Ilyas Mikanaev

Several Russian synth-pop releases this week draw upon the traditions of the 1980s - duplicating the lo-fi sound of that same decade. As a result, Western glitz, low-grade tape, and late Soviet society all merge.

All three of these recordings come from noisy locations, caught between factories or inconsiderate neighbors. As a result, the opportunity to celebrate solitude, peace, and quiet in musical form can be rare indeed.

Much attention is paid on this site to the positioning of Russian music relative to other sounds:  both to the past and other, simultaneous trends overseas.  In other words, it's a process of comparing and contrasting.  But what about the sounds that are not chosen, the sonic background that'...