Gvantsa Narim Interview: “I always try to express my own opinion”

Georgian composer and sound artist, Gvantsa Narim, first came to our attention at the back of last year with her wonderful Cruel Nature Records debut, Gvantsa. It was one of those curve ball releases that left us scrambling when whittling down what inevitably became our Top 50 Albums of 2022 (in which Narim featured).

An album with gently crafted compositions that stirred the soul, Narim managed to humanise the stark aspects of sound design with something captivating and ahead of the curve. Narim hasn’t wasted time following it up, with her latest offering, Apotheosis Animæ, arriving just six months later.

Quite removed from its predecessor, Apotheosis Animæ is an all-encompassing escapade across the compositional landscape. Inspired by religion and the environment, there’s a subtle epic quality that underlines Apotheosis Animæ, and it’s not until six or seven listens until the full picture emerges.

Each track has its own personality, which in some respects may not feel like a record in its purest sense. Maybe it does? Ultimately, it’s for the listener to decide, as Narim creates an album that changes shape with every listen. The glacial-like opener Apotheosis; the spoken-word outer-world of Amensia; the dark tunnel drone of Born in the Mist; Sicut Mortuss which is the sound of raindrops kissing the windowpane; and of course, the Andy Stott-inspired tech-house daydream of Silva Ventus, which leads into the epic underbelly of drone that is Codex.

Apotheosis Animæ is arguably the dream state committed to tape. Narim, in constant flux of creation, with solace and inner piece the key focal points. You can really feel that with these compositions, and through the miasma of this esoteric sound world, Narim creates a space to escape and seek refuge.

Prior to last week’s release of Apotheosis Animæ, Gvantsa answered some of our questions about the album and her creative process.

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Sun 13: When did you start making music, and who and what would you consider to be your main influences?

Gvantsa Narim: “Music has been in my life since childhood. I finished seven years of music school. When I was 10 years old, my brother gave me a pirated version of Enigma’s first album, and my longing and love for Enigma was so great that it is still my favorite project. In 2013, I started writing music myself. Before that, there were attempts for piano, but I started creating seriously in 2013.

“My source of inspiration has always been people I don’t know and I just look at them on the street. See also Enigma and Georgian polyphonic music. Esoteric religions and works of ancient philosophers.”

S13: Can you tell us the process and ideas behind Apotheosis Animæ?

GN: “My work process is not so original. I drink a lot of water. I must be alone. In complete silence. While working on the album, I spent hours looking at Orthodox Christian icons and got inspiration from them. That is why the album is called Apotheosis Animæ.”

S13: What was the main thing you wanted to achieve with the album?

GN: “Life is suffering, we have to understand this and try to gather seeds of joy in this suffering and prolong these moments of happiness as much as possible.”

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S13: It feels like a more expansive, eclectic mix of sounds in comparison with Gvantsa, with tracks like Amnesia and Silva Ventus leading the way. Was that something you thought about when making this record?

GN: “The compositions come to me by themselves. At first I had to work a lot to write each composition to create a quality product. Now I just listen to the voice of the soul, and it tells me which note and sound to play after which note and sound.”

S13: With Apothesis Animæ there also feels like a greater emphasis on technology. Are you always looking for new equipment to incorporate into your music? 

GN: “In my compositions, there are a lot of natural sounds and field recordings, because all this brings the listener closer to the musician and leaves a feeling of authenticity.”

S13: This is your second release with Cruel Nature Records. How did the collaboration come about?

GN: “Even though I’ve been writing music for over 10 years, I didn’t want my compositions to be published by an ordinary company. That’s why I was looking for a label that was different and also inspiring. And I discovered all this at Cruel Nature Records.”

S13: Do you work on music every day? What is your creative process?

GN: “Every day I write improvisations on the synthesizer. It’s like I’m keeping a diary. This is necessary in order not to relax, and the mind is always experiencing growth and development. We artistic people don’t have the time or luxury to do nothing.”

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S13: Can you tell us about experimental scene in Georgia?

GN: “As for the experimental scene of Georgia, our country is not so rich in experiments. This is due to the fact that my country is still occupied by Russia, and at the same time is under the control of conservatives. On the other hand, the techno and underground scenes are very developed. You probably know about Khidi and Bassian.”

S13: Do your immediate surroundings influence your work?

GN: “Of course, we are human beings, and we have to live in a public life where there are large doses of conformism. Nevertheless, I always try to express my own opinion, and luckily it works out at the expense of inner freedom.”

S13: And what about your sense of identity. Do you think that influences your creativity?

GN: “It doesn’t matter, identity, gender, skin colour, or anything at all. The only thing a person should strive for is spiritual peace and love. Everything else is secondary. Art itself exists so that a person who intend to commit suicide can survive. I believe so.”

S13: Thanks for your time, Gvantsa, any last words?

GN: “I would also like to thank Tedo Rekhviashvili for the album cover and Irakli Bakuradze for the mastering, who plans to release his first album on Curel Nature Records in the near future. And of course, thank Cruel Nature Records and you for such an interesting conversation.”

Apothesis Animæ is out now via Cruel Nature Records. Purchase from Bandcamp.