You might not be entirely ready to experience ‘In Aid of Vulnerability’; such an enlightening record requires attention and acceptance, a willingness to learn that’s not as common nowadays. Eclectic and nuanced, the EP builds its identity on leftfield electronica, spacious guitars and friendly pop-rock stylings, all mashed together into a highly peculiar and authentic formula.
‘Globus’ even ends in poignant classicism, with melancholic strings taking the record to a close. PERESTROIKA is the talented creative behind such sonic goodness. Hailing from England, the project is the artistic persona of producer and musical wizard Duncan Silvey, using personal, honest lyricism and clever compositions to deliver material that’s meaningful and relatable.
Intrigued by the project, we caught up with PERESTROIKA to find out more about his artistry and future goals… Interview below!
Hey Duncan, how is it going? We have you discovered only recently, but your journey in music has been a long time coming; what made you the artist you are today?
Hello! I’m very well thank you. Wow…well I guess growing up in a place where music was constantly playing and from a multitude of genres and styles. I have vivid memories of listening to tapes and CD’s on car journeys as a young child – ranging from Talking Heads, Prefab Sprout, through to Mike Oldfield and Brian Eno. My parents have always loved art, but especially in the form of audio.
My teenage years were in the early 2000’s so my brother and I were listening to lots of indie, hard rock through to metal, but also dance anthems at the same time…so in hindsight, I’ve always loved lots of different styles of music, not favouring anything over another. It wasn’t until I was 18 and I went to West Kent College in south-east England, to re-do my music GCSE and A-Levels that I started to play an instrument and study any kind of musical theory.
From that point onward I’ve never looked back in terms of wanting to be involved with music in various ways – I’m now 35 years old and since I was 18 I’ve been part of a band, writing, producing, recording & collaborating in some way to be creative in audio.
In terms of artistry, I’ve always wanted to do something different from the last thing I’ve done and I go out of my way to find people who know more than I do about something to learn from them, or utilise their skills to help me create work.
As we understand it, Perestroika was originally formed a few years ago in Peckham, London. Now you are based in Bristol; what made you move there, and have you found big differences between the respective music scenes?
That’s right, I studied for a Masters in Creative Practice at Goldsmiths University in south London between 2017-19 where I met so many amazing artists. One of those people was Guy Fleisher and I showed him some of my ideas and we worked collaboratively to record and play some live shows that were half improvised really! – it was something I hadn’t done before and the sense of freedom was huge. There wasn’t any consequence to what we were doing, just a love of process with no outcome needed than enjoying ourselves.
I moved to Bristol at the end of 2019 as I had previously lived in the city and my partner was based there. I love London and it will always feel like a home to me, however, I knew that I also wanted a slower pace of life, in a place that still had an abundant and thriving creative scene. Bristol provides that. We now have a young son and it feels like my second home – a smaller version of London.
Bristol’s music scene is incredible – it’s so diverse and eclectic. Like any city in the country there are various scenes within them and Bristol is no exception. There are independent venues here which actively champion local artists. The city does feel like an incubator of musical communities which are vital for musical innovation.
‘In Aid of Vulnerability’ is your latest EP, a record that’s pretty eclectic and authentic. Let’s start with its sonic qualities: from leftfield electronica to garage rock, there’s a wide variety of references in it. Which style is Duncan Silvey most comfortable with?
This is quite hard to answer…I grew up being ‘the bass player’ in a band without any particular songwriting or production skills to begin with. I was in pop/rock bands for over 10 years so I would say that genre is pretty much burnt into me from experience and the creation of electronic music is a process which I’m constantly trying to improve. This is why I love it – electronic music and production is so subjective. One person’s “horrible” sound is another person’s “beauty”, there’s no right and wrong answer, which is different from learning the key of a song and playing the bass line.
This EP is me applying all the experience I have thus far and seeing if I can make something sonically interesting, but still in a traditional popular song format. That said, I had to get in touch with my friend Nick Powell for further creative direction in terms of production, as I knew his skills were further ahead than my own and he would bring a particular sonic quality and arrangement to them. He finessed them, to which I’m very grateful.
Lyrically, it’s pretty clear how you have been undergoing a process of deep introspection and self-growth, perhaps aided by some important events, such as becoming a father and building a family. We can imagine you have a lot to say about it…
Yes certainly, I have always been a deep thinker in general and I need time to reflect on big events in my life as a way to process them. I’m analytical by nature, which sometimes serves me well and other times I can overcomplicate things which don’t need to be. Meditation has helped me there – I’ve been doing this each morning since 2017.
Writing songs and writing poetry has always been my way of reflecting on stressful situations, expressing feelings and processing anything internal or external that I’m trying to understand. ‘In Aid of Vulnerability’ started in the middle of lockdown in 2020 and was finished in early 2023, when my son Felix was a year and a half old, I had bought a house and moved jobs a couple of times in a short space of time, so there were many things for me to process, which is why each song on the EP differs in situational context but all comes under the same sonic and thematic umbrella.
To be honest, the learning curve and my own expectation management were huge for me when Felix was born. There was so much joy from him coming into the world, but I was now having to really face the reality and responsibility of being a parent and the limitations on time that can bring for other pursuits. I had to learn how to manage my ego, which has probably been the best thing to ever happen to me.
Speaking of, your involvement with Bristol-based charity ‘Talk Club’ speaks volumes about your commitment towards mental health; is this something that informs your songs?
Absolutely, Talk Club has been part of my life since February 2019 and is a community that I feel so connected with – I think it’s given me licence to be the person I always have been – open, compassionate and empathetic towards others. I used to think that I had too many of those traits and they were a hindrance in a societal and professional context. However Talk Club has changed the narrative for me and those qualities are now valued and needed in society now, possibly more than ever.
The EP is certainly based around mental fitness and how at times we are in good places and at times we aren’t, and accepting that we are always fluctuating on that scale is just what it means to be a human being.
Do you feel more confident writing music alone, or within a team?
For this particular EP, it had to be a solo writing venture in terms of songwriting, which then people added to in terms of additional instrumentation and production. That said, I also love collaborative writing and for future releases, I’d love to collaborate with others to see where Perestroika can go in terms of themes, sonics and performance.
Artistically speaking, what challenges have the last two years presented you with?
I’ve had to learn to be patient with this project, as my ability to dedicate time to write, produce and promote this EP is limited. This is purely as I teach four days a week at a university and being a Dad and husband comes first on the other three days of the week.
What are the next steps for your project? Anything exciting on the horizon?
Yes! – following on from your last question really… I’ve set a goal to play between 5-10 shows in 2024, starting with the city of Bristol where I live, and venturing over to London as I have family and friends there also. There’s potential of doing a small run of some other UK cities and possibly doing a show in Portugal as well. I’ve also started to write more songs, but I will be taking my time with them. I’m not a quick writer and I tend to write when I feel a deep need to express, so I won’t be forcing anything through.
Thanks so much for listening and for talking with me, I truly appreciate it!
