Interview with Kirill Sikorski

«Order 161», Rostov-on-Don

What does the name of your music band stand for?

161 — this is our region. Order — well, it’s like The Order of Knights Templar — warriors and priests at the same time, spiritual battle and all.

What do you like more articulating to rap music or sing?

The former one cause I am better at it. We have an expert at singing — Vitya. Plus, for making the album we gonna fetch some more people.

Where are you at the moment being in the process of making this album?

Hm… we are about to start. Brothers from Moscow promised to support us financially.

Tell us in brief what songs are going to enter this album? And what name is the album going to be?

We have made up the name yet. The track-list is being discussed. There will be more than 15 songs and we intend to make a clip on our own next summer.

Oh, well, there is a lot to do! And what is the ratio of the songs that you are going to perform — more Vitya’s ones or yours? Don’t you have artistic rivalry?

There isn’t any rivalry, we enjoy equal rights in our collaboration. There will be some Vitya’s and there will be some mine. There rest will be mutual. By the way, Vitya is going to «read» the rap. One of those songs Vitya was «reading» at the conference Modern Church on the day. Its name is The Prophet.

From my point of view your performance at the festival gave zest and informal tinge to it. Kirill, how do you think combination of rap-music and Christianity or Christian music…can it be accepted and appreciated by a wider audience? As you know by «Christian music» people mean something close to academic music.

This topic was raised by Sergei Kononenko at the conference Modern Church. Jesus was quite up-to date! Apostle Paul wrote how important to be «everything for everybody». I’m pretty sure that the Church should be up-to-date to attract new people especially youth.

Do you think you manage to be up-to-date and spiritual musicians at the same time? To remain in balance between being easily understood by people who are not Christians at all and glorifying God? Is there any golden mean?

Oh, yer… I’ve been seeking for the answer for many years and haven’t found it for 100 per cent. It is like boxing — you should get it as a sport not fight. The same with rap music — you should «read» it rigidly and tough, with confidence but without malice. We are solders of good, not bloodthirsty conquerors. But we are solders, we are men!

Mmh, it’s one of the brightest epithets — «solders of good»…

Concerning our themes we hardly write our songs in the secular context. Though we will have a couple of songs on the album with a «nearspiritual» not obvious meaning. There are a couple of sheer secular songs which we are going to place on the Internet or our next album will comprise it. But I clearly realize that our current material would be popular mainly in the International Church of Christ and other protestant environs. How comes it — I’m gonna answer for myself: I write verse about my life and feelings, so songs with a spiritual bias come out by themselves. Otherwise ones could be insincere and laboured.

What are you feelings about non-rap music? I mean the classical Christian music that was represented at the festival, like «Sinai» for instance?

I respect «Sinai» and listen to their music to get into a spiritual mood. I also listen to songs from «The Edge» conference.

What exactly in your opinion do we need to change in our churches’ worship?

Make modern experiments — reggae, rap. And do it exactly at our services during the worship to attract the young.

Do you have such experience in Rostov?

Vitya has become the singing team leader lately, but we haven’t done anything like that yet. Though I made a mix a few days ago.

Tell us about the mix that you are making right now.

The church choir rehearsal was at our place and I recorded it. When I was listening over «I have searched», it touched me, even more so it has a bright rhythm. The singers snapped their fingers, Roma Lebedev played the guitar, I took a piece where the rhythm was more or less even and added rap drums to it. Then I asked Nelli, my wife’s sister to think bass over. I showed it to the choir — the people seem to like it, so we’ll try to make something out of it. 

Do you have a producer?

Nikolai Morozov from Moscow. He’s also producer for «Sinai». We send him track demos and he decides what tracks will be on the album.

Do you communicate with «Sinai»?

Only at you festival and «Contemporary Church» conference. I talk to Yarik over the internet. We wanted to make a track together but it didn’t work out.

I hope we will hear you new tracks at our second conference!