To help set the scene of his most widescreen work yet, Ivan Zoloto shares a particularly intense passage from Canadian writer Miriam Toews:
I drive around the perimeter of the city like a dog marking its territory, over bridges and under bridges, the way I used to stalk the edges of my small hometown. This is mine. Nothing bad will happen here if I patrol the streets like a crazed vigilante. I drive my mother’s car like it’s a Panzer and the streets are my enemy, and I’m feeling bad and stupid and mean.
In other words, Zoloto’s Pleasure Prison tape (due out February 26th through the Karelian producer’s own School of the Arts imprint) is very much a vibe — one that leaves a distinct impression and traces of drone tones, experimental folk, and fractured electronics in its wake.
To build upon last weekend’s FACT premiere of Zoloto’s central piece, we asked the Barcelona-based musician to break down some of his favorite songs for drinking alone. He went above and beyond, sharing not just a few choice melancholic cuts, but entire albums of exceptional music — some familiar, some not so much….
Zumvo, Разводы (CANT, 2020)
In real life, Sasha Zumvo has the best nickname I’ve ever seen; everybody just calls him “The Artist”. I envy that.
This tape is a fun way to kick off a lonely evening: positive and cool sampledelia that may be based on hip-hop methods, yet isn’t hip-hop at all. Experimental music is often way too serious, so I applaud people like Zumvo.
From the CANT label that released my first two tapes. Listen in your headphones to properly appreciate the stereo field on this one.
Fate Vs Free Willy, “Loserface” (If Society, 2015)
More fun! No-fi punk / garage rock from this Russian-Karelian-Finnish trio.
Sasha Kretova, the drummer and vocalist is also the talented violinist who played on my 35-minute composition “Pleasure Prison.” She and the guitarist Dmitri Zherbin booked my first ever show outside Russia back in 2009, and we’ve been collaborating in various ways ever since.
Jay Glass Dubs vs Guerilla Toss, Jay Glass Dubs vs Guerilla Toss (Bokeh Versions, 2017)
My cassette collection is not as big as my vinyl or digital vaults, but this is by far the most played tape I have. Greek dub master Jay Glass Dubs remixes American post-punks Guerilla Toss. Super addictive, and pairs well with bubbly drinks.
51717, Paranoia Star (L.I.E.S., 2008)
Two words come to mind when listening to this: “dysfunctional” and “seductive”.
I fell in love with LSS’ work back when she was a part of the more techno-oriented project Shadowlust. I was super impressed by their live sets — a total mood.
I asked her to contribute a whisper to my new tape, and it immediately made the track feel, well, seductive and dysfunctional.
Ekaterina Bazhenova-Yamasaki, SMDSii (Kotä, 2019)
Another deep one. I only knew Katya as a super talented photographer and videomaker, and was quite intrigued by her pivot into music, and it’s such a cool debut. Ice-cold noise and post-industrial that at times reminds me of über-minimalist artists like CM von Hausswolff.
I’ve lost track of where Katya is. We met in Helsinki, then in London, and lived in California at the same time. I’m psyched to hear and see whatever she does next.
Katya Shirshkova, Pond (CANT, 2020)
Another Katya, another nugget from the CANT label, and one of the most intriguing debuts that came from Russia in 2020.
A dead-simple and deadly effective piece for female choir and wound-up frogs. Pre-pandemic, she was also a great live sound engineer who worked on quite a few of my sets in Moscow at various venues.
Leyden Jars, Gone (Outer Reaches, 2020)
To be honest, I don’t know much about this British duo. But what I do know is that they’re making absolutely brilliant doomy electronica with a strong dub influence, and it kind of remind me of Broadcast at times (one of my all-time favorite bands).
Petrozavodsk, Winter War (School of the Arts, 2020)
I don’t revisit my own music very often, but this tape by the “dub metal” band where I play “caveman drums” is an exception. It works well with drunken doom-scrolling.
I call this kind of stuff “stupid music” — in the positive sense. We recorded it only a year ago on a farm in Catalonia, but feels like it was ages ago.
Тальник, Сипс (Pupon, 2020)
If you like Dean Blunt, James Ferraro, and that kind of business, look no further. Тальник may very well be the most underrated Russian band. I don’t think anyone in the West ever paid attention to them except the Blowing Up The Workshop mix series.
Super-cheesy and unbelievably sad electronic pop music that ignores all production and industry standards. If they ever play live, it’s basically only at flea markets, which is amazing.
Dale Cornish, Thug Ambient (Vanity Publishing, 2020)
It’s cocktail time! A pretty rude and funny take on the “deconstructed club” canon. I’m sure Dale is not a teenager, but I always imagine a 16-year-old who’ve heard EVOL and some classic electroclash for the first time, and made a record the same evening.
He’s brilliant. Happy to have had him on remix duties for “Pleasure Prison.”
Lichen Gumbo, “Death Ahead” (Aguirre, 2017)
You know, there’s happy-drunk and sad-drunk. When I’m happy-drunk and alone, I just blast this song on a loop, and crank the volume LOUD. It’s a Finnish jewel — essentially pop-punk processed through electroacoustic and tape methods. There’s one sound that I imagine as a synthesizer being boiled in a pot; you’ll recognize it immediately.
fake_trailers – kutikula (self-released, 2020)
I hope you’re drunk enough by now. If you’re not, empty your glass before you hit play (and maybe pour another).
Leonid Kotelnikov, a.k.a. fake_trailers, is a total legend of the Russian underground scene, but this is probably his first “hit”. This video has got it all: costumes, suburbs, fighting, forests, cool parties, bonfires, and excellent dance moves.
If I’m not mistaken, the beat was produced by Emile Nestle from AIR Krew and кое-что из будки fame, another secret weapon of the Moscow scene.
Björk, “I’ve Seen It All” (One Little Indian, 2000)
Sad-drunk classic. No disrespect, but the Thom Yorke version makes little sense; you’ve gotta listen to the movie version where an actor (who is not a singer at all) sings the male verses. I’m weeping, and will probably rewatch Dancer in the Dark now.
Malvina Reynolds – “I Don’t Mind Failing” (Columbia, 1967)
Pissed-drunk and just hollering along to this blues. Such an anthem.
Grouper, Dragging A Dead Deer Up a Hill (Type, 2008)
No comments. Crying again, and falling asleep.
FURTHER LISTENING
