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Yakutia (as photographed by Foxberry)
The Sakha (Yakutia) Republic is enormous: only slightly smaller than India, it is home to a mere million people. India houses over a billion. Given that disparity, it should come as no surprise that the region's history is one of nomadic peoples. The first, tenuous settlements probably appeared in the thirteenth century; Russian forces would not arrive for another four hundred years - and not until the nineteenth century would these open, often frozen lands be managed by Moscow in any real way.
Although nature offers much - in terms of minerals and forestry, for example - in the public's mind Yakutia is still associated with political exiles and various geographic cliches, all of which concern unmanageable distance. Helping us catalog the small narratives that come from Yakutia today is the Siberian noise exponent Booby Mason, who himself is based in Omsk. When we first contacted Mr. Mason - aka Anton - we inquired about the status of noise music in Russia. After listing three or four ensembles of worth, he added: "That's pretty much all the outfits that come to mind. There are loads of tiny projects all over Russia, of course, but 90% of them are horribly boring."
There are loads of tiny projects all over Russia, but 90% of them are horribly boring
Looking for some people and places of interest, he has just turned to Yakutia and - after much effort - finished a unique compilation that can be downloaded for free. It is entitled "Garazh ebeter Kul'tura?," which translates as "Garage or Culture." The first and last words in that phrase are Russian: the second term is from the local Sakha language. With artwork that involves a cat's head emerging from a tree-trunk, there are obviously surprises in store.
"Garazh ebeter Kul'tura?" (2011)
As Mr. Mason then tells us about the album: "There aren't many names - because there's not that much interesting stuff out there. A couple of local punk bands even said 'no' to inclusion in the compilation! And that's a real shame, since so much of this work sounds unfinished. But - nonetheless - it's good for our ears and general understanding to hear something from Russia's Far North..."
It's good for our ears and general understanding to hear something from Russia's Far North...
There is indeed very little available information. Take, by way of illustration, the project known as Double Stress, founded in 2006 from a love for breakbeat. As suitable software was obtained, the two virtually anonymous members of this collective (Double Stress and "Spasmolytic") started to fashion angrier textures, moving from dancefloor instrumentals to overtly industrial and even "power-noise" experiments. After which silence fell... forever. That same small biographical sketch, languishing on a Yakutia forum, is now followed by a single, unconnected comment from a passer-by: "My daughter broke her leg. It's all because these women never wear suitable footwear..."
Only the lazy complaint of an indifferent misogynist interrupts the hush. In the meantime, far from asphalt and concrete, some new - and equally strident - noises begin.
Igor' Kashmarov (aka TATATATATA)
The web-presence of several other projects included on "Garazh ebeter Kul'tura" is a little clearer. The young man shown above, known either as Igor' Kashmarov or onstage as TATATATATA, converses on occasion with friends and family online. Those fleeting and semi-public chats offer at least some insight into the daily experience of these performers. One recent remark - made by Kashmarov albeit without special desire or interest - noted some of the costume changes in a faraway episode of the US sitcom "How I Met Your Mother." Random thoughts took slow shape in an unoccupied mind. "To be honest, I don't even know why I'm writing this. I'm bored."
I don't even know why I'm writing this. I'm bored
A note of sympathy sounded from friends: "It's all boring here." Several colleagues then tried to decide what music they should compose in order to rid themselves of this torpor: "Try writing something with a really direct beat - and loads of percussive layers, too!" As time passed, though, the question arose of how they could all spend so much time doing absolutely nothing. When asked whether he was (at least) studying, Kashmarov replied: "I haven't got class tomorrow. D'you have any money? Let's get drunk!"
It then transpires that one of the people involved in the conversation - and attracted by the idea of inebriation - is actually at home with a small child. Consequently, the drinkers would have to gather at his place. Such, it seems, is the normal pattern of a normal evening.
Skajite Michilu (Yakutsk / St. Petersburg)
In search of more productive activity, we might then consider the "static / lo-fi / beatxperimental" figure Skajite Michilu, who has attempted a move to (very) distant St. Petersburg. The trip was not pleasant: "I was served by a disgusting stewardess on the plane. She had hairy hands and her tongue was on fire with obscenities...! Thankfully - just before we took off - I'd been given a book by the Dalai Lama, all about love and understanding. Over time I just got sick of her - and calmed down..."
I'll write some new tracks with tedious vocals...
Whenever this fledgling musician goes back home to Yakutia, he feels that his childhood environment conjures a certain aesthetic. It is not especially jolly: "I've gone back home for a while. I'll write some new tracks with tedious vocals..." Elsewhere we can find a miniature text, documenting the usual patterns of his social life, either at home or in St. Petersburg: "I'm sitting at home. There are three of us. There's some wine (making it three), a table (making it two), and me - on my own."
Thankfully a degree of liberty from this dolor is found in small support groups.
If, according to that same social logic, we were looking for some optimism, zeal, and energy among these musicians, it would come from the Yakutsk post-punk quartet Long Journey. The foursome opens their sparsely populated social networking profile with a statement of intent: "We're going full steam ahead! There's recording to do, plus mastering, and the search for a label... We're also thinking up a name for our album, and making CD covers, also."
We're going full steam ahead! There's recording to do, plus mastering, and the search for a label...
Lyrically, the band tends to swing back and forth between opposing poles of aspiration and indifference, if not despair. We might, for example, point to the following lines (in prosaic translation): "I'll start my day from zero / Having forgotten the pain of the past. / I'll reveal to you / An endless world of hope." And then, from the same recording, we could also take these more troubled thoughts: "I am sick / And find it hard to breathe. / I've been smoking / And find it easy to die. / I have terrible dreams / In which I die - as do you..."
Confidence is a rare quality. As a result, not long ago, the band posted a brief question online: "Will we make it?" The most substantial answer began with a conviction that diligence and enthusiasm can overcome a great deal, including the negative influence of isolation: "You'll make it in music nowadays if you're willing to practice day and night. You have to rehearse endlessly; you need to live, breathe, and dream music...."
The insistence upon hard labor was constant. A substantial paragraph took shape, unwavering in its celebration of long-term commitment: "Take every little chance to make yourself popular or get more experience. [If you fail], then get ready to dump everything and start anew - with even more determination..." Failure is expected - and must be anticipated - in order then (at some distant time) to try once more. "The main thing is never to give up... even if everyone around is shouting that you're total sh*t. Keep that up for at least three years." The band's name, given these challenges, seems well chosen.
Get ready to dump everything and start anew - with even more determination...
Another of the artists on display, known in one guise as Foxberry, has not answered any of Booby Mason's mail for over a month. Instead he posts images to Flickr, which we see at the beginning and end of our text. Likewise, Igor' Kashmarov, instead of listing his hometown online, declares that he lives in the distant company of mythical monsters...
That wavering attitude towards local society brings us back to the interrogative title of this compilation: "Garage or Culture?" Its initial noun could refer either to garage rock or to the consumerist notions often condemned by these noisy young artists. That former possibility makes “culture” a negative idea (as the home of elitism); the latter makes culture positive in tone. In short, what results is a question that's followed by confusion. The more that perplexity increases, the more noise we should expect.
Local housing, photographed by Foxberry
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