What is Bedtime for Ravers?

Well, it’s an album, but it's also a tool. Even though the name suggests it's for people who like to party, it's basically for anyone who is having trouble sleeping.

But there are other applications – it can be used for breath work or meditation too, because if you're not sleepy, these sound patterns are going to have a calming effect and help you focus. Or you can just listen to it!

What came first, the sounds or the concept?

I was fiddling around with my Korg synth, trying to come up with some techno/trance type of tunes but ended up stripping things down with every iteration and quickly ended up with a drone track again, though there was still some technoid pulsation left.

Listening to it, I realised how it reminds me of this feeling of being on your way home from a club and music is still pounding in your ears. And it merges with surrounding sounds, like some car engine humming, or a train, if you're riding a subway to get home. And even though I rarely have trouble sleeping, I know that a lot of my friends do, especially after they use stimulants while partying. So the idea came kind of naturally from that first track and the rest was already developed with this concept in mind.

I read somewhere that the album was ‘tested’, what does this mean?

I tested it (by simply listening to it!) many times myself. I always listen to my tracks many times before releasing them.

I don’t go to clubs much for the past two years but I have two kids, so sometimes by the end of the day I feel as if I was raving hard and usually don't make it past the first track every time I put this album on!

I did get feedback from friends saying it’s working for them though, so I guess that counts!

In what ways are ambient music and ‘rave’ music connected?

I think they always go hand in hand. There are “chill out” stages at every big festival, sometimes they're still beat-driven, but there's usually a great deal of ambient and sometimes even drone music.

It’s natural, people want to slow down without leaving the club/festival, so they retreat to some place slower. And, of course, many rave music producers do ambient stuff once in a while, quite often even under the same alias.

As you can see, I tried to do it the other way around but I guess I’m too deep in drone to be able to do something actually danceable.

In what ways are sleeping and raving connected?

A few years back, I helped my wife with organising festivals and she always insisted the club owners have a “safe space” and basically had to educate a lot of them about this concept because it's still not a common thing.

At our events, it was a place where you could have some free water, get some condoms or emergency medicine or ask for psychological help (if you're having a bad trip or anything) or simply retreat from the crowd and recharge – or sleep, if you need to, which a lot of clubs don't tolerate and I think it's awful – sometimes people just need an hour or two of it and they're ready to blast again, why kick them out?

Sleep is essential for health but is often seen as a “weakness” by hardcore ravers as well – something boring that you unfortunately need to do. But sleeping is not just (physiologically) necessary; it can be fun too!

So another side of this album is low-key trying to change the attitude to sleeping, to feel it as an organic continuation of the experience rather than an abrupt ending of fun. Because you know, we don’t simply pass out when we sleep, there's a lot of things going on and we can be more aware of it.

Our body is healing itself in the deep sleep phase, repairing DNA strands, normalising hormone levels, re-wiring neuron chains… and, at the same time, we're dreaming. And that’s an altered state of consciousness – a state that can be explored as well.

What is special about raving?

I guess what’s singular for all the rave scenes around the world is a sense of community, of a certain non-verbal understanding of each other, which happens not only through music but body language, sort of direct empathy, freed from the constraints of society.

Even though society in general is more tolerant of these things nowadays in most countries, I guess raving has become more of a thing in itself rather than an actual protest. But in countries like Russia (where I spent nine years before moving to Paris in 2022) it is really important to have such an underground, where all kinds of people are welcomed and can feel safe, while the government passes one fascist law after another and sponsors patriotic festivals which promote signing up to the army...

What’s the best rave you’ve been to?

The ones which we put with my wife and our friends, hahah. But seriously, I always say: “If you want something great to happen – do it yourself”.

Our collective managed to organise four festivals in between lockdowns and before Russia started this stupid invasion of Ukraine. We organised two events in clubs and two in the open air, and it was absolutely wonderful.

When you organise things with friends and for friends, you want everything to be perfect. the artists you want, the schedule, the scenes, all the additional activities – for example during the day we had lectures on topics as wide as philosophy, perfume making, hacking, building DIY synths… We had super cosy safe spaces and art installations, yoga classes before techno stage and drone stage to dive into after you did your share of dancing.

Compared to the commercial festivals where your activity is limited to a bar and a smoking area, this felt surreal to be part of, as if we created a micro-society with its own rules. Even if just for a day or two, and somehow managed to elude being raided by cops or some mafia

What are the ideal listening conditions in which to experience bedtime for ravers?

Usually with my music, I advise having some slow time before bed, like reading a book or taking a short walk outside, avoiding screens and all. But in the case of this album it's designed with a situation in mind where you just fall on your bed and your body wants to sleep, while your mind is still raving. Hence the structure of the tracks, they gradually lead you to a more relaxed state, while keeping your mind occupied with repetitive (yet slightly changing) patterns. So it should work even if you simply put it on and drop your body on a mattress.

But if you're still able to do things, the general advice is to let some fresh air into your room, drink some water, then shut the curtains, put away your phone, set music to moderate or low volume and lie down (rule of thumb here is to make it a bit less audible than you want to, because when you get more relaxed it will feel more loud).

Headphones or speakers, it’s up to you, though personally I prefer speakers to feel less constrained and be able to hear the surrounding sounds.

If you're having a really hard time relaxing your body or having intrusive thoughts, try observing your breath – without trying to control it, just watch how you breathe in and out, and what happens in between.

Spread the air throughout your whole body.

Breathe and observe… the music will do the rest.

Wishing everyone a good sleep!

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