Wolkokrots’ 'Nelinetrolls' is the last album I did with Miguel. It started exactly the same way as it was when we worked on the very first album. In March 2020 Miguel sent me the files he found on his computer and said "Let’s do something with it?". We often worked over distance, sharing files and ideas, so I said "Yes, sure". This time he sent me the music that he made when he was a teenager with long hair (I can’t even imagine Miguel with it!). Something that he described as his very first album. He mentioned it’s "super gothic" and "really funny".
The music he sent was lo-fi and atmospheric, and I started to work on it, using it as a starting point to create something new. I decided to remix and rearrange original tracks and added my own sounds. I liked the idea of using some memories from my own childhood and teenage years. For example, there’s a sample of a popular TV game I watched; or fragments of my piano playing; or field recordings made on a tape recorder. After my touch, Miguel began to deconstruct the material and, as always happened, it was something totally new and fresh. After several rounds we finished the album in 2023. Miguel asked Nick Hoffman to send us some drawings to use as artwork. Once again it was as we did on the very first album and several times thereafter.
We both were eager to make music together, even if we were thousands of kilometers from each other. I’m happy that we made this sound adventure revisiting our teenage years. But we shared interests not only in our own music. We both listened to metal albums and read comics (and there are very different tastes, I have to say). We liked going from train stations to the venues or places to stay by foot, exploring the environment around. Now, after the loss of Miguel, this album has become the final step in Wolkokrots’ history, closing the circle of more than 10 years of our friendship.
Steep Gloss, 2025