Interview with Kurten Keys (guitar), Lvx Noire (keyboards), Miriam (vocals), Jack (drums) and Ira (bass) from Noktva
NOKTVA is a Gothic Rock / Post-Punk / Darkwave band based in Italy. They are a truly unique project, standing out both musically and visually. During their concerts, they transcend artistic and emotional boundaries, delivering intense and emotionally charged sonic spectacles. Let’s delve into their concerts, inspirations, art, and their upcoming new songs.
Reflections of Darkness [RoD]: Hello, Guys! Thank you for making time for our interview. First and foremost, I’d like to congratulate you on the absolutely fantastic show in Prague - it was truly spectacular. Was this your first performance in the Czech Republic?
Kurten: Hello, it’s a pleasure, thank you. It was our first gig in Prague and Czech Republic, it was great to be able to participate in such a prestigious festival as the Prague Gothic Treffen.
Jack: For me, the PGT coincided with my second time on stage with NOKTVA, so it was obviously exciting to be able to play in such a Cool context!
RoD: Your live concerts are exceptionally expressive and full of intensity. For the audience, participating in your performance often feels almost cathartic. How do you view your live shows, and what do they mean to you?
Lvx: For those who make music, playing live is very important. Putting ourselves to the test and creating a strong connection with the audience, allows us to transmit the energy flow that is created between us on stage. There is nothing prepared in our performances, we bring what we are in the most natural way possible.
Kurten: We always try to create empathy with the audience, transmitting our energy to them is crucial for us. On stage we are very instinctive.
Miriam: When we are on stage there is a deep synergy between us. For me it means going to an unfamiliar but familiar place and the audience is like a channel, the more I see them involved the more intense the performance. In our performances there is no pattern, it is a natural construction that reflects the energies present.
Ira: The live show in my opinion is the most important phase for a band, after the creation of their music. What we write and compose in the studio, we try to convey when we are on stage, where we are in total symbiosis and we love to see the audience perceive it.
RoD: Could you share where you draw your inspirations for both your stage performances and your music?
Kurten: There are so many musical inspirations, everyone has their own baggage to draw from. I’m very attracted to the workings of the human mind, cinematic imagery, and gothic literature.
Ira: NOKTVA’s music can come about in many ways, from a guitar riff, a bass line, or from lyrics, but also from improvisation in the rehearsal room. I personally draw inspiration from life experiences and strong emotions that I then turn into music.
Lvx: The composition phase is very intimate and special path. I personally draw inspiration from everything around me, both visible and invisible. I love knowledge and research, I’m passionate about ancient esoteric traditions, philosophy, psychology, literature. I have a great interest for all forms of art and maintain a constant and deep contact with nature and its energies. From all this I draw sap that finally becomes music and I take it with me on stage when I perform.
Miriam: Musical inspirations for me are the result of that inexhaustible desire to carry strong and profound messages. We are what comes from within and aims beyond.
RoD: How did your musical journey begin, and what is the overarching concept behind NOKTVA?
Kurten: Initially, the project started as a duo. Lvx and me wanted to experiment and create something that represented us musically. For more on the imagery behind NOKTVA, I leave the word to Lvx.
Miriam: The journey began thanks to Lvx’s idea, which we all embraced immediately. The musical affinity was obvious, and in a short time we made NOKTVA the solid head of our lives with commitment, passion and love.
Ira: My journey with NOKTVA started in October 2017, thanks to invitation from Kurten and Lvx. The project was still in its early stages, but already there was a strong concept that I think Lvx can explain best. It was the start of a great journey.
Lvx: Thank you for this question! It’s nice that you use the term “journey”, because that is exactly what it is about, in its most metaphorical meaning. NOKTVA comes to life from a very precise path, I had very clear ideas from the start as to what kind of music I wanted to produce, based also on the effects that certain frequencies have on the brain and in the emotional sphere. At the same time, I was very focused and attentive to the many signs that were already manifesting on in the process, as if NOKTVA was already an entity in itself. In fact, the choice of some symbols that accompanied the project, such as the moth for example, are not just only artistic choices, but they represent solid pillars on which the entire NOKTVA’s world is based. I could tell you several anecdotes that have happened, but I’ll stop here! I would only add that, composing Music for a very deep purpose, away from ego exaltation, is a real magical act.
RoD: Your music video for ‘Icarus’ is truly stunning. You often incorporate symbolic and mysterious imagery in your art. Could you tell us about the message or themes you aim to convey through your creative work?
Kurten: Yes, it’s true, in fact, if you look closely, different symbolism is hidden in each of our videos. In the case of Icarus, I liked to play metaphorically in the text on how human beings often overestimate themselves, in trying to achieve goals that are not within their reach and then fail miserably.
Lvx: When I think about how to visually bring our songs to life, I take a lot of inspiration from dreamlike imagery, which as you know is full of symbolism. I love to create settings in which dream and nightmare like light and darkness intersect, trying to sensorially stimulate the viewer. In the case of Icarus, I believed that Anger’s movie, which I saw and loved many years ago, fit perfectly with what I wanted to convey.
RoD: Looking ahead to the upcoming months, what can we anticipate from you in terms of new music and performances?
Lvx: What to expect? Definitely new music! We are already working on the new album and I can already tell you that the next live stage will be next February in Germany.
Miriam: The composition phase has already started, we are very focused and inspired.
RoD: Thank you so much for your time!
Kurten: Thank you for this interview.
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