- Tiana Speter
INTERNATIONAL FEATURE ARTIST: Fields of Violet (VARIOUS)
Today we're trekking into the eclectic soundscapes of the recording artist collective known as Fields of Violets; helmed by sole member and songwriter Melbournite Rafael Katigbak, the project has amassed feature-artists and musicians from across the globe, resulting in limitless genre and style exploration.
While strictly not a live endeavour, the project's recent debut EP 'Into the Unknown' displays a defining sense of musical exploration and shared visions as it dabbles occasional moments of morose melodies and gothic strings across a rock-centric homebase. All in all, Fields of Violet are a bit of an enigma, and that's just how they like it, but to delve a touch into their backstory, they took some time to chat influences, favourite songs and how this project came to life. Interview below.
PROJECT NAME: Fields of Violet
HOMETOWN: Various
MEMBERS: Rafael Katigbak: I am the only permanent member of the project. But I was fortunate enough to work with very talented artists and professionals. They are: Zoe Fotopolous - Co-Writer of Reality Maurizio Antonino - Drums Martin Palider - Bass William Stewart - Violins / Viola Geriel - Backing Vocals Ruslan Gatash - Keyboards Messia Garabedian - Grand Piano Daniel Gonzalez - Cello Andrey Paschenko - Mixing and Mastering The lead singer has requested to remain anonymous.
HOW DID FIELDS OF VIOLET GET STARTED? I was undergoing a change in musical preferences. I used to write metal music that was heavily guitar based for my band Scorching Winter. But then I started writing songs that are different in a way that they are less focused on technicality and more on musicality. I knew then that this was going to have to be a completely separate project. So I kept writing and doing demos and eventually looked for other musicians to help bring the songs to life.
HOW LONG HAS THIS PROJECT BEEN GOING FOR? I started writing early last year (2017)
WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR MUSICAL INFLUENCES? Bands like Porcupine Tree, Dream Theater, Devin Townsend are big influences on me but I am not in any way claiming that FoV sounds anything like them. I have gone through different phases in my life from 90s alternative rock to metal to prog as well as other genres outside of rock and of course I have absorbed all those elements subconsciously.
DESCRIBE DRAMA SCREAM IN THREE WORDS: Free, Dynamic, Beautiful
WHAT'S THE MOST MEMORABLE GIG YOU'VE PLAYED SO FAR AND WHY? I haven’t gigged with this project as it’s not really intended to be a live act.
WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE SONG OF YOURS AND WHY? From the EP, my personal favourite is Starlight. I like the way everything came together on that song. The vocals, the rhythm section, the violins. I am proud of all my songs but I am particularly fond of this one.
WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING ON RIGHT NOW? ANY NEW THINGS ON THE HORIZON? At the moment there’s still a lot of work left in promoting this EP. But I’ll probably start brainstorming for the followup release already.
IF YOU WEREN'T PLAYING MUSIC, WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU BE DOING? I always wanted my own food travel show.
FOR MORE FIELDS OF VIOLET INFO, HEAD TO:
BY TIANA SPETER
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