F  L  A  U  N  T

 Gueorgui Linev, better known to the world as [Kan Wakan](https://mailtrack.io/trace/link/af126f181d5587619d241e7458910e1fab55e4ee?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fkanwakan%2F%3Fhl%3Den&userId=2632024&signature=e238b8381f7ee9d9), is as sharp a musician as he is an interviewee, delivering concise and thoughtful insights into his world-class creative mindset and the behind-the-scenes machinations that go into producing a multi-part album series thematically connected in a cohesive narrative arc. In _Phantasmagoria Vol. II,_ we rejoin Linev on the road of this musical journey we started on in _Vol. I._ A refined electronic orchestral trip to the center of the subconscious, and today, we have the chance to probe at the mind directing all of the moving parts of this ongoing project. **How people internalize music is obviously very personal and up to each individual, but where do you hope to take us with _Phantasmagoria Vol. II_?** The new album to me feels less disconnected and tense, and more self-aware. I hope to take people on a journey and upset expectations in rewarding ways. The previous album was more of an exploration of inward emotions, whereas this one is a response to it and is more extroverted. **What preoccupied you the most with this album considering it is a direct sequel of the previous?** This album features multiple vocal guests, which is a first for me as a producer of my own project. On each of the previous two albums I worked with one main vocalist, and the rotation of musical chairs was predominantly on the instrumental side. When you incorporate a variety of contrasting voices and characters on the same album it becomes a challenge to find consistency especially as it relates to a body of work that is intended to be part of a sequence. I was mainly preoccupied with how to make this collection of songs feel like an album both in a musical sense, and also conceptually. **Most of the album was crafted in your native Bulgaria and takes on "nuances found within Bulgarian folklore music." What are some of those nuances?** When I spent time with my grandparents as a kid, I was exposed to Bulgarian folklore and choir music as they’d always have the radio on in the kitchen. Later on, certain nuances, mainly in a melodic sense have crept their way into my music, but never intentionally and not noticeably enough for them to take focus. I was always a bit afraid to dive into that world as the music is deeply rooted in many years of tradition and it’s very sacred within the culture and I didn’t feel like I had earned the merit to delve into it without having a clear understanding of what my intention is and what it would mean. That was until I came back to Bulgaria last year and continued working on finishing this album and saw it as an opportunity to try and find a way to naturally bring more of this out in my music, within the context and parameters of the project rather than to use it as a trivial ornament for the sake of it. Musically, some of these nuances are expressed in melodic patterns that veer off into diatonic and chromatic scales, the instrumentation itself, and some of the beats which are rooted in asymmetric measures.   **Which song do you currently feel the proudest of right now?** It’s tough to say because It’s always in flux depending on what mood I’m in or what music I’m currently listening or working on. Today, perhaps it’s “No Sweat Off My Back.’ It’s the most recent single, also the first new song idea to be born from the new album. It came about so fast that I was skeptical at first... it felt deceiving in its simplicity and directness. I put it aside and came back to it about a month later and it hit me as one of the more emotionally resonant songs. It’s a special song to me because it features one of my closest friends and collaborators, Saigo. We’re both proud of it. **As usual, you brought a number of artists on board to collaborate with, primarily on vocals. Do you find yourself writing songs with specific vocalists in mind or do you accommodate the arrangement for them?** The majority of the time I write music specifically with someone’s voice in mind. I need to hear it looping in my head first before anything else happens. Most of the artists I work with I know pretty well, and there’s an established creative rapport which makes it easier for me to tune in and imagine their voices as part of an arrangement.  **Your music is generally described as cinematic or having a movie-like quality to it (to the point where you actually scored a film somewhat recently), and while I agree, I can't quite explain the how. What are your thoughts on that appreciation so many seem to share? What makes some music more "cinematic" than others?** Since the release of my first record, “Moving On” my music has been branded as cinematic, I think mainly due to the incorporation of orchestral elements and a heavy emphasis on melody. It seems that many listeners nowadays aren’t as interested in music that is too melodic and introspective, because in a way it can be distracting. I’ve noticed a tendency to pair music with activities, like with food and drink.. To me it all feels so organized and utilitarian: based on moods, tempo, lyrics, rhythm etc. Perhaps mostly due to the ease of use and the way things are curated with playlists across digital platforms. It’s too convenient. The magic and wonder of music discovery as a personal investment is gradually declining. I believe much of my music doesn’t necessarily fit within today’s algorithmic parameters in the digital world, but there is a niche group of listeners who are drawn to it because perhaps it provides a soundtrack to a particular moment in their life. **You commissioned friend and fellow Bulgarian sculptor Todor Rabadzhiyski a sculpture to use as artwork for this album. Taking that into account, alongside your cinematic flair, I get the impression you're moving into a collaborative multi-media direction?** Unlike the previous album’s artwork which was a digital 3D render of a painting, I wanted this album’s art to feel more tactile, like you could actually touch and feel its various textures and forms. I commissioned my friend Todor Rabadzhiyski, a sculptor in Bulgaria to build a custom piece and sent him early demos of the music. It was interesting to see how his work progressed as I sent him more new music. I could see the expressions of the faces in the sculpture and their body language change in real time as I kept changing arrangements until the very last moment the album was finished.  I feel like moving into multi-media is a direction that I’m naturally drawn towards, especially when you look at where things are moving within the world of web3, spatial audio, etc. It’s a really exciting opportunity.  **Is the road to _Vol. III_ mapped out already or are you still in the process of discovering what the sound and the themes are going to be?** I have a few song ideas already I’d like to start building with, I’m not really sure yet. The _Phantasmagoria Vol. 2_ sessions started with a few songs that I felt strongly about, but none of them ended up on the album which took on an entirely different direction. I suppose, only time will tell. Thank you for listening.