Toledo musician Kurt, performing under the moniker “Still Interval,” has released his debut album “I Got Your Letter,” an exploration of the atmospheric dungeon synth genre. Drawing imagination from Japanese ambient artist Hiroshi Yoshimura and SNES game soundtracks, Kurt crafts a unique blend of dark ambient and synthesizer-based compositions.
The album represents a softer take on dungeon synth, more typically characterized by its fusion of dark ambient, black metal, and vintage electronic music elements reminiscent of classic video game and film soundtracks. Kurt has been producing music since 2021, previously playing in a band, and has also been involved in the Toledo Repertoire Theater in the past. It’s important to note that the album is only available for purchase on cassette, however you can listen to it for free on the music streaming website bandcamp.com. To purchase a cassette, it is $7, plus $3 shipping.
“I was trying to create art that belongs to that category of art I mentioned before. Hiroshi Yoshimura’s music, the video games of Fumito Ueda, Dark Souls I, “This Ocean” by Meyou Peak, and “The Summer Book” by Tove Jansson are a few other works that belong in this category. I can’t quite understand what it is these things evoke for me, but more than anything they are otherworldly and have moments of pure serenity. They slip into particular emotion in me that nothing else does. There is a moment in the song “Dance PM” by Hiroshi Yoshimura that I have searched so hard so beautiful I could kill me. That was the feeling I wanted, something bittersweet, otherworldly, and beautiful in an almost painful way. I don’t think I always captured that, but that was what I was chasing.”
“It was very unique for me compared to anything I have made in the past. The last several years almost all of the music I’ve made has been experimental, not really playing traditional instruments, but doing tape manipulation and heavy use of effects pedals and whatnot. This album, on the other hand, was made entirely with MIDI instruments in my recording software on my PC. I’ve used my recording software for years, but this project forced me to learn a ton of new things. I primarily played all of the instruments with a MIDI keyboard (occasionally editing takes with just keyboard and mouse), which was interesting because I am primarily a guitar player, and I’m not very skilled with keyboards. I learned a lot about mixing and mastering, and even the process of writing and recording the music was pretty different from anything I’ve done before. It was a very educational album to make, and that was one of my favorite parts about making the album. There’s still tons to learn, but making this made me feel like I came into my future too.”
“I think nostalgia is powerful, but not always a good thing in modern media. It can be an easy way to get people in the door just because they are looking for a feeling they haven’t felt since “the good old days” or what have you, but the game, movie, music, etc. might just rest on the nostalgia and not actually try to do anything interesting beyond that. I think my album has a nostalgia factor considering the songs are literally played with the instruments of vintage games, but most of the things that have inspired it are things I have gotten into as an adult. The SNES was the first console I played, but I beat Earthbound (which is the primary “aesthetic” being used on the album) for the first time last year, so there’s an element of nostalgia, but I don’t think I set out to create a nostalgic album. It was more about making the music that I have been looking for but couldn’t find.”
“I am really happy that now that I wrapped up everything with this album, I can start working on new stuff. There’s still some things I am hoping to do with this project. I’m going to try to keep collaborating myself to create songs with a similar feel but a looser and more ambient structure. I also want to experiment with using more of a dance music approach to composition by using sequencers and different approaches to arranging the music. I might move away from soundtracks and into synthesizer with my own patches, but we’ll see. The soundtrack feel like part of the approach when it comes to Still Interval. I think the music with this project will always try to fit into that otherworldly and serene space, but playing with the structures of the songs themselves is fun to me. I am also looking forward to working on some new experimental stuff with my other project Paracels.”
“The final song, “Take Care,” I made it over a year ago, and it sort of planted the seed for the album – when I got a nice MIDI keyboard in early August I turned to try to make more stuff like it. While aging it made me feel lost and with the rest of what I made, since I really like the song. I think it encapsulates most of what I set out to do with the rest of the album.”
“I think it comes back to the idea of the music being more of a meditation moment than something that is supposed to take center stage. I like calm, rhythmic stuff when I drive, but it might not be good driving music for everyone. The whole pet music of the album was inspired by this cat that comes around my girlfriend’s house that we call “Little Buddy.” They’re my one fan, standing in the camp. They’re very cute, and I would like to pet them one day.”
“This past summer I spent several days in Milwaukee visiting my best friend. I don’t know that it made any noticeable sound itself, but it was a moment likely that made me cherish having such great friends. Other than that, a big reason this album happened when it did was because I got new equipment that I was learning, and wanted to learn more about my recording software too. Prior to this album I hadn’t been especially creative this year, so it felt good to just throw myself into a project and remember why I love making art.”
stillinterval.bandcamp.com