There Is No State Control:
Russian Artistic Innovation Has A New Ruler.
The visionary music of Kedr Livanskiy has been throbbing out from a nation that cannot impose rules on the freedom of sound. Yana Kedrina under the name 'Kedr Livanskiy' has three EP's under her belt at US based label, MR. The lack of a Russian music industry has only brought its creatives closer together; particularly under the community of Johns Kingdom. Rather than being totally label focused, Johns Kingdom runs on a lifeline of support from all those involved, whatever their art, gaining global exposure through the Internet . However it was 'Razrushitelniy Krug' /'Destructive Cycle' that brought Kedrina to the Worlds' attention, an incredibly fitting name for an EP that breaks familiar formulas of electronic music. |
| Kedr Livanskiy at NTS Radio |
Stabbing in the dark about the meaning of Kedrina's music isn't a bad thing. From an outsiders view, her production offers a sense of freedom that follows no particular structure. Nothing similar has been taking place in the UK, for someone who doesn't speak Russian, her music is especially transcendental.One will focus on how the lyrics are sung; listening to tone and pace and variation of vowel sounds. Soft but ever so clear, sentences roll into each other, creating a trance-like state. This is a style that on Kedrina's recent release of 'Adriana' that is mastered. Her voice feels endless, without much tweaking other than echo and over lapping vocals. Overall, electronic music from Russia contains an entirely different emotion to what a western ear would typically warm to.
Kedrina revealed to Augt Mag last August that the writing for her new work was written as a way of escaping entrapment.
"I wrote“Ариадна” when I needed to feel that there is a way out of this caged system and this song gives me hope for salvation. Ariadne is not necessarily someone or something. You can be her yourself."
But there is a refreshing quality of not being bound to music by lyrics. The music will never be labelled, it's not Techno, or Lo-Fi. Each song is wildly different; Kedrina has clearly been playing with some House production, but in earlier releases a breakbeat will be unleashed, ravaging through the rest of the song as though she is wrestling with the equipment. But she comes out very much on top. Think Kelly Lee Owens, with an adrenaline shot. Analog production and instruments aren't just used, they feel personified; speaking alongside Kedrina's vocals at times aggressive and at others in agreement.
Among a traditional 4/4 she'll place a cosmic lyric verse, bringing the listener up and settling them down again in an ambient lullaby. Take 'ACDC' ; throwing in an English vocal sample here, an ethereal background there. Experimental, yes. But consistent? incredibly.
On each step of 'Adriana's journey; 'Za Oknom Vesna' has exquisite delayed synth/ keys that pulsate in and out the track, as though mixing two completely different songs together. The effect is purely climatic. Just when you think you're been hypnotised to sleep, in comes a dusty hi-hat sequence or the return of an alien synth.
From 2016's EP 'January Sun' the breakbeat heavy 'Otchvechai Za Slova' gave us a glimpse of a more erratic side to her production. The track breaks another boundary and links well into latest release 'Adriana'. Kedrina's risk taking inspires underground music to become un-ignorable.
There's an urge to unpick every element of Kedrina's work, which is usually a sign of something groundbreaking.
'Adriana' takes your mind and soul to places that electronic music can't always achieve. Ambition and risk seem to play a large role; wanting to escape from formality, structure, and what sounds 'right' is why her work feels like an exciting new birth for experimentalism. Kedrina has humanised her instruments and production to speak fluently to the human ear, it feels like the sounds act together in unison rather than as (usually) separate components.
Moscow and its generation of young creatives are heavily integrated in Kedrina's work. This is not just good songwriting, it is a representation, a cultural revolution that we all need to listen to. Music videos are of high quality production, revealing the intimacy between friendships and curiosity. Self-directed alongside Konstantin Bushmanov for 'Your Name' , the video creates a raw and uncompromising vision of Moscow. It's relevant, engaging and perceives the Russian landscape as a playground for those who don't abide. A radical and open-minded approach is now diffusing into the Russian creative scene. Her artistic work continues on a multi-dimensional path through both sound and image. Last week Kedrina took part in 'Post-Soviet Visions' private view, playing the after-party at the Ace Hotel Shoreditch, London; visual representations of a post-soviet world in lifestyle and landscape are explored in photography. Whilst in London, she also took residency on NTS Radio, an hours show complete with ethnographic recordings and high-dose abstract noise throwing you between future sonics and traditional tribal.
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2018/feb/21/post-soviet-visions-exhibition-in-pictures
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| Jędrzej Franek /Post-Soviet Visions Exhibition |
Bringing the sound of Kedr Livanskiy abroad hasn't always been easy; her UK Visa was denied whilst a male friend was allowed entry, according to her it is a misconception from the west of Russian women coming to the abroad to find a a marriage partner. However it seems perspectives East and West are on the move. Her next visit to the UK will be at Pickle Factory London on May 3rd for a 'Parallel Lines Presents Kedr Livanskiy' show.
"We are the first generation who can analyse the past that our country went through without demonising or praising it"
(Yana Kadrina speaking to ID 'Inside Gosha Rubchinskiy’s Post-Soviet Generation' Documentary)
Russia's young, artistic direction has been described by many as 'Coming Of Age'. All evidence considered, Russia's creatives have progressed beyond that. They are in bloom and fully radiant.
Listen to Kedr Livansky on SPOTIFY and on NTS RADIO .
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