Croptal is the stage name of Israeli musician and producer Tal Yaniv. In his second album “Variations”, Croptal guides the listener through a magical musical journey between musical genres - neo-classical, electronic, British folk and dance music. This is a concept album, the artist’s interpretation of the classical music Variations format. It begins with a short piano theme, followed by eight variations, each one references the previous ones, leading to a dramatic Finale. Croptal combines live piano and string orchestra recordings with synthesizers, manipulated rhythms and tape loops. One of the variations is a traditional English Folk song called "Blacksmith". This song had many performances over the years. The most notable ones are by the acclaimed folk singer Maddy Prior. One of her recordings of this song is a live a-cappella version released in 2000. This performance caught Croptal’s ears and made itself into the album as a modern interpretation featuring Prior’s outstanding vocal track.
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
(Kamil) Hey Croptal, super nice to have the chance to chat with you. What first got you into music?
(Croptal) I was attracted to music since I remember myself. It was an unexplained passion. Whenever the radio was on, a record was played or whenever I saw someone playing an instrument or singing, I was attracted to it like a butterfly to fire. I remember myself at the age of 6 begging my parents to start learning the piano.
How do you balance your time in the studio with other commitments such as a part-time job, family, admin?
Croptal) I try to allocate time for myself in the studio, whether late at night or in weekends. It’s a very difficult balance to keep, but I have a very supportive family and team.
Your latest release is 'Variations'. Can you tell us more about the making of it and if there were any unusual things happening during the process?
(Croptal) There was almost nothing “usual” in this production. I built it on 4 pillars: the piano theme, a string orchestra for which I composed and arranged the first variation, the Blacksmith song and finally the electronic production of all other tracks. The piano and strings recording were done in one short session in Budapest, where I also recorded the strings arrangement for the Blacksmith. I then travelled back home to use the recorded samples throughout other tracks. I manipulated these samples using an analog 4 track tape recorder, a computer and synthesizers.
Where did you get the inspiration for this album?
(Croptal) I am a huge fan of classical music. Above all formats - Sonatas, Symphonies and Operas, it’s the Variations format that actually opens a hidden window for the listener to hear the composer at work: manipulating, improvising, rethinking and rebuilding musical pieces, one by one, over (usually) a simple theme. Inspired by the works of Bach, Beethoven, Bartók and others - I tried to create my personal interpretation of this musical format.
How long did you work on the 'Variations'? Was it an easy process for you?
(Croptal) It took me 4 months to complete. Producing an album is never an easy process, let alone an album that includes orchestral arrangements, sound manipulations and virtual collaborations. Writing the music itself, though, melodies and harmony, came relatively easy for me. It was the actual production that required a huge investment of creativity, energy and resources.
Is there a hidden meaning in any of your music?
(Croptal) Yes! there are some hidden lines that connect my pieces together: This album, in particular, is all about using a theme as the basis for the next one. If you listen closely, you will easily hear parts of the piano theme in most other the tracks, then the strings variation is sampled and manipulated in other tracks, most notably in the Finale, and finally the same Taiko drum recording is being used both in the 6th variation, “The Smithy” and the 7th one, “Blacksmith”. Such lines also connect between my first album and this one. In the previous album I have Piano Trek I and II tracks, and in this one - Piano Trek III. The idea of using enumerating tracks with the same name over albums, came from Mike Oldfield, who I am very much inspired of. Oldfield collaborated with the late French musician Pierre Moerlen, and I covered a track by Pierre Moerlen in my previous album, featuring Manu Herrera, an amazing Guitar player that contributed a very “Oldfieldish” guitar sound. And finally, Oldfield featured vocalist Maddy Prior in two of his albums, and I virtually featured her in The Blacksmith, using her outstanding a-cappella recoding as the basis of my interpretation of that song.
What interests or hobbies do you have outside of music?
(Croptal) I have a passion for software development. I am in this business for many years. I love building software products and in the recent years - building and leading software development teams. Bio-T, The current startup I am a proud member of, is a medical technology software, doing good for patients. Other than that I love cooking and scuba-diving.
How do you find yourself in the music business? When you started out in music, did you know it would be like this?
(Croptal) At the age of 15 I was invited to form a band with high school friends. We thought it would be easy, just record a few songs, perform and get famous. Money for nothing and chicks for free. In reality, we worked hard for 10 years until we finally got signed by a label. Our debut album was an overnight success, and got a platinum later. It was a very hard but a rewarding journey.
How do you nurture your own creativity?
(Croptal) I listen a lot to music. I like many genres and whenever possible I go to live shows and festivals. I also like watching YouTube tutorials and product reviews. There are so many things to learn, and so many great teachers out there.
What are your plans for the future?
(Croptal) Keep producing music, of course. After two solo albums, I think it’s time for some collaborations. I am thinking of a live production with other musicians on stage.
Website: croptal.com