Name: Anton Somin aka Sominaryst
Occupation: Producer, DJ
Nationality: Ukrainian
Current release: Sominaryst's new album Qualia is out via Polygon.
Recommendation for Kyiv: Please visit K41 club.
Thing I am passionate about but rarely get to talk about: It's a little sad - I can't present the album live in your country right now, because the borders are closed due to the war in Ukraine.

If you enjoyed this Sominaryst interview and would like to know more about his music, visit him on Instagram, and Soundcloud.



What were some of the musical experiences which planted a seed for your interest in electronic music?

In 2013, I visited London and randomly ended up at a rave featuring broken beats like garage and breaks. I was completely surprised that it was not techno. That realization sparked my first thoughts about becoming part of it.

However, it took me nine more years to gain enough confidence to do so.

Most genres of music make use of electronic production means. What does the term “electronic music” mean today, would you say?

For me, it's an unlimited field for experimentation.

You have the freedom to record or sample anything, choose any synthesizer, or take a sample from any song and make it completely unrecognizable, using it in any context within your composition.

So you have all the world of sounds around you and endless possibilities.

I grew up mainly listening to electronic music but have of lately, along with others I've spoken to, been somewhat disappointed by most new releases. I'd be curious about your own view on this, the “creative health” of the scene and potential reasons for the disappointment.

I think that truly unique music experiences come directly from the creator's heart.

Of course, you can be highly skilled and technically proficient, knowing all the rules, but real expression that resonates with your audience can only emerge when you sublimate your creation from an honest mental and emotional experience.

What were some of the recent releases, or performances of electronic music that left a deep impact on you?

A recent release that left a deep impact on me is Max Cooper – On Being.

[Read our Max Cooper interview]

What kind of musical/sonic materials, and ideas are particularly stimulating for your work right now?

Kraftwerk, Aphex Twin, Venetian Snares, Coido, and Nikki Nair.

Where do most of your inspirations to create come from – rather from internal  impulses or external ones? Which current social / political / ecological or other developments make you feel like you need to respond as an artist?

I live in Kyiv, a city that is constantly under attack from missiles and drones. At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, I was driven by a kind of negative motivation - the feeling that I needed to create now or never.

Everything I want to express through my music already exists around me: impressions, emotions, and sounds. I just need to combine them at the right moment in the right mood while constantly improving on my skills.

In essence, I reinterpret external impulses through my own qualia and transmit this experience to my listeners.

Music has become a lot more global, and incorporating elements from other parts of the world or the musical spectrum is commonplace. Do you still think there are city scenes with a distinct, unique sound? How does your local scene influence your work?

A great example is Kyiv’s scene. We have many different small electronic communities at the moment, but I would single out BRUKXT, which is particularly known for its bass-heavy sound and keen focus on broken beats.

I believe that openness to experimentation is a crucial step toward developing a truly distinct and unique sound.

Today, electronic music has an interesting relationship between honouring its roots and exploring the unknown. What does the balance between these two poles look like in your music?

My last release in 2023, Bezsonnia, includes a cover of dancing roots, which quite literally translates your question.



What is the balance between these two poles in my work? I have a deep love for ethnic and operatic motifs, as well as singing, which can be heard in many of my compositions.

When combined with dirty bass and delicate, fragile percussion, they create a new sonic landscape of experimentation for me. In my opinion, this is the perfect form of eclecticism.

How much potential for something “new” is there still in electronic music? What could this “new” look like?

I believe electronic sound has virtually no limits when it comes to the number of unique timbres that can be synthesized and resampled.

The key is to capture ideas within an interesting context and continuously develop those skills.

What were some of the recent tools you bought, used, or saw/read about which changed your perspective about production, performing, and making music?

I bought a brand-new MacBook last month, and I’m so happy with it. It’s my main musical instrument, so my world just got better.

I use Ableton, and for the past month, I’ve been experimenting with granular synthesis.

Do you think that there is a limit to what can be done in sound design – and what defines these limits?

As I mentioned before, there are truly no limits in sound design.

I recently performed a live noise set, and this genre proves that all styles and experimental approaches can find their audience.

In as far as it is applicable to your work, how would you describe the interaction between your music and DJing/DJ culture and clubs?  

I use DJing as a part of my music creation process.

Some techniques go beyond simply mixing tracks - DJing also provides an opportunity to integrate my demos, test them on an audience, and mix them with other artists' music to see how they work in a live setting.

How, would you say are your live performances and your recording projects connected at the moment? How do they mutually influence and feed off each other?  

My live performances and recording projects exist side by side. God bless.

Even if AI will not entirely replace human composition, it looks set to have a significant impact on it. What does the terms composing/producing mean in the era of AI, do you feel?

Even before the advent of the 'age of artificial intelligence,' producers could create music with minimal effort using generative plugins, loops, and presets. Yet, if the result was successful and fitting, the audience rarely questioned its authenticity or whether it truly belonged to the artist.

I am a firm believer and admirer of handcrafted artistry, which is why the animation in my music video “Qualia” was created entirely using a collage technique, deliberately avoiding any AI intervention.

Are there approaches, artists, festivals, labels, spaces or anyone/-thing else out there who you feel deserve a shout out for taking electronic music into the future?

The context and community in which I create constantly surprises and inspires me.

Brudnyi Pes, Brukht, Zdybanka, Repair Together, Breakarnya, Freeture, K41, and many others are Ukrainian communities that drive Kyiv’s electronic music culture while also raising donations to support our country, which remains in a state of full-scale war.