Name: Valya Kan
Occupation: Producer, songwriter, dj
Nationality: Russian-Korean
Current release: Valya Kan's Pink EP is out via Wild Nation. About the release, Valya states that “all tracks are not fully polished and finished as a bag with the laptop with all the work was stolen. All that is left is just WAV files, compiled in a playlist on Soundcloud. It's basically a released demo, which I still decided to put out, because they are bringing me back to the moments of my life.”

If you enjoyed this interview with Valya Kan and would like to find out more about her music, visit her on Instagram, Soundcloud, and Facebook. To keep reading, check out our earlier Valya Kan interview, in which she expands on a wider range of topics.



You've described your Pink EP as a “released demo”. That's an interesting thought to ponder. Would you say that there is generally a danger of overproducing in the digital realm?

Overproducing is probably when you work on a track and it becomes a completely different track. But once you are good, I suppose, you know the difference.

I came to a realisation that actually a producer has to know what result they want to achieve. It also has to do a lot with honesty. As long as you are honest about the music you make, you probably won't go overproducing.

I used to do many takes - like 60-90 versions of the same track - but not anymore. I'm not sure why I was doing that. Now I guess it's just a feeling of knowing when the track is finished.

Are there examples from other recordings / or other artists where the unfinished / rough character of the music adds to their charm?

I think a good example of a 'how to stop' approach is Mark Kinchen. He said in an interview he just stops, because he has just for example 24 hours till the deadline, something like that and then he has to fly somewhere. But all his works don't sound unfinished and are very good. And he has a lot of experience and he is a professional. He probably knows when to stop and how to work efficiently and has his ways how to deal with it.

In general I think to leave music unfinished on purpose is not a good idea. You have to put a certain amount of hours and energy into it, otherwise it's just not ready to be released.

When you listen to the pieces on the Pink EP now, is it with a sense of regret of not being able to “finish them” or with a sigh of relief that they can no longer be touched?

I was really happy when I found out that they are still there in my soundcloud account. Because I was thinking I lost them forever. It was a feeling like I lost friends and found them again.

I wrote lyrics for “numb”, there had to be words like poetry and stuff. But they weren't aligned rhythmically. There was some scope of work. And I'm not interested just to do a voice over anymore. I have been trying to make songs since then.

Why didn't you recreate the pieces from scratch again – what would have been the difference, do you feel? As a creative, do you think you can “enter the same river twice”?

Probably I still could do that, but it takes too much time now, and I'm interested in making new music. I would like to change some melodies but still ... yeah it would be completely different works and they would lose the touch of the time when I created them. I still do that - I still take pieces of old sketches and make new music. But I'm well aware of what I am doing and I'm doing it on purpose.

But this music I wanted to change as little as possible. Those were very special moments for me, what I was feeling, when I made them. I am a different person now than then. I have changed. And the girl who wrote this music doesn't exist anymore.

It is possible to “enter the same river twice”, but then you are a new person and the river is also different. It's the same new river. "Life's the same, I'm moving in stereo, Life's the same except for my shoes" - as this song from my favourite band "The Cars" puts it.

Do you consider these pieces as “finished”?

They are now stamped in the time and nothing can be changed about it. If I will do any rework they probably will be different, but I'm not sure.

You extend kudos to Anton Zap, who did indeed make the music shine. Was his feedback in any way different from the one you'd usually get for your material? Was this EP a particular challenge for him in any way?

It's the work of a mastering engineer to make a release sound as a whole piece of art, which he has done very well. He also said: "It's a style”.

You state that the tracks "are bringing me back to the moments of my life." It's something Jeff Mills also told me as being one of the most vital aspects of making music for him. Tell me a bit about why this is important to you and why these tracks particularly are speaking to you so much in this regard.

Music has this power, and I guess Jeff Mills knows that. Music can take you to any place or time if you know how to do that. Music is the time machine. Just kidding. Just because it is all memories.

[Read our Jeff Mills interview]

Whenever I talk to artists who are discovering more spontaneity for their process, they are always enthusiastic about it. What is keeping so many from actually going through with it - yourself possibly included?

Sometimes I tend to improvise for a longer time and then just arrange everything later.

But I think you also have to control the improvisation because it can end up being overly easy. You have to put some effort into actually creating a piece of music and this is not just a spontaneous improvisation. I encourage everyone to put as much energy, time and effort into actual creating a track or a song and not just improvising for hours and hours.

What is true, on the other hand, is that on this stage it's better not to correct every little small thing. It doesn't matter eventually how you do it - you just have to do it.

Did the experience of losing so much music and the music of the Pink EP lead you to any new conclusions about your set up or approach? Do you see yourself giving more space to the unfinished and rough in your work?

No, it didn't affect my setup or approach. I didn't even get a spare hard drive, which I should. Before that and after I wanted to do everything analogue including the recording process, this is the direction I am headed in …

I am learning to play an instrument now - guitar and want to record on tapes. I wish I could buy this Tascam tape recorder which costs over 4,500 euro. Yeah … I bought like a 4 track Tascam tape recorder, but now can't get the tapes - it's been complicated.

Also I bought a sewing machine on ebay but can't use it, it doesn't wind the bobbin and the person who sold it to me doesn't reply. Now I need to buy a separate machine for the winding bobbin. I bought some materials to make new clothes, as I've been interested in creating clothes for myself that no one else has.

I've been having too much trouble with second hand stuff, so I want to buy only new things from now on. But Tascam doesn't make new tape recorders.

There are, I would assume, more pieces like the ones from the Pink EP as WAV files. Any plans to publish these as well?

Yeah, there are more pieces, but no - no plans yet, I would like to make new music.

It takes some amount of self control to be able to have a vision.