It's a long and difficult,
but such a wonderful way ahead
but such a wonderful way ahead
Hi. I'm Mik K., and this is my electronic studio project. It focuses mainly on material composed between 2003 and 2020, born from a deep love for the diverse musical styles of pop's golden era — from the mid-70s to the late 90s.
I don't adjust the sound to modern standards because, to my taste, deliberate, glossy retro-styling pale in comparison to the authentic sound of a bygone era in terms of warmth, vibe, and sincerity.
The aesthetics of Equivaland are built around existential experiences and solitary reflections, set against the backdrop of landscapes where nature meets the urban outskirts. The music offers an immersion into "dreams of the past," exploring themes of objects, movements, and states through simple instrumental electronic compositions, most of which follow a classical verse-chorus structure.
I don't adjust the sound to modern standards because, to my taste, deliberate, glossy retro-styling pale in comparison to the authentic sound of a bygone era in terms of warmth, vibe, and sincerity.
The aesthetics of Equivaland are built around existential experiences and solitary reflections, set against the backdrop of landscapes where nature meets the urban outskirts. The music offers an immersion into "dreams of the past," exploring themes of objects, movements, and states through simple instrumental electronic compositions, most of which follow a classical verse-chorus structure.
Frequently Asked Questions
For me, any vocal in a song is, first and foremost, a part of the music, and only then the text and its meaning. Often, when working with other projects, I use lyrics precisely as a phonetic tool within the composition, even though having a deep meaning is also very important to me. But people tend to focus too much on the words instead of immersing themselves in the music and allowing the song to take on its own meaning based on pure feeling. No matter how evocative the lyrics may be, words will always lose to music in the richness of emotional shades. Naturally, the presence of words limits the potential breadth of perception. It hinders my utterance. Therefore, in the Equivaland project, I only set the topic through the title, and from there, it develops for everyone in their own way, built upon the foundation of personal experience. The mood of the compositions is easy to read, and it is safe to say that every listener who connects with this style of musical storytelling will find their own personal associations. These are not necessarily tied to the past; the connection is forged in the present moment, and in the future, it can act as a powerful nostalgic trigger. Naturally, the presence of lyrics is not necessary for this.
Why no vocals?
It is customary to praise progress, and indeed, modern music-making is entirely the fruit of technology. However, neural networks are now ready to replace living authors, and the value of human creative thought seems to be decreasing drastically. Today, we can no longer say with certainty what is the result of an intense human search and what is the output of an algorithm trained on terabytes of stolen works. Does it still make sense to invest your soul, time, and health in artistic work when the world has exploded with generative content? Many say that AI content is still inferior in quality, but its perfection is only a matter of time. Yet, there is hope that new generations will want to return to authentic creativity, because it is an integral part of human nature.
An author creates primarily for the thrill of the process — self-learning, overcoming difficulties, and self-improvement. AI cannot take away this personal joy. The second motivation is expression, a way to be heard. Today, the explosive growth of generative music creates an endless flood of digital noise, making it harder for real creators to stand out. Fortunately, the situation is changing: streaming platforms are beginning to tag AI tracks, listeners are boycotting faceless music, and avoiding neural networks has become a mark of good taste. So, there is hope.
I have never used AI to solve my creative tasks, whether it's writing music, composing poetry, or designing an album cover. And I can say with confidence that I never will. Simply because it's not interesting. Therefore, you can be sure that my work is based solely on the search of a living consciousness and is completely free from generative tricks.
An author creates primarily for the thrill of the process — self-learning, overcoming difficulties, and self-improvement. AI cannot take away this personal joy. The second motivation is expression, a way to be heard. Today, the explosive growth of generative music creates an endless flood of digital noise, making it harder for real creators to stand out. Fortunately, the situation is changing: streaming platforms are beginning to tag AI tracks, listeners are boycotting faceless music, and avoiding neural networks has become a mark of good taste. So, there is hope.
I have never used AI to solve my creative tasks, whether it's writing music, composing poetry, or designing an album cover. And I can say with confidence that I never will. Simply because it's not interesting. Therefore, you can be sure that my work is based solely on the search of a living consciousness and is completely free from generative tricks.
Consciousness or code?
Unfortunately, I currently don't have the opportunity to shoot video clips, because in addition to Equivaland, I run two more independent music projects with all the production on my shoulders. Each of the project requires a lot of dedication and a lot of time. Besides, it is quite difficult to choose a video footages that would not narrow the potential breadth of perception of a musical composition itself mentioned above. However, some videos are also planned in the near future. Let's see how it goes.
Any music videos?
Equivaland was originally conceived as a studio-only project with no stage ambitions. Moreover, my musical monologue here involves a slightly shifted focus of perception — Equivaland suggests being alone with yourself. Therefore, a public event involving the project would hardly be appropriate. However, I perform with my side vocal acts periodically at local venues, so if you ever come, I’m always happy to see you.
Any chance of seeing Equivaland on stage?
Even though Equivaland was originally designed as a strictly self-contained and isolated conceptual project, I remain receptive to collaboration proposals for this and my other ventures. Aligning shared visions can prove both engaging and productive.
Do you do collabs?
