ARTŪRS UŠKĀNS: Latgalians, also with the Latvians and Lithuanians are the third, still living Baltic nation

What collaborations were/are the most interesting and important to You and why?

The most interesting for me are those artists, whose thinking, music and world perception differs of mine. Also, collaborating we can to make each other internal world richer.

Currently we are cooperating with such an excellent artists as Olga Rajecka and Ieva Akuratere. I am planning to attract more great singers, in that case also folk music performers another nationality, for example, Azerbaijan-Latvian singer Leila Alijeva.Recently, we wroted one more Latvian folk song, participating French funk-rock musician Julien Dicharry.

The next album will be marked to World music. Of course, it’s interesting to work with persons who holds the same views. For example, the song “Gauži raud saulīte” (eng. transl.“The sun is crying”) in our new album “Rodi”, is wroted participating 17 musicians from Latvia, Lithuania and Belarus.

What are the main ideas are behind Your music? Could You name Your favorite Your compositions / albums / collaborations? What about the new album?

Ideas for folk song arrangement arises in folk camps, working at music studio or communicating with another artists. My favorite songs of the last album “Rodi” are those which took a lot of work, or against - which arrangement came fast and naturally. As some of my favorite songs I can name “Vokors īt”, which is very popular in Latvia now, “Gauži raud saulīte”and “As gribēju mežā braukt” – wroted together with singer Natali Coton from Britain and ethnographic ensemble from Vabole (Daugvpils district, Latvia). Work on this album lasted 4 years, so I can value it only subjective.

The sound is magic. You've proved it. But, what ends, when there's no sound?

The most beautiful music is silence.

What is and what is not a Sound Art?

Naturally, the concept of "art" is understanding as the process and/or result of invested human creativity - his experience, knowledge, skills and intangible, known as the "divine spark". As a result, all this creates a set of emotions to both - creator and consumer. The same with a sound - one person with his skills, makes the violin, the other with his skills and talent, creates sound that creates emotion. Of course, the emotion creates also the rustle of the sea and the birds singing, but it is not an art, because there is not invested the sea’s or the bird's intelligence potential. It is nature - wind and water interactions or animal instinct, but if we put this sounds in the music, it’s become an art. This naturalness is found in Ethno, which comes from the times when people tried to imitate the sounds of nature and scream instead arose song. I believe that ethnic music is one of the most valuable types of Sound Art, unites us with nature, visible and audible natural symbiosis. By the way, my recording studio is titled "Ethnic sound laboratory", where the above by the process.

What do You think about relations between the old art and computer art? Are they compatible?

We live in the XXI century, so it is hard to imagine many processes to be performed without a computer. The same is also in art. Of course, the process when artist working with oil paints and canvas, is only conditionally replacing with the computer. You can already create a robot and using computer program to paint everything you may wish, but whether it is necessary? What it will bring to our civilization, culture? Better let’s look how the computer can help us in a globalizing world - the painter can take a photo of his painting or scan and sell at the Internet - then I agree. The same with the art of sound - we use the computer for our own convenience, arranged to hear the sounds of the orchestra, very easily list scores or print the notes. We can write sound of bagpipes, harp or another instrument by computer and post it on the Internet, for example on ethnocloud.com, presenting to the world our own culture.

What do You think about thousands of neofolk/industrial/ambient/tribal/electroacoustic/avangarde etc. bands/projects? Is it a kind of trend, o just a tendency forwards better music?

It is now one of the hipster fashion tencence coming - do not listen to pop music. Honestly, it pleases - music people really begin to look not only for entertainment, but still a component that satisfies the human intellectual needs. Now virtually no such well-known worldwide group of what once was The Beatles or ABBA, the music industry this practice  destroyed. The current industry practice is fast gaining income, so rare in today's group who are experiencing even a second album. In addition to all this is very considerably simplified music system - everyone has the opportunity to purchase hardware and software music creation and recording, which can then be place on the Internet.

What Lithuanian and foreign musicians do You value most?

Lithuania is beloved to me. Each country consists not only of the natural beauty and economic prosperity, but, first of all, of the people who live there. Thanks to my friend Gintaras Andrijauskas, I am better acquainted with Lithuanian folk music, history, nature, the beauty of the language and the most important value of Lithuania - the people, among whom I have a lot of friends. Thanks to these people I have possibility to take part in the Lithuanian TV programs, music festivals. I’m admiring our similar way of thinking, living and understanding of music, at the same time complementing and inspiring each other.

What inspires You most?

First of all - my parents experience. My father was one of the best, if not the best, Latgalian musician – folk musician. His musical education was only 1 class at music school, at mandolin chapter . All hope to become educated musician disrupted WWII and his poor health after the war. But he was an outstanding playing any musical instrument - the accordion, mandolin or fiddle. By the time he turned to a musical instrument repair. Also in this area, he was the best. I didn’t learn musical instrument repairing of my own laziness, but I learned to feel and understand music. My dad trained me with an example. Unfortunately, my dad is now playing music in heaven.

What are You working on right now?

9 years ago I left work at the Daugavpils University. All these last 9 years I worked only with music. I am working with my own band “Laimas muzykanti” composing, arrange and also working as producer. At autumn I moved from Daugavpils to Riga, because of more possibilities to work with music. Although in Riga has a lot of good music authors, musician and arranger, I am pleased that the work in here is also for me. All summer and autumn is full of concerts for “Laimas muzykanti”. On November, at my home town Rezekne will stay my own 50 years celebration concert. “Laimas muzykanti”, choir, string quartet and many Latvian musicians will take part.

What does Your band name mean to You?

It all started easy - student dance ensemble "Laima" were looking for musicians for participating in Latvian Song and Dance Festival in Canada. So, I contact with Inga Zeile - professional musician, violinist with the experience of ethno music (I’m still playing with her) and a few nice people with less experience, but which easy to understand. The dialogue with the group's first drummer Marek Krucis was short - "Do you want to go to Canada ?" - "Yes, of course!" - "So, you will play the drums!". Laima is Latvian and Lithuanian goddess of fate , guarded our ensemble for 20 years.

Are Latgalians a different nation/language than Latvians?

Of course! Let’s don’t get in facts and linguistics deep, but my knowledge like to admit that Latgalians, also with the Latvians and Lithuanians are the third, still living baltic nation with their own language and culture.

Paļdis! (Latgalian "Thank You". In Latvian, it's "Paldies".)

Links:

https://soundcloud.com/laimas-muzykanti

https://www.facebook.com/LaimasMuzykanti