You could write lots of stories about SIT – Vlad Caia and Cristi Cons, even though they’re very private and their music is present in the underground world. They both are fascinating people, extremely creative, selective and preoccupied with quality. Together, they transcend every space and genre, fluidly morphing their sounds into interesting stories and forms. They launched their own label, Amphia, as a place where they can overcome boundaries and bring music to another level, one without limits and constraints, where the artist is completely free. The result is a collection of ethereal and eclectic sounds, filled with sentiment. This way, techno and minimal are just foundations for the complex constructions of their music, harmonious and coherent, moody and spatial. We got the chance to listen to them at the party organized by our friends at Local Gathering, and now we’re glad to find out from Vlad and Cristi more about their musical journey and the SIT project, read all about it after the jump.
Keywords: techno, musical journey, amphia, ethereal, soundscape
Hello, SIT!
This is what feeder would like to know about you:
(please, fill in the blanks)
I arrange things according to… space.
An answer to a question I would like to know… why doesn’t the bear have a tail?
My favorite gear… the tambourine.
www… 4chan.org.
I find peace and quiet in… myself.
I wish we all could perceive… everything.
I collect… stamps.
3 releases that are really special…
Transilvanian Galaxi – God DR-55
Jeru The Damaja – Come Clean
DJ Shadow – Midnight In A Perfect World
Ana Moca-Grama: Vlad and Cristi, I’m so glad we have the chance to find out more about your musical journey. Vlad, you started experimenting with electronic music in highschool, and your first release came out at the beginning of 2007. You first met each other a year before and began working and experimenting. In 2009 you had your first release under the name of SIT (Sideways Invisibility Theory), „Year 3000”, released at Jesus Loved You. Was there a particular moment when you were sure that music is the direction you were looking for?
Vlad: I don’t think there’s an easy answer for this question. At least I can’t say for sure there was an exact moment in a certain day when I decided it’s what I’m going to do. For me it was and still is a quest. I don’t know exactly where it’s going to lead.
„We meet people everywhere who appreciate Romanian music in a certain degree”
AMG: Your musical career took a shift when you realized you wanted to create, as you describe it, boundless music. That’s how in 2011 your label Amphia was founded, a metaphor where music can take infinite forms and ideas. Amphia is a perfect place for your experiments, whether you’re on your own or together. Can you tell us more about the concept behind the label?
SIT: Initially, Amphia was a personal platform with the purpose of hosting our friends’ music and our own. The first releases were focused on our own productions, as we were enthusiastic about launching some of the ideas we shared. With time, we decided to welcome other artists. In the future we’ll try and launch music that’s as varied as possible, while maintaining the label’s identity.
AMG: The image comes hand in hand with the sound. Vlad, you create the videos for your releases. As for the artworks, they perfectly complement the songs, each of them sharing a different, sometimes mysterious concept. What are the artists you’ve worked with so far, aside from the often met name, Claudiu Ștefan? Which comes first, the sound or the image? What’s the easiest way to combine them?
SIT: We chose to work with the same designer, Claudiu, so that the artworks can have continuity. The sound usually comes first and the visual completes the idea. The artwork and video come together easily when they share a common idea.
AMG: The titles of your tracks capture stories with different themes, shared through your composition. A rare description wrote by you, Vlad, for your track, Codex (from the homonymous EP) made me understand and feel the song better. I’d like to meet these kinds of descriptions more often, they’re pure poetry! How do you build a track, where do you start from and what do you add along the way?
SIT: We try to make our titles represent the idea behind the song as well as possible. The SIT tracks gain form during jam sessions. We begin from a basic scheme on top of which we build and add different elements. The process is dynamic and usually fun.
AMG: How do you work together? Do you have a thing that you master better or prefer doing? Along the years, how did you influence each other?
SIT: We try to vary the roles in the studio while we work. We have a good connexion, everything comes rather naturally.
AMG: In 2013 you had your first live show, in Room 1 at Fabric London. We’re curious, what happens during one of your live shows? Will we have the chance to attend one anytime soon?
SIT: The live show contains exclusively SIT productions, older or newer. We try to make it different all the time, always adding new material. There’s going to be an upcoming live show at Guesthouse sometime in February.
„The SIT tracks gain form during jam sessions. We begin from a basic scheme on top of which we build and add different elements.”
AMG: You’ve travelled in many places and the ones who love your music are a very diverse crowd. Have you noticed any difference between the preferences of people from different areas of the world? As for Romania, is this genre as appreciated on a local scale?
SIT: Yes, every country has a unique scene with a specific sound. We meet people everywhere who appreciate Romanian music in a certain degree. As for the local scale, we have quite a strong support, which proves that the Romanian scene has reached its maturity.
AMG: The Bucharest nightlife has grown a lot lately, while more and more foreign artists visit us. What are the things we need to work on until everything will be ok? As for the good parts, what are they?
SIT: As we were saying, the local scene is pretty developed, and clubs can satisfy the needs of any invited artist.
„The artwork and video come together easily when they share a common idea.”
AMG: Feeder has turned 10 years old. Are you familiar with the site? If so, what were your interactions with it?
SIT: We’ve known Feeder for some years, we occasionally read different articles and followed the local events.
AMG: We’re already at the end, so we’d like to know, what is the secret to balance?
SIT: We have no secrets! 🙂
AMG: Thank you very much!
photos by feeder.ro
words by Ana Moca-Grama
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