Plato Newsroom #10

Ana Zhdanova, Shuma, Mr Pёs and other fresh releases from Belarus.

17.11.2023

newsroom

Greetings, esteemed audience! This is the 10th episode of the Newsroom podcast — the news show about fresh releases from Belarus. The windfall of cool new releases on the local scene from newcomers and established names alike keeps pleasantly surprising us and helps carry the torch of contemporary independent Belarusian culture. And we're here to add fuel to that fire. Anyway, enough talk, let's get on with the music. In today's episode:

Ana Zhdanova tackles the issue to political prisoners in her new single;
Shuma and Ukrainian producer OK Selekta record a joint EP dedicated to Amazonian spiritual practices;
Anastasia Rydlevskaya unfolds a huge musical canvas about (not) returning to her homeland;
ethno-electronic band DAH is looking for freedom in a fresh track "Otherside";
Mr Pёs howling for the motherland amidst the Warsaw smog;
Radjin drops the bass a-la Japanese cyberpunk;
Žuravl with second single about looking for home;
shoegaze duo sny nad ovragom tackle death in the single "Nikogda".

<h2> Ana Zhdanova presents the single "Kosci"</h2>

First up in today's episode is Ana Zhdanova. Ana is no newcomer to the scene. She used to sing in Lilac, she has recently started the band VVaxplay together with Stas Murashko, but the majority of her creative output is under her own name.

On a steady release schedule, her tracks range from soft yet rugged electronics to guitar-driven lo-fi aesthetic, while always remaining a window to her inner world, thoughts and feelings. Let's check out the new single "Kosci" and where Ana takes us this time.

«I was flipping through instagram and the reels about the number of political prisoners in Belarus grabbed me. I kept going back to those reels feeling helpless that there is nothing I can do about this. That's the emotional groundwork, which laid foundation for this track. Perhaps, I was also trying to imagine the feeling of being imprisoned, how does one endure it all and make it through».

<h2>Ok Selekta and Shuma recorded a joint EP dedicated to Amazonian spiritual practices</h2>

Next up is a work of true world music. Belarusian vocalist Rusia of Shuma fame collaborates with a Kyiv-born producer OK Selekta combining organic downtempo sounds with amazon tribal singing. Music without borders, created to heal the soul no matter the language you speak. Very cool stuff! We pass the mic to OK Selekta:

«We decided to work together because we are friends. It was Rusia who opened my ears to the magical world of electronic music and helped me start DJ-ing. How this release came to life is a cool story, too. One day Rusia starts sending me audio messages with magical gentle Amazonian vocal motifs and suggests we should make them into songs. I felt in over my head, because I was just starting to study music production, but Rusia said: "Take it easy, you will succeed!” That's how it turned out.

Besides, we took part in amazonian tribal ritual together, where local shamans sing Ikaros chants to help you through your own spiritual quest. And this experience influenced the album greatly, in fact, it prompted the sound of the album to me».

In addition to our originals, there are also remixes from a number of musicians from Kyiv on the album. Such artists as Eternal Moment, Turu Anasi, VadimoooV, Itwo5.

<h2>Artist Anastasia Rydlevskaya unfolds an epic canvas about (not) returning to her homeland</h2>

We're flying over to Gdańsk. This is where artist Anastasia Rydlevskaya creates her vibrant existential works. She actively organizes and participates in exhibitions, creates original art objects, and has recently also started recording music. It turns out that Anastasia has been developing here musical talent in the hiding for a long time, and it finally found its way out to the surface. Her style is combining layered expressive vocals with minimal yet effective arrangements. Take, for example, her latest track "Mugwort (Palyn)", which in ten minutes takes you on a trip to the twilight of consciousness — the artist's or your own is not not really clear by the end of it.

«I wrote it for my exhibition, also called Mugwort. It was conceived as a river of sound which you enter as you arrive at the exhibition, and it envelops and takes you to the depths. Narratively, just like my other recent works, it is about me missing my parents and them missing me. It's another attempt at keeping this connection alive on a number of levels».

<h2>A fresh track from the ethno-electronic band DAH about the search for freedom</h2>

The next band we want to cover is DAH. DAH is a duo of musicians Naścia and Ženia Zykovič, the latter you may also know from JJ.OK and The Glitchhh. Their debut EP "Biažy" was released in 2021 and combined the folklore of modern streets with dark hip-hop and dark techno. They recently followed it up with the new signle called "Otherside". It is about the search for freedom, that will help you win your ultimate battle. Here's Naścia about the creation process:

«The track was conceived two years ago during one of our live jams. Later on in the studio we decided to add those lo-fi sounding keyboards on the chorus. We used to play it live just the two of us, when one day we were joined by Ihar Latushka, the bass player in The Glitchhh, and laid down a wonderful bassline. Then, back in Miensk, Andrej Baroŭka endowed the whole mix with an incredibly trendy sound».

<h2>Mr Pёs howls in longing for his homeland amidst the Warsaw smog</h2>

Here's a funny story: make a track in 20 minutes but then start messing with it ad nauseam. And end up releasing the initial version. Mr Pёs has just begun sharing his music, "Smog" is his second single. It's a reflection on the immigrant trauma he evidently shares with a huge number of his compatriots. Here's the author's own words about the track:

«I moved to Warsaw in 2022, before that I lived in Miensk. I've been heavily depressed the preceeding year. After moving I had this hypomanic state, when it seems like you can do anything, and indeed you can. So that's how I started making music.

The tagline for the new single was born of a wordplay joke. As I looked out of my Warsaw appartment window to see a morning smog, I turned to my friend and said: "Warsaw smog, so can I" (смог - a Russian homonym meaning both smog and 'have managed to accomplish something' - translator's note). I really liked the pun so I was kicking it around my head for a few weeks and making a song out of it. I was inspired by living in Warsaw, the immigrant reflections, ruminating on how things turned out with your friends».

<h2>Japan-flavored bass banger by Radjin</h2>

Next up is Belarusian beatmaker and producer Radjin with "Ninjutsu". Here he is in his own words:

«The track was conceived for a FU-JI compilation which never materialized, so I released it on my own. It combines the sounds of bass music, drill rhythm and elements of dubstep with a dash of jungle near the end. The elements combine to create a cyberpunk banger in a Japanese setting».

<h2>The second single by Žuravl about looking for home</h2>

It's great to see some of the artists we have covered before return with new releases. This is exactly the case. We have talked about the indie pop duo Žuravl with their debut track "Štorm". Today, vocalist Anastasia tells us how the song “My House” was created:

«"My House" is a song about searching for and missing home. Not just the place, but also a person and the emotions that give you a sense of home. I wanted to song to fit everyone, to convey the sacral and very personal meaning of home. These times we are in force us to move to different countries and we have to find a home, not just somewhere, but with someone too».

<h2>Shoegaze duo sny nad ovragom reflects on death in their new single "Nikogda"</h2>

A new Belarusian band sny nad ovragom concludes today's episode. They make the brand of shoegaze so serene that all your worries fade into the background. In spring 2023 they release "Techenie" EP, and here they come again with a new single "Nikogda" reflecting on loss of a loved one. To a very moving result. Word to the artists.

Sasha: «I've had a very rough patch this summer. I lost somebody I loved very much. That made me think a lot about death. Reflect on it, really. So this song is my sublimation of those feelings, of my grief. I was trying to say with it that at the end of the road, after all the suffering we're getting to a better place, with no pain and fear. The eternity will accept us just as we are».

That's it for today. This was the Newsroom podcast – the music news show by the Radio Plato team, where we gather info about the news of the Belarusian electronic music scene. The podcast is brought to you by our team: Reemotto, Stwone, Helga, Krik, Schmoltz , Nadya Ya, Stereobeaver and KorneJ. Cover art by chernova.ya.

If you're a Belarusian making music, share it with us on social networks and we'll share it with the world in our next episodes. Subscribe to the podcast on streaming platforms, support us on Patreon, or simply Paypal us a donation – this helps us do more cool stuff. Fight for your right to party and see you soon!