From the depths of Slovakia Erik Osvald a.k.a. Keosz speaks briefly about inspiration, musical influences and of course his debut album, Be Left to Oneself—an enchanting ambient drone voyage pulsing with undulating electricity. A strong emotional core intensified by impressive sound design makes Be Left to Oneself truly addictive. Not many ambient albums can keep you engaged from start to finish, but this one keeps you engaged throughout its nine spacious compositions effortlessly. Cryo Chamber strikes again with another special atmospheric work.
There’s some striking photographic material on your Facebook page. I really like how you manage to capture the beauty in the collision between sort of man-made harshness and natural environments. I feel this charm throughout your new album, Be Left to Oneself, as well. I assume all these photos were taken by you, in Slovakia. I wonder how photography, traveling and the landscapes of Slovakia affected the compositions of Be Left to Oneself.
Osvald :: Thank you. Yes, mostly I shoot in Slovakia but also in neighbouring states surrounding Slovakia. All of my creative work, such as photography or music, flow in the same vein of watching the world from a cynical perspective and its depressing moments.
Tell us a bit about your studio and the equipment involved in the creation of Be Left to Oneself.
Osvald :: My set up is pretty normal. I have studio setup in my living room with one pair of Fostext MKII monitors, Fucussrite Saffire PRO 24, Audio-technica microphone, Midi keyboard, Korg padkontroler and Sennheiser EH 350 headphones.
How did the doors of Cryo Chamber open up for you?
Osvald :: One day Simon, Cryo Chamber label boss, wrote me on FB out of the blue after finding my tunes online and asked me if I am interested in working together. I am really happy that I am a part of Cryo Chamber.
Tell us a bit about your musical influences.
Osvald :: It’s simply other producers, artist and productive people. Stuff like movie soundtracks and game OSTs. This is also something I keep coming back to as a producer and creating works like this myself, especially soundtrack like tracks.
Is there a meaning to the name Keosz?
Osvald :: It’s an old nick name for my 1st touch with the internet. It’s a mix of my name Erik Osvald and Keosz, which is how you spell chaos in Slovakian.
Be Left to Oneself is available on Cryo Chamber.
