Sweet Music TeamIV-IN is a talented producer and vocalist who blends haunting, melancholic lyrics with organic percussion and enchanted melodies to create tracks that are both soothing and psychedelic. He recently dropped a mini album titled ‘So Many Nights’ via the Leveldva record label, which fully showcases his talents as a producer, musician and songwriter. It’s a stunning five track release and we invited him for this interview so we could learn more about it…
Hi IV-IN, it’s nice to be talking with you today. Could you start by describing your music style, and a few of the artists that have influenced you?
“Hello, thanks for having me. I like to think that my music is a mélange of organic house, vocal downtempo, deep house, indie folk, ‘60s rock and psychedelic music. You can hear all these elements in my tracks, especially on this mini album.
My main influences for So Many Nights were a mix of the classics including the likes of Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, Bruce Springsteen, The Beatles and Santana. There was also some new generation influence from musicians like Burial, Kevin Morby, Felix Raphael and Bon Iver.”
You are known for having a style that blends live instruments with electronic sounds, which instruments can you play, and when did you discover electronic music?
“I started playing guitar when I was 12, back when there were not many YouTube guitar tutorials. So, I learned mainly by myself, but with some help from my friends. I was quite young when I discovered electronic music, and I was around 16 when I started distinguishing what electronic music I did and did not like. By this time, I gave up on guitar, as not having a quality instrument can do this to you. At that time quality instruments were not readily accessible in Romania without paying a big price for them. I started producing music when I was 18, and I got into deep house when I was 20 or 21. It took me a while to develop my style, but my main goal was developing my craft to the point where I can 100% be myself through my music. For all the tracks on So Many Nights, I played the guitar parts, bass guitar, piano, and percussion instruments. I mainly focus on the guitar parts and my vocals, but most of the instrumentation was recorded live.”
Can you tell us about your new release on Leveldva, and talk us through the concept behind the tracks?
“I started working on this mini album seriously at the end of 2021, and it took me 8-9 months to finish it. At the time, I was going through a phase of insomnia where I would sleep a couple of hours, but wake up in the middle of the night at like 2 or 3 AM, and it would take a few hours until I could get back to sleep (if I could get back to sleep).
I started observing my thoughts during these insomnia sessions, they were nearly always the same, so I started writing about them with the hope that one day I could turn them into songs. Now I can finally sleep normally again, hence why the album name is, So Many Nights. It was a very stressful period in my life. The album speaks about insomnia, anxiety and intrusive thoughts. I wanted to capture the hazy feeling that I had when drifting in and out of sleep, love, longing, the music industry, and the people around me.
In short, the concept of the album is what goes through my head during a sleepless night. Unfortunately, I know am not the only one having these issues, and I’m sure lots of people can relate to the lyrics.”
Your music has powerful lyrics, so I’d love to know more about the song writing process, and where do you look for inspiration?
“The process is not something set in stone, as often the music writes itself. Sometimes I have the lyrics already written as poetry, other times the lyrics just come to me while I’m working on the instrumental. It’s a very organic process that happens quite naturally, so it’s quite hard for me to explain, as it’s almost like meditation. Sometimes, my mind rushes with new ideas and songs come out almost too fast. This means sometimes I end up with a lot of half-finished compositions, which can make the creative process feel a bit chaotic.
Everything I write on paper is true, or at least is based on true events with minor exaggerations. I just write about my experiences, how I perceive the things around me, and the way I feel about the world. You could say it’s like reading a journal, but one that’s written to share with others. That’s what I apply on all my materials, including the track on, So Many Nights.”
Tell us about your gigs, do you perform your own tracks live or prefer to play DJ sets?
“I like both. But it’s live sets where I feel really challenged and pour my heart out. There is this weird Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hide vibe going on, as I am always really energetic during my DJ sets, but my live sets are more introspective. So, the energy in my live performances is much rawer and directed differently.
I recently had a live gig in Budapest at the legendary A38 Ship, it was the first time I played every song from So Many Nights, and it felt amazing. Playing those tracks live was one of the most ecstatic experiences ever.”
What are some of the goals you hope to achieve in 2023?
“Launching a music video, more live sets, more DJ sets, producing more, and definitely starting work on new material after everything settles down with the release of So Many Nights.”
Do you have any forthcoming gigs or other new releases that you would like to tell us about?
“I have some upcoming gigs at some bigger festivals in the summer, but I do not want to spoil them yet. There will be two releases on a couple of compilations, but right now I’m focusing all my energy on So Many Nights.”
Thanks for taking the time to talk with me today, is there anything you would like to add before we finish?
“Thank you for the on point questions, I really enjoyed this. See you soon at a show near you!”
You can pick up a copy of IV-IN’s ‘So Many Nights‘ from HERE.