Interview: SPOIWO

Earlier this year, Polish based SPOIWO released one of the best albums I've listened to in 2015 called Salute Solitude. Heavy synths, guitars and resonating drums which create a dark, brooding atmosphere that's as epic as it is quiet and beautiful. A stunning release so I was eager to find out more of this band and did a little interview. From double synths to icecream lollies....a quite interesting read!

 

 

 

Just read this interview while listening to their track Call me Home


1)Could you introduce your band members?

There are five ingredients which create Spoiwo. Piotr is the guitar guy, he also rolls with the cello bow and creates all kind of amazing ambient textures. Next there is Pawel, bass would be his domain, but you can see him also on the keys. We use two synths, so another one is for Simona. Last but not least we have Krzysztof - and two of them - one behind drums and one being there where Pawel is not.

2)Can you describe your own music? What kind of atmosphere should it create?

There is nothing which should be created and this is really important. In the end there is only this what has been or will be created through the perception of the listener. One should understand that creating music is a process which has its end there where the listener is. Salute Solitude is our first record and while creating it we didn’t really feel any duty or whatsoever that we “should” or “have to” go in a particular direction. We just did our thing. We just played what we had to play and wish that we managed to transfer this pure form of creating music to this record.

3) Is there a story or concept connected to the album Salute Solitude. The title explains itself as an exit to loneliness, but your cover art suggests a dark tale.

Salute Solitude defines a state of approval for the feeling of loneliness. There is no way out of it. This broad range of feelings you are going through while listening to music, you do always experience only by your own. When it comes to feelings, you can only guess how it affects the other one. The most important moments in your life are always a very subjective field. The trial of sharing these with someone else might only be a battle against this basic sense of being alone.

4) What kind of instruments did you use while producing this album?

Well, basically we used the classical rock combo – guitar, bass and drums – but what differs us from many post-rock bands is a double-synth setup. This combo can create really unique effects which can’t be obtained by a pure guitar setup. We also did a lot of overdubbing of guitar tracks to extend the sound spectrum of the album. Some of them include the usage of cello bows, e-bows or even…. ice-cream lollies (smile). However, I’m pretty sure that on the next album we will go even further, extending the range of instruments used during recording.

5) How was the recording phase of this album? It seems you put some tracks on Youtube in 2012, but just released the album.

Well...long story short - we really had high expectations and we wanted to deliver something meaningful. So we took our time with recording and the production. This is our first album, so there was much to learn about this process and there still is. Also, taking the technical aspect aside, it was about us and our music, our emotions going out there, into the world. You want to be sure it sounds the best way possible. So you keep tweaking things, polishing and that may be an endless process. And there comes a day, where you say, OK - I’m done here. But deep inside of you, there is this voice saying, “This and this could have been done better”, and that’s true, but that’s learning right?

6) The track "YOS" could be an abbreviation: could you explain it or is it a big secret? :)

(Smile) Ok, here comes the big secret. Indeed, it is an abbreviation. YOS stands for Years Of Silence, which is another of our composition. You could say that YOS is the big brother of Years Of Silence. If you listen closely you will find some similarities between them, and not only between them... This whole record is one big living organism.

7) What kind of music do you guys listen to? Any inspirational bands / music to share?

Now, that’s my favourite question. As a band, if you treat us as one collective mind, we have a really broad spectrum of artists and musical genres we listen to. We listen to a lot, we discuss our musical findings, and - surprise, surprise - it’s quite rare when all five of us are really into the same thing, equally enthusiastic. But I have to say we are pretty mindblown by the latest 65DoS album “Wild Lights”, amazing.

8) Any big plans with the band like a tour?

Yes, we are already planning our next tour. This year was really good when it comes to touring. Not only we’ve visited the most of major Polish cities but we also had the opportunity to reach our foreign fans while we visited Germany. It really is an amazing feeling to play during a single year with bands like Sleepmakeswaves, Tides From Nebula, Skyharbor, Solkyri, Tangled Thoughts of Leaving, SLEEP PARTY PEOPLE, and finally: God Is An Astronaut. Especially the last gigs with GIAA (we played three concerts with them in Poland) really taught us a lot. A very memorable experience. Hopefully next year will be even more exciting! We plan an European tour, a few festivals, and also recording a new music video!

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I like the fact that these guys don't give a definitive answer to the feelings they try to share with their music. It's all up to the listener to expierence it in their own way and interpretation. That's exactly what great music should do, it can have a different meaning to anyone. It seems that Spoiwo had a great first tour and build a lot of expierence from that. Let's hope we'll see them live very soon. In the meantime, guys and girls, get their album "Salute Solitude" right now.