Wired in Kiev - The Wire Post
While flipping though the July 05 edition of the Wire I came across an interesting article by Yelena Chernova on the electronic music scene in Kieve, Ukraine. It seems like the Ukraine is known in the Western world for things like gymnasts and hockey players but there is a huge upcoming electronic and experimental music scene to be found in in the buzzing capitol city. Overall the article compares Kieve to an old Soviet comedy The Diamond Arm. This comedy is about an economist who studies abroad and everyone thinks he went to New York City, but the chap only went to Istanbul. The extended metaphor which is created relates Kiev to being a diamond in the rough; a very European, yet Russian city. This culture combination or what the article states as being "a country of contrasts" or in this case a "city of contrasts" has to offer is just ready to be dug up and discovered. In this case its Kiev's innovative music scene.
Chernova primarily focuses on an experimental electronic music festival by the name of Detali Zvuku or Sound Details. The festival was started in 2000 by Kiev sound pioneer Andre Kiritchenko. Kiritchenko also formed the label Nexsound which is an amazing little label. Some notable Ukrainian composers/sound artists who were mentioned (and some are on the Nexsound label) are Kotra, Paul Kust, Alla Zagaikevych, OK_01, Akuvido, I/Dex, FRUITS, and Dutch Staalplaat Soundsystem. The festival went on for 14 hours of non-stop experimental electronica, that had to be amazing. All of these artists have combined and met not only on this occasion but also in concerts combined with the Kiev Musical Academy. Each of these concerts had different themes introducing not only the electronic music of the Ukraine but also other European music forms such as: Russian Noise (Ru.NOISE), Polish experimental, and Swiss improvisation (Swisound). I found this to be very very interesting. There are tons of different musical scenes sweeping Europe that I am highly interested in finding out more on (hopefully Italian scenes!).
Ukrainian Sound Artists and Composers have to deal with the hardship of a government that does not fund the arts as much as other countries do. What it comes down to is that these Artists do this because it is their passion. To be an sound artist in the Ukraine you must do it all - meaning make the sounds record it yourself then publish it yourself. If you visit Nexsound this is a fine example of dedication and passion for music. This is a self-run label. The larger record companies are not accessible in the Ukraine. Most people cannot afford an expensive major-label-produced CD so the Ukrainians thrive on the Bootleg. The US labels have cracked down on all the Bootlegs and have essentially removed all but a few Bootleg companies in the Ukraine causing the accessibility to music to be very limited to the general public. Kiritchenko and his label Nexsound are attempting to change that with their own personal drive to create and supply innovative music to the masses.
On the Nexsound site you can listen to full MP3 excerpts from new albums listed on the Catalog page. I listened to a few songs by Andre Kiritchenko, Alla Zagalkevych, and the group Kotra. I was highly impressed with Kiritchenko's efforts on his latest disk True Delusion. Kiritchenko has a signature soundscape of minimalism as well as atmospheric ambience. On one track, Illusion of Safety an ostinati of piano repeats over and over as other 'found' noises and other layers of piano are mixed in almost to the point they are coinciding rhythms. At times I wonder if I am listening to early (but much slower) Sigur Ros. Another track, Scope of my Perception, follows the idea of the previous track but creates a soundscape of a guitar line mixed with what it sounds like a person rustling around inside a house doing chores that finally turns into a drone of tones as well as static and faint rhythmic guitar plucking. These sounds are highly distorted and manipulated. Alla Zagalkevych's composition Heroneya is a true example of modern electroacousic music. Zagalkevych bases the pieces on algorithmic composition. One can tell when listening it sounds like serial music, I though oh Schoenberg or Berg! Heroneya begins as an interplay between cello, piano, violin and other instruments and then by the end of the piece it turns into a blur of electronic static with the remains of the original instrumental sounds lurking in the thick static soup. The selections I picked from Kotra off their album Dissilient are hair-raising examples of quasi-modern musique-concrete electronica (for lack of a better explanation). Each of the Minus works (there are 3 on the site) remind me exactly of Never Again on Zorn's Kristallnacht. They all have high-frequency sounds which effect the listener in startling ways. The description for the music even said "Difficult but impressive listening," they were right!
Chernova primarily focuses on an experimental electronic music festival by the name of Detali Zvuku or Sound Details. The festival was started in 2000 by Kiev sound pioneer Andre Kiritchenko. Kiritchenko also formed the label Nexsound which is an amazing little label. Some notable Ukrainian composers/sound artists who were mentioned (and some are on the Nexsound label) are Kotra, Paul Kust, Alla Zagaikevych, OK_01, Akuvido, I/Dex, FRUITS, and Dutch Staalplaat Soundsystem. The festival went on for 14 hours of non-stop experimental electronica, that had to be amazing. All of these artists have combined and met not only on this occasion but also in concerts combined with the Kiev Musical Academy. Each of these concerts had different themes introducing not only the electronic music of the Ukraine but also other European music forms such as: Russian Noise (Ru.NOISE), Polish experimental, and Swiss improvisation (Swisound). I found this to be very very interesting. There are tons of different musical scenes sweeping Europe that I am highly interested in finding out more on (hopefully Italian scenes!).
Ukrainian Sound Artists and Composers have to deal with the hardship of a government that does not fund the arts as much as other countries do. What it comes down to is that these Artists do this because it is their passion. To be an sound artist in the Ukraine you must do it all - meaning make the sounds record it yourself then publish it yourself. If you visit Nexsound this is a fine example of dedication and passion for music. This is a self-run label. The larger record companies are not accessible in the Ukraine. Most people cannot afford an expensive major-label-produced CD so the Ukrainians thrive on the Bootleg. The US labels have cracked down on all the Bootlegs and have essentially removed all but a few Bootleg companies in the Ukraine causing the accessibility to music to be very limited to the general public. Kiritchenko and his label Nexsound are attempting to change that with their own personal drive to create and supply innovative music to the masses.
On the Nexsound site you can listen to full MP3 excerpts from new albums listed on the Catalog page. I listened to a few songs by Andre Kiritchenko, Alla Zagalkevych, and the group Kotra. I was highly impressed with Kiritchenko's efforts on his latest disk True Delusion. Kiritchenko has a signature soundscape of minimalism as well as atmospheric ambience. On one track, Illusion of Safety an ostinati of piano repeats over and over as other 'found' noises and other layers of piano are mixed in almost to the point they are coinciding rhythms. At times I wonder if I am listening to early (but much slower) Sigur Ros. Another track, Scope of my Perception, follows the idea of the previous track but creates a soundscape of a guitar line mixed with what it sounds like a person rustling around inside a house doing chores that finally turns into a drone of tones as well as static and faint rhythmic guitar plucking. These sounds are highly distorted and manipulated. Alla Zagalkevych's composition Heroneya is a true example of modern electroacousic music. Zagalkevych bases the pieces on algorithmic composition. One can tell when listening it sounds like serial music, I though oh Schoenberg or Berg! Heroneya begins as an interplay between cello, piano, violin and other instruments and then by the end of the piece it turns into a blur of electronic static with the remains of the original instrumental sounds lurking in the thick static soup. The selections I picked from Kotra off their album Dissilient are hair-raising examples of quasi-modern musique-concrete electronica (for lack of a better explanation). Each of the Minus works (there are 3 on the site) remind me exactly of Never Again on Zorn's Kristallnacht. They all have high-frequency sounds which effect the listener in startling ways. The description for the music even said "Difficult but impressive listening," they were right!
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