‘My music has no nationality’
Multifaceted and gregarious Ukraine-based artist Histibe has linked with Subsets to craft the resonant ‘I Will’ which featured Lika Bugaeva. The video – the follow up to the beast of ‘Third Millennium’ – is now exclusively with us, scroll down, and we took the opportunity to explore this and the broader Histibe terrain in some detail.
Hey, how is life with you, you’re busy?
It’s been a while since we last spoke with D&BA. Apart from music and sound design I was working on video, design and other visual projects alot. So that I can consider myself as audio-visual artist now. I manage my own label Mask Movement – a 360 degree creative label, focusing on modern video art, music production, sound, and graphic design along with uniting like-minded people and passionate content creators from all around the world.
Our projects have been published on a number of popular platforms such as Complex, UKF, Designcollector, JAY Z’s Life+Times, BBC and Dezeen.
Currently our team has a strong list of clients and collaborators both from the music and video world, including M-Audio, Loopmasters, 5Pin Media, Audio Imperia, Steady Maker, Lensbaby, Marumi, Glide Gear and more. I still love to experiment with music and now also combine it with eye-catching visual content.
So tell us about where you work and about some of the equipment you use and why you like it?
I live and work here in Kyiv, Ukraine.
I’m still a huge fan of digital instruments, such as Native Instruments, Waves Audio, Image-Line and Arturia. During recent years all of them sent me their licensed software, and I was very happy about it. I’d say – it’s not really important what equipment you “need” to use, it must be quality, yes, but at the end of the day you must feel yourself comfortable with you gear and software.
No need to limit yourself. What’s more, you can create even more original content using something different. Feel free to be original and innovative.
How is the scene in your country, what’s going on there?
Seems like local scene here in Ukraine gave a birth to a number of new artists and bands in the past years. I can’t give any judgments; my music and art were always in the opposite to the local scene in the underground. My music has no nationality.
I guess to proper understanding it’s always better to visit our country and check out local scene!
How did the collab with Subsets come about?
A few years ago Subsets was the winner of the remix competition for my track ‘So Far’; we’d done it in cooperation with Juno Download, Loopmasters, Native Instruments and other brands.
The main goal was to discover new electronic talents in web from around the globe. Once he sent me his tracks back then, we’ve decided to create collaboration EP in 2015. Our first single ‘Y’ was released on 10/26/2015.
Now it’s time for ‘I Will’ ft. Lika Bugaeva – this is the second single from our upcoming EP Serene Peaks which is coming later this year.
Tell us about the vocalist Lika and her background?
Lika Bugaeva is a frontwoman and songwriter of Zetetics. It’s significant discovery and one of the high-quality bands of the new wave of rock music in Ukraine. They are getting known worldwide, so if you like a rock and indie – listen to Zetetics before they become mainstream. They already have released two albums, which are included in the ratings of the best music albums here in Ukraine.
OK, now to the video: what can we learn about the times from this… the history/recent past that resonates in the visuals? I this a simple depiction of the past… or are some of these values still alive?
Yeah… something ‘timeless’ must be filmed for the next generations. A part of the history in the form of modern videography. A kind of a message from the past to the future with some thoughts to ponder.
It was our third collaboration with Berlin-based video director, Julius Dettmer. For us this video was a bit of a follow-up to ‘Third Millennium‘ which has collected almost 160,000 views to date…
When everything was shot and done. I also added my vision as a creative director during post production of the video. Some creative edits and variations.
Here are a few thoughts from Julius:
“I wanted to use the same idea of a dystopian, post-apocalyptic future or alternative reality, similar to ‘Third Millennium’… showing a world without humans. Possibly after a huge disaster like for example if the Cold War had ended in a fatal way.
The only remains are the city structures and abandoned buildings.
I also wanted to play with locations – trying to suggest that the video might as well play somewhere in the (former) Soviet Union. Luckily, around Berlin there are a few abandoned spots that also used to be in Soviet occupation.
Therefore these videos are also dealing with historic connections between our countries on the background of the Cold War.
Berlin having an especially important role with its division / wall between East and West, basically being in the centre of the conflict. But – with all the dark and dramatic ideas – in the end it`s a very positive creative collaboration between two people from Berlin and Kyiv.”
What are you working on now Histibe?
I just finished mastering for Lost Recordings and a collaboration with Steady Maker. Two new EPs in progress with bass and contemporary electronica and film music. Plus techno compilation with Ukrainian producers and Detroit-based artist Turing. There’s also a new audio-visual project with Lensbaby also on the way!
There’s so much more, but I’d like to keep it short.
I’d like to leave link to the page of Mask Movement, you will find all my new and previous projects there.