Ocean is the brand new album from That Black – one of the main projects of Vlad Kreimer, known to some as the producer behind the highly popular ULA. That Black is dedicated to the more experimental electronic sound, and this latest release is a good example of Kreimer’s explorations of serene yet powerful ambient landscapes. This work consists of...

Dub Chairman is a new project of Nikolai Anokhin, an experienced dub/reggae producer from Moscow. He’s been producing dub for many years as part of a better known dub project Second Hand Band. This material is quite similar to that of SHB, chilled and rhythmic but this time infused with more vocals (in both Russian and English), producing a generally more accessible sound. Slow trippy rhythms are surrounded by floating synths and spacey delayed guitars; it almost feels like...

Ula [pronounced as ‘Yulia’] is not just a popular Russian girls name; it is also ‘the first singing robot-girl’, created by Russian producer Vlad Kreymer, better known to some as That Black. The main concept of the musical experiment now known as Ula was to use vocals, created expclusively by means of synthesized speech technology. In other words, Ula is a virtual singer, and through these tracks she expresses herself and explains her electronic world.
The music on Just an Engine is quite melodic and emotional...

Named as ‘one of the most radical and innovative musicians’ of today, Mikhail Chekalin is quite famous in the circles of avant-garde music fans. Influenced by Russian classical music and synthesizer sound, Chekalin has released a number of critically acclaimed records during the several decades of his career, while open dissemination of his music was restricted during the Soviet times. This is the second part of Meditative Music for a Prepared Organ, recorded at a concert session in the late 1970’s and originally released on a triple album by the Soviet...

Named as ‘one of the most radical and innovative musicians’ of today, Mikhail Chekalin is quite famous in the circles of avant-garde music fans. Influenced by Russian classical music and synthesizer sound, Chekalin has released a number of critically acclaimed records during the several decades of his career, while open dissemination of his music was restricted during the Soviet times. This is the first part of Meditative Music for a Prepared Organ, recorded at a concert session in the late 1970’s and originally released on a triple album by the Soviet...

2 Avocados is an innovative ambient project of four experienced Russian artists and producers: Dima Novikov, Hans Hollman, Dima Pronin and Archy Marto (from the famous band Moscow Grooves Institute). The main idea behind the collaboration was to create live and improvised ambient sound, by playing various electronic and acoustic instruments, with no use of MIDI or computers. As a result, the material on the record is impossible to reproduce, which makes it...

This is the first official album from Pavel Tukki, who presents an interesting combination of deep atmospheric ambient and jazz tunes. The music is very light, airy, and even sleepy in some parts. Recorded using live instruments (piano, trumpet, double bass, etc) with the help of electronic equipment, this record possesses very unusual sound and atmosphere, capturing the listener from beginning till end. The lyrical mood is supplemented by...

Moscow Grooves Institute is one of the oldest and well-known electronic projects from Moscow. The duo was founded in 1994 by two experienced producers - Archy Marto (also see 2 Avocados) and Boris Nazarov, who is also the man behind Citadel Records. With many releases in Russia and abroad (France, USA), today the members of MGI work both together and independently, having remixed many Russian artists (including a few pop acts such as Tatu ;)). The music of MGI has always developed towards...

Long-awaited re-release of the classic ambient album from 2001. Full review coming soon...

This album was originally released in 2001 and sold out almost immediately. Luckily, Citadel have decided to re-release it, and a right decision that was - Real Time is an excellent example of ambient music, that will earn the approval of any genre’s fan. The original version of the record has been updated for the 2005 re-issue - the album has been newly mastered and two fresh tracks have been added as a bonus.
Behind the project is Arkady Marto...

Downtempo compilation from Citadel Records, presenting its home artists and several well respected guests (Tetris, Ozone Cocktail). MGI start the CD with Voyage, funky breaks infused by vocals in French. Aleka’s track is kind of sad and very emotional, and there are strong associations with Bjork, in terms of singing and general mood of the track. Successful combination of electronic percussion...

This is a reissue of the sold-out 2001 album, newly packaged in a cool pizza box and featuring an amusing bonus video for Voyage. If you are familiar with MGI, then you know what to expect – funky rhythms, jazzy melodies and a touch of ethnic ambience, in other words perfect lounge music. As usual, MGI showcase their high-quality production...