Plato Newsroom #24

Dlina Volny, Vostochnyj Pliazh, Zui and more fresh Belarusian releases.

09.12.2024

newsroom

Greetings! Here's the first winter episode of Newsroom this year. As always, today we're checking out our subjective short-list selection of the most interesting new Belarusian music. I'm your host Aliaksei Khamiak, a.k.a. Schmoltz.

In this episode:

new single by dark-wave trio Dlina Volny;
eclectic folk electornics of Westsiland;
new album by Vostochnyj Pliazh featuring Ty Kto ;
extra-terrestrial glitch-hop by Iskander Suvorov;
indie-rock melancholy from Lost Seeds Found Trees;
a debut full-length album by Miensk's favourite retro romantics Borisovskiy Trakt
heart-stirring synthpop by Zui.

We're kicking off today's show with the band Dlina Volny, with whom our team has had a long and fruitful friendship. We recommend checking out the documentary we produced about the band a year ago if you haven’t seen it yet. Of course, they don’t make it onto our digital waves through creative nepotism, but because they create great music. And we simply can’t stay silent about something like this. Dlina Volny masterfully crafts noir atmospheres with a refined, distinctive sound that feels both vintage and contemporary. This is rightfully recognized by fans of synth-pop, dark disco, and post-punk worldwide, thanks to their releases on the Italians Do It Better label. And we, in turn, add our own recommendations. The band is about to release a new album, and today we’ll hear the lead single from it, along with the vocalist Maša’s story about this song.

– Hi, Radio Plato! This is Maša from the band Dlina Volny. We are a brut-pop/dark-wave trio from Miensk. Recently, we released the first single from our new album In Between. That is also the name of the single. It's a story about enlightenment and awareness, the desire to share this new knowledge and experience with loved ones, and to take them with you to the other side. I hope you've already listened to it – if not, it's now available on all platforms. We're very happy to let you know that the new album will be out right at the start of the new year. In the meantime, we have another single from it coming up. Also, we're already planning a tour to coincide with the album release, so keep an eye on our social media and get ready for concerts in your cities. And we're really looking forward to new meetings with you, dear listeners. It seems that not as many Belarusians know us, so it's really nice to have the opportunity to tell people about ourselves and our music, and I hope to win the hearts of new cool people who listen to our beloved Radio Plato. Many thanks, and see you soon!

Next up is Westsiland – a project by Vadzim Taranovič from Horadnia. Dynamic yet atmospheric electronics with distinctly Belarusian roots, which would sound great both on a Varušniak stage and in a car stereo during travels across the homeland's highways past our wide fields and forests, and along cozy rural dirt roads through villages and farmsteads. Even at first glance, the author's creative search is evident, which, along with a certain incompleteness of some ideas, brings in other places completely captivating and unexpectedly successful turns. Our highest recommendation nonetheless – undoubtedly a work worthy of the attention of a curious listener. Here's what Vadzim had to say about this album:

– The Westsiland project started four years ago, and from the very beginning was conceived by me as a space for experiments. The project does not belong to a single musical style — in my discography there are orchestral works, IDM compositions and straightforward dance tracks. My new album is called Abapal, which literally means 'on both sides.' The active phase of work on the album took place from April to September of this year, but the idea appeared much earlier, two years ago. All this time, I have been trying to think through the sound of the record and refine its concept. Eventually, I decided to use the few demos I had finished as a starting point and shape the album as I was working on it. In my own opinion, 'Zima', 'Iskarka', 'Perun' and 'Sialiaba' are the standout tracks on this record. But, of course, I would be very grateful if you find time to listen to it in full.

Time for 'Marg released another album' segment of our show. Yes, the youngster often called Belarusian Ariel Pink because of his love for the cassette hiss and ability to compose songs almost daily. This release was made by Marg under his project name Vostochnyj Pliazh and in collaboration with his friend Alisa – the vocalist of the band Ty Kto. It is yet again filled to the brim with fun earworm melodies, lyrics glorifying everyday life stuff and a continued search for new colors of noise along with DIY methods of sound recording. But there are new elements to it too. Namely, an additional voice on most songs. I’ve always been drawn to ambiguous, ironic-but-sincere messages in Marg's lyrics, and when they ask 'как тебе бассейн' ('how do you like the pool' in Russian) in stereo, it sounds like a question from the wonderland, from a parallel, imaginary Miensk. That's where I was hit with an insight about what endears me so much about Marg's music. But maybe I’ll save it for another time, or for my personal diary. As Marg sang on his previous solo album 'все о чем я думаю Вас совсем не касается' ('all I think about is none of your business' in Russian).

– The mini-album is called Leto Na Velike ('Summer On A Bike' in Russian) because at the beginning of summer, I got a wonderful bike from our local company, Harvest. By the way, that's the same bike on the cover. I love it. I've been riding it all summer non-stop. It's a pity it's gotten too cold for it now. The recording process was quite unusual for Vostochnyj Pliazh because, first of all, I decided to move away from drum machines and synthesizers. At that time, I was really into Alex G, especially his most acoustic and guitar-driven tracks, without any 80's elements. So I decided to attempt this type of sound myself. I sat down behind the drumkit and recoded live drums myself, although I am no drummer, and certainly no sound engineer. And, secondly, this was my first experience of a full collaboration with another artist, namely Alisa from the band Ty Kto – a wonderful singer and musician, who also wanted to share a few words about this album.

– Hi, I am Alisa from Ty Kto. I really enjoyed working with Marg on this project. It was a very pleasant and inspiring experience. The whole recording process was very informal and felt like playing around. That's why, I think, we ended up making more tracks together than I initially thought we were planning to. Marg is a wonderful person, a great friend, and a talented songwriter. And I hope this isn't a one-time collaboration; I believe we will work together in the future.

– Thank you, Alisa! Definitely check out Ty Kto, watch their live show videos on YouTube, because it’s a really cool band with a fantastic singer, Alisa. As for Vostochnyj Piazh, the next step will be the release of a new album, probably in 2025. It will be a deeply hypnagogic album, maybe the most hypnagogic record to come out of Miensk, who knows. By the way, you can already hear one of the tracks from the future album on my recent YouTube live performance recently released by guys from UFM - shout out and thanks for putting this thing together! It's really beautifully shot, I've never seen myself in such high definition, except maybe in a mirror. They also made some amazing stickers for me. They’re not too expensive, but they’re really beautiful. I think that's it. Thanks everybody! See and hear you soon, follow me everywhere and I will follow you back. Bye everybody!

Our next guest is Iskander Suvorov from Miensk, who released a fascinating EP of experimental electronics on the Russian label Ghettopsychedelic. To be more precise, the experiments here fall within the realm of glitch-hop: interplanetary fonk mutants attack your eardrums, powerful soft sub bass penetrates your bowels, percussions scatter around your head, and everything is thrown into a granular grinder, which, in addition to the sounds, occasionally seems to warp or distort time itself. Unexpected twists lurk around every corner here, making the album – whose sound is primarily designed for massive sound systems – a really captivating headphones listen as well. Here's more details on this release from the author:

– Hi, my name is Iskander Suvorov, and that is also my musical project alias. I've been making music for quite a long time, but I only started uploading it to streaming platforms recently. About a year ago, I joined a stream of a music producer from St. Petersburg called Dubsane, on Twitch. Thanks to him, I linked up with Ghettopsychedelic and Somatik label. This a crew from St. Petersburg, they have a close-knit, large community, and they’re developing electronic underground music, which is what I really connect with. Dubsane is a music blogger who goes live on Mondays checking out demos from his subscribers, giving his feedback live on air. He streams on YouTube and Twitch. This provides a chance for young or talented yet unknown producers to showcase their music and possibly sign a deal with a label that might be interested in their work. I believe it's a great initiative, as it gives the opportunity to showcase one's music to the world. Somatik label is soon releasing a compilation scheduled for New Year's Eve, December 31st. It will be available online, so you’ll be able to listen to it. But, back to my own music. I want to present my second album, Not Our Planet. This album will treat you to digital distortions, acoustic effects, solid basslines, all arranged in hip hop time-signatures. Thick, powerful, viscous sound. Really wild, in the best sense of the word, glitch-hop. The arrangements of each track flow through various glitch fx and bass transients enhancers. You could say we're rapping in an alien language. Enjoy the listening experience.

Our next guest is the Miensk indie rock collective called Lost Seeds Found Trees, who recently presented an updated version of their 2019 album titled Full Of Holes. The band showcases a very intriguing guitar sound, where grunge overtones collide with occasionally gothic, dark atmospheres, starkly accentuated by the voice of vocalist Yulia Valodzina, which shifts from fragile-sounding to a full-on scream. The guitars steadfastly build up Seattle-style harmonies, occasionally transitioning into slightly more mathematically complex rhythms. I’m truly captivated by the unconventional hypnotic moments in the guitar music, when, as a listener, you feel like you're suspended motionlessly in the emotional-temporal space of the song, along with the melody. I encourage everyone to check it out, although the complex beauty of such record may not be for everyone, at least not from the very first listen. On the other hand, though, records like this stay in your playlist for a long time, once you get into them. Here’s what Yulia told us about the album on behalf of the band:

– Hi, this is the band Lost Seeds Found Trees. The first beginnings of our band date back to the end of 2015. We were united by our dislike for popular music. But a solid foundation for understanding what we actually wanted to play ourselves came after turning to the niche underground scene of the '90s. Musical dissonances, scream vocals, and unconventional song structures inspired us to play our own music from the heart. This year, the album Full of Holes turned 5 years old. To mark this occasion, we prepared remastered version and, for the first time, uploaded the album to all streaming platforms.

When creating the album, we were inspired by bands like Unwound, as well as debut albums from Interpol and Bowery Electric. I think this is why it's hard to categorize this album into a single genre. The songs on this album reflect the very early development of the band. For example, the opening track called 'No' is the very first song we ever wrote together. Each subsequent song aimed to bring something new, to become an adventure and even a challenge in the process of performing. This is how we strove to make the album a conceptual work. Over the years, we have been receiving positive feedback from our listeners. Some called us one of the most original bands. Some were surprised that such music was being made in Belarus. But being an original band doesn't mean being popular. In a way, we’ve come to terms with this path, which befell many of our favorite niche artists. Music like ours may be re-discovered some 10-20 years later, when we are a long way past the freshest sound in town.

Currently, the members of our band are located in different countries. So, unfortunately, we had to decline many a gig offer recently. Nonetheless, we’ve had new material in the works for quite a while now. In what form it will be presented remains a mystery, even to us. So let's follow the news together on that. Thanks for listening.

We continue with Miensk's favourite young retrogrades from the band Borisovskiy Trakt. The most attentive of our listeners will remember that the band was already a guest on our program about a year ago, and since then, we’ve been able to observe their creative evolution. The proof of this is their first full-length album, which we’ll focus on today, as well as the significant fan base the band has built up during this time, as evidenced by their recent sold-out solo concert in Modul club in Miensk. The retro-romantics of the new generation, along with the Vostochnyj Pliazh and Michael Dayilida, they glorify their native city of Miensk, often making it not just a backdrop but the main protagonist of their songs. In the case of Borisovskiy Trakt, it’s a city from old postcards, VHS home movies, or perhaps early sepia-heavy Instagram – as seen through the lens of nostalgia, perhaps for times they themselves never lived. Musically, at least to my ear, the band sounds more and more convincing. I’m sure that from their eleven-track album, almost everyone will find a new favorite song. At least, I had a hard time choosing just one for this episode. We had a chat with the guitarist and vocalist of the band, Mark Miklaš, and here’s what he told us:

– To summarize our sound to a person who never heard Borisovskiy Trakt, I would say it's all about musical eclecticism, the velvet shimmer of old hollow-body guitars, and, of course, elegance. Good-natured, nostalgic songs that spread a positive outlook and love to the world. Our album has been released October 25 and is dedicated to our hometown Miensk. Eleven songs about the city and love. I absolutely recommend it. We came to it in the most logical way: we really wanted to surpass all the previous music we had recorded before it. And the best way to do that was to record a full-length album, a musical work that would feel complete, represent who we are today and how we sound.

The album itself turned out to be rather diverse. Different moods and tempos. Including some very heavy moments, like the song 'Noch', for example – the heaviest track on the album. By the way, the album was recorded at our drummer's house. The album's mixing was done by our guys from the band – our drummer Dzanis and our bassist Vania. As for our expectations of the album, it turned out exactly how we envisioned it in the end. We are very pleased with that. We've done a great job. It took us almost a year. There is a lot we learned, realized about ourselves as a band, and eventually came to terms with, figuring ourselves out finally in the process. And now we see our future path clearly.

We continue with the project Zui, a name that might be new to many, but you’re probably familiar with the project members from some of the most viral Belarusian memes of the past few years. I’m not even sure I want to mention them, as this work is so different from Shchuchynshchyna and the ChinChinChannel. Oops, I let it slip. Oh, well. Anyway, back to Arka, our protagonists' second full-length album. Mostly synth-pop musically, lyrically it is very touching and personal, but not without irony, of course. Where would be without it nowadays. The songs on the album were written quite a while ago and the move towards synth-led arrangements feels no less of a creative step than the material itself, as the melancholy mood of synthwave brilliantly compliments the lyrics and the harmonies on this record. Let's dive into the album, but first, a few words about it from Zui themselves.

– Hi! This is Zui and we are Alena Zuj-Vajciechoŭskaja and Michaś Zuj. Not long ago, on November 1st, our Belarusian-language album Arka was released. We started working on it back in Belarus, and we first tried performing this program at the Sprava festival back in 2019. Finally, this album has now been released. Unlike the first album Vopros that was sung in Russian and recorded with live musicians, this album was made the two of us. The music has become maybe a bit darker, but perhaps also a bit more danceable at the same time. We were surprised ourselves, that these songs written in 2019 have since become even more meaningful and how accurately they describe our state of mind during this period. Many of them seem to sound even more relevant now than back then.

We have also collaborated with our long-time ally Vital Kuleŭski — a sound engineer, with whom we worked on our previous musical projects. It just so happened that he also recently moved to Poland, and with him, we crafted this, kind of, 80s-inspired, synth-pop, synth-wave sound — a bit nostalgic, but still very groovy.

We also want to say that soon you’ll be able to hear us live. We are planning a live show in Białystok, Poland on December 28 in Biełastocki Muzyčny Klub. There are also plans to perform in Warsaw during a yet-unannounced musical festival in mid-January 2025. Also, we are soon launching a TikTok account where we want to feature people dancing to our music. We do have Instagram also and we are on the lookout for an SMM specialist to help us with it, so if there is one listening right now, get in touch. Follow us to keep updated about our news and not-so-new stuff that we will be posting. Hope to see you soon at our live shows.

That's it for today. This was Newsroom, the radio show about Belarusians who make sounds by the Radio Plato team: Reemotto, Stwone, Helga, Krik, Schmoltz, Nadya Ya, Stereobeaver and KorneJ and graphic desiger 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. Don't forget to support your local artists by buying their music on Bandcamp and, of course, by coming to their live shows. See you next time! Radio Plato loves you!