The Total Sound Of The Undergound

Lelahel Metal

Embark on a diverse musical journey with Ainti as he blends electronic, rock, punk, and post-punk influences. In this interview, he shares insights on his genre-defying sound, cultural influences, and upcoming releases.

1. Your musical journey is incredibly diverse, spanning genres like electronic, rock, and even incorporating elements of punk and post-punk. How do you navigate such a wide range of influences in your creative process?

I’d say my ideas are a blend of everything that I enjoy. A piece of dark wave here, some drops of post-punk there, a little of industrial, pouring some down-tempo, goth to taste.

2. Growing up in Brazil and later relocating to Hungary, how has the cultural tapestry of these places influenced your music and artistic expression?

I think these influences are indirect, more related to the environment and the moment I’m living rather than national music genres. The so-called cultural tapestry that directly influenced me, I would say, was performed by friends presenting me unknown, different and interesting stuff, radios that I used to listen to since I was a kid and even my family. We have a global culture nowadays. I can consume content made by someone who lives in a country that I have never been to, with a very distinct and different culture, I might feel comfortable and enjoy that for example.

3. Your debut single, "Rejoice," received praise for its genre-defying sound. Can you share the inspiration behind the track and how it reflects your musical philosophy?

It’s my point of view. I wanted to share my impressions about how manipulative leaders  can be. Autocrats pretending to be “democrats”, justifying the persecution that is carried out against their opponents based on their political activism by different media, by paid "digital influencers", relativizing facts. From then on, he wanted a dark environment, as if it were scorched earth, buildings in ruins. The bass line was the first to be worked on and from there the song began to take shape. 

4. "Rejoice" has been described as an enchanting and otherworldly journey. How do you approach the balance between creating a unique sonic experience and maintaining a connection with your audience?

Thanks for the compliment! My audience is not established yet, I am at the very beginning of my journey and I'm pretty sure this is not a very popular genre. I still need to measure how’s going to be the overall reception on my following releases.

5. The unexpected male vocal intervention at the end of "Rejoice" has been highlighted as a masterful touch. What led to this creative decision, and how does it contribute to the overall narrative of the song?

My voice is not only on the final part of the song, there are more interventions there, as a backing vocal for the chorus and other parts. For this very specific part at the end, I felt I needed a “disclaimer” part on the song, which I’m not being ironic or sarcastic, something like “In case you haven't understood so far, this is the message”. I also thought that I needed to reinforce the idea of not obedience.


6. Your educational background includes degrees in IT and Marketing, as well as studies in theatre and cinema. How have these diverse academic pursuits influenced your approach to music and creativity?

I’m an IT guy, a nerd. I feel comfortable being in front of the computer for hours but at the same time I need a different stimulus. Also, everything is about computers, if you need to write a new script for a short movie, you’re gonna spend couple of hours in a text editor, then you need to break down the script into a spreadsheet to measure the filming days, establish the team, equipment, what will be recorded on a given day, etc. For the theatre you will do the project, you will also be in front of the computer for a long time, establish the lighting map, design costumes, etc. With music it is not different, you are going to spend hours using your computer, twiddling the knobs of your audio interface, DAW and instruments.

7. Having lived in different places and experienced various cultures, how do you see these cultural influences shaping the direction of your upcoming releases, especially the one featuring Nównøis?

I feel this is an indirect influence. I might have changed some perceptions after experiencing coming to Europe and living alone, having to take extra care of myself, establishing new friendships and connections. In this process we ended-up meeting each other, I already had My Very Good Days (which is my next release) ready, including the lyrics and also mastered. Nównøis is a great addition because the whole structure of the song was there, skeleton and body but it needed a soul and she brought it, the song had another colour, it became alive, vivid. That is a perfect match.

8. Your philosophy embraces the productivity of having more questions than answers. How does this philosophy translate into your songwriting process, and what questions do you aim to explore through your music?

I prefer talking about impressions rather than certainties. I would rather not answer anything because all people have their subjectivities and their perception of the world is different. If perceptions are different even within a home with a family, can you imagine between people from different cultures? So that's why I believe having more questions than canned preconceived ideas and answers is more productive, having a broader point of view makes people more understanding, more subject to even change their opinions if they receive different stimuli and conceptions.

9. Ainti's second single is set for release at the end of January 2024, featuring Nównøis. Can you give us a glimpse into what we can expect from this upcoming release and the collaboration with Nównøis?

“Rejoice” is more atmospheric, I would say it's different from “My Very Good Days” on this point. It’s going to be released on 26th of January. “My very good days” has more symbols I would say. It's a longer song, it is almost 6 minutes long and it is splitted in three parts. It has a bit more electronic elements, a bit of rock’n roll and R&B as well.

10. Your reviews often highlight the experimental feel and the blending of different genres in your music. How do you see the role of experimentation in pushing the boundaries of conventional music?

I don't have the intention of pushing the boundaries of conventional music or this kind of stuff, I just produce music the way I want. Maybe for the marketing point of action however it's more complicated because you don't have the certain niche that you would like to focus your merch. For "Rejoice" I was pretty sure I would be well accepted on Industrial playlists or even Electronic music playlists but no, it didn't happen this way, I got more accepted on Metal Music playlists and I'm really happy about that. So, my idea is not to throw a new genre, this is something organic, people sharing the same taste for music and more or less with the same, let’s say, “vibe” are more subject to ignite something like this.

11. "Rejoice" has been described as an anthem breaking the barriers of musical genres. How do you navigate the balance between artistic exploration and creating music that resonates with a wider audience?

Just reinforcing, this is not my idea and intention, to start a new genre. I just create music the way I want the way it sounds within my head. I create music for the people who are interested and enjoy it. I'm happy and flattered whenever I receive a new follower or when I see that people are listening to my song. That makes me really happy.

12. Your vocal performance has been compared to modern-day Kate Bush. How do you approach the emotional expression in your vocals, and who are some of your vocal inspirations?

I believe this is another compliment, if so, well, thank you again! “Rejoice” was written for Iara’s voice. We have been through lots of things and we share a long history together. She’s no longer performing as a singer nowadays, unfortunately. I have joined some singing classes of hers, I’ve watched her singing a couple of times, she had classical singing lessons. So I wrote this song thinking about her voice and performance. When it comes to my personal female vocals references, apart from Iara, it's quite abroad but I would say mainly female voices from post-punk/darkwave periods. Siouxsie Sioux from Siouxsie and the Banshees, Elizabeth Fraser from Cocteau Twins, Lisa Gerrard from Dead Can Dance are good examples.

13. The lyrics of "Rejoice" have been mentioned as critical of authoritarianism and blind loyalty. How do you use your music as a platform for expressing social and political commentary?

For me, music sometimes is a better channel for you to express something. You have the lyrics but it also has the whole atmosphere you want to establish, the mood you want to print. For “Rejoice” I wanted a dark environment, mouldy, old collapsing buildings. I want to create scenarios that people can be transported to. This is the idea of a composition, not only about music but other means of expression. Sometimes poetry is not enough.

14. Ainti seems to challenge conventional norms and genres. How do you see your music contributing to the broader landscape of the music industry, and what impact do you hope to make with your art?

It's too soon to talk about this. I mean, who am I? I’m just a single drop in an ocean of very interesting musicians, I’m on the very beginning of my journey. I’d rather think about each step I’m executing, being low profile and realistic. Of course sometimes we dream big, it is free, but dreams cannot mess up with your way.

15. Looking ahead to 2024, with a commitment to continuous exploration and collaboration, what can fans anticipate from Ainti in terms of new releases and the evolution of your sound?

Apart from “My Very Good Days”, which will be released on 26th of January, I'm planning to release at least two more songs this year. Unfortunately time matters very much and I wanted to focus more on this. If I’m lucky I can release even three. I’m planning to release one before summer, I already started working on this song. It's another industrial-ish genre song, full of electronic elements, digital and analog synthesisers. The other one I also already started working on, it’s more intimate and talks about longing and the third one, if I’m lucky, actually it's kind of ready, but it needs a better polish there. That would be a surprise even for me if I managed to release this song this year. Let's see how it goes. I would like to have at least four songs released by the end of this year, already counting “Rejoice” and “My Very Good Days”. Let’s see and thank you for your space!

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