August 29th, 2013 
Brian Leak 
Originally high school classmates, Michael Kossov (MK) and Leo Pisaq (LP), have come a long way to form Aurganic, not allowing long distance or even natural disasters to keep them from creating the music they love. Following up last year’s Life As A Canvas, the experimental duo have a brand new album coming out in September that’s sure to further boost their popularity, not only in the cities in which they currently reside, but the world over.
We had the chance to speak with both members recently as we discussed their history as an outfit, their new album, and what they have planned for the future, so read through the break and get acquainted with Aurganic in this exclusive interview on Under The Gun Review.
I’m assuming the name is a play-on of “organic,” although I could be wrong, but could you give us some more insight into the name you chose and any meaning behind it for you?
MK: Yes, you are right. It is a play on “organic.” “Au” represents the word “audio.” The origins of it go back to the moment when we heard our first track completed. It was the day after a long mixing session. Listening to the playback with fresh ears one of us exclaimed, “this is audio orgasm!” We jokingly called the project Aurgasmic for a bit, until we realized that we had to give it a proper name before launching it publicly. We didn’t have to spend much time thinking — Aurganic was a unique and cool name that came naturally from the original wordplay.
The two of you have been friends for a very long time but had spent some time apart before rejoining in a musical setting. Can you explain that time apart? Why the long break and how did you reconnect?
MK: We were in touch the whole time but we mainly talked about mutual friends and personal stuff. We followed each other’s musical endeavors but the thought of making music online never crossed our minds.
LP: The long break was due to moving to different cities. Eventually the technology made it possible to create projects in the cloud using Dropbox and an identical Cubase software setup on both ends. We met in Los Angeles in the summer of 2009 to catch up but ended up jamming the whole day and night. Our musical chemistry was revitalized immediately. After renting additional equipment, we spent a few more days experimenting and writing what soon became the first tracks for the EP released later that year.
MK: Leo pretty much opened a whole new world of sound recording for me. I was a 100% guitar geek that occasionally used a 4-track recorder at the most. Suddenly, the picture of us making music again became more vivid. I had some money put aside for a big trip to Europe but it all ended up going into gear and setting up my home studio. Needless to say, I was extremely happy to hear when Leo told me he was moving to New York. The move brought us closer geographically and made it easier to see each other more often.
How would you say the two of you changed in that time between working together musically? Any distinct differences in your personalities or musical ideals?
MK: Well, first of all, seven years had passed. Regardless of music, we changed from rebellious teenagers into independent people. In those seven years we both pursued music on our own in various projects. Speaking for myself, I felt like I was chasing the rock star dream for too long being a sideman in a number of local bands. Coincidentally, the same time we started the project, I felt tired of adjusting to the trends and working with music that I did not write. Creative energy was adding up for a long time and Aurganic became the means to release it all in the form of new music ideas.
LP: I was involved in a few local metal and punk bands, but I was always fascinated by synthesizers and sound recording. I ended up studying both. After moving to Los Angeles and detaching myself from the metal/punk scene, I started exploring electronic music production.
Having originated in punk bands before progressing into the styles you create now, do you ever get a chance to play that type of music again, or do you ever have the desire to?
LP: Unfortunately I don’t get to play that type of music live anymore. In my opinion punk/hardcore fans create the most passionate scene because of the powerful message that the songs usually carry. I miss it a lot and hope to take part in it again.
MK: Punk music has this raw adrenaline-driven energy. The flashbacks of head banging on stage bring out serious nostalgia at times. I personally get my fix playing bass for a Toronto based rock outfit, Here Below.
So the two of you have a new album coming out in September. What can you tell us about Deviations in terms of its sound, themes, and the creative process behind it?
LP: We are extremely excited for this album to see the light. There was a serious obstacle in our way. The production process was stalled for a few months because Sandy (the storm) flooded my house. Luckily I was able to put all the studio equipment into storage, but it stayed there for some time while I was trying to solve the housing problem.
As far as the sound on the album, we wanted it to be very moody, with distinct reverberated arrangements and atmospheric vocals. To bring more variety we tried to write the anchor idea of each song on different instruments (e.g. “Paradigm” on bass, “Waking Trials” on guitar, “In Deep Waters” on piano). Another approach was switching between writing music around vocals and vocals around music (“The Lost And The Found” and “Choices,” respectively). And of course, bringing different vocalists on board made the album more colourful and distinct in our opinion.
How would you say this album differs from your previous works? Had any particular influences come into your lives since Life As A Canvas that you feel helped shape what this album became?
MK: Life As A Canvas was definitely more of an experiment. We were writing music with no borders. In retrospect, we can say now that it was the search for our sound. Half of it was instrumental and on the other half we introduced songwriting. It was also more electronic compared to Deviations.
LP: There were a number of things that happened after release of Life As A Canvas. Both of our lives became more stable. We became more mature and responsible as people and producers; we acquired a lot of new gear and learned more production techniques. Before we started writing Deviations we already envisioned the sound and the mood of the album. We knew we wanted to concentrate on songwriting and introduce more live instruments to the mix.
We avoided large multi-channel projects, which left more room for each instrument in the final mix. The songs became more focused on lyrics and melody. Michael was trying to finish writing each song in one sitting and that is why most of them sound more “whole.”
You have a few guest vocalists, as you mentioned, that contributed to Deviations as well. Can you tell us a little about them and why you chose them to add to the album?
MK: All three of the guest vocalists on “Deviations” actually appeared on Life As A Canvas. We created a great personal and working relationship with them during those sessions and it was very natural to come back to them for further collaboration. When we wrote new songs we knew ahead of time who we wanted to lay down the vocals on each track, sometimes writing music with their vocal writing and delivery in mind. We love how distinct their styles and voices are. Joel Goguen, the rock singer essentially, has this rich 90s rock feel. Scott Carruthers has a unique melodic melancholia oozing from him and Jessica Stuart brings the sexy indie/jazzy feel.
I’m always very interested in cover art and how it relates to its album’s material, so how did you decide on the artwork that you did and how do you feel it coincides with the songs on Deviations?
MK: We approached Ayyyna Budaeva to do the artwork for the album. While brainstorming for the ideas we came across this composition that she made from a photograph taken from her bedroom window. We immediately fell in love with it. It had this moody, haunting feel that we thought reflected the overall atmosphere of the album. It’s a mirror image of a tree branch but if you look from a distance you can see different shapes hiding in there. This optical illusion emphasizes the perspective that you can see and enjoy different things in our music.
How’s the music scene in Toronto? Do you feel like you have a lot of access to play shows easily and work with the people you want to there?
MK: Toronto has a great local scene. There are many talented artists and musicians that deserve to be heard by masses. New venues open up all the time. Young people get into booking and grow with the bands they work with. The growth is more rapid recently, actually. People have thirst for good music and Toronto definitely delivers. Needless to say, finding talent to collaborate with locally was not a problem at all.
Are there any musicians in particular that you would love to collaborate with?
MK: Brandon Boyd, Jonsi, Thom Yorke, MeShell Ndegeocello and Damon Albarn.
LP: Trent Reznor, Chino Moreno… These are only two out of many of my musical heroes who come from a heavier background but are also in constant exploration of different genres.
Do you have any touring plans in the works in support of the new album?
MK: Aurganic is currently going through a conversion from a studio project into a live act. Whether it happens in time for Deviations or for the next album, we currently don’t know. Deviations was mainly a studio affair, and extra effort, time and financial resources were put into that aspect in order to create a product you could stand behind and also build the band’s audience on good content. Having said that, plans are underway for a major live effort on the next album, and we look forward to bringing that into the fold.
Beyond natural disasters, what would you say has been the biggest obstacle for the two of you as far as this project progressing the way you’d like for it to?
MK: I think living in two different cities is the biggest obstacle at this point. The times when both of us are in the studio are super productive and a lot of fun but they are limited. We are currently working on a solution for this. Where there is a will, there is a way. To turn it to advantage, our experience making music long distance can allow for exciting future collaborations with artists from anywhere. Japan? Norway? Mexico? Possibilities are endless!
Now that your album is completed and ready to be released, what have you been working on, and what’s your next big goal for Aurganic?
MK: Our main priority right now is promoting Deviations. With that being said, we are actually as far as three tracks into writing of the new album. I guess we don’t stop! These are the good times for us. We are extremely inspired and very productive. Our next big goal is to assemble a team of musicians to take this project to multiple stages and let everyone experience Aurganic live.
Photo Credit: Ayyyna Budaeva
Written and conducted by: Brian Lion – Follow him on Twitter
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