Radio Wolf's New EP is a Soundtrack for Insomnia
Radio Wolf aka Oliver Blair is an electronic music artist, songwriter and record producer based in Berlin.
His latest EP "NIGHT LIGHT" was composed exclusively during late-night hours. Its serene and dimly lit soundscapes seem to hide dark secrets, like the night itself.
If you ever wondered why nobody ever wrote more music that is as magnificent, sombre, warm and quietly epic as Elegia by New Order, then this album is for you.
"I call the collection of instrumentals on NIGHT LIGHT my "cinema of the mind" because I created the music from imaginary film scenes I invoked in the nighttime, no doubt inspired by the movies and soundtracks I grew up with. The imagery of artists like David Lynch, Stanley Kubrick, John Carpenter, Mario Bava, Alfred Hitchcock—the sounds of Angelo Badalamenti, Brian Eno, Vangelis, even rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix and many more—all frequencies you tune in and out of over time," says the artist.
We asked Oliver to talk about each track from his excellent EP.
His latest EP "NIGHT LIGHT" was composed exclusively during late-night hours. Its serene and dimly lit soundscapes seem to hide dark secrets, like the night itself.
If you ever wondered why nobody ever wrote more music that is as magnificent, sombre, warm and quietly epic as Elegia by New Order, then this album is for you.
"I call the collection of instrumentals on NIGHT LIGHT my "cinema of the mind" because I created the music from imaginary film scenes I invoked in the nighttime, no doubt inspired by the movies and soundtracks I grew up with. The imagery of artists like David Lynch, Stanley Kubrick, John Carpenter, Mario Bava, Alfred Hitchcock—the sounds of Angelo Badalamenti, Brian Eno, Vangelis, even rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix and many more—all frequencies you tune in and out of over time," says the artist.
We asked Oliver to talk about each track from his excellent EP.
Sleepless
Oliver Blair: "I composed and produced 'Sleepless' several years ago while living in Toronto, having recently moved there from London UK. I was literally sleepless — a period of insomnia brought on, no doubt, by the intensity of a music scoring project for a film I was working on at the time.
Rather than fight this sleeplessness I embraced it creatively, trying to sonically capture the intense, relentless restlessness of it all. I was in a kind of "dreamwake" that invoked visions — for instance, I'd imagine myself wandering along a silent, moonlit road while composing the piece.
I'd get it all down—composing and recording into the night in my home studio in a state of intense concentration, distracted by no one.
I used a combination of analog KORG Synthesizers, digital synth software such as Arturia, Diva, Native Instruments, and Battery. I also created static / noise and a sense of dusty old 'wear n tear' as I felt it would especially work for a feeling of drifting in and out of a dreamlike state."
Oliver Blair: "I composed and produced 'Sleepless' several years ago while living in Toronto, having recently moved there from London UK. I was literally sleepless — a period of insomnia brought on, no doubt, by the intensity of a music scoring project for a film I was working on at the time.
Rather than fight this sleeplessness I embraced it creatively, trying to sonically capture the intense, relentless restlessness of it all. I was in a kind of "dreamwake" that invoked visions — for instance, I'd imagine myself wandering along a silent, moonlit road while composing the piece.
I'd get it all down—composing and recording into the night in my home studio in a state of intense concentration, distracted by no one.
I used a combination of analog KORG Synthesizers, digital synth software such as Arturia, Diva, Native Instruments, and Battery. I also created static / noise and a sense of dusty old 'wear n tear' as I felt it would especially work for a feeling of drifting in and out of a dreamlike state."
On-Screen Death
Oliver Blair: "I composed 'On-Screen Death' while living in London UK and again during the late hours of the night. Thoughts of life and eventual death are especially potent when alone in the nighttime. I imagined the tragic reality of this as a piece of music that was emotionally moving yet somehow heroic—like a musical score to a series of climactic scenes from films showing the last moments of a heroic life. I gave the arrangement a deteriorating tape recording sound effect, to express that music itself can be a heroic yet fragile life force.
Oliver Blair: "I composed 'On-Screen Death' while living in London UK and again during the late hours of the night. Thoughts of life and eventual death are especially potent when alone in the nighttime. I imagined the tragic reality of this as a piece of music that was emotionally moving yet somehow heroic—like a musical score to a series of climactic scenes from films showing the last moments of a heroic life. I gave the arrangement a deteriorating tape recording sound effect, to express that music itself can be a heroic yet fragile life force.
Night Light
Oliver Blair: "I chose this as the last track as it feels like the moment where everything that is hanging in the balance comes together. Compared to the restlessness of "Sleepless" it has an inspirited sense of hope and purpose. I introduced electric guitar as the music builds to suggest a kind of momentous moment of awakening; I wanted it to sound emotionally warm and human."
Oliver Blair: "I chose this as the last track as it feels like the moment where everything that is hanging in the balance comes together. Compared to the restlessness of "Sleepless" it has an inspirited sense of hope and purpose. I introduced electric guitar as the music builds to suggest a kind of momentous moment of awakening; I wanted it to sound emotionally warm and human."
Also check out Radio Wolf's 2017 single – the nostalgic Song on the Radio.
Oliver about his guitar: "my telecaster has a sound that bites!"