F.R.U.I.T.S. & Sa-Zna "Amber Rooms"
Kooperativ Nishtyak "25 John Lennons"
Ole Lukoye "Tumze"
Ole Lukoye "Du-du-du Or A Medicine For A Dwarf"
Rada & Ternovnik "Rada & Ternovnik"
Rada & Ternovnik "Love Is My Sorrow"
Rada & Ternovnik "Russian Epos"
Rhodesia "Invisible War"
Romowe Rikoito "Narcissism"
Solar X "Xrated"
Solar X "Little Pretty Automatic"
V/A "Artifacts"
V/A "Edge Of The Night: Russian Gothic Compilation"
V/A "Electrus"
V/A "Tell Tchaikovsky The News"
VLD "3"
Volga "Volga"
 

The album begins with low-frequenced beats of the first leading track, latter added by new sounds and melodies, gradually forming a continuos fantastic round-dance. The culmination is in a seventeen-momentary “Petraciu Seima” being an extract of the whole album and stirring from “electro” to turned inside out “hardcore”. All this turns into a half-momentary increasing atmospheric noise with indistinct muttering on the background.

The last track “Appasionate” sums up all that was heard and deals the final blow with its rollicking idiocy. Cellos, electronic beats and cracklings plus noises of a children’s playground. Even Fred Frich himself could be proud of such thing.

Tracks 1-14:
All songs - Cyrill Rybyakov;
Cyrill Rybyakov - vocal, quitars;
Alexander Andryushkin - drums, bass, clavichords, percussion, horns;
Snegopa - bass, guitars,  keyboards, violin;
Peasant Akhyurdna - bayan.

Tracks 15-20:
Karl Fisher - guitar, bass, vocal, lyrics, music (exept 20 - A.Vertinsky & 21 - A.A.Andryushkin/K.Fisher);
A.A.Andryushkin - drums, glockenschpiel;
Simple Shamahanian Guy "Geoff" - bass, back-vocal;
Kokorin G. - solo-guitar, vocal;
Serega Zhid - sound.

KN from Tyumen have been traditionally considered as a punk-band. Some time ago they have really played something like punk-rock, but if they had been punks they were precisely the most strange and interesting ones in Siberia. Up to this time the band exists for 15 years, during which they managed to record nearly 20 albums, the way of play became more qualitative, the quality of record had improved and now there is nothing close to punk.

Nowadays KN is an excellent strange mixture of  something like vanguard blues, progressive-rock & even guitar easy-listening spiced up by wonderful surrealistic lyrics. All this is heard well on the album "25 John Lennons". On the whole, the album is rather tranquil,  even insinuating & tender, gradually envenoming by its sweet surrealistic poison. There is even a completely valuable radio-hit «Zimnie Bogi» ("Winter Gods").

The total time of the album is 42 minutes, the rest 30 minutes are filled with a mini-album (as a bonus so to say) titled «Sdelay Sam Umelymi Rukami» ("Make yourself with skillful arms") recorded in 1992. This is punk itself (although I should say a psychedelic punk): hard sound & punk quality of the record.

Boris Bardash - programming, keyboards, voise, electro-guitar, jamba, percussion;
Andrey Lavrinenko - bass, jamba, bayan, percussion;
Frol - phagot, serpent-flute, cow-horn, trumpet, soprano-flute;
Igor Kim - electro-banjo, acoustic-guitar, sound-effects;
O.Shar - big jamba, darabuka, congs, vibroslap, percussion;
Oleg Kuular - tuvian singing (kargyraa-style).

It seems to be the best album of one of the most interesting Russian band that can be easily put in a row of such leading bands of modern "progressive" as Ozric Tentacles, Korai Orom, Helious Greed, Anubian Lights etc. The album – issued in a scanty circulation on a small German label The Lollipop Shop – quickly became a collectional rarity. The republishing of the remastered version that followed some time later didn’t help. According to the legend, the album had been recorded under the impression from a trip to Tuva. I don’t know whether it is true or not but eastern motives are much more stronger than they are on the previous albums. On this album there is a great amount of national instruments (maybe Tuvian instruments) and electronics (strange as it may seem) that supplanted live drums entirely. All this together creates an unimaginable trance, a meditative and a little bit sinister flood  added by modulations of drilling exquisitive parts guitars, and excellently suited for the music psychedelic texts. The unquestionable hits of this album are prodigious "Become the Sky" & "Ophelia" to which I can listen twenty-four hours a day. This is one of the best Russian albums of the last 5 years.

Boris Bardash - keyboards, voise, guitar, rhubab (3), green trumpet (2), percussion;
Andrey Lavrinenko - bass, rhubab (4), jambs, percussion;
Frol - phagot, zhaleyka, earthenware flute, vargan, roar of a dwarf (2), percussion;
Yury Lukianchik - jambs, darabuka, percussion, voice (6).

The project "Ole Lukoye" from St. Petersburg is one of the most interesting in Russian modern postindustrial space. It performs a charming mixture of middle-eastern ethnic and european folk with a rich percussion and characteristic "progressive" guitars. All this is presented in a slight gothic setting. It is a strange mixture of  "The Merlons Of Nehimiah", "Yat-Kha" and "Muslimgauze" of early 90’s. If I had to define a style I should have called it something like "progressive folk". "Du-du-du" is a 4-th album of the project and it is characterized by a greater deepening into the East (from my point of view a clearly European composition is the first one titled "The wedding of deaf-and-dumb") and a greater promotion of a percussion section. Shaman trance rhythms, streaming among the percussion modulations guitar, minimalistic keyboards and above all this a pushed aside – as if singing the Buddhist mantres, a whirling voice. Lyrics (if it presents in a composition) are written in English, Russian and in a some eastern language as it seems; plus an extremely wonderful live version of a "Rainbow".

The band:
Rada - lyrics, voice;
Vladimir Anchevsky - guitars;
Vassily Saburov - bass (1,3,4);
Vladimir Gochua - bass (2,3,5);
Mikhail Plotnikov - drums;
Gleb Gusseynov - percussion;
Danila Korotaev - sound.

A cult Russian band issued a CD on a cult French label that specializes on gothic and progressive music.  Although everything that is made in Russia is out of fashion in Europe, the release attracted an intent attention of many lovers of post-gothic experimental exotic character in many countries (as far as I know there are admirers of "Rada" even in Taiwan). And it’s not strange; you hear a charming professional voice of Rada, slanders pushed aside and suddenly turning into transparent belcanto; an insinuating music made of intricate interlacement of strict and sad bass, tender and melancholic guitar and ingratiating rustle of percussions. All this creates a unique and unbreakably depressing atmosphere. Only a short time of the CD keeps you from hanging yourself and disserting your veins. Undoubtedly, this is one of the best Russian releases of the year.

Total time: 42.54

Rada & Vladimir Anchevsky

A rather strange album from all points of view. Firstly, it is trip-hop. Secondly, it is a trip-hop performed in Rada’s manner – that is a Russian folk psychedelia so to say. Rada is not indifferent to trip-hop at all – even before the issue of this album she said many times that she sings trip-hop always in a completely live version. And she decided to make something authentic. Still I can’t agree with her, cause even if not to consider the music, the mood of Rada’s songs and that of original trip-hop compositions differ greatly; where in trip-hop there is only a tedium and a satiety, in Rada's works there is a depression and a pain. That's why the album turned out to be a strange one: on the one hand there are standard (sometimes even too standard) trip-hop drum-loops, scratches and rustles; on the other hand there are a guitar and a bass,  transferred from the usual version of Rada's songs, naturally plus Rada’s mad vocal. Sometimes it is heard that trip-hop itself is not completed and maybe not understood, but from my point of view it is for the better. I wish Portishead to be imbued with such mood, maybe then we won’t be bored with  all this modern "real trip-hop" so quickly. On the album there are real hits, for example "Love is My Sorrow" and "Sister is My Death". And not to forget the original sound of Rada & Ternovnik there is an almost acoustic track titled "Rose Geranium Mignonette".

Total time: 60.07

Rada - lyrics, voice;
Vladimir Anchevsky - guitars;
Vassily Saburov - bass (1,3,4);
Dmitry Glazov - drums
Danila Korotaev - sound.

Recorded live at The Centre of Art "Stolitsa", Moscow. 02.04.1999.

A new album and a cardinal change of style again. At this time it is a live version mostly of well known compositions. However, they are bind together with known versions only by Rada’s vocal and lyrics. The majority of songs is performed in a ska-treatment with a small jazz mixture and diluted by what is called "Russian rock". Perhaps, it the most cheerful and sanguine record of Rada I’ve heard. Although up to the middle of the album the optimistic fund diminishes little by little, the music becomes more light and transparent and Rada & Ternovnik – familiar by the album "Sad Sounds" or by the French one titled "EP"  are heard more evidently. From the 9th track begins that which you wait from every new Rada’s record. To this time Rada herself warms up. The record is made from the hall with the help of several microphones and sounds unexpectedly well.

A common and pale decoration of the disk and a lack of different beauties on the CD itself retains the hope that the music will be better. And the first track justifies these hopes. This the exact music that suits for active home-listening. Soft broken rhythms plus every possible melodies. Nothing superfluous and nothing complex. Thinking a little, there is a supposition that "Plaid" & "Speedy J" (of the "G Spot" period) greatly influenced the musicians of "Rhodesia". But it is best not to suppose but to re-listen to this album once more so to find something new for yourself.

The track I liked most of all – "2nd of March"- is really beautiful. And the main thing is that  I seemed to understand what war is meant in the title of the album. Just one we don’t see in the tracks of the album.

Julia - voices;
Victoria - flute, keyboards;
Johnny - guitars;
Niktorius - voices, guitars, psaltery, sounds;
Poonk - violin, tapes, keyboards, sounds;
Lebedev Yevgeny - voices on tracks 1 and 7;

A strange kaliningradian collective (known before to a narrow circle of lovers by its industrially-noisy performances), issued at the expense of its own the first CD. The album recorded on the CD has nothing in common with previous work of the group. Firstly, everything is recorded & brought together perfectly well; secondly, instead of noise the album contains dark-folk material performed mainly acoustically with some electronical including. The original poems of English romantic poets of the beginning of the XIX-th century are used as texts for compositions. As I said everything is perfectly well and listened thrillingly; the only thing that confuses and causes perplexity is an evident secondarity towards modern European dark-folk scene. And if the first half of the album presents a collective dark-folk, so to say, with a Sol Invictus bias, the second one – including music and even vocal and introductions is just taken from Current 93 and sounds like the continuation of "Thunder Perfect Mind". Maybe even too neatly and succulently for C93; in original much attention is paid to improvisation and the stress is made on the lyrics; in Romowe Rikioto's rendition a total checking of all passages and non-academic approach to performance are found. And all this spoils the impression from listening to the album. Still, nice and beautiful work but if I want something like this I'll better listen to the "Thunder Perfect Mind" for instance. They say that Romowe Rikioto proceeded to the record of a new album. Let's hope that it'll be more original, cause it is felt that the potential of the band is very high.

February the 3d 1997 was very remarkable for techno-music lovers. Somebody issued a single about the difficulties of life under arms, and the Moscow techno-project Solar X issued a new album titled "Xrated" in a CD format. Before this the album appeared only in MC format in a scanty circulation of 100 copies and in a different version. So, owners of a rare issue of "Xrated" can very proud of such a resplendence, the rest – have to hurry to buy a CD variant of the album.. Its issue is rather limited – only 1000 copies that have been already sent to several special shops of techno-musical orientation settled in various places of our immense planet.

The music on the album is not monotonous, it includes a whole tangle of techno-music styles. This techno-music tangle is often called IDM (intellectual techno). The album offers to listeners technological by sounding and rather dancing "Dominatrix" and "Report Now", a symphonic "Doom at the Dorm", a jolly, howling and whistling "Dare You Play", an ambient "Submit to My High Standards", beginning with disco rhythms and turning into electronical jungle "Wicked & Beautiful", fine art-rock experiments in "tþchPulses" and "Hot Cherry". The presence of beautiful melodies, a great amount of changing rhythms, a use of original sounds & plenty of unexpected musical movies unites all these compositions. Listening to this album won't be boring to electronical music lovers.

The title chosen for the album is not a chance. Reason No.1 is music itself. Unfortunately, children can't listen to such music. Reason No.2 is the purport of music that can be understood from the titles of compositions. They had been taken from the announcements of English prostitutes. After listening to a regular composition that shows a character of a regular English lady listener can imagine the satisfaction one can get from one of these ladies (as far as I'm concerned I won't refuse to spend pretty time with such ladies as "Soft & Deep", "Doom at the Dorm" and "Dare You Play").

The CD is recorded on a newest Russian label ArT-TeK Records. This a debut release of the label and I hope that next releases of this label will gladden as over and over again. The whole circulation of the CD was printed in Austria, the polygraphy and the remastering of the sound are made on a high standard.  The decoration of the album is produced by ArT-TeK Records with the participation of Solar X. Everything looks perfectly well, I think that many of you will appreciate the appearance.

But there is a little inaccuracy in the appearance of the album: tracks 8 & 9 are changed in order. The music of these compositions may confuse your emotions, but it is a regular reminder: you must be more exact with women.

It is the third full-length  album from the Moscow musician dissembling himself under the name Solar X. The album is recorded on an English label Worm Interface that is known for many lovers of experimental electronics firstly by some series of compilations titled "Alternative Frequence". Probably, this label will soon be famous for release of albums by such people as Freedom, Himuro, Baraki, Jake Mandell, Plod and now Solar X.

Creation and waiting of the release of this album took two years. Dreams of those who were waiting for it (I'm among them), came true at last. But frankly speaking I was waiting for it in a little bit different appearance. The firm putting on the market did many things in it's own way. Regretfully, the original appellation of the album "Kalashnikoff Beats" was rejected, cause it was
considered to be very aggressive and martial. Because of this, a certain planned conception of the album, connected with speedy rhythms & titles of some tracks, disappeared. In addition, a designer of  Worm Interface made a strange decoration of the album cover. It is not easy to find any connection between the music from the album and it's cover.

Nevertheless the music wasn't changed. The album begins with an electro-hymn dedicated to girls whose name is Dasha; Solar found many of them on the Kazantip festival. The last composition on the album is a symphonic and gurgling "Acid For Mama". Between those two you can hear speedy jungle - like "Bullet Gum", "Xiao Jie", "Green Cat" and  "Koroleva"; hard electro - rhythms in "Supertechno"; experiments with rhythms and sound in "Russian Roulette", "Shoot My Heart", "Indian Movie" and "3D Pole"; and to take breath during tranquil and very melodious tracks "Happy Balloon" and "Made In Tula". There are
some tracks on the album that are memorized straight away because of interesting sound ideas. For example a rather dancing composition "Xiao Jie" ("Sister" in Chinese) in which samples from fights that can be heard in every battle-movie are used as percussive sounds for rhythms. Then some words must be said about the track "Net Camouflage", in which sounds of modems that try to catch carrier either at 33600 or at 14400 or at any other speed are used. This track warms heart of every who relates to computer nets more or less, especially if he is not indifferent to experimental electronic music. After listening to "Indian Movie" you fell like having seen one of these tragic, bloody and loveful movies. And one more memorizing track well-known to many russian listeners is "Koroleva" with a pretty singing out of tune vocal of AK Troitsky.

Probably, everyone who is interested in the creative work of Solar X will find something special for himself in the album. Somewhere these opinions will coinclude, somewhere not. My point of view on Solar's creation is rather conservative, that's why I marked out some very beautiful and melodious tracks. Here they are: "One Free Drink", "Made In Tula", "Acid For Mama" and a completely tremendous track "Happy Balloon" (it's a pity that it is too short). So, to all who are not afraid of rhythms of burst of automatic machine and synthesized gnashing of iron I wish a pleasant listening to this interesting
work.

It's a conceptional collection from a small but perhaps the most prominent Russian label specialized on idm. This collection contains almost the whole set of Russian experimental dance electronic music from sufficiently famous musicians to quite
underground ones, known only to narrow specialists. On the whole, it's a good, well-done, qualitative and smooth collection. Unfortunately, you won't find something extraordinary here. This collection will be an excellent present for true lovers of such
music, but I don't think it will impress a dilettante. The main conclusion that can be made after listening to this collection is that idm in Russia really exists and it can be compared to the generally accepted. The collection can be perceived as a first step,
as a declaration, so to say, and we are to wait for the appearance of more original and distinctive works. As far as I'm concerned, I feel a little bit tired of squeaky and broken rhythms, that's why I was mostly impressed by madly funny
tracks by Lazyfish and Comprass Vrubell, and pretty light and melodious SCSI-9 (also known as DJ Kubikoff), Cutoff and Novel 23.

There's a strange paradox. In the West "gothic" already is  quite a commercial and popular trend, although a little bit exotic, and gothic supporters are not less numerous than some punks or rapers. In our country even two years ago the word "gothic" aroused bewilderment in the majority of the interlocutors. Now the word is more or less known to everyone but as a rule it is associated with Lacrimosa, Paradise Lost or Marilyn Manson. It is the more so strange, as among the variety of gothic sub-styles there are some that sound quite acceptable for common ear. However, those who say that the notions "Russian" and '"othic" are principally incompatible are not right. And a wonderful collection issued by Russian Gothic Project (perhaps the only russian organization that deals with propaganda of gothic music and sub-culture) is a weighty confirmation. The collection couldn't been issued for a year and a half, but during this period people from RGP had prepared a product of really first-class: They polished every detail beginning with a conceptional selection of groups, continuing with a perfect appearance of the album and at last an impeccable mastering. As a result, the collection impresses much more stronger than the majority of innumerous collections issued by western labels and sounding rather mediocre. And to a some chance listener having a vague idea of gothic it may turn out to be even a revelation (and I know such examples). That's the main goal of the collection - the collection is destined to declare the western audience about Russian gothic scene as a perfectly well formed and at last to show russian listeners what gothic really is.

In musical plan the collection contains practically all existing gothic sub-styles: gothic-rock, dark-wave, dark-folk, neo-classic, midieval, synth-gothic & even gothic-trip-hop. Unfortunately, there are no true revelations - the majority of groups simply copy western analogues. However, the copies are very painstaking and qualitative and sometimes even excel the originals in quality. Besides that, in gothic culture such approach is not considered as shameful. When I began to write this review I intended to give a detail description of each track, but I found out that my reaction is rather typical - when I read the review in the magazine "Results" of Arkhangelsk I found practically the same formulae that I intended to write. So, I intended to lament that the impression from one of the best tracks of the collection - Romowe Rikoito "Elegy" - is a little bit smearing because it is already issued on the collection "Tell Chaikovsky the News", I intended to compare a wonderful baroque miniature Caprice "Princess Mee" to the creation of Svetlana Okhrimenko a singer from Kiev that I love very tenderly, I intended to call the track of Dvar "Taai Liira" an "electronic black-metal" and to mark that together with Phantom Bertha "Igni Natura Renovatur Integra" it is the worst composition of this collection (I also didn't understand why Dvar is considered as "the opening of the year" in russian gothic circles). Besides, it is important to mention an absolutely wonderful cold and sharpened gothic-rock of No Man's Land "Falling Into The Night", atmospheric and almost dance synth-gothic Dreams "Cloud of Dreams", hard and saturated gothic-industrial Cyclotimia "Paradise X", tender and very beautiful gothic-rock Lunophobia "Under The Snow" and rithualistic, drawing out the soul dark-wave Moon Far Away "December Of Times". All ends very logically with an excellent sad and atmospheric instrumental composition of Cisfinitum "De Profundis". In a word, forming of Russian gothic scene can be considered as finished; gothic in Russia had taken place and we are to hope that Russian Gothic Project will gladden us with its new and not less marvelous releases.

A few words about the bands included in the compilation:

Canonis is an ethereal band from Naberezhnye Chelny that started its musical career from doom metal. It presents an exclusive ethereal song with a slight folk tint. The band released three demos, the latest of them (The Aquarel) consisted of two tracks only.

Caprice is an acoustic band from Moscow that plays "elf-music" "Princess Mee" (lyrics by J.R.R.Tolkien) is deeply ethereal with baroque and neo-classic elements. The bands has a debut CD "Mirror", "Princess Mee" was taken from not yet released album,  "Elvenmusic".

Romowe Rikoito is one of the most well known abroad gothic bands from Russia, it presents a characteristic dark folk song "Elegy". Romowe Rikoito released the "Narcissism" CD in 1996 on Brudenia label, at writing the band is finishing recording their new album (the track in question was taken from it). Songs of this band were included in the compilations of Triton and Exotica labels.

No Man's Land is a Gothic Rock band from Kaliningrad playing original gothic rock in Russian. The track was taken from their latest CD, "Tears". At present the band has a different name, "London/Paris", and is preparing the new material.

Neutral is a Moscow dark folk project that has fair popularity with the local people, it presents "Playroom" from their limited CD-R single. Neutral has two self-released CDs, "The Dream that Destroys the Dreamer" and CDR-single "Playroom".

Dvar is a mysterious occult band that keeps in secret all the information, including its lineup and dislocation. Dvar is a gothic sensation of the year, their track embodies darkwave as it is. We don't have exact information about Dvar's releases, but we know their album "Raii" and CDR-single "Taai Liira".

Damsel's Dream is a band from Kurgan that has moved to Moscow. They play something that gothic magazines of the world refer to as dark trip wave. The track is taken from their new CD, "Twilight". This CD will be the third one; first came "Damsel's Dream" and "Pearl Diver".

Phantom Bertha is a band from St. Petersburg that plays orthodox gothic rock, this song previously hadn't been released and was taken from their debut demo, "Black Weepers".

Dreams is a Saratovian band playing synth-goth music with an injection of ethereal. The track is exclusive. Dreams has just finished recording its debut CD, "Dreams".

Cyclotimia, a cult industrial/darkwave band from Moscow, presents its new exclusive track "Paradise X". They have a concert CD "Insomnia" and a few demos; fairly soon their new CD "New Death Order" on German label StateArt will be available.

Lunophobia - Goth intellectuals from St. Petersburg present a most soft goth rock/ethereal song "Under the Snow", track previously unreleased and taken from a nearing single "Under the Snow", the band also has a CD "Dreaming of the Sun".

Djembe is a mediaeval band from Novosibirsk! It is the same in its professionalism and sensibility as the best western mediaeval bands. This song hadn't previously been released. At writing, the band is working on its debut CD, "The Hits of the Middle Ages".

Kratong is a project of Romowe Rikoito musicians, romantic melancholic dark folk, exclusive track. No recordings available yet.

Moon Far Away sires of Russian Gothic, the most famous Russian gothic band, present their ritual ethereal song from their yet unreleased new album "Sator". The debut CD of Moon Far Away "Lado World" was released at the Moscow label Exotica and got very good feedback in the western press. Songs of this band were included in compilations of Triton, Arborlon and
Exotica labels.

Tnt Art - This industrial-darkwave project from Moscow presents its cover of "Better than You" by Swans, exclusive track. At present the band is working at their new CD "Metamorphosis", their first album was "Manifesto".

Cisfinitum is a Moscow band playing dark ambient music. Here is their exclusive instrumental improvisational darkwave piece. This band has a great quantity of releases, both solo and split-albums with various industrial-noise bands.

You can find all additional information on the compilation and the bands on the page: http://music.gothic.ru/compilation_e.htm.

The distinction from Moscow electronic scene guided by more hard, cold and intellectual music is noticeable with the naked eye. Even acid-jazz and easy-listening in Moscow are performed somehow more cold and academically. The majority of presented tracks is instrumental, except some compositions that contain voice samples and one track with female vocal titled “The Stars Watch Down". This music is applicable either for dance or as a background, but it is more suitable as a background in small comfortable cafe-shops.

The most prominent Russian label guided by experimental music had issued a collection for the first time. If judged by the track-list the collection is extremely eclectic, but, strange as it may seem, it is listened quite equally and pleasant. However, the conception of the collection is not quite clear (it is stated as an easy-listening collection, but some of the presented tracks are completely out of the given definition; if it is a collection of Russian experimental music the stylistic range could be more widened); sooner it must be perceived simply as a sampler of Exotica – 6 out of 16 presented projects had been already issued on the label and many of the rest are supposed to be released.

Among tracks that I liked most of all are: completely scoffing, rollicking and pro-DJ-like Species Of Fishes "Time End Place"; seemed to be fairly pestered but in this case sounding extremely pleasant and pretty “jazzy-easy” performed by Nuclear Los, Burunduk Quartet and K.U.Street Spring (the last two with a beautiful peculiar female vocal and the last plus an interesting russian  lyrics); sounding enough modern progressive-rock with eastern ethnic motives performed by Ole Lukoye; an excellent and very beautiful dark-folk from Romowe Rikoito; not less excellent and beautiful dark-wave from the most famous russian gothic project Moon Far Away and finally all ends with a mad, jolly and at the same time post-modern cover-version of George Sviridov "Time Go Forward!" made by Brothers In Mind. Only two tracks of the collection aroused my reaction of rejection – these are completely irrelevant and bad done, as it seemed to me, treatments of famous classical themes Crash and Ryaba Mutant.

Rostov-on-Don slowly but certainly seems to turn into a new great nest of industrial. The first to appear was Zazerkalye/ Che-Dance/Figura, then Anti-Music, Katya and now a new noise/ambient project of the same company named VLD. And  it is a very competent and succulent. The main part of this album consists of insinuating pouring of gentle rustles and gnashings. Sometimes a minimalistic percussion and indistinct muttering comes to the surface; sometimes even entire rhythmic and quite energetic fragments that arouse memories about early days of industrial culture. An excellent music for meditation on the subject of the final phase of Kali Yuga – after some time comes a total solution in the sound current of the oncoming Apocalypse given unemotionally and as a datum. All this is very close to the production of Swedish Cold Meat Industry although it sounds in a little bit more "classical" way, and the quality is not worser.

Total time: 75.19

I’ve always been sure that what we’re slipped from radio & TV as a folklore and Russian native songs (especially when it comes from dames – honored artists of the Russia - and highly well-nourished men with bayans around them) is not our historical heritage from Russian heart at all. Listening to songs from this disc sung by Angela Manukyan there are no doubts that it is really Russian folklore. Sound collages upon her singing are made by Alexei Borisov. They are contained either in atmospheric-rhythmical or in minimalistic ambient form that consists of abstract buzzings and gurgles. Oh yes, there are tracks where upon these gurgles techno/electro bit begins to knock; then it sounds like Plasticman upon which old Russian folk songs are sung rather pretty. The last  are really old, cause they date from the XI-th century to the beginning of the XIX-th.

A peculiar word must be said about the last 4 tracks that I should call bonus tracks. This is an "instrumental" (as it is indicated on the cover of the disc) "Mother Volga" – a jolly techno-minimalism that sounds much like compositions written by F.R.U.I.T.S, "Lely-lely" in a dub-version by Vladimir Ratskevich & Oleg Litvishko that differs from the other sound passages of the album. It turned out certainly not like Banco De Gaia, but quite attractive. "Three glasses" (dance version) is a hard techno with atmospheric sound collages from the part of Angela Manukyan. "The raven" is a remix by lazy fish in a typical for him style consisting of electro & dub. In this track there is everything including a vocal successfully added to music, melodies, rhythm & basses – all suits well. The main thing is the decoration of the album.