At Cost Magazine - Diaries from The New East - #3 Successor State
Photo: Raikhana Mukhlis
With one foot in the past and the other in the present, the buzzword “post-Soviet” has been used to encapsulate youth culture within the former communist bloc east of Berlin and west of Beijing. But what does it mean for those artists and musicians, many who were born after the collapse of the Soviet Union and communism in Europe; if anything at all? Often, there is often the question why is there are still artificial barriers between this proverbial “east “and “west”? Through “The Diaries of the New East”, we aim to break down these barriers as we explore the artists that define its landscape; in that constant struggle between the acceptance of past and acknowledgment of the future. So if you’re in the know, you might see a few familiar faces, but if not, forget what you already know and welcome to The New East:
Farleon - Satellite (feat. Raikhana Mukhlis) (Kazakhstan)
Farleon is the artistic handle of Sultan Karimov, an Almaty-based producer making bright, euphoric dance pop. His latest track features compatriot and now New York-based Raikhana Mukhlis, who brings her vocals to the shimmering melodies of “Satellite” and feathered synths of Farleon’s production. Farleon also recently featured Los Angeles’ LeyeT on “Ultraviolet”.
KOY - “Run” (Russia)
Berlin-based Russian artist Victoria Trunova makes new wave, synthpop sounds which she coins as "Electronic Mermaid Witchcraft". It’s not exactly an exaggeration, with the shiver of Trunova’s vocals juggling between the light and dark on track “Run”. Driven down by the dark and mysterious of its bassy undercurrents yet lifted by the beam of glittery synths, KOY’s sound represents a wonderful juxtaposition, sort of you know like, “Mermaid Witchcraft” or whatever you call it. You can also check the sci-beam of lofty and layer ballad “HEAT”:
Lauta - Free Falling (+ SPK remix) (Ukraine)
Perhaps there is no genre more defining of post-Soviet pop music than those that echo deep house sounds. Beating over with gassing hi-hats and the wobbly funk of its beats, Paris via Ukraine’s Lauta provides a textbook example of that oh-so-coveted sound with single “Freefalling” through its SPK remix. The original takes a bit more of an upbeat charge, with two-step beats of its drum and beat cutting between the deep resonant vocals of Lauta.
Noisy Dealer & Arikakito - Mademoiselle (Kazakhstan)
Hailing from Shymkent and the capital Almaty respectively, “Mademoiselle” is a collaboration between producers Noisy Dealer and Arikakito. Clanging over a quintessential house beat, heavy piano chords and soul slick detail their latest track:
Synecdoche Montauk (Синекдоха Монток) - “Juvenile Martyr” << Юный Мученик>> (Russia)
Synecdoche Montauk, a Moscow trio founded by Savva Rozanov, who probably most notably participated recently in the production of Kedr Livanskiy’s “Ariadna”. For their recent track “Juvenile Martyr (Юный Мученик)", the sound is slow and sleepy, with the dreamy float of their latest track encapsulated in its Russian-language coax.
