Richard Balazs Zalai is a Hungarian musician, producer based in Budapest, Hungary. He is the master of creating chilling atmospheric moods. As a multiinstrumentalist, he effortlessly steers between complex sounds. Mostly building on downtempo, ambient and modern classical cores, he invites the listener to an inner travel. We spoke to him recently to discuss his recent release “Travel the Unknown” on the label nieko…
WWD: Hey Richard, how are you, what’s good and bad in your world right now?
Hey guys, I am just enjoying the moments and how my little daughter is growing day by day. She seems already very interested in synthesizers and pianos. This is the magic of the black and white keys I think 🙂 Fortunately nothing bad happens to me now.
WWD: Why do you like modular set ups so much? What makes them different than using regular synths?
I think modular and semi modular synths give me more freedom in creating music. The musical results are unpredictable. I play my songs with tiny changes during improvisation which makes all the performances special and unique. New ideas are coming on-the-go so the composition can develop along.
WWD: How long did it take to get good on a modular, to get the sounds you were after?
It is a never ending story. If you ask me in 20 years I will say the same. I am in the middle of this wonderful lifelong journey. Sometimes I find the most exciting sound after 15 minutes which can inspire but sometimes I work many days to get something interesting.
WWD: What other synths are your faves and why? What do they offer you over software?
The best analog synths were made in the 70’s. I like the classics from this golden era. My favourites are Minimoog Model D, Roland Juno 60 and Yamaha CS series. At that time every company wanted to make the best synth as possible to reach the people’ attention. Today they want the biggest profit over the quality and uniqueness. Producing copies in China. The real synth which I can touch, tweak its knobs can inspire me more than the others from computer.
WWD: Any dream synths you don’t own but would if money didn’t matter?
Korg PS 3200 and Moog Modular System of course.
WWD: Tell us about your “Travel The Unknown” EP on neiko and about how fatherhood inspired it?
Becoming a father. Many people experience it everyday but everybody feels differently about it. The songs from Travel the Unknown tell the story of the process of becoming a parent from the moment the feelings, joy and fear swirl in me when I turn out to be a father, through 9 months of waiting until the miracle of birth. The album’s cover image – made with analog polaroid technique – is also reminiscent of the first ultrasound image.
WWD: What is the mindset you have when you sit down to write, are you just jamming till something works or getting down the tune in your head?
When I improvise I prefer to stay with a series of notes or little chord progression which I play around for 10-15 minutes constantly to sit in the kind of mood and conceive an atmosphere which feedbacks into my ideas. When I feel that its worth to stick to it I record it and leave on repeat for hours. In the meantime I go to the kitchen to cook something or play with my daughter and listening it from a distance. If I get bored in the first 30 minutes it means the idea is not good enough so it goes to the trash can and I start a new improvisation. If the idea reaches my expectations I put it in the drawer for a rest and get back to it in the next days. The first idea is the groundwork. It has to be the strongest part of the song which I am building on afterwards and has to be enough alone too.
WWD: How long does each one take, are you a quick worker or painstaking producer?
My workflow has changed a lot. I used to work on every detail of the sound previously but nowadays I just go with the flow. The first idea is always the best. When you have family and less time to think about composing you don t think too much.
WWD: What else have you got coming up/are you working on?
I just finished to prepare my 1 hour long set which is 30% written and 70% improvisation for the summer concerts. I am planning to release a new EP around October/November. It is a very exciting period now and I really can’t wait to show you guys.
Travel The Unknown is out now on nieko – grab it here
http://bit.ly/RZ_INSTAGRAM
http://bit.ly/RZ_FACEBOOK
http://bit.ly/RZ_BANDCAMP
http://bit.ly/RZ_YOUTUBE