Alexei Rojinski

I

The Beginning

How was Rojinski’s musical upbringing?

I started to make music when I was 16 years old, in the 80s, with school friends. We founded a New Wave band that evolved year after year. We’ve been signed, finally, by labels. We played a lot of concerts. I was the singer, the composer and the lyricist of the band. My instruments were mainly keyboards and guitars. It was the time I learned everything about music composing and sound engineering with some people I’ve considered as giants.

I stopped playing with bands in 1994, tired of the music business and the commercial vision of music as an ordinary job.

When was it that you decided to walk the path and create ambient/cinematic music? And what made this happen?

I’ve always liked instrumental and ambient music. Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, The Durruti Column and, later, Alphaxone and some other members of the Cryo Chamber crew.

I’ve composed and recorded soundtracks for independent short movies, documentaries, theatre, humourists and, more recently, for a web series named “The Sorrow”, by Neil Görz. I love to compose music on pictures… for creative, free and cool human beings. I can’t work with people I don’t like.

Life brought me interesting opportunities to make music without sacrificing my values, my philosophy and who I am. I have nothing to sell, nothing to buy. It sets me free. I’m not running for awards, money… I do what I do. If people like it, I’m honoured. If not, I’m not sad. What remains of my ego is fueled by the gaze of my son, my wife and those I respect. All tastes are in nature and they deserve our respect as long as the approach is sincere.

II

Independent Art

Rojinski is not signed to a record label, what is behind the independence?

I want to be fully free and make things as I feel them. Four or five labels kindly offered me to sign with them. But I always refused, just as kindly and humbly. On the other hand, I accept occasional contributions to their compilations. I do it for free. Being a dark ambient label won’t make you rich. And so, with my small means, I participate in their effort to disseminate and promote this style of music.

Offering art for free is of great purpose, but living in a capitalistic world, have you ever had second thoughts about that, and how does this work for Rojinski so far?

This world, generally, is based on money and power. A lot of people need their money to pay their invoices for energy, their food, their health care, the education of their children… And they can’t pay for music and culture in general. It’s a luxury today. So, as I said earlier, I try to keep my philosophical values as long as I can do it.

I accept donations from people who can spend a bit of money for the ones who can’t. Every cent is injected to buy Bandcamp codes and download credits. Without donors and friends understanding what I wanna do, I couldn’t keep this project alive.

When people will stop to help, then I will stop to release music on Bandcamp. I will release it on SoundCloud or other free platforms. I’m not searching for fame or to get rich… I compose music for a minority. And I know it. You can live in a capitalistic world without being selfish or hypocritical. It’s a choice. Not the easiest one but it matches my values.

Until now, it’s ok. I don’t have the power of a label like Cryo Chamber but some people are following me and like my music and the way I think. It’s not perfect. I’m not perfect.

III

Production

Is writing music for TV wired differently in Rojinski’s neural network?

Not really. I always compose music on pictures: inner pictures or imposed ones. Even when I was composing songs (synthpop, ebm, etc). It’s all about sharing feelings, and emotions and keeping respect for the theme. Anyway, I love it. I even make alternative and unofficial soundtracks for some games, like Cyberpunk 2077, etc. I haven’t composed songs for 10 years because I can’t find the words to depict what I deeply feel. 

But once again, I do not accept themes I don’t feel or work with hypocrites and arrogant people. Working for Neil Görz and his web series “The Sorrow” was so cool because he’s a great man trying to do things for free, with a low budget and a great imagination.

For me, music is a tool like a language but, I think it’s more “complete” because it involves also mathematics, even if you don’t like them (smile). The more communication tools you have, the more numerous your neural connections are, and the more complex emotions you can share… We don’t have enough of one life to evolve. We never stop to learn… And that’s why, we have to be humble. However, this society, this civilization does not encourage you to be humble…

So far, the year 2024 has witnessed more than one release for Rojinski, how does that take place?

My health is bad. I had, among other things, a heart attack just before the pandemic. I looked death in the face while my son and my wife held my hands. I’ve lost my job, my house and everything.

So now, I have time to compose because I’m kind of retired. I live like a hermit in a bunker. Music is a part of my medication. It’s a therapy. My country helps me to survive, so I think the least I can do is offer my music for free to people who are like me or not… “Dark music for People in the Dark”.

Today, I’m tired… Really tired… But the collapse of this civilization is inspiring, If I may say so… So, I compose and compose again…

IV

Collaborations

How was your experience collaborating with Alphaxone, and what did it add to you personally?

I love to collaborate with people I like and respect. Alphaxone is one of them. GM Slater is another one. Great men, great composers…

Collaborating with Mehdi (Alphaxone) was very cool. It’s like a fusion of feelings and emotions. But It was special for me because when I was in the hospital, I played a lot of his music on my headphones. It helped me. It was healing me, for a part. So, it’s symbolic for me that he agreed to make a track together. He is in my Dark Ambient top 5 artists. He’s also a very kind person, very friendly. I hope we can do more music in the future, If the world is still there.

Besides collaborating with Alpahxone; can you name 3 artists you would think of collaborating with? and why specifically these?

I plan to collaborate with people I like, like Piotr Wojcik, Balint Fodor (from AAVA), and Gregory M Slater (we already made an album together) but I’m open to collaborating with people who like the way I’m making music.

Collaborations are not a priority. As I said, I can’t work with people I’m not in phase with, on a human and philosophical level, even If they are exceptional musicians and composers. I’m too old to waste my time being a hypocrite or a liar. I have nothing to sell as I said.

Well, besides that, there are some artists that I don’t know as human beings but I appreciate their music, such as Dronny Darko, Torus Dome, Skrika and Ugasanie.

Why them? It’s simple, they make me travel without moving. That’s what I’m searching for when I’m listening to ambient music. And there are a lot of other composers who have that effect on me.

V

Ideologies

What are some books that might have influenced and possibly taken part in shaping Rojinski as he is today?

I love books. I love reading. A lot! From essays to novels. I studied Emmanuel Kant at University (philosophy courses). I think (Critique of the Power of Judgement) is just… brilliant. I also consider (On the Origin of Species) by Charles Darwin as a major work for mankind.

To understand this world, I also obliged myself to read political and religious books, even If it’s not the values I like. I’m not a believer. It includes (Mein Kampf), by Hitler (my grandfather has been killed by Nazis as resistant) and (The Communist Manifesto) by Engels and Marx but also The Bible, The Quran, etc. I don’t read only things I like.

But, less seriously, I also love S-F books written by Arthur C. Clarke (the Rama Quadriology is a killer), Isaac Asimov (The Cycle of Foundation), Peter F. Hamilton (Commonwealth Saga, Salvation trilogy), Barjavel (Ice People), etc… It gave me the inspiration for two albums. Arthur C. Clarke is in my top 5; he also makes me travel without moving. There are so many books that I’ve read… So many that shaped the man I am… 

How does Alexei Rojinski see the world today?

This question is so vast that it is the subject of hundreds of books. For my part, I will try to be brief. The main enemy of the human species is the human being himself.

Scientifically, philosophically and logically, we are dangerous. Even more so today where belief (and not just religion) replaces knowledge, knowledge and understanding. It’s easier. Faster. We have entered the era of global Idiocracy. All nations are affected. No one escapes this psychological pandemic.

Denial and conspiracy are symptoms.

“If I believe, I don’t know. And if I know, I don’t need to believe” – Belief is the transformation of doubt, of questioning, of hope into a pseudo-certainty. We think we know… It’s absurd and illogical. And I’m not just talking about religion.

Here are some examples that can illustrate my point:

The pandemic: ignorance, conspiracy and greed have killed far more people than the virus itself. I remember a television intervention by Donald Trump who advocated drinking bleach to eradicate the virus. He wasn’t the only one rambling… Just look at the death figures and their ratio.

Climate change: here is the ultimate enemy because all scientific reports show that it is human activity which is at the origin this time. We have reached a point of no return. It is no longer a question of stopping the process but of adapting to changes that come faster than the most pessimistic forecasts.

Our planet will be reshaped millions of people will disappear and millions more will be transformed into climate refugees.

For example, on November 10, 2023, Australia and the South Pacific state of Tuvalu unveiled the terms of a historic agreement that sees Canberra commit to offering climate asylum to 11,000 citizens of the small archipelago, threatened with being swallowed up by the waves before the end of the century. These are facts. Denying them is criminal. Not seeking to know and understand is to weaken our future.

Wars and nuclear danger: we have the means to blow up the planet several times. Is this the sign of an intelligent species? We are on the eve of the Third World War. This is not paranoia but reality. As far as I’m concerned, the invaders are always wrong. No matter their flag, their skin colour or their religion. Instead of devoting our wealth to the common good (medicine, science, society, culture…), we will have to recreate weapons and sacrifice human beings for the benefit of a small group of men…

Here again, too many people would rather believe than know. The easy solution that transforms the ignorant into wells of science… They are therefore the dream victims of manipulators, liars and psychopaths who have hidden agendas. Knowledge and understanding set one free.

Meanwhile, botoxed influencers sell their bath water on Tik-Tok and pseudo-scientists draw out their arguments to prove that man has never walked on the moon or that the earth is flat. Meanwhile, television presenters are talking about atomizing Paris or Berlin. Meanwhile, revenge has become an acceptable tool to justify war crimes.

We have arrived at a critical point in our history. And for me, this is the main theme of everything I compose. Just read the album titles. I am a father and I fear what the future holds for my son.