2015. Before the birth of the project, I was listening to the heaviest music, in particular such genres as death metal, black metal, doom metal and other similar styles. After some time I came across the album Collapsar - Beyond The Event Horizon and then I suffered... Later there were such cult performers as: Lustmord, Raison d'etre, Desiderii Marginis, Paranoia Inducta and others. A few years later I tried myself in this amazing post-industrial genre of dark ambient... and now what I'm writing you hear in your headphones or speakers. I played 20 years on a solo guitar in the band Всё хАрАшо. This was my main line-up. But I also participated in several other projects. From punk rock to black metal. During this period of my life, I created my own projects. There were projects with dark electro and projects with dark rock. The most important project of that time was called Тьма (Darkness). I recorded the album for this project for 3 years. After some time I created DeepDark.
T.V.: Your latest album is The Ruins Of Immortality. Congratulations for it, it certainly is a great work of dark art. How are you satisfied with it?
Dmitry: Thank you so much! The album The Ruins Of Immortality was recorded during the last year. There were many changes in my life, which led to the multiplicity of this album. I'm completely satisfied with this album and I'm proud of it.
T.V.: Most of dark ambient albums have real stories to tell and if well done it might evoke many images inside the listeners mind. What's the story that is present in the album The Ruins Of Immortality?
Dmitry: There is one story on the album that goes through the whole album. But this story is not so obvious, it's ghostly and light. This is a story about self-knowledge, self-sacrifice. The history of knowing the world, which is not so good. This is a very personal story. Throughout 2017 my life has changed a lot. The name for the album The Ruins Of Immortality was not chosen by a chance. On the cover is a figure, a reflection in the mirror is the embodiment of death. The realization that each of us is mortal.
T.V.: Even though that you collaborated with many labels before, the album was released as a self-release if I'm not mistaken?
Dmitry: The album was actually released on the Polish label Twilight Zone Production.
T.V.: Oh, right. I haven't noticed this information anywhere before. So, are you satisfied with the work of this label?
Dmitry: Yes. The label is quite new, but for now they fulfilled all of the promised obligations.
T.V.: You did also some interesting collaborative releases. Some of them were with Sun Through Eyelids, SRVTR, Arctica, Breinskam and some others. Those kind of collaboratins became very popular inside the dark ambient genre. Tell me more of it, why do you think it's important to make such releases?
Dmitry: I like to create collaborative work. This is a separate chapter, a separate experience. It happens when we agree on a certain topic, but it happens also when we just send each other the finished tracks and this is a very interesting process. Suppose I wrote a track in one key, and another project in another plan and it's really interesting how it comes together. You can't foresee what will happen. For me this is very important because every musician thinks in a different way. And it's really cool!
T.V.: And which one of all these collaborations was the most interesting for you?
Dmitry: I really enjoyed working with Arctica. I also want to make a note on the work with Sun Through Eyelids and Breinskam. As well working with Ghost Empty and Psionic Asylum was quite interesting. And also a new, not yet released work with Paranoia Inducta. But this is a separate story.
T.V.: Ok, pretty diplomatic answer if you mention all of them. Let's get back to DeepDark. After the release of The Ruins Of Immortality, you released a very interesting one track album Космос III. It's pretty different from what you did on The Ruins Of Immortality for example. What can you tell me about it?
Dmitry: Thank you! Космос is a series of albums - tracks dedicated to the theme of the cosmos. I really like this topic. The cosmos always attracted me. I follow the space news very deeply, I'm a longtime admirer of NASA. Even my acquaintance with the genre of dark ambient was from space albums (Collapsar, Cosmos Entropy,...).
T.V.: Yeah, I thought so, and this thing about cosmos and space seems to be very popular lately, not only in dark ambient, also in black metal and some other genres. Some sub-genres were also named differently because of this topic (space black metal, cosmic ambient, cosmic drone,...). Why do you think this topic has become so very interesting just like out of a sudden?
Dmitry: The theme of space became popular not five or even ten years ago. Remember Pink Floyd and their Dark Side Of The Moon in 1973, or the first 2002 album of Darkspace. The theme of the cosmos was and will always be relevant.
T.V.: Yes, that's absolutely true, but this themes became so very popular and expanded very much in the last three or four years.
Dmitry: Agree. The answer is simple - everything changes, we change too.

T.V.: If I'm not mistaken your first release under the name DeepDark was a self-titled EP released in November 2015. After that you did a lot of music, but can you tell me how do you feel the difference between your first works and latest releases? What has changed within DeepDark since then?
Dmitry: Yes, everything is correct. The first opus of my DeepDark project was released in 2015. During these three incomplete years the project has matured. I feel it myself. This can be easily traced in my music. The project has become more mature, more saturated. At the time when I started (in 2015) many of my friends did not hear such an independent genre of dark ambient. Now in 2018 I see a more extensive audience, a lot of young people who are not only attached to this specific genre. My music has also become something more important to me. Most recently, just the other day I finished recording a new album. The album will be called The Themes. This album is a whole story. The album was recorded just over a year. This is a concept album and I hope that soon everyone will hear it.
T.V.: In your tracks you use a lot of field recordings, which are pretty evident. Many times also industrial sounds. Tell me, how are the compositions done in the end. There must be a lot of work to blend everything together to achive this kind of coherency?
Dmitry: Yes, I use my recorded field recordings all the time. I'm recording them at work, at home and in general everywhere. It turns out that when I hear a sound, I already foresee the composition. That is, when I make field recordings, the tracks in my mind are already in my head. And that's why it's easier for me to work with the composition. I do not have a heap of sounds, everything is already sorted into my head.
T.V.: And what's the main thing in your opinion where DeepDark differs from other artists inside this very genre?
Dmitry: Complex question. I do not even know what to say. It's not about the difference, most likely. Each musician is a separate person, a separate universe. Everyone sees any object under his own angle, under his worldview. Even if you take me and let you be, and we will have to write a track about the tree, I'm sure that you and I will write different tracks, because different processes take place in each individual. And it's really great!
T.V.: Fair enough answer! And who were the artists/bands that influenced the sound of DeepDark the most?
Dmitry: I would like to highlight Lustmord, Blood Box, Circular, Collapsar, Cosmos Entropy, Desiderii Marginis, Gustaf Hildebrand, Kammarheit, Nether, Nordvargr, Paranoia Inducta, Phelios, Raison D'Etre, Sleep Research Facility, Tholen and Treha Sektori.
T.V.: And how much has the area where you live and work inspired your works?
Dmitry: I'm inspired by nature, forest. Where I live, in the district, there are many abandoned cemeteries and old abandoned buildings and houses, which is of course pretty inspiring. I'm also very inspired by industrial areas.
T.V.: Now, as you mentioned it before you have already completed a new album. What more can you tell me about it, except the fact that it will be a concept album. When it'll be released and what can we expect to hear on it?
Dmitry: At the moment there is a selection of the label, so I can not say by whom and when the new album will be released. The album is called The Themes - it will consist of seven tracks, seven separate themes based on a story about a little girl that grows with each track. The girl grows out of a shy child into an adult woman. Everything begins with the birth of a girl, she is born in a world full of evil and fear. The world is crumbling in a nuclear apocalypse, but the girl manages to survive and she lives her life in the post apocalyptic world. She becomes a girl and seeks answers - why her world has become so. With each theme (track) the girl reaches the truth of her origin. In this album you'll be able to see DeepDark on the other side. I mean with the repertoire from a different angle. This material has become more mature and much more diverse than anything I did before.
T.V.: A very interesting theme. I suppose that in a way it predicts the future if the things in the world will go the way as it seems now...
Dmitry: I would not want the fate of our world to coincide with my story. But political circumstances can be shaken and our world will be drawn into this same fate. Although I do not watch TV very often and I'm not very interested in politics. I am told about this by friends and colleagues at work.
T.V.: That's the fear that many of us must live with. Tell me, is DeepDark meant to play live shows? Have you ever or will in the future play on stage?
Dmitry: I had a live performance in April 2017 in the city of St. Petersburg. I played in a small club GEZ - 21. I was accidentally invited and I decided to try myself playing live. This is my first experience of live performance in this genre. I was very worried, but still played on a solid five.
T.V.: Any live dates scheduled for near future?
Dmitry: So far no planned live performances are foreseen.
T.V.: Before creating DeepDark you were active in many bands and played different genres. One of them was the project called Тьма (Darkness), of which you just recently re-released the album Изнутри. It's a completely different thing from what you are doing now. I find it as a very interesting mix between goth, darkwave and some synthpop...
Dmitry: That's right. I was busy in many groups and projects. In the genre of stylistics, I played both punk rock and death metal, as well as techno and black metal. In fact, I am a well-rounded person, I like listening to Alrakis, Darkspace and I can listen to Mylene Farmer, The Prodigy and other bands. I like old albums of Ulver, and as well I like listening to their new album released in 2017. I never closed myself on a stylistic framework. On the new album of DeepDark you will hear new facets and styles. There will be many new things.
T.V.: Are you now concetrated only in DeepDark or are you active as well in any other project?
Dmitry: At the moment I'm working on DeepDark and on my other project Grande Abisso. This is also a project in the genre of dark ambient, only a little darker.
T.V.: Everything around Grande Abisso is in Italian. How so?
Dmitry: The new album was released in September last year and is called Schiavi Del Vuoto (Slaves of the Void). Italian is just an idea for the topic of the project and album. Though this is a thought-out topic that can not be explained so easily.
T.V.: Like of many dark ambient artists also your roots are in the more extreme genres of metal. Are you still listening to that kind of music, and how has this kind of music influenced your present work?
Dmitry: I started with the classics like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and others. Then there were Iron Maiden. It was a wonderful time! Time passed and the styles changed - trash metal, death metal and black metal. I began to listen to the most extreme music. Black metal - Burzum, Immortal, Emperor. Among all the conglomeration of groups I would mention Immortal, Ulver, Anathema, In The Woods, Satyricon, Darkspace, Alrakis, Summoning,... from the classics are the same Iron Maiden, Napalm Death and of course my favorite Death! From the groups I started with, they will remain forever in my heart.
T.V.: Before ending this interview, tell me who is Dmitry in the world outside music. What enthuses you in the private life?
Dmitry: I am a simple and ordinary person. I work as an installer, I am a builder of railway and automobile bridges. I traveled all over Russia. I built bridges in Moscow, St. Petersburg, on the island of Sakhalin, on the Yamal peninsula. I am also a father of three children. Music is a part of my life. I started writing music at the age of 13.
T.V.: Impressive, where do you find the time for music... Ok, is there something else that you would like to mention before we end this interview?
Dmitry: I work on a rotational basis. Two weeks I'm at work, and then two weeks I rest. That's the time when I write everything that accumulates in me for two weeks of work. Being at work I do a lot of field recordings, which later find their way out to the masses. I would like to thank you so much! To you personally and to the whole staff of Terra Relicta!

DeepDark links: Facebook, Bandcamp

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