Names: Nicoleta Raicu (editor in chief at CVLTARTES), Nicolae Baldovin (CEO at CVLTARTES)
Nationality: Romanian
Recommendations: Baldo: I'll limit myself to musical projects and stay faithful to Romanian projects. I tried to cover as wide a range of genres as possible, but there has been considerable growth in the Romanian music scene in recent years, and I invite you to take a closer look.
So, I truly recommend you and your readers to listen to Thy Veils, Zammorian, Silent Strike, Am Fost La Munte Si Mi-a Placut, Balkan Taksim, Makunouchi Bento, Fluidian, The Thirteenth Sun, Dordeduh, Golan, Moonlight Breakfast or The Case.

If you enjoyed this interview with Nicoleta Raicu and Nicolae Baldovin, visit  CVLTARTES for a wide selection of articles, interviews, and art/photo galleries.

Can you talk a bit about your interest in or fascination for music journalism?

Baldo: I first should talk about my passion for music. I'll go a little backward, but I'll keep it as short as possible.

My mum told me that she would let me listen to the radio to calm me down since I was a child. You could only hear bands like Pet Shop Boys, A-ha, Duran Duran, Erasure, or Depeche Mode. Somehow my memory worked in such a way that granted me the joy of music. It's only evident that whenever I hear these bands playing, it transports me to time immemorial. Music remains the space where I find myself most of the time, retreating whenever the weight of the world oppresses me.

Regarding music journalism, it was the way I flirted with writing as a teenager that got me started. Some of my prose poems have been published in magazines and newspapers around the country, but when I eventually gave up writing, I realized I could build stories inspired by music. That's how I started doing my first reviews while combining literary forms with modern journalism and defining my style. As passion most of the time surpasses being, I identify with it.

Nicoleta: My interest in music journalism started off the blue. After finishing my computer science studies, I tried to look elsewhere and find a new meaning.

I was rather shy in the beginning, as I had to find my writing style and leave my creative side grown within. It was only in the last couple of years that I wrote music reviews, as I was more into art articles, sharing thoughts on local artists, events, and brands.

But ultimately, how I listened to and enjoyed the music enabled me to learn how to write reviews.

Which writers, books, documentaries, or magazines captured your imagination in the beginning?

Baldo: Western magazines made me wish I could write for a publication that would present itself spectacularly to the world. Yet, the inspiration was an individual matter, a minor discovery of the universe, if you will, which ideally interwove in me the peace of mind music provides with my writing passion.

So, the only books and writers that have inspired me come from literature.

What made it appealing to you to write about music yourself? What was it that you wanted to express, and what, did you feel, did you have to add?

Nicoleta: I thought a lot about Stravinsky's statement that every musical piece is a comment on all the pieces before this piece. For most artists, reviewers, or journalists, music is an endless stream of energy, and they're constantly borrowing creativity from it.

In most of my reviews, I lean towards a melancholic setup or melodies that you may interpret as nostalgic. I am still trying to figure out why, but it says something about what I want to share or add to music write-ups.

And because there is more of a diversification of music interests and ways of listening, it's getting more challenging to write things that remain and captures the readers' attention. That keeps me amazed and inspired.

What, would you say, are the key ideas behind your approach to music journalism? Do you see yourself as part of a certain tradition or lineage?

Baldo: CVLTARTES emerged from an inner rebellion against how niche art was viewed more than ten years ago in Romania. The feeling of freedom and free speech about unconventional art dominated all our contributors.

Over time, I began to identify more and more with this subtle revolt, and I tried to transform it into a more pleasant world, free of preconceptions, where people genuinely feel sage and approach with an open heart.

Nicoleta:  To some extent, every magazine writes for a defined audience and, generally, has a defined purpose. My colleagues and I build up a story within a musical piece, writing engagingly while filled with expression. For CVLTARTES, we've tried an unconventional approach, yet universally valid, promoting arts in its uncensored and sometimes unusual forms.  

As for seeing myself as part of a specific tradition, I can't say that, but I sure would love to inspire others and help them understand that music journalism has a rich past, a lively presence, and a promising future. But it also needs people who live for music and writing and take the challenges of such a life.

How do you see the role of music journalism in the creative process? Should it amplify public taste, distinguish the good from the bad, inform, promote artists, or, as Howard Mandel put it, "illuminate, educate and entertain" readers?

Baldo: First and foremost, journalists, regardless of the subjects they address, should show responsibility. While our feedback on music might help artists polish their creations, we must keep our vision as objective as possible and not be obstructed by our relationship with the artists and their music.

Since most Romanian webzines and websites are built on passion, authors often fall prey to it, erroneously influencing the readers. That is why responsibility and unaltered thinking should always govern written letters.

Nicoleta: A review should make readers understand what makes music good or bad, whether you analyze the production, lyrics, or how songs were constructed. It should demonstrate you understand what makes it good. As long as you do that, it can inform the reader, promote the artist, or "illuminate, educate, and entertain."

But to do that, music has to be your all-consuming passion; passion enough to happily listen to music that may not be your cup of tea.

Whom do you feel your obligation to – the artists, the readers, the publication you're writing for?

Baldo: My obligation is to the reader, to be able to guide them in a journey as complete as possible, where the world combines with the sound in the conjugation of the same experience.

Nicoleta: The daunting thing about being a music journalist is that many fans are very much music geeks and may have some criticism about your work. That's why researching is vital, especially if you're unfamiliar with an artist. So I feel more obligated to the readers and artists than the magazine I'm writing for.

How did you get started in music journalism, and what were some of the specific challenges?

Nicoleta: Living in Romania surely comes with unique challenges, yet it's satisfying.

I think - and feel free to disagree - that the Romanian art industry is still in its early stage of its evolution. Because people consume less art than they should, how can they be interested in watching or reading interviews with artists or going to opera or art exhibitions?!

However, there is a place to develop, innovate, collaborate, and grow, which is fantastic.

How important is musical education for quality music journalism? Do you feel as though knowing more about music will lead to better contributions?

Baldo: In-depth knowledge, regardless of the fields, can only complete what, up to a point, doesn't go beyond conjecture.

Music journalism is, at the moment, limited to the level of an impression when it can just as well turn into a starting point of study. At least in Romania, musical education in schools would significantly help personal development, especially if we remember that sound greets us from the very first moment we enter this world.

Nicoleta: Music journalism and criticism are far more essential to musical life than most people realize. That's why institutions within the music field should be asking how they can train people to speak and write effectively about music and how to keep alive public conversations that critics have long led.

Unquestionably, the more music knowledge and education you have, the better you'll convey your final message.

Research is an essential part of the journalistic process. Tell me about how you approach it.

Nicoleta: We find ourselves, as most journalists today, in the lucky position of receiving all that we need on the table, including press releases, biographies, photographs, and the like. I also like to check their social media pages, looking for inside thoughts, opinions, or whatever, as I'm connecting to the artist on another level.

Because we've started to represent artists for a year now, we also write press releases and share email campaigns to provide magazines and websites with all the information they need, so they don't waste time on additional research.

In the end, you only need creativity and flexibility to write stuff up.

A significant part of music journalism is the ability to interpret the music and the larger narrative at play. Tell me about how this works for you and how these interpretations, in turn translate into words, larger stories, and journalistic pieces.

Nicoleta: I constantly remind myself that all features are, in fact, a story, in the same way, that a piece of science fiction is a story featuring a character / artist engaged in a particular subject (album).

I do, however, have a mental image of our website readers. Whenever I'm sharing my feelings and thoughts on an album, I look for the article to have a natural flow and rhythm while keeping a reasoned discourse.

However, a style will change based on what you're reviewing, as some key elements. But practical and pleasing writing tenets are almost infinitely flexible.

What, from your experience and perspective, does the ideal collaboration / mode of cooperation between you and the artists you write about look like?

Baldo: When we first started CVLTARTES, we were only partially focused on what people would think about what we write, whom we write about, or how we do it, as there was no standard to refer to between us and artists and readers.

I only knew that there were certain artists and event promoters that we wanted to get to and with whom we wanted to collaborate, as we appreciate the way they approached specific artistic themes. All collaborations started naturally, and the way our relationships with artists and readers grew created a certain vibe and mood toward which both parties felt an attraction.  

Nicoleta: Much like a relationship, the ideal collaboration requires listening, flexibility, being open to ideas, suggestions, critiques, and sometimes, compromise, even if it means changing course.

How would you describe your views on topics like originality and innovation versus perfection and timelessness in music journalism? Are you interested in finding new journalistic formats for the future – and if so, what are promising ideas in this regard?

Nicoleta: While perfection and timelessness are areas of intense interest for artists and authors, they can mean many things.

I'm very fond of Theodor Adorno's thoughts on 'determination negation,' stating that every piece of art presents itself as a self-contained universe, abiding by internal rules determined in fictional contradistinction to reality. I genuinely believe that music can create fictional worlds of timelessness through music's temporal organization. When given full attention, the music itself can be immersive, relieving a lifetime of experiences for which it has been the soundtrack, as if time stands still.

But while timelessness seems to exist in music, it doesn't apply to music journalism, too. I suppose originality and innovation matter most when it comes to journalism. The ability to reflect thoughts and ideas reasonably and creatively is a more appropriate approach in a given journalistic workplace.

There's no doubt that journalism is starting to face a number of challenges, from funding models, audiences, or changing technology, and you always have to consider new ways of storytelling. I haven't thought of finding new journalistic formats. But I am motivated to explore, contest, and maybe develop meaningful journalistic approaches.

Once you've finished a piece, what is its value outside its original context?

Nicoleta: I feel like music journalists should strive for balance and fairness when reviewing and not slant some words only so readers draw the journalists' desired conclusion. Indeed, having a positive and solid influence on the opinions of others is one of the keys to building up legitimacy for yourself and your website, and a well-written piece of writing can help you do that.

Whenever I'm writing, I'm looking for my reviews to be both informative and insightful, engaging with the readers and fans of a band. Still, most of the time, I seek to identify a review's emotional value.

But reviews should be more than just an original context. After all, writing is an art form that readers take seriously because it morphs the language we use daily into a more formal style.

Different writers can approach the same topic with strikingly different pieces. Would you say there can be wrong and right journalistic decisions for some projects? In which way can some journalistic contributions be considered definitive?

Baldo: I like to think that life unfolds in whole meaning beyond notions of good and bad. That's the principle I follow in my personal life, too, and I understand that no matter what we come into the world with, this something we create can only add value to the world we live in.

The others are only another form of you, and an article summarizing an opinion is only an opinion, a thought you had at a different time.