When did you start making music and what was the contributor factor that made you to do so?

Daniel: In 1993, when a friend asked me to help him with some electronic sounds and processing. He did this because I owned a sound interface. I had no other references but this is how I got my start. A bit later, a desire grew inside me to listen to a music that was the soundtrack of the universe that was continuously unfolding in my mind, a universe that, until then, I was trying to express through drawing.

How hard was it for you to create, record and release your first material?

Daniel: I created about 30 songs before releasing the first album. Later I selected some of them and “Prologue” was released. I enjoyed all this a lot. The hard part was to make it public. Introversion, social anxiety and lack of artistic confidence were a burden for some time.

What is the main art form that influenced you in creating? Was it only music or did movies and other forms of art influenced your creative process?

Daniel: I think I was influenced by all forms but mostly by visual arts, some of my best friends were visual artists. Also, byzantine music is an influence for sure, since I was born and lived about 20 years in a parochial house.

What are the steps that an idea takes before becoming a fully fledge song? And how does that idea affects the way you build an album from the ground up?

Daniel: In time, there were many changes in this regard. Now it all flows, intuitively. I start, things manifest and change clearly and naturally, and then I finish.

Thy Veils - Daniel Dorobantu - by Daniel Nechita.jpg

What do you consider the most important traits that a song and an album must have before you consider it to be completed?

Daniel: To me, an album is ready when I perceive it as being whole, complete, and somehow “living on it’s own” and this perception does not change with more work.

What are the actual steps that you take when you are creating? Do you need to enter or go to a certain setting in order to get creative?

Daniel: Years ago certain conditions were necessary: state of mind, mood, atmosphere, the enthusiasm generated by new situations, tools or insights. In the recent years this “creative state” is continuous.

Except art are there any other external or internal factors that influence you when you create, if so what are they?

Daniel: Everything has an effect, there is nothing special in this regard.

What is your main motivation to create and be creative?

Daniel: I think it is to be in this state of flow, an optimal experience of life.

How long does it take to go from a song to an album from scratch to the fully recorded version?

Daniel: With music, lately, it is about a year. I work for some weeks, then I put it away and forget about it. After 2-3 months I “rediscover” that particular piece, see it with new eyes, make changes and put it away again. Some songs are also “tested” live, before an album version.

Do you take multiple takes of the songs before settling on the final version or do you go with the flow and just do one take?

Daniel: Some songs are recorded live, to capture that presence and energy, and produced later. In this case there is only one take. Others are built in time and many takes and directions are considered.

During live shows what do you like to do more, experiment and improvise on the basis of the existing album and songs or you are more likely to recreate the recorded material as faithfully as possible?

Daniel: It depends on what kind of show it is. Most of the time I improvise some parts and recreate some other parts.

What are the main ingredients that makes a live show special for you?

Daniel: Lately, it seems to be the context.

Do new ideas appear during live performances? If so how to do you proceed in order to materialise them?

Daniel: New ideas always appear live and I always record everything, bringing studio-quality equipment on stage for this purpose.

What is the perfect time of day and weather that makes you creative?

Daniel: All the time. There are many aspects in audio-visual production and each hour is good for something. I love to leave the computer render some video and have a walk or sleep 🙂

What are your future plans and what advice do you have for people that want to get into creating music?

Daniel: I plan to just continue. My advice for people considering music creation is to give it a serious try, I find it awesome, mysterious and also healthy, it is the best adventure I know and it seems to never end.

Thy Veils - Daniel Dorobantu - by Anita Ramona

The Creative Process