Maska Genetik - Quarantine 7"ep [Galakthorrö, 2006] 320 kbps

A1. Haut 3:27
A2. Quarantine 3:43
B1. Purple Surge 3:09
B2. Moments Of Truth 4:17

bonus 1. Ocean
bonus 2. White Tracks



Performer - Amon Radek
Limited edition of 498 handnumbered copies
Recorded and produced in Moscow 2004

'Amon Radek started off as a bass player in a band. The 90s drew to an end and he decided to strike out as a lone wolf and try out his talents in the Industrial-Music scene. Maska Genetik was born. First of all he worked mainly on pitched rhythms, Deutsch Nepal was a great influence on him here, until he heard November Növelet for the first time, and scrubbed his harddisc – Tabula Rasa – bought himself synthesizers and bravely took the first step in the direction that would later be released on Galakthorrö: Angst-Pop at its best.

On 'Quarantine' the listener will find four songs of the finest denial of life, arranged to form a 15 minute ride to hell, as Maska Genetik lets the famously notorious soviet synthesizers wail and embed deathly vocals in their pulsating death-wish exalting industrial rhythms. Everything is analog & therein lies the strength of Maska Genetik; the confident feel for a good combination of the ingredients that in the right place, and in the right dosage, melt together to form a satisfying union and become a true aural experience

Galakthorrö was one of the stops on the way for Amon Radek, the Muscovite melancholic in his search for good luck and happiness. Together we worked out a very good debut, which attracted lots of attention and became popular with every one who listened to it. This single ep created all the best conditions required to embark on a successful career as a dark electronics innovator. Unfortunately there was more than mere dark electronics to contend with, there was also a dark attitude to life, and all the difficult living conditions that that (sic) causes. That is what has prevented Amon Radek from continuing on this path. It always hits the innocents of this world, as everybody knows. Life can still be a tragedy.

Oh well, what can we say. The future looks pretty undecided, but as far as we know, he hasn't yet sold his equipment. We can but hope...' - label blurrrrrb

happy new year peeps. long time! all my friends agree, this is some of the most sinistral, authentically disturbed shit we've heard since old skool spk & throbbing gristle. if that's yr bag, don't miss it. word is this cat scored a bunch of vintage analog synths earlier this century, recorded these tracks & essentially had a nervous breakdown. quite a spooky legacy to leave & we're wishing him the best in 2011. included as a bonus are the two tracks from the aforementioned kosmoloko comp. try playing the sound samps together cuz it sounds dope. upgrades are go! 320 rips later

Alexander I. Zhikharev ~ Ascension [Volga, 2008]

01. Parting words
02. Call
03. 5 `52
04. Confession
05. Spring Droplets
06. The passage of time
07. 5 `38
08. Prayer
09. 5 `08
10. Morning
11. 3 `37
12. Ascension



'This work - the second professional recording of the bilah, a selection of bronze plates [hammered flat bell] which is based on an ancient modal system - the tetrachord. Each of the plates sound three tones of the same key simultaneously, at different octaves. This unique acoustic phenomenon is the emergence of the Trinity in the sound. This effect was a prerequisite for euphonic bells throughout the centuries & sought by all the masters who cast them. It was found that the required tetrachord appears only when the form of rectangular bell is beat to the proportions of the icons?' ~ translated from google-russian :)

in case you missed the first offering from Alex & his crew, follow the link for a brief introduction. this set apparently features actual compositions & is likely more listenable as a result. the pieces seem to breathe & drone a bit more anyway. 320 resonant frequencies

Inedit - Siberia - Music of the Tundra & Taiga. Buryats, Yakuts, Tungus, Nenets, Nganasan

Russia, Siberia - Music of the Tundra & Taiga. Buryats, Yakuts, Tungus, Nenets, Nganasan
(Russie, Sibérie - Musiques de la toundra & de la taïga. Bouriates, Yakoutes, Toungouses, Nenets, Nganasan)
Inedit W 260019, recorded 1987 and 1990, CD released 1990

Alexander I. Zhikharev ~ Singing Bronze [Volkov Studio, 2003]

Александр Иванович Жихарев ~ Поющая бронза

liberally adapted from gussian [google russian]:
Alexander Zhikharev was born in 1951 in the village Khoroshevo, which is now the Moscow region Khoroshevo-Mnevniki. after he got out of the army, he started working at the factory VILS [All-Union Institute of Light Alloys] & there poured his first bell. down the road, Alexander served as a bell ringer in the Kremlin & the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, researching manyyears to realize a way to replicate the bells dreamy resonances. In 1988, he found a form that is comparable in sound to the traditional bells and decided to call it 'Hammer Icon' or bila. They were flat, bronze & brass plaques, varying in size & weight, which emitted a surprisingly beautiful tone, quite unlike anything that sounds.

Alexander is an exceptional man & extremely talented. He created this instrument, the musique on the flat bells or bilah, & refers to them as a sacred tool. In the early centuries of Christianity in the Roman Empire, alarm clappers fashioned from a wooden or metal boards & struck with hammers, were utilized to convene the people to prayer. This tradition is entrenched in Eastern Orthodoxy. The beauty of this musique is extraordinary & the emotional impact overwhelmingly breathtaking. This is not a simple bell-ringing, which we also love, but the sounds are stretched for a very long duration, sad & poignantly penetrating the soul. The flat bells are now cast in Italy, and they sound in many European countries. They can be heard in the theater Nemirovich-Danchenko, the Mariinsky & more than 150 other churches. In Moscow alone the Zhiharevskie bell are in 30 churches. But Alexander loves the sound of his bells in the small rural churches, where the singing bronze tones carry far into the countryside.

In 1991, he patented his invention in Russia but did not have enough money for an international patent, so many use his invention for free, ignorant of who created this unique musical instrument. Zhikharev works on naked enthusiasm alone & has not received any formal recognition, though many consider his art to be a national treasure. He now plays with his ensemble every sunday at 3pm at the Kolomna national park in Moscow. check him out if you're over there.

these 12 tracks were recorded without rehearsal, second takes or overdubs of any kind. owl the melodies were spontaneously improvised musical forms & occurred directly during the recording of 12 October 2002 at the church of the Assumption museum/reserve in Kolomna. if you love this, don't miss his second album. 320 sonorous salutations to brother Janas fer learnin me