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FFM first examined the work of young Moa Pillar in January; at that time, we explained how this Moscow musician gives voice to a penchant for pre-modern, if not ancient themes. In fact, the compositions embedded in that earlier article drew upon an ancient Tryambakam mantra. Translated into English, the mantra's brief text asks that we be "liberated from death - for the sake of immortality."
Extending these concerns for a long-forgotten culture, Moa Pillar (aka Fedor Pereverzev) now declares his intention to develop "futuristic beats, mixed with heavyweight basslines and ethnic samples." Pereverzev's goal has been directly aided by Siberia's Gimme5 webzine and netlabel, together with California's Alpha Pup. In short, this week sees the publication of a new EP: "The Moon and Thunder Dance."
...futuristic beats with heavyweight basslines and ethnic samples
Gimme5 has celebrated the work of Moa Pillar in some Russian-language material, all in support of the new recordings. Translated, it reads:
"Right before our eyes, Fedor has moved far beyond his early days - when he was an absolutely unknown performer. Initially he was knocking out some uneven beats, mixed with ethnic samples, but he has now become a serious producer. The one track he provided for the recent Fly Russia compilation was enough to create the sort of [early] interest that most people only dream of..." Again we return to the distant, "native" past in order to shape a musical future - as does the cover art for "The Moon and Thunder Dance."
After those initial experiements, says Gimme5, "Fedor began using mystical, shamanistic melodies. They were added to huge broken beats and some unbridled electronica. A great number of people paid notice - and were impressed, too. Today Moa Pillar continues that same, masterful balance between a bass-driven, dancefloor dynamism and more pensive, futuristic beat-music."
Looking back upon Pereverzev's enduring marriage of things ancient and modern, the staff at Gimme5 summarize these new sounds as an interface of "powerful modern technology with the timeless forces of nature."
...powerful modern technology plus the timeless forces of nature
The constant bonds drawn between a grand past and promising future, however, do little to celebrate the present. And indeed the main aim of Moa Pillar's "ethnic" strain is to imply that our everyday existence looks rather sad and petty by comparison. His shamanistic or lupine imagery need not be specifically Siberian, either. These problems are more widespread.
Several months ago, Pereverzev published a mixtape through Guerilla (above), dedicated to the fate of America's Lakota Indians. He paid special attention in some accompanying notes to the high child mortality rates on Lakota reservations - and the ensuing health problems among adults, too. The representatives of nature's "timeless forces," he claimed, were being dismissed and fatally damaged by the machinations of Western culture.
Equally new recordings from I-Tone express a related concern - on an arguably grander scale. Moa Pillar jokes on occasion that urban communities today are unable to appreciate the connection between faraway Siberia, say, and music's equally "distant" promise: "In Siberia, bears walk in the street - and that's considered hip-hop!" I-Tone's connection to those isolated locations is even more dramatic.
In Siberia, bears walk in the street - and that's considered hip-hop!
As we mentioned in October, I-Tone's hometown of Petropavlosk-Kamchatskii is a vital sub-arctic center for shipping, fishing, and - not surprisingly - bear-hunting, which is popular with warmly-dressed visitors. The year-round average temperature is less than zero Celsius and the region is subject to three times more rain or snow than Siberia...
As a result, the word "distant" doesn't even begin to describe Petropavlosk-Kamchatskii. Our artist from that region now has a new recording published through Ritmo Sportivo, entitled "13."
In speaking of these works, the staff at Ritmo plot I-Tone's biography and creative trajectory similarly to Gimme5's story of Pereverzev: "When he [initially] unveiled his music, I-Tone was a revelation for all fans of abstract, instrumental hip-hop. His sound was fresh, light, and airy."
...cosmic symphonies, the spirit of Asia, and strange ambient sounds
Now, however, "the constant source of his inspiration - space - has led to a more serious project." As a result, we're offered "cosmic symphonies, the spirit of Asia, strange ambient sounds, and old-school a capella phrases." It's all designed to let listeners "fly far away in their dreams." The correlation here between space, sound, and a related worldview is interesting. The example of these two young men would suggest that the further one is from the brash spectacle of Moscow, the greater one's insight will be into modern-day lacunae.
And I-Tone's artwork above does not suggest the result of these musings will be rosy.
On several occasions, I-Tone samples the stories of NY rappers, who also offer sad impressions of life in another modern city. From Nas' "My Country" we hear of broken families: "Mother's a dope-fiend, embarrassin' me/ All in front of my friends/ In the street, smilin' with no teeth." The breakdown of domestic networks then becomes social collapse on a grander scale: "I'm checkin' my chest, holdin' my head./ Catchin' my breath, watchin' my back..."
Catchin' my breath, watchin' my back...
And from Inspectah Deck, the theme of wolves returns, albeit without the shamanistic majesty. Urban, modern society has itself become bestial: "We dance with the wolves, wrestle with the pitbulls./ For fistfuls of dollars and cents, we empty pistols./ Plotting out elaborate scams - to get our hands on some lots of land..."
A middle ground between the extremes of grim actuality and faint possibility might be found in the new work from Dafu (Gosha Martynov). The briefest of available texts helps to contextualize the labors of our reticent beatmaker; he makes no comments of his own.
We're informed that his small discography is spun from "romantic instrumental hip-hop, jazz, and soul. His music is made with soft, expressive beats and short, positive sketches. It's all unobtrusive, stylish, and makes no claims of any sort..." Once again, silence is deemed the best course of action.
It's all unobtrusive, stylish, and makes no claims of any sort...
The tracklisting continues this air of (what appears to be) easy-going escapism: "Lazy Types," "Walking around with You," "Relaxation Time," and - most strikingly - "Anti-Gravity Beanie"! What, however, overrides all of these understated uses of a saccharine R&B canon is the fact that Dafu himself calls the recording "Music without Sentiments." In other words, he may reference a very maudlin American tradition, but he avoids those same emotions on Russian soil. The romance of R&B doesn't work in Moscow, it seems.
The observations we've already heard from Moa Pillar and I-Tone would suggest why. It's better not to succumb to dreams or desire in modern Russia, since neither will come to fruition in places of "lupine" behavior. Put differently: enjoy the sentiment and doe-eyed reverie of others; just don't take them at face value. Romance, according to that same logic, is complete fantasy.
Too many people, and not enough space between them.
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