First part of my live set Bémol Noir Club @Schokoladen including tracks by Avant Post, Die Letzten Ecken, Dsordne, Henry Hearse, Litfiba, Post Festum and more

Bémol Noir Club - 20.08.21 @Schokoladen

In the mists, on an overgrown path. Paraphrasing Leoš Janáček - the musical poet of Bohemia. I included one murky impressionistic fragment from his "V mlháh", but otherwise this Czech-centric issue is aimed at the country's late 20th century experimentalism. Roughly 1970-99. Basically, the last 20 years of weakening Soviet grip in liberalizing Czechoslovakia and subsequent decade of newly democratic Czech Republic post-Velvet Revolution. The story that's painfully familiar to me being a fellow Slav and looking (remotely) at similar events unfolding in tragic slow-motion in my native Ukraine.

But politics aside, this is about the music. I got interested in this repertoire about 10 years ago. Following a deep dive into the avant folk of Irena and Vojtěch Havlovi and then contemporary Finders Keepers' excavation of the '70s film scores by Luboš Fišer and Zdeněk Liška. Following the thread with Havlovi I then discovered guitarist Oldřich Janota. Who's a sort of binding agent of Prague's experimental circuit circa late 1980s and on. Including bands Jiná Rychlost Času and Richter Band, jazz vocalists Iva Bittová and Mirka Křivánková, experimental-leaning instrumentalists Jaroslav Kořán and Zdeněk Konopásek. And then there's jazz reedist Jiří Stivín who was another key facilitator. Navigating from prog to avant jazz and collaborating with Pierre Favre, John Surman and Barre Phillips among others. As well as producing aforementioned Křivánková and Hungarian folk siren Márta Sebestyén.

While the overall aesthetics are roughly in line with the trends of the era - including, but not limited to avant jazz, Medieval-tinged folk revivalism, free improv, minimalism, drone, neopsychedelia, ambient, even post-rock - all the above comes out sounding utterly unique. Familiar stylistic signatures rendered oddly out of focus. As if following surreal, dreamlike logic of Czech New Wave films or some haunted, woodsy fairytale. Echoing in the empty halls of Sleeping Beauty's kingdom where the awakening kiss never arrives. For those who are interested and perhaps willing to venture further the tracklist is here:
https://snowsovgethen.com

Hermetic Journals: In The Mists (On The Overgrown Paths Of Czech Musical Avantgarde 1970 - 1999)

Drawing inspiration from the 80's subculture, the moody allure of the Neue Deutsche Welle, the seminal post-punk sounds of Britain, decadentist literature and experimental electronics, among others, Contes Cruels crafts their sound, characterized by minimalist compositions, vintage gear and evocative, cold lyrics. 

Venturing into the realms of hauntology, exploring the pervasive sense in which contemporary culture is haunted by the "lost futures" of modernity—those futures that never materialized or were eclipsed by the tides of postmodernity—the duo embodies this spectral presence in their debut EP, Séance. 

Music, lyrics and production by Contes Cruels 
Mixing and mastering by Stefan Konstantinidis (Fabrika Music Studio) 
Artwork by C.Cruels

Aparición

A female-fronted synthwave / minimal electronics selection including tracks by Gudrun Gut, Werther Effekt, Geneva Jacuzzi, M¥SS KETA and more

Blue Velvet Walls (A Female-fronted Synthwave mix)

Including tracks by Strucktura, Alek Drive, Words and Actions, Bakterielle Infektion and more

Dance With Machines

First part of my live set at queer goth party The Dark Bites Back, featuring tracks by Branes, Frío y Vacío, Isotropia, Special Interest, My Own Burial and more

The Dark Bites Back 28.09.19 @ KomaF

Haunting soundscapes echoing with the spectral allure of lost futures, darkened alleys and coldly poetic lyrics.

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Contes Cruels

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