Earmake is an experienced space themed synthwave artist from the Ukraine. He takes inspiration from dreamy, escapist pop culture and video games to create soundscapes that take the listener across space and time.

We managed to connect with Ukrainian synthwave veteran Earmake to discuss his music and the challenges of wartime production

Background

TSOS: When did Earmake turn from an idea to reality, and what drew you to retro electronic sounds?

I can’t remember the exact date of the Earmake project, so I don’t know when exactly to celebrate it’s anniversary. In 2008, I really liked dance music: Basshunter, ItaloBrothers, Cascada, Manian, Dj Splash, Dj Gollum, etc. At that time, tutorials on YouTube were gaining popularity, in 240p quality, with lessons on FL Studio. Basshunter made a lot of these videos, and I started watching them. It was some kind of magic: you put cubes in a grid – you get a melody. But why is the keyboard (piano roll) vertical? It was difficult. I watched, I repeated. So I gradually began to create my own melodies.

Did I have a musical education? No. Did I have any knowledge of music and experience? No. I made mistakes in chords. I did it badly, but I did it. I had a desire. I was burning with it. Over time I gained experience.

Around 2013-2014, I played the game Gangstar Vegas from Gameloft (analogous to GTA) on my phone, and I heard the track “Kavinsky – Nightcall” on the radio. I started learning more about the genre and discovered such legends as: Miami Nights 1984, Lazerhawk, Mitch Murder, Kristine, Dance With the Dead, Betamaxx, and The Midnight. That’s how I got into synthwave.

In 2014, I created my first Mini Albums: “The Senses Time” and “Hot Days, Cold Nights”. At that time, there was a very popular synthwave podcast on SoundCloud, which was hosted by Marko Maric. It was called Synthetic Sundays. It was very prestigious to get there. And I got there.

Overall I think this love of ’80s is a common trait among all millennials. I was born in 1994 and my nostalgia is Y2K and all the styles accompanying it, but I also grew up on American films of the 80s. It was they who tied my love to this style, because in post-Soviet countries we lived completely different at that time. What was shown on TV, American action films and comedies seemed like a different world to us. That is, we are nostalgic for something in which we did not even live.

Cosmic Hero

TSOS: What was the original idea behind the Cosmic Hero albums, and do you have more planned?

At first, there was no idea. In 2017, I released the “Cosmic Hero” EP on Future 80 Records, and it was simply my most successful album. You know, every year, every artist has their “best album”, but back then, this was my peak. How did it come about, and why cosmic? Well, firstly, I’m a romantic and a Taurus. Secondly, I heard Dynatron’s music and fell in love. I was so struck by his music that I got goosebumps every time I listened to it. It was probably thanks to him that I fell in love with the cosmic style. I then discovered the artists Carbon Based Lifeforms, Stellardrone, and Ascendant, and their music helped me finally escape into the eternal torment of dreams.

In 2016, I had my first collaboration with Dynatron called “Galactic Odyssey”. I was over the moon. Also I’m a big fan of the Mass Effect game and all epic stuff in media, big spaceship battles, big planets, and the like. Of course, I love some Hans Zimmer music playing in the background mixed with acid sequences (hehehe…hello Afterlife club in Mass Effect 2!!).

In 2019, I was already consumed by space and released the album “Parallels” on NRW.

Strongly inspired by space, the question of what to do next arose. I wrote “space” again, but now I needed to give the album a name and concept. And then it occurred to me: “Why not make a saga, an epic, one coherent story, like a book?” It makes sense, it’s interesting, not just a roster of random albums. Plus, it personifies the author. I came up with a story, a plot, and I designed and crafted the helmet in real life, which now serves as the prototype for the Cosmic Hero appearance on album covers. Thus, Cosmic Hero 2 was born. I like to attach special significance to a release; I’m almost a perfectionist in life, and it’s important to me that everything is perfect in my beloved creative endeavor.

Production

TSOS: When starting a new track, do you begin with a melody, a bassline, or a beat? And what DAW and VSTs do you use?

I compare writing music to mathematics. It’s not as simple as it seems, and perhaps it works differently for everyone. Some people turn on and tune live instruments in the studio, while others invent things by arranging blocks on a computer. When you have no formal education and are self-taught, learning music is even more difficult, especially 15 years ago, when there weren’t as many tutorials as there are now.

I always start a track differently, depending on what idea comes to mind; whether it’s making a cool beat or replicating a melody I dreamed of. I probably can’t even give a definitive answer to this question. But I can share some of my personal writing nuances.

As an example, I always mix and master a track as I write it, so I can immediately hear the final result. I have major problems with the bass line; I often can’t find the right bass and process it correctly so it sounds good on any system. I’m afraid of adding too much bass or too little. In a playlist, I always arrange the drums at the top, then the cymbals underneath, then the bass line, and then the melodies, effects, and so on, to make it more convenient. Almost every track of mine has gaps and transitions to separate the verse from the chorus. I don’t create a track that plays the same thing for three minutes; I always have a structure. I learned this early on when listening to Basshunter. There are artists like Waveshaper, Robert Parker, and so on who can create tracks without a structure; such tracks are usually popular in game development, often used for background music. I have a song-like structure, but without vocals, with an emphasis on a strong melody in the chorus, preceded by some kind of pause to prepare the listener. Also my writing sessions can also be very long. I can sit on a project nonstop for 5-7 hours, then wake up and not know where I am, and a couple of days later the banger is ready. But that was before. Now it’s all very complicated.

I’ve been using FL Studio for over 17 years. Favourite VSTs: Diva, Arturia Lab, Dune 3, Ana 2, Repro 1,5, Tal U NO LX2, OPX Pro 2, Avenger, Nexus (old one and newest 5), Spire, Sylenth1, Synth1, Korg Wavestation and more. For effects, I love Kickstart, Soundtoys bundle, Plug & Mix bundle, Pro Q3, AdVerb, Valhalla Shimmer and VintageVerb, Otium FX Sonitex and more.

Ukraine

TSOS: How does retro electronic fit in the Ukraine pop culture, and how are current events affecting music production and enjoyment?

Retrowave was very popular in Ukraine starting around 2016, when Dan Terminus, Dance with the Dead, and Perturbator came to Kyiv. Then, a community of local artists began to connect with each other and promote retro music together. I personally threw parties, organized them, and performed. With the start of the war, things got complicated; techno was the only thing left in the party scene, and synthwave artists split up: some were at war, some were in another country, some were sitting at home and unable to do anything, and retrowave was forgotten in Ukraine.

It’s very difficult now; you can’t imagine how difficult it is because you haven’t experienced it. Emotional burnout, lack of motivation, communication, social support, ruined plans, a buildup of negativity and hatred for everything, restrictions on freedom and rights. There’s no personal life; during the day, you’re afraid of being kidnapped and sent to war, and at night, you can’t sleep because of ballistic missiles and Shahed drones. My sleep schedule is disrupted, my body ages, my brain deteriorates. It’s really hard to keep going, especially to maintain the same level of albums, when you’re literally deteriorating. I like our genre’s community; there are no toxic people in it, everyone is kind and supportive. I’m supported, my music is bought, and thanks to that, I haven’t finished my musical project. Though, my inspiration is gone, and there’s nowhere to get it from. What used to bring me joy doesn’t anymore. Even someone else’s music I used to like no longer evokes any emotion. Creativity has become a business-like routine, a necessity to survive in my country.

Synthwave Scene

TSOS: What is your opinion on the synthwave scene right now? Are there any artists you’d really like to collaborate with?

The synthwave scene is oversaturated and monotonous right now, and everyone knows it. It’s become too easy to write and release music, and there’s no originality. People are copying each other instead of doing what their hearts tell them. They think that if they emulate The Midnight or Timecop1983, they’ll become popular and successful, but it doesn’t work that way. Personally, I rarely find good compositions by the new generation of synthwave artists and prefer to listen for years to those who have earned their reputations with good work, such as Dynatron, Miami Nights 1984, Betamaxx, Mitch Murder, Laserhawk, and so on. Their work is timeless to me.

I have no plans for collaborations. I have a very old, unfinished work with NINA; even her vocals remain, but the track was never released. There was a desire to collaborate with non-synthwave artists, to combine different genres, for example, a psychedelic artist and a synthwave artist, but right now I have no plans to collaborate with anyone.

Future Work

TSOS: What music are you working on now?

I’m currently remastering my early work from ten years ago. Hot Days Cold Nights is already available, and I’m currently remastering Somnium.

Why I decided to do this is, first and foremost, because I had a different mindset when writing back then, and I wrote different melodies. I want these tracks to sound up to par with my current level. They have very good melodies, but they were recorded on poor speakers, and now, with experience, I can give them a second life. Secondly, due to burnout and lack of motivation, it’s a good goal to continue the project and be active on stage.

I open each old project, restore lost VSTs, recreate the sound, add new parts, but at the same time try to preserve the atmosphere of the original album. It’s very difficult. I don’t want to overdo it, but I also don’t want to do too little, so I treat the remastering process like a new release.

Find Earmake music here:

Bandcamp Earmake

Bandcamp NewRetroWave

Spotify

Youtube