Interview - ILLUIN
ILLUIN is a dungeon synth project from Baku, Azerbaijan. Mainly inspired by Tolkien's works and bands such as Depressive Silence, Mortiis, Burzum, Secret Stairways and etc. On August 27, 2024, Illuin launched their debut release entitled "The Last Hope". It is an album containing 7 songs that are really great and astounding to my ears, and that has led me to immediately contact Zetav Burtiyev for a conversation.
Interview by Jiwa
[01] Hail Zetav Burtiyev. Many thanks for agreeing to be interviewed. First of all, please introduce something about yourself in person and a bit about your daily routines of life in Baku?
Zetav: Hello. First of all thank you for having me on this interview. My name is Zetav and I was born in Balakan district of Azerbaijan. I'm 29 year old. Currently working and living in Baku. My daily routine is wake up in the morning and go to the work. After work I usually like to spend my time by reading books, listening to music and trying to compose something. During weekends I like to visit library.
[02] How did you get to know and have an interest / passion for Dungeon Synth music? And then, what encouraged you to create Illuin?
Zetav: Actually this is very interesting question. As I recall many years ago I listened to Burzum album which called "Hliðskjálf". It was quite different than previous works of Burzum in musical sense. Then I started to discover this genre. I started to listen other bands and projects such as Mortiis, Depressive Silence, Thangorodrim and etc. This bands and projects had great influence on me to start my own dungeon synth project which I always wished. I started with "Hill of Sorcery" and then "ROKH". These two projects were more experimental. My last project is "Illuin" which focused on dungeon synth.
[03] Illuin is Tolkien-inspired musically and thematically. Why did you choose to work on this field of soundscapes?
Zetav: When I first came across "The Lord Of The Rings" movie on TV as a child I was blown away by characters and landscapes in the movie. Tolkien has deep influence on me from fantasy-wise and I read his books. That's why my project is Tolkien-inspired thematically and musically.
[04] The album "The Last Hope" is indeed an impressive debut. Share something about the creative processes you did for the album - regarding the fundamental ideas, writing & composing phases, recordings, etc?
Zetav: Thank you for liking my album. I was planing to release this album under the name of my previous project "ROKH" before it was taken down by Bandcamp. After that I had to find a new name for my new project. It took one month to complete this album. I was working on the album after I got home from the work. Sometimes I was sleepless actually. But it was worth for it. The main idea thematically was Tolkien's works. I've chosen my favorite parts from his writings. As you can see some song titles are from "Lord Of The Rings" and others from "Silmarillion". For example in "The Last Hope" song I wrote the lyrics concerning Frodo's attempt to destroy the "One Ring" and in "The Downfall Of Númenor" lyrics are translation of "Lament of Akallabeth" in English. Musically it's a bit heavy. I recorded all songs on my PC at home. Vocals are recorded simply on my phone.
[05] Did you find any flaws (or anything you should have) with the album after it was released?
Zetav: I did some modifications before releasing my album. Because after listened some parts of it twice I wasn't much satisfied and therefore I deleted or did some modifications on the songs. But I'm okay for now.
[06] Out of the 7 songs listed, which track is your personal best / favorite, and why?
Zetav: Well. I wouldn't say one. Because three songs are equally favorite for me. Such as "The Last Hope", "Trolldom", "The Downfall Of Númenor". I would say they're my favorite songs from musical perspective.
[07] Do you have any plan to release "The Last Hope" in physical formats i.e. CDs and Tapes? What do you have in mind for the future of Illuin?
Zetav: I submitted my album to some dungeon synth labels and haven't get any feedback yet. But finally a label agreed to release my album in tape format in the near future. What will be the the future of Illuin is unclear for now. But I will try to keep it on.
[08] Do you know any other Dungeon Synth artists in Azerbaijan? What do you personally think about the current synth-oriented music scene worldwide?
Zetav: To be honest I don't know anyone in my country except some people who released some kind of ambient songs. Dungeon synth is unlikely to have audience here yet. Hope it will change in the future. Because I really feel alone here. But this is different when comes to the other parts of the world. As you know dungeon synth emerged alongside with the second wave black metal scene. However black metal gained more popularity in comparison. I still consider it as underground genre. This is my personal opinion. However I see many new bands and projects in this scene today.
[09] What did you mostly listen to lately? Do you have an all-time favourite artists / albums?
Zetav: Of course I have all-time favorite artists. My scope of music taste is wide. I listen to folk, metal, dungeon synth and etc. It's depending on my mood what type of genre I listen. I can give a few examples such as Bathory, Burzum, Depressive Silence, Thangorodrim and etc. Actually there are many.
[10] Thanks again for your time & the answers. Please say whatever you want to close this interview session.
Zetav: Thank you again giving me this opportunity. I'm grateful. Hope you're satisfied with my answers. Have a good day!
Updated: Illuin "The Last Hope" is now available in limited cassette edition via Paco Moreno Production (PMP).
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