2/4/2017 – Tune crashers is the work of Eugen Tune. Hailing from Minsk, Belarus, yet another international addition to the growing synthwave scene.
Slickster Magazine – Can you tell us about the current state of EDM or electronic music in general in Minsk? What’s popular in the clubs right now? Are people still paying for music or just downloading it?
Eugen Tune – At first I’d like to thank you for kind words that you guys gave about my album, I’m very persuaded – want to go to the studio as soon as possible and work on a new tracks. Feedback is always very important. There is a lot of progressive youth here, in Minsk, because with a help of Internet and open borders everyone has possibilities to visit different cities and to get acquainted with the culture of various countries. But for many reasons club culture can’t be as cool as in other European countries. There are a few enthusiasts who makes good parties but it happens not so often. Here, in Minsk, leading music styles are the same as in other European countries – techno is still the most popular. What about us, 2 years ago we (Tune Crashers, Ezhi, Watu and Starblaster) started to host a MINSK’81 – a series of parties with the leading style Retrowave and all connected with it. Today our parties are quite popular because we are trying to drop people into the atmosphere of the 80’s not only with the help of music but with visuals and the stuff like arcade machines, clothes, thematic drinks, game consoles, etc.
Your bio lists that you work for Wargaming. Does your work in the videogame industry influence your music composition at all?
I adore my job! I can call myself a happy person because it’s a pure pleasure when your hobby becomes your profession. Of course, working in a big company enrich my professional skills as long as I face exciting and hard objectives every day. My sound design and audio engineering level is much higher and I start to understand certain trivia which helps to accelerate the work and getting the important decisions.
Can you give us a quick rundown of your gear? Hardware, guitars, and software patches….
I’ve always wanted to have my own studio and I was happy to finish building it a month ago, so now I have an opportunity to work on new tracks in the atmosphere of freedom and to meet with my friends from MINSK’81 and work together, it’s a lot of fun! Here is my gear list:
iMac 27, RME ADI-2 Pro, Avantone Active MixCube, Genelec 8040AP, Arturia Keylab 49, Akai APC 20, Akai APC Mini, Behringer BCF2000 MIDI Controller.
Do you ever feel limited in the genre, and if so how do you break out of the same old clichés to create something original?
There were never any limitations. I’ve been writing dubstep, electro, d’n’b, glitch-hop at any times but always knew how 80’s music should sound like. I can’t describe it, it’s in a level of feelings. Maybe that I was born in 1985 and grown up in this atmosphere, I don’t know, maybe that I like sci-fi movies and books, so if someone will offer me to fly in space right here and right now – I won’t refuse. I think that you have to get through variety of music styles and work out your musical taste, constantly working on your own style and get it! There is a genius saying that there are only 7 notes in a world, but as for me you have to let them in then to transform them in your very own, unique way. Even if you’ll try to copy someone’s style you will get something yours, so listen, write, play – and everything will be great!
Many musicians do not have any formal music education, but still imagine and create awesome music. Did you study music, and if so where?
Unfortunately I don’t have formal music education. My mom is a violinist but I didn’t follow her footsteps. I’ve finished art school but music was always near me, that’s why I’ve started to write it in the age of 14. I’ve been spending all my free time for it and nothing happened for a very long time, but I always knew that not doing it would be worse and little by little is started to succeed. So now I think that music education is a very helpful bonus but wish is the point.
How was the collaboration with Starblaster? Can you describe the different roles you shared on ‘Angle of attack’, ‘ Long journey’, ‘Ondorg’, and ‘They’?
It happened by chance. One day I was listening Andrew’s tracks and noted an awesome guitar charge and it was a 100% what I’ve wanted to be in my music. I was really surprised when I recognized that we live in the same country, so we couldn’t not to use this opportunity to invite him for the second MINSK’81 party. Andrew is a very kind and funny person and professional, it’s a pleasure to work with him! It’s very important that he understand the 80’s atmosphere and that he can improvise practically straightway, what is more, sometimes it’s so cool that you can record the whole album! Process of making new tracks is consists of complementing each other – for example, I write a little demo, then we discuss it, recording some melodies, how to arrange them and in a few session we have an almost complete track. Then Andrew record guitars, send them to me and starts the stage of final arrangement and mastering. Then we have a complete track!