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In publishing our most recent compilation album, we worked together with multiple labels in order to find the best balance between artists already on FFM and promising, "undocumented" newcomers. In the case of the Ritmo Sportivo label, three of the newer names emerged from very different places and situations. One of those Ritmo neophytes, in fact - known as Thallus (above) - was born near Russia's Mongolian border, but now lives in Germany. A second performer and labelmate - Audiosynthes - resides on the modern outskirts of Ufa, but draws his inspiration exclusively from '80s primetime pop, i.e., from a decade before he was born.
The third project, B*tchpleaze, is made from a couple of Ritmo luminaries (Cream Child and Feyorz), yet pushes the label's trademark jazzy sound closer towards a thin, if not tenuous line that separates overt passion from pornography.
If we add, in closing, that Feyorz lives in Tula and Cream Child in St Petersburg, then it quickly becomes clear how much the roster and style of Ritmo are now scattered across history, geography, and various fashions. As a result, when presenting Thallus to the public, the label recently defined his aesthetic as a mosaic made from "millions of jazz vocal cuts, dirty drums, and relaxing melodies." It's a fitting designation.
Here we present new tracks from all mentioned - as an audible travelog, perhaps.
What brings those countless cuts and splinters together, of course, is the toolbox of a beatmaker. In the case of Thallus (whose surname is Glushko), that would be a Roland SP-404. A popular, affordable piece of equipment, capable of hyper-hip sounds, the 404 also includes a lo-fi sampling mode, should anybody wish to recreate the dusty sounds of the past. And, as we'll see, our musicians do indeed share that retrospective enthusiasm.
A recent interview with Thallus on a Russian-language site prompted him to describe his efforts with the Roland as those of a magician, hunched "over a cauldron - with clouds of smoke" billowing forth. A need to spin those audible spells relatively quickly remains at the forefront of his mind, since he admits that music - sadly - will never pay the bills. Consequently he also holds down a regular job.
Music made over a cauldron - with clouds of smoke
By extension of that same quotidian logic, effort and long-term commitment are - perhaps - almost as important as inspiration. At first glance, Thallus would seemingly concur: "Anybody with a good ear and the ability to sit still can handle a couple of programs. They can also turn out something fairly decent from their PC." That dry formula, however, leaves little room for the vague, yet vital workings of inspiration. And indeed, Thallus/Glushko admits that he takes a great deal from "other music, from experiences with friends, art as a whole... from movies... You know."
Once the conversation turns from technology or solid craftwork to the more subjective matter of inspiration, Thallus shies away from chitchat. The profoundly solitary nature of beatmaking traditionally involves little debate or discussion - and so any need to drag those ineffable, intimate forces into the cold light of day must be awkward.
Sure enough, if we consider some new releases from Thallus' colleagues, they struggle with the same opposition between ostensible effort and the deeply private nature of motivation - if not a muse.
Take, by way of example, the new recordings from B*tchpleaze (we've removed a key vowel; it can be replaced with ease...). As noted above, that wantonly controversial term is used to designate a joint project involving Feyorz and Cream Child. It's also employed very much tongue-in-cheek. This venture comes with one piece of "explanatory" context; we're told that B*tchpleaze is "an instrumental and vocal ensemble, connected to a regional theological college."
Unlikely.
And so the humor continues along similar lines, with erotic photography of various kinds and a slow, sensuous tempo to match. It's interesting to note, in the same light, that almost all of the imagery is handled with a lo-fi aesthetic. Pictures connected to future desires - even ironically - are reproduced with an antique touch. A simultaneous love for the past and future, therefore, conflating both music and muses, not only brands these young men as major romantics; it also implies a lack of faith in the here-and-now.
The "pornographic" elements likewise suggest themselves less as lasciviousness than as part of some dramatic, insistent yearning. In various directions.
...an atmosphere of endless happiness
It's a pining that leads our final Ritmo Sportivo representative - known as Audiosynthes - back to the sun-drenched vistas of late-70s disco-funk and early 1980s US television. In the warm, fuzzy tones of aging VHS tapes he finds the "atmosphere of endless happiness." These, one might recall, were the same TV stories that rushed into Russian homes at the end of the Soviet period - when Santa Barbara looked like another (better) planet.
Viewers, raised on stodgy Soviet fare, couldn't believe their luck.
Once again, this constant use of throwaway soundtracks and inexpensive visuals speaks to major reverie. And so we find ourselves moving towards the white, nostalgic noise of chillwave. Ritmo Sportivo make the connection directly: the music of Audiosynthes contains "chillwave elements, space [sounds], glitch, and house rhythms... It's like going to a beach party on some distant planet, where the light shines beyond all possible reason - thanks to smiles, not the sun!"
Chillwave elements, space sounds, glitch, and house rhythms
Even that closing terminology comes from the same TV aesthetic. It's cheap and (eternally) cheerful; it's undeserving of respect, yet lo-fi romance keeps it valid. It's a cynical register saved only by widespread public desire. Palm trees, sunshine, and seaside rollerskates never fall out of fashion. No matter how they're used or abused.
And so with Audiosynthes, just as with Thallus, even the cheapest equipment and cheesiest references can summon the finest imagery.
These musicians may attribute their recordings to (mere) diligence and a DIY, even geeky bedroom aesthetic, but the levels of romance in Russia's "regional theological colleges" do not subside. Of Audiosynthes, in closing, we're told: "This guy doesn't use any [decent] hardware. His entire studio is a vintage PC - and he [clearly] operates without any expensive photoshoots on the California coastline. He simply makes the sounds of an eternal summer - without the need for air tickets... or superfluous chemicals."
Both of which are sufficiently problematic.
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