Dajana: Ok, the first wave of media feedback should have overrun you. What I can see the response was raving, have not seen any bad review. So what’s the current state of affairs?
Mauno: Yes, the feedback and reviews have been wonderful! Many interviews and articles in different magazines and newspapers, „Highlight Of The Month“ title in Sonic Seducer, songs on CD compilations, nice spots in German Alternative Charts, „Album Of The Week“ titles in several biggest Estonian newspapers etc. What else? Butterflies was in first position in one of the biggest Estonian record store‘s selling chart for two weeks and we sold more than Muse or Madonna for example. So, yes things are going great.
There are also several other things going on. Last weekend there was a premiere of a documentary film „In Search Of Sound“ in New York. Besides SININE over fifty solo artists, bands and record labels appear in this film, among them Apollo 440, múm, Jazzanova, Mogwai, Mouse On Mars, Gus Gus, Warp Records, Astralwerks, Ninja Tune etc. I am also still very busy with organizing some things connected to promotion, new SININE merch, photo shootings etc. We’ll also play one bigger show in Estonia next month.

Dajana: Could you benefit from the media interest? Does it pay off in any way? Or was it more a short-lived phase of attention? Like out of sight/ear, out of mind. I would not wonder about in nowadays music business…
Mauno: Of course it is very important to have the media interest and decent promotion. Besides the interviews in big magazines and songs on compilations, all the little news in radios, newspapers and blogs have really paid off as well. It has been surprising to hear where people have found out about SININE first. I can only say that all the channels are very important and you never know where somebody can find out about you.
Also through the interviews and promo work I have found some new friends and it has been a pleasure to meet some very interesting and nice people. So I can‘t say it has been like „out of sight, out of mind“. Introducing your art to people is always a continuous and increasing process.

Dajana: When you get this interview you will have finished a short Estonian tour. How did it work out?
Mauno: Yes, we just played our last shows of the Estonian tour together with No-Big-Silence. They have been one of the biggest bands in Estonian music scene for more than 10 years and it was really great and lots of fun to be on tour with such a cool and professional company. We loved to play on new stages and meet new audiences. All the shows were really special and the feedback was very nice. It is always great to meet new people on concerts and to share some very warm and positive energy with the audience.

Dajana: When we get to see you in the rest of Europe? Anything planned or even confirmed so far?
Mauno: Our label is working on it. We are really looking forward to play some shows also outside of Estonia and it would be just wonderful to meet all our friends and fans on tour. So let’s hope it will be possible soon.

Dajana: What to expect from a live show? Which musicians/instruments you have live on stage? And how to split the singing in The End?
Mauno: There is always some special energy on air during our concerts and it is great to feel that you can share this with audience. Since now our playlist has been the same as on Butterflies CD, it means that during our show people can walk through the Butterflies story together with us and it is always a special experience to us and to the listeners. We are a 3-member-band but we have used some talented guest musicians. So I sing and play guitar, Liisa is playing the piano and synthesizer parts and singing some female vocals and Andre is playing most of the guitars. Talking about the guest musicians, we have used a viola player and several talented female back vocalists and keyboard players.
In The End I sing all the vocals myself as on the album but we just had some interesting new ideas about this song and maybe we also will try something new in future.

Dajana: All these string and piano arrangements on Butterflies are perfectly made to get once presented in a classic show with a little string quartet/chamber music ensemble. Any plans to do so at any time?
Mauno: You are reading my thoughts. This is one of my dreams that I hope to realize in future. I am a really big fan of acoustic strings and piano sounds. Maybe our next album and concerts also will be more acoustic but lets see. I have many ideas but I am not sure yet how it will turn out.

Dajana: Back to your album Butterflies… It took five years from the first steps as a solo artist back in 2003 up to the finished recordings including different musicians (Andre Pichen - guitar; Liisa Hirsch - keyboards; Elo Masing - violins; Maarit Kangron - cello; Mari-Liis Jakobson & Mari-Liis Rebane & Anders Melts - guest vocals). A long way of up and downs and many experiences I’d say. Is there something that had such an impact on you that it changed your life, something that you won’t forget forevermore during this time?
Mauno: Of course in a long period like this there is also those more contrast up and down periods which change you forever and which may not be directly connected with making music. I can say that there have been such things meanwhile and I will tell about these in the songs of my next album…

Dajana: Butterflies impresses with its unique blend of styles, genres and instruments. For some instruments you had session musicians in the studio, others you played yourself and you even had to learn to play them first, as there was to read anywhere. Which instruments on this record you played yourself? Do I hear also a Jew’s harp, flutes and oriental instruments too? Which ones you had to learn first?
Mauno: I have played the acoustic and electric guitars, keyboards and programmed everything else. I decided that I want to have natural cellos and violins on my album to add some more life to the sound and I was happy enough to work with Maarit Kangron and Elo Masing regarding this. All the other instruments and sounds have been played with sampled instruments and synthesizers. I also sampled and played with different sounds that I recorded at home, which was really interesting. So I only had to learn how to use the synthesizers and samplers. In the future I want to go even deeper with sampling recorded sounds and experiment more with natural instruments.

Dajana: There is to read that you studied at an art school. You still do? What kind? If not, what are you doing right now, beside the music?
Mauno: I have studied in different art schools since I was a child and I studied interior architecture in Estonian Art Academy. But for the past few years I have worked in advertising field as a graphic designer.

Dajana: Do you have other creative outlets beside the music?
Mauno: Besides music and graphic design I sometimes like taking some photos with my old film camera and painting or drawing something but those are just little hobbies these days.

Dajana: According to artwork and booklet design you apparently love the autumn with all its (melancholic) moods and colors. And it perfectly suits the music. As for that I think you released Butterflies too early ;) November would have been the better month.
Mauno: Yes I can say that this album and the entire story behind it mostly connected with one autumn. But also with the end of one summer. So September was a very nice timing I think. And it is also nice to see how many people have had enough time to grow together with Butterflies, so now they can live through this colorful autumn together with Butterflies and I am glad to see that.

Dajana: I really like the folk-splashes as in Our Green, reminds me of a Native American style. Is that typical Estonian folklore?
Mauno: I like to mix folkish sounds, rhythms and harmonies with modern sound but I think it is not directly connected with Estonian folk music, though I may have some influences. In my eyes it is more connected with the picture of something you can describe as Nordic folk music as whole.

Dajana: Getting signed by Accession Records was quite a surprise, as they didn’t sign someone for ages. On the other hand… being a fan of Diary Of Dreams it’s not so difficult to make up what captivated Adrian Hates in your music. Was Diary Of Dreams a musical influence? As for the electronic parts and rhythm patterns I would say so. I can also hear out some of recent Anathema trademarks, even a little bit of Katatonia. Where are your musical roots, who shaped your personal style of creating music?
Mauno: I have great respect for Adrian and his music and I think we share similar taste in several things. He is definitely a wonderful songwriter and singer and I am not surprised if I have some subconscious influences from him because years ago I listened to Diary Of Dreams quite a lot among all the other music. But Butterflies album is not something that is written to sound like somebody else, or to fit in some style frames.
What concerns the sound I’m definitely influenced by different kinds of music that I’ve been listening to but lyrics, emotions, melodies, rooms and places created in music are related to my personal experiences and life. SININE is basically me and my life in music but sometimes I think that in a way this music and energy is like sent to me from life itself and I am just the one who is writing it in the songs. And I also like to listen to others music that has this honest quality and this special energy that you can feel but can‘t really describe. I think that in a way people who write this kind of music even can‘t be very proud of themselves or anything because they are somehow like dealers who have a gift to give something like this to themselves and to others. Anathema is a band that I discovered rather lately when all the Butterflies material was already written. I like their music and I have seen their concert which was also great. Katatonia is definitely one band that has something very special and I like their music and atmospheres very much.
My musical roots are mostly in rock and metal but these days I listen to a lots of different Pop, Ambient, Grunge, Neofolk, Darkwave, Trance, Shoegaze, Indie, film music, Trip-Hop etc. One main reason why I created SININE was that I didn‘t have the urge to belong to somewhere or to sound like anybody else anymore. So it is more about creating music with similar mood and handwriting but using and mixing very different sounds and styles.

Dajana: Do you have already a new album in mind, in the works? If so, what to expect? I think Liisa and Andre would have its own impact and twist to the current sound of SININE a bit?
Mauno: I already have the concept and many song sketches for the second album but it all takes time. I even can‘t say if the second album will be more acoustic or more electronic because the song ideas will get the sounds and arrangements that they will need and it all turns out during the making process. And since Liisa and Andre are both very talented musicians then they definitely will add their touch to the new songs.

Dajana: And… to come to an end, please let us know your current top 5 in music.
Mauno: Ok, I don‘t try to give my very favorites list of all times here because it would be too long. But recently I have listened and liked Emiliana Torrini, Helium Vola, Air, Slowdive, Mesh.

Dajana: Thank you very much for the time spent on all these questions and I hope to catch you soon live on stage :)
Mauno: Thank you for the interesting questions and I hope to meet you on tour! :)