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Maladzyechna, Belarus
Maladzyechna (or Molodechno) is an ancient town in northern Belarus, dating back to the fourteenth century. From the outset it was designed as a military settlement, for which high walls were often more important than domestic calm. As the result of its ability to withstand various forms of attack, Maladzyechna was long held in high regard by various dignitaries and passed - at first peacefully - between them. It was, in fact, thanks to ever-growing reinforcements and defense systems that the settlement was slowly designated by mapmakers as a bona fide town. Military security allowed trade to develop — and families to live longer.
In was in the early 18th century that the Swedish crown claimed Maladzyechna for itself. From this point on in local chronicles, diplomacy becomes wholesale destruction. As a result of Scandinavian forces being so far from home, the town's buildings would suffer terribly at the hands of Russian troops: Peter the Great would stand for no intrusions southward.
Thus began a lengthy period during which the town was tossed back and forth between Russian and Polish claimants, depending upon the fickle movement of borders during wartime. Maladzyechna's population could barely rise above 500 people, even by the middle of the 19th century.
Gran+ (Sergei Drobyshevskii, Maladzyechna)
Railway systems, as the 20th century approached, helped to bring back commerce and residents. Two world wars, however, would immediately reverse that growth in awful ways - including the establishment of a concentration camp close to the town. Maladzyechna has been witness to the most dramatic or devastating events in modern history. Some of the sounds now coming from these same streets are fittingly sparse.
Here we find the young musician known as Serg Dro (Sergei Drobyshevskii), who performs under the stage-name of Gran+. Having passed through a local musical education - and now employed at a regional theater - Dro just published a small, three-track EP through Bumpfoot: "Now_vember." The recording is dedicated to the appeal of a mental - and musically soundtracked - escape from surrounding reality: "The EP is a reflection of nocturnal November [in Maladzyechna]. It develops like a dream while you sleep. I'll write that dream for you..."
Music is real life... It's the very flow of life itself
Known to Belarusian audiences as a member of the idm project Eepl Cat, Drobyshevskii has actually been writing electronic material since 2005. In bringing those achievements up to date, he has told the Minsk Foundamental organization that these newest sounds should conjure the following atmosphere. "You're walking along on a cold night - going home to bed. Before you fall asleep, though, you'll look at all those street lights. Things start to seem clearer. The night is calm, the air smells fresh, and there's the music, too. You're gradually submerged in sound. Music, after all, is real life. For some people music [merely] occupies a certain position in their life. For me, though, it's the very flow of life itself..."
Pavel Ambiont (Pavel Niakhayeu), facing a live audience
Some of these ideas are extended by one of his compatriots. Pavel Ambiont (Pavel Niakhayeu) is a musician and sound designer with more than ten years DJ-ing experience under his belt. In more recent times, however, however, he has increasingly turned his hand to conceptual projects, involving not only more fluid soundscapes - a long way from the dancefloor! - but digital experimentation in the visual arts, too.
This had led to a general style once defined as "techno dub drive," epitomized by its "precise sound placement, subtle rhythmic structures and minimalist approach." In the more specific context of one recent publication, that theory operates in a realm where "ancient shamanism meets the mysticism of the hi-tech era." These ideas mirror his grad school research, conducted into the development of rhythm in shamanistic cultures, i.e., their construction of meaning through repetitive patterns. Once again, audible forms both challenge and supersede anything ostensible.
Precise sound placement and subtle rhythmic structures
Repeated acts lead to an erasure of physicality: sound trumps sight. That kind of reduction and minimalism is associated with a form of liberty. For this reason, perhaps, one of Niakhayeu's side-projects is known as Nieviadomy Artyst ("the unknown artist"). His dalliances with absence come to light once more in the brand-new Foundamental release, "Irrhythmia" The title is an apparent neologism, drawing upon an interface of music, cardiac (life-sustaining) rhythms, and the potential problems when either of them fails!
Should that happen, DIY skills are at hand. Working order will be (re)established.
Pavel Ambiont (Pavel Niakhayeu, Minsk)
These elegant, spartan instrumentals were painstakingly written over the last few years, centering on a dub-tech aesthetic that's certainly evident in the three works we've chosen. Themes of stuttering or faltering rhythms surface regularly in the track-listing: “Eurhythmia”, “Heartless”, “Fluttertek,” and - most overtly - “Error Asking Thread to Die." Taken together, these compositions are designed to operate as a "living, hypnotic flow," bringing us back to the metaphors of life-affirming fluidity that we saw with Drobyshevskii. It's interesting to note, therefore, that Ambiont often performs with his fiancee, Olga Salaheeva, who works under the stage-name of VJ Solar. Families that play together stay together.
A living, hypnotic flow
It is clear from Drobyshevskii's social networking profiles that he admires Niakhayeu's output - including this newest release. Niakhayeu, in turn, has appeared on stage with friend and colleague Alexei Usinovich, who can be found operating under a couple of monikers: Sfourds or the briefer version of S4DS. The connections between Usinovich and Niakhayeu are actually quiet considerable. Mr. Niakhayeu informs us that his friend has "inexhaustible musical energy! Every single evening he's either improvising or rehearsing something. He can play in almost any style of modern electronic music." In essence, though, his preference is for techno.
For a while these two men even shared an apartment, which they referred to jokingly as "Space Station 4449." The home of Minsk techno viewed itself - quite literally - as a distant, productive enclave, far from the troubles of local life.
Sfourds/S4DS (Alexei Usinovich, originally from Navahrudak, Belarus)
Usinovich himself is from the old town of Novogrudok (Navahrudak), which has been through the same experiences as Maladzyechna. Tensions with Poland, Sweden, Germany, and Russia have all led to awful destruction over the years. And now, drawing once more upon local architecture and industrial rhythms, Usinovich publishes a series of stark "Berlin" techno tracks that are, suitably, known only as "Section A," "Section B," etc. They're accompanied by images of some dreary, if not disconcertingly bleak power stations.
In the same spirit, he is now working on a new label, known tentatively as Zavod Records (Factory Records). The label's name is, perhaps, a playful reference to the ways in which Manchester's failing industry produced an insistent, melancholy sound three decades ago.
Whatever the case, these three Belarusian colleagues all operate within the industrial heritage of techno. They also invoke a large number of parallels between the strict rhythms of "industry" and a troubled state of well-being, be it physical or architectural. Mr. Usinovich, when not writing music, himself works in the construction business.
For all these men, the regimentation of hard idm and/or techno provides a positive alternative to ostensible reality. Music works better than actuality, in various senses. Given the hometowns, favorite metaphors, and professions of these artists, it's understandable why rhythmic insistence would be appealing. In a realm where history has done so much damage, the sound of functioning hearts and factories will bring much comfort. Regularity and persistence join to create a rare and precious experience.
The ruins of Navahrudak Castle
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