Artist: Moonbeam (Traum) Interview by: Glenn Holmes

1. How was the idea of the moonbeam project first brought up?

Vitaliy: The idea of creating our project Moonbeam has appeared to us a long time ago. At first we had a project called Exalatation, afterwards in 2003 we have decided to rename it to Moonbeam. The name "Moonbeam" was thought up by our first vocalist Chris Lunsford living in California. His vocals appear in our debut plate “Raven Gipsy” which has been released on Feed Me Records.

2. How Difficult it is to be brothers who share the same interest in music?
Was it always like that?

Pavel: Easily! Our tastes practically completely coincide. We listen to a lot of different music and always we convert our tastes on the same track.

3. What and who inspired you to start producing music yourself?

Pavel & Vitaliy: Our inspirers are Jeff Mills, Green Velvet, and Laurent Garnier. Also we love very much the music released on UK’s label Pork Recordings.

4. Every person involved with activities that request creativity and inspiration (Musician, Writer, Composer etc) have better and worst days. Where do each of you find his own inspiration?

Pavel: Each of us finds inspiration in different things. I very much love women and they inspire me.
Vitaliy: I find inspiration in the family. I have a son named Robert. Who’s only 6 months old, but together we always find inspiration in music.

5. These days the market for independent labels, especially digital is about to flood, many new labels are opened each year. What can you offer to someone who hadn't heard about your label (Moonbeam Digital) yet?

Vitaliy: Our own label “Moonbeam Digital” consists of two sub labels “Moon Tribal Records” and “Disoma Records”. On “Moonbeam Digital” we release only the music which has been written down together with vocalists from different corners of the world and with remixes from world actors, such as Jeff Bennett, Stephan Hinz, LeRon & Yves Eaux, Luke Star, Clubbervision. This summer we will have a new vocal single "Home" with powerful remixes from Jon Silva (Plastic City, Shayan Music). Moon Tribal Records it is focused basically on progressive and electro house music. On it we let out young beginning actors from all around the world such as: Jalebee Cartel (India), Ciaran Campbell (N. Ireland), Alejandro Rado (Argentina) Chad Cisneros (USA), and many other, and also our own productions under Glockenspiel. ” Disoma Records” is focused on tech house music. Here we let out mainly Russian musicians, such as Jan Zyabovski, Stanga, Spieltape and our own tracks under PAK & VAK. We are always interested in new names for both sub labels, Therefore please send the demos to ours email moonbeam@moonbeam-music.com.

6. Signing for Traum might be the breakthrough for you to perform much more around the world.
Is there any place you're dreaming to come and play at?
What do you like better playing live or a DJ set ?

Pavel & Vitaliy: We very much would wish to come back and play in Japan and Australia, and also in the Near East. We like most playing Live + DJ set together.

7. Eclipse E.P and seconds remix were lately released on one of the top labels to mention in the last year or 2 , Traum , and more releases there are about to come out later this year. One of your latest remixes was featured in the Global Underground 29th compilation mixed by sharam of Deep Dish. Could you imagine this day will come back in 2003 when you've started the "Moonbeam" project?

Pavel & Vitaliy: We very much hoped for success and we worked hard for this. We think that success first of all is certain by our positive mood and hope for the future.

8. You've lately finished a remix of "Perfect Stranger vs Pena - Ode Ao Sol" supposed to come out on Beef Records later this year. What can you tell us about your remix?

Pavel & Vitaliy: We very much liked the original track. It was interesting to us to do this remix. We tested it around many clubs here in Russia and received good reaction from the crowd.

9. The latest news from you is the launch of a new 3 hours monthly radio show entitled "Moonbeam Music" on the excellent internet radio station "Proton".
What can we expect to hear there?

Pavel: Our radioshow is broadcast every 2nd Monday of the month and consists of three parts. In the first part (the first hour) our exclusive mix with our new works and promo noveltie sounds. In the second part the guest mix from an international actor and in the third of part - a guest mix by a musician from Russia is presented. In the program sound guest mixes already known actors, and beginners, the main condition that the mix was qualitative and interesting.

10. The last few years were a tough battle for the music industry against the new disease of illegal file sharing. The electronic music market have seen large drop downs in sales of vinyls and cds, what caused many producers who didn't make it big as performers (live act or dj sets) to leave the business and focus on their own lives and carriers.
Opinions about the effect of it on the electronic music scene are split to 2 main opposite opinions
Those who think illegal music sharing had only been doing well to the scene bringing much more attention to anonymous names who would probably stayed unknown without the internet, and on the other hand people who are against it and mention a chain of effects: from producers who stopped earning money from only producing to labels that are being closed due to financial difficulties etc.
What is your opinion about this subject?

Vitaliy: We are completely against illegal file sharing. In our opinion it badly influenced the development of electronic music as a whole. Because of it known labels are ruined, or they start to let out releases only in a digital format. To us it is very sad, when qualitative tracks are lost in a plenty of a musical spam.

11. It seems like the scene in Russia and eastern Europe is really growing and becoming probably one of the best region for electronic music lovers to visit lately. As a Russian based duo what can you tell us about the scene there these days?
Do you feel the current status of electronic music in Russia is making it a better ground for up and coming producers to keep coming from there ?

Vitaliy: The electronic market in Russia is inconsistent, on one hand it as though grows, there are many new Russian musicians, performances of known world musicians, a nose of other party will constantly be organized, the electronic stage in Russia is not generated and is at the initial stage of the development. We think, that this is still ahead.

12. Your sound that first brought you to the spotlight was a mixture of many influences from the border line between progressive house and progressive trance to deep house and tech house. How would you describe your sound on 2007 reffering to the last releases and the releases that are about to come out later this year?

Pavel & Vitaliy: We like to experiment sounding, and we do not like to stop on one thing. We constantly search for new soundings and we very much like to work with vocals, we are always in search of new vocalists. We shall open you to a secret, we have 2 projects Pikuli and Miami Star, under these names we let out our house works on the sub label “Seaborn Records”. It is another part of our music.

13. Complete the sentence (each of you):
"If I wasn't a music producer I would probably be...

Pavel : An Art designer;
Vitaliy: A Doctor of the biological sciences

14, What are your hobbies other than those related to music?

Pavel & Vitaliy: 3 times a week we go to the fitness gym. We work as sound producers on a radio station "Silver Rain"

Pavel: I am engaged in manufacture of advertising video and art design.

Vitaliy: I have finished postgraduate study and taught at pedagogical university. On the subject: human physiology.

15. When you are at home which music do you like to listen to?

Pavel & Vitaliy: We listen to Bjork, Massive Attack, we love music from Pork Recordings, Ninja Tune.|

16. What is your own tune you like the most?

"What Dreams May Come"

17. Which records are really doing it for you these days?

We really like new Bjork’s album – ‘Volta’ and Guy Gerber – ‘Late Bloomers’.

18. Where do you imagine yourself 5 years from now?

Pavel & Vitaliy: It is difficult for us to imagine where we will be in 5 years from now, but we shall continue creating music. J

Thx for your time Pavel and Vitaliy!

Back To Interviews Page