Radio Space Pop is just a simple man who lives a simple life in a small Romanian city. The only thing that’s out of this world (apparently) is his music. His radio space pop emits an ever-expanding universe of frequencies that resonates on profound levels with any sensible listener. Words are too poor to describe the surreal and vividly coloured world created by his stellar soundscapes.

Although he is producing music since the 90s his first release saw the light of day by the end of 2008 as the first album released by HD Music. “Park” is a conceptual work that sketches a sonic picture of the imaginary Terra 2 and an its human colony inspired by a cold winter’s months that confined him in the studio. Its analogue sounds, rich and glowing atmos, gentle percussions, mechanical glitches, repetitive minimal patterns and a bit of interstellar hum will allow you to visualize it.

The prequel to “Park” comes in the form of his second LP which is about to drop this month on HD Music. “Melodic Airwaves” is a selection of his early works and counts 12 tracks produced between 1997 and 2001. It’s amazing how fresh some tracks still sound and also a living proof of the timelessness of good music. We’ll be back with more info about it in due time.

In the meantime we asked him some questions to find out more, check it out:

Who are you /what do you do /where do you live?

My name is Nonel Motataianu. I’m living in a block of flats in a small city called Deva where I’m currently enjoying my last months of unemployment aid.

When did you start to produce music and why?

I got a Yamaha DX-11 FM synthesizer around ’91 and started experimenting with it. By then I had to record all of it on tapes as the synth didn’t have a sequencer and there was no computer technology available. I did simple sound synthesis with 8 bit algorithms, minimal-ambient textures having been influenced by the music of Brian Eno and Edgar Froese. In 1996 I had been working as an orchestra instrumentalist in the local theatre orchestra which gave me the opportunity to find out and learn to use a complete synthesizer – with extended polyphony, complex oscillators and a 16 channel sequencer. I worked with a Korg X3 and then with a Yamaha W7 which were bought by the theatre from Germany and which I could borrow from time to time. It was  and still is impossible to afford a 2000 DM (the old German currency – n.a.) with a normal wage. These two synthesizers allowed me to produce my first proper tracks which were featured on three short documentary films aired on Pro TV in ’97 and ’98.

The reason I started working with sound may be the need I felt to materialize and transpose the feelings and sensations that haunted me ever since I was a kid. It was a thing I primarily did for myself and I was cool with that. Occasionally I shared the music with my friends through tapes. As one of my beer buddies once said, I was producing chill out music for friends.

Which are the most influential artists for you?

I can count many but mainly I’d name Klaus Schultze, Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream, Jarre and later Aphex Twin. Besides these I slowly discovered the new generation of electronic music producers.

How could you describe your sound?

Hard to say… I think that generally my sound is somewhat organic, more or less melancholic and mainly suggests a visualisation of a biomechanic symbiosis. It’s sci-fi rooted and in the end it’s just a fantasy that many people have it.

What inspired you to produce “Park”? Was it a long process?

There wasn’t anything particular about “Park”. I guess I just did a personal sound description of a fantasy I had at some point and which I felt the need to materialize in a long play. In the end it’s just a robotic story that takes place in an artificial extraterrestrial environment. I recorded it in a couple of months in the winter of 2007 but I started working on it since autumn.

What are you currently working on?

I am currently working on two different projects. It’s something different of what I did so far. I don’t have any idea how they will turn out in the end, it’s just some older ideas I didn’t manage to finalize.

What do you think about the electronic music scene in Romania?

I can definitely say it evolved enormously in the last decade, which is a normal thing. I can only be happy there are a lot of things happening on all levels and there’s a lot of diversity.

Which are the romanian artists that mean something to you and why?

There are many artists I like and I’m not speaking only the electronic music producers. I can’t give a specific name unfortunately perhaps maybe because there are a lot that mean something to me and I was fortunate enough to meet them.

What would you recommend us to check in Deva / around?

I guess the main attraction point in Deva is the old fortress, or whatever is left of it. As for venues, I’d recommend Fischer’s Pub, Ceapa Rosie and John’s Pub. Although it’s a relatively small city there’s quite a generous offer of pubs and shops.

Vampires : truth or fiction?

We all know they’re real, innit?

— Read more