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They Are Based Is In Minsk, but Their Stage Is The World: Interview w/ Molchat Doma


They're not just a post-punk band. They are perhaps the best representatives of a music genre from past to present. When I first listened to Molchat Doma, I was able to say "Yes, I hear you and I am here too, I exist!" Their songs have different meanings for everyone which makes it so that everybody finds something different within them due to their music. They are a band originating from Minsk and they also made us love and appreciate their language Belarussian - Russian. The primary songwriter, guitar and synth player Roman Komogortsev of Molchat Doma answered my questions. Pleasant readings!



During the pandemic, I have had a lot of mood swings. So when it comes to you personally, how do you define your mood, and how does your days pass?

Roman Komogortsev: In fact, quarantine is both good and bad. It’s good that you can calmly deal with new material though It’s bad that there are no new impressions. Each day is similar to each other and due to this some kind of depression appears.

I think your music has a universal infrastructure and it inspires the next generation. Although you were founded in 2017, I feel as if we were listening to you for years. What do you experience in your creative process before you feel your music is ready? Does everything come to your mind all of a sudden or do your past experiences and your vision of the future directly affect your music?

Roman Komogortsev: It's great that our music found its listener and makes them think about some of their inner experiences. It is also pleasing due to the fact that people think that we sound like a group from the past - which shows that our original idea was a success. When writing songs, there are no guidelines or ideas, the songs are born and we share experiences through these songs, thoughts and joys.



You had an intense concert program in 2019 all around the globe. How did you feel when you came home after the tour? How did this affect the growth of your music? Do you think that it will be more globalized?

Roman Komogortsev: It was a wonderful time. An important part of our dream came true: To be a group that achieves to have sold out shows and to be a band that tours. Upon our arrival home, obviously, there was a feeling of emptiness, our sleep schedule went astray, but it was a temporary thing. Now it’s much harder without concerts, because you’re already used to such a schedule and you can’t imagine what it feels like to be idle. But fortunately, we are engaged in new material, so we aren't necessarily bored.


You published a song called "По краю острова" with Ploho in 2019. What was it like working with Ploho, how did the idea of singing together come about? Are we going to see these kinds of collaborations in the future?

Roman Komogortsev: Well, we are good friends. We once visited Viktor Uzhakov in St. Petersburg and on one of the walks some random lines came up, which later formed the basis of the song. In the future we are planning a joint song with another Russian group - Electroforez, which, most likely, you will hear in the summer.



We are faced with a generation who spends a lot of time in social media accounts and who is accustomed to a huge amount of video and music consumption. While browsing TikTok, I saw some inventive content created with your tracks as a background, and I once again saw that your music can fit to each platform. Will we see a special and new content curated for these platforms?

Roman Komogortsev: No. We do not see the point. It's all great, of course, that our songs have gained popularity on these social networks, but doing anything specifically to promote your music in this way completely sucks.

Did you have anything new in your home during the quarantine?

Roman Komogortsev: Well, I got a new synthesizer, I play it every day. I began studying sound engineering in-depth but other than that, nothing special.



In quarantine, which meal was your favorite to cook, and which one was your least favorite?

Roman Komogortsev: I started making dumplings. The last time I cooked them must be around 15 years ago. Within 3 attempts, it turned out well :)


Thank you for everything! Do you have a message that you want to reach Tonitruale readers? Maybe you can you suggest a song you are listening to nowadays?

Roman Komogortsev: Thanks for the interesting questions (this is rare in our time) Be happy, be yourself and you will succeed! Song - Madonna – Papa Don’t Preach




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