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Congratulations on the release of your new solo album METAL SUNRISE. Can you tell us what this project means to you?

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METAL SUNRISE is more than an album - it’s a statement. It’s the sound of resilience under fire, beauty blooming in destruction. The title itself is a contradiction: "metal" for machinery, war, and technology; "sunrise" for hope, rebirth, and light. I wanted to merge those extremes - to create a soundtrack that feels both ancient and futuristic, industrial and spiritual. It’s my personal reflection of life in Kyiv during wartime, transformed into something sonic and cinematic.

Link to the album: here

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You work with sound in a lot of different ways. What is it about sound that you find so evocative?

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Sound is pure emotion in motion. It bypasses language and logic and speaks straight to your nervous system. For me, sound isn’t just something you hear - it’s something you feel in your bones, in your breath. Whether I’m building a gritty synth texture or recording the distant thunder of war, I treat sound like sculpture. It has shape, weight, depth… and sometimes silence is the most powerful part of the composition.

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We’re really interested to find more out about your work with field recording. Please could you explain what is it and how did you first get into it?

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Field recording is about capturing reality as it breathes - the unfiltered textures of life. I first got into it out of curiosity. I wanted to document the world outside the studio: streets, forests, distant conversations, machines, conflict, weather… One of my first real experiments was recording a Kyiv metro tunnel late in the evening. It sounded like a spaceship - it felt like discovering another dimension right beneath our feet. From that point on, I was hooked. Over time, especially during the war, my field recordings took on a heavier purpose.

I began capturing the sounds of sirens, air raids, drones, everyday life... and the eerie silence in between. These weren’t just sounds - they were emotional snapshots, historical evidence and sonic ghosts. I eventually transformed this material into a unique virtual instrument called Swords to Ploughshares - built from the real sounds of wartime Kyiv.
It’s raw, haunting, and very personal.

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How has your unique outlook on life and your current situation in Ukraine changed how you are using field recordings? Are you using them as a way to document and soundscape your world?

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Absolutely. Living in wartime Ukraine forces you to hear differently. Every siren, every silence, every crack in the sky becomes meaningful. Field recording has become part of my survival instinct - a way to document not just sound, but history. I’m using these recordings as sonic journal entries. Some end up in my music, others in my videos and some I keep raw, as they are - like audible time capsules.

It's part therapy, part resistance, part storytelling.

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We heard you say in another interview that field recordings can capture emotions and daily life - and in some ways almost make you time travel. (I think you also mentioned that there was a very specific sound of ‘space’ before an explosion?) Could you tell us a bit more about that?

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Yes. There’s this strange, eerie vacuum that happens in the air just seconds before something explodes. Like the universe holds its breath. That moment is surreal - your senses heighten and time stretches. Capturing that on a recorder is like freezing a ghost. When I listen back, I don’t just hear the sound - I feel the atmosphere, the fear, the adrenaline.
It's sonic memory. That’s the magic of field recording - it preserves emotion in a way that no camera can.

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Field recordings have a musicality all of their own, but they can also be used as part of a musical mix - how do you see your recordings being used and do you have plans for any collaborative work?

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Definitely. I treat field recordings like instruments. A creaking door can become percussion. Distant artillery can become ambient noise or a bass drop. All these sounds became the backbone of my new solo album METAL SUNRISE - it’s featured in every single track, which is a blend of documentary and musical storytelling - audio cinema, if you will.

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What kind of reaction / emotions would you like people to come away with after they’ve listened to your field recordings?

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I want people to feel presence. I want them to understand what it's like to live through something real and raw - not through headlines, but through heartbeat and breath. If someone listens and feels haunted, inspired, awakened, or simply more human - that’s the goal.
I’m not just recording sounds. I’m recording life.

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Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers that you think they might be interested in?

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If you’re reading this and you’re a creator - don’t wait for the “right time.” Use what you have. Tell your story. Even in the middle of chaos, maybe especially in chaos, your voice matters. Also, I’m currently working on documentary projects. If this resonates with you, check them out and consider supporting however you can. We’re all part of this bigger narrative, whether we realise it or not.

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What is your favorite sound?

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The sound of the city at dawn - quiet footsteps, distant engines, birds just waking up. It’s peaceful but charged with energy, like the world holding its breath before the day begins.

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Least favorite sound?

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The screech of metal scraping concrete. It’s harsh, jarring, and impossible to ignore - almost painful. But sometimes, that sound carries a story too.

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What’s your most impactful musical memory?

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Playing as a DJ in underground Kyiv venues long before the war - the crowd’s raw energy, the blend of love and hope, and music as a form of resistance. Those nights felt like pure magic and survival all at once.

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We hear you use our E-Prototype earphone as part of your work. What makes this earphone stand out for you?

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The E-Prototype is like a secret weapon full of character. These headphones and their technology are the perfect tool to break the mould and add an organic edge to my electronic music - especially when I need to feel low bass or detailed sounds with a compact setup in a limited environment.

At the time of writing this article Histibe was using the Flare E-Prototype earphones. He’s since the proud owner of the Flare Studio Master and is in the process of using them in the studio. Here’s what he’s said this about them so far (watch this space for a more detailed review soon!).

“They’re a great step forward - not just because of the Bluetooth capabilities, but also because of the “honest” sound they deliver. The bass and overall mix come through with raw, original clarity, which is perfect when you need to hear the true quality of a track. I’d definitely recommend them for both music production and listening to my favorite tracks - especially with the audiophile tips.”