Sacro Mare (to Odesa)

The new album by Forlate, “Failing Better,” is a dynamic and genre-defying work that combines ambient with influences of industrial, minimalism, rock, and experimental electronic music.

“Failing Better” is a deeply personal and emotionally charged album written amid a tumultuous period in the artist’s life. From the shock of war and forced immigration to the pain of loss and isolation, “Failing Better” fearlessly tackles heavy themes with honesty and vulnerability.

Despite the intensity of the subject matter, “Failing Better” finds moments of hope and resilience throughout its tracks. With its unique blend of genres, “Failing Better” follows an artist’s journey of self-discovery and healing as they continue to push the boundaries of their craft.

Special thanks to:

Vera Belevantseva - Photo
Olga R. - Cover Art and Design
Anton Anikin - Typeface
Oleg Sotnikov - Mixing and Mastering
Magic Studio - Additional Mastering
Subsist and Faith Disciplines for their support!

Out Of The Strong Came Forth Sweetness

Subway Song

So Says The Sea

Rubber

Against The Black

The Disappearing Act

Failing Better

This mix channels the experience of starting anew in a strange city, capturing the alienating feeling of not yet belonging amidst a sea of unfamiliar faces and unintelligible conversations. The track selection mirrors this sense of otherness, featuring almost a collage-like web of vocals in various languages, syncopated percussion, and ghostly droning textures that are at once distant and strangely comforting. Create during a period of adjusting to a foreign place, the mix is a reflection of being a stranger in a city that's slowly becoming home.

Celestial - Lonely Weekend
Éliane Radigue - Son miroir
Opheliaxz - Citrine
Jabu - Blood Pink
Mu Tate - all night drip (ft. Nikolay Kozlov)
KWC 92 - Tai Tam Tuk
Xvostik - Так больше нельзя
Nocow - Nekuda
Alliyah Enyo - Choral Fragmentation latenights
Sofa - Tryhard
Looked - Hypo
OL - Hive Mind
O Yuki Conjugate - Sunchemical Bismuth
Akritchalerm Kalayanamitr - Dawn of Boonmee (Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives)
Nimu - Headache Pill
Crimeboys - days go by
Skee Mask - Space Drill Dub
Malibu - So Far Out of Love
Ecco2k - Bliss Fields
Пайта - Ты здесь закончишься и вновь повторишься

Guest Mix for Radio Relativa (10/01/2024)

In the debut episode of "Building Bridges," we explore the electronic music scenes of Eastern and Central Europe and the post-Soviet states. The show features a diverse lineup of producers from cities like Kyiv, Moscow, Tbilisi, and Prague, among others, highlighting the wide range of sounds emerging from these regions. As listeners, we navigate soundscapes shaped by a complex historical context, personal experiences, and the profound impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Gacha Bakradze - Boredom
Hoavi - Memoryscape
Emer - Marine
Ursula Sereghy - Kolibřík
Etnobotanika - Najstarsze Drzewo Świata
Bartosz Kruczynski & Poly Chain - Xenolalia
Hanna Svirska - Vesnianka
Stefana Fratila - Earth
Igor Yalivec - Mirages
mir vnoutri - tuesday song
Heinali - Kyiv Eternal
Daniel Szlajnda feat. Resina - Rebirth
Nikolaienko - Ambianta I
rouge-ah - Для Даши (MENT Session)

Radio Relativa: Building Bridges, March 2024

Released as part of AMR (c) Rci compilation.

continents subside

This special "Building Bridges" episode turns the spotlight on shoegaze, a genre that conjures up hazy summer days and nights. We’ll trace the genre’s footprints in Eastern and Central Europe and show how its distinct sound has evolved over the past 30 years.

Pinkshinyultrablast – Wish We Were
Plastica – Devochka
Blankenberge – When
The Ecstasy Of Saint Theresa – Squarewave
Haiku Garden – Dawn Chorus
Bizarre - Any Day 
Pree Tone & dj. flugvél og geimskip – Hamskipti
Pia Fraus - How Fast Can You Love (Rerecorded)
Bez - Nigdy na zawsze
Whyyes - Tam Daleko
Faience Knife - It Feels Like I Start Over Again
Kwiaty - Koniec Wakacji
eli's ladder - Burning Circle
Kairon; IRSE! - Tzar Morei

Radio Relativa: Building Bridges – Shoegaze Special, June 2024

This episode marks the end point of the season, offering yet another selection of ambient and experimental music from Eastern and Central Europe. Over the past few episodes, we've discovered an eclectic lineup of scenes and artists, each episode expanding our musical map. It's been a season rich with new finds that have hopefully resonated with you as much as they have with me.

Thank you to everyone who has listened and to Radio Relativa for giving me the platform and the support. The show will take a break, looking to return next year with new music and ideas. See you soon!

Tomáš Niesner - Chladná Voda
Nenúhîr - Imaginal Discs
Beqa Ungiadze - Პიროსის Გამარჯვება [Pyrrhic Victory]
dx2ov - Interzona
Raphael Rogiński - Šilinis Viržis (feat. Indrė Jurgelevičiūtė)
Tuulikki Bartosik - Crossing over Forest, Laho Lake, South Estonia
Svitlana Nianio & Tom James Scott - Embers
Olli Aarni - Kimaltava lätäkkö
meta.brother - Ночи
Luurel Varas - Nocturn
Pavel Milyakov & Yana Pavlova - Strong-willed
Dynasonic - DUBN
HVL - Window Sill
FMSAO - Controlled Affair feat. AL-90
Moyosh - Leaf sweeper
Forlate - unreleased

Radio Relativa: Building Bridges, July 2024

“Building Bridges” starts its second season with ambient and experimental music sounds from Eastern and Central Europe. Each artist here approaches electronic sound differently, creating music that feels both rooted in place and reaching outward.

Tracklist:

Manja Ristić & Tomáš Šenkyřík - Vstal
Orian Arrachart - there was an organ in the room
Wojciech Rusin - Carpathian Stone Spinners
Rezo Glonti - Many Days
Perila - air two air
A.Fruit - Irida
Misha Sultan - Heart
Wacław Zimpel & Michiyo Yagi - The Blue Clad One
Sophia Zhuravkova - Tranquility garden
Martyyna - Sunshine Girls (feat. Oliver Torr)
Mala Herba - Wiły feat. Aleksandra Słyż
Cucina Povera - Demetra
Lénok - 01010000 01110010 01100101 00100000 01110100 01100101 01100010 01100001
Svitlana Nianio - Episode III 
Maria Teriaeva - Out of Bounce
Yana Pavlova - Song to Siren

Radio Relativa: Building Bridges, March 2025

Nothing Is Anchored

"Building Bridges" returns with ambient and experimental music from Eastern and Central Europe. This episode unfolds slowly, gradually shifting into murky territories where distortion and unconventional rhythm patterns emerge.

Tracklist: 

Jakub Kasperkiewicz - Mt. Erebus
Figūras - Buer & Andromalius
X.Y.R. - Lost Horizon
jiijii - sähkö ei päätä mihin se johtaa
Shum - 2
Piper Spray & Lena Tsibizova - Lame Line
Wemory - Sound of the Sun
Andriy K. - Lybid
sorbitol drops - Skruž (feat. Ursula Sereghy)
julek ploski - 1H Of Shame -Loop
Paszka - cauliflower (feat. Kacha Kowalczyk)
vyaliyy - projections
Olga Anna Markowska - Train Ride Home

Radio Relativa: Building Bridges, April 2025

Umwelt

The Sight Of It

Light Refracted, Lake Sevan

“Building Bridges” returns with music from Eastern and Central Europe that drifts between minimal dub, gentle electronics, and unexpected textures. Each piece here has its own character – sometimes quiet and reflective, sometimes rough around the edges. There’s a sense of curiosity throughout, as small details and changes gradually reveal themselves. Sit back and let these sounds unfold at their own pace. 

Tracklist:

JANKA - Mute Dub
Vlad Dobrovolski - Opus 2, Laguna Fosforescente
Gosheven - Sublime Fragility
Adam Badí Donoval - Birdsong in the Car Park
Toki Fuko - Part Two
Pejzaż - Wizje
Tikhie Kamni - Khibiny
Aleksandra Słyż - MG III
Katarina Gryvul - VDYKH VYDYKH
Oleksii Podat - never really here
Michaela Turcerová - jude, you’re like new zealand
Hoavi - Ne Opomnitsja
Valentina Goncharova - I Am Here and Now
Michal Wolski - Stargaze
Kaja - Säält Ju Mu Kullake

Radio Relativa: Building Bridges, May 2025

This special "Building Bridges" episode explores New Weird Finland, or forest folk, as some people call it – a scene that emerged in Finland in the late ’90s and 2000s, centered mostly around the small DIY label Fonal, which has been active for 30 years. The music drifts effortlessly through experimental, psychedelic, folk, free jazz, and improvisational territory. Genre-defying and idiosyncratic, it balances organized chaos with lullaby-like melodies, creating an almost pastoral atmosphere that feels just right for a hot summer day.

Tracklist:

[field recordings made by Ville Kuukka in Päijät-Häme, Finland]
Hertta Lussu Ässä - Yön tullen sähköinen spanieli sekoaa 
Paavoharju - Valo Tihkuu Kaiken Läpi
Ous Mal - Vaskiset Kielet
Eleanoora Rosenholm - Suljetun Osaston Astronautti
Hiukkasen Tahtiin - Hiukkasen tahtiin
[excerpt from “Unien Savonlinna”]
Lau Nau - Plakkikanteletar
Es - Pehmeä iho
Kuupuu - Juli Uni
Kemialliset Ystävät - Heijastuksia! Kaikuja!
Islaja - Pysahtyneet planeetat
Keijo - all the way now at once
Islaja - Suru ei
Kiila - Viisi hirvasta
Paavoharju - Aamuauringon Tuntuinen
[excerpt from “Unien Savonlinna”]
 


Radio Relativa: Building Bridges – New Weird Finland Special, June 2025

In the final episode of the season, we're pushing further into the ambience with what might be the calmest episode of the whole series so far. Melted beneath the hot summer sun, the music here retreats to a slower pace, occasionally revealing glimpses of rhythm and structure.

Pavel Milyakov & Lucas Dupuy - path
Feloneezy - Unlimited Peace 05
MPU101 - racheINV60
Iury Lech - Barreras
Zaumne - Nymphes
Bartosz Kruczynski - Whisper V
Poly Chain - Enhanced Comfort
Ursula Sereghy - Time Pills
Serwed - Pamir
Nikolaienko - Sorry for (tape) delay
Hinode Tapes & Hiroki Chiba - Hinode Tapes #12
Miłosz Kędra - thinning rattle
Merope and Indre Jurgeleviciute and Bert Cools - O Underhill
Heinali & Andriana-Yaroslava Saienko - Zelenaia Dubrovonka

Radio Relativa: Building Bridges, July 2025

"A river slowly returning to its sources. Until it drinks from them, it can’t rest, it can’t entrust itself to the sea’s dark depths.

I wrote a poem about that river, wondering how it suddenly turned up. “Industrious amazement”—an apt definition of poetry for all kinds of reasons." — Anna Kamienska, from "Industrious Amazement: A Notebook".

Created during the tumultuous 2017, "Industrious Amazement" is a reflection upon the current state of the world and one's place in it but, at the same time, it's a deeply personal record which accurately portrays an all-pervading sense of disillusionment.

From pristine orchestral arrangements and gentle piano passages to distortion-laden tape loops "Industrious Amazement" presents itself as both uncompromising and defeatist work of art.

Inspired by the notebooks of a Polish poet and writer Anna Kamienska, the EP's set of themes viscerally resonates with Anna's dissection of the self and its inherent contradictions as well as her exploration of a human condition as a whole.

Credits: 

All songs were composed by A.
Mastered by Oleg Sotnikov
Photo by Alicja Brodowicz

Industrious Amazement

Breaking Parts

After a long hiatus, Soft Side is finally coming back. The aim of the show has always been exploring the fringes of ambient music and similar genres. The new iteration of Soft Side begins with a collaborative mix by two of the most inward-looking Russian underground DJs and producers - Forlate and Sharkeisha (the show's host). Japanese folk songs, crispy beats, vocal experiments and much more in this stellar, soothing mix. 

Forlate's part tracklist:

たかぎまさかつ - たにのはまべ
たかぎまさかつ - おおはる
Hertta Lussu Ässä - Elamannesteiden Sekoittuminen
Ryuichi Sakamoto + Taylor Deupree - Curl To Me (feat. Ichiko Aoba)
Paavoharju - Kuu Lohdutta Huolestuneita 
Vida Vojic - Sfär
Tujiko Noriko / Lawrence English / John Chantler - I Can Hear The Heart
Felicia Atkinson / Jefre Cantu-Ledesma - ME
Laurel Halo - Dr. Echt 
Lori Scacco - Strange Cities 
Pariah - Drug the Lake
The Caretaker - When the dog days were drawing to an end
Infinite Body - A Fool Persists
たかぎまさかつ - やまふろ
たかぎまさかつ - おおはる - ぴあの

Soft Side Radio Show | Forlate & Sharkeisha

Vigils

Stills

"Forlate is a producer and electronic musician working across an eclectic array of experimental music genres. His debut EP “Industrious Amazement” which came out earlier this year, is an extremely personal exploration of one’s self and its inherent contradictions.

This mix is a perfect companion for listening through headphones on a cold wintry afternoon. It has a nostalgic vibe to begin with and as the mix reaches to its close the warmth of the familiar gives way to dread and anxiety only to be melted away by the sweet vocal acrobatics of Claire Hamill. Sit still and listen closely."

Tracklist: 

Art of Noise - Crusoe
Haruomi Hosono, Shigeru Suzuki, Tatsuro Yamashita - ノスタルジア・オブ・アイランド～パート1:バード・ウィンド/パート2:ウォーキング・オン・ザ・ビーチ (Nostalgia Of Island - Part 1: Wind Bird, Part 2: Walking On The Beach)
Miyako Koda - A Sea of Love
Alexei Lubimov - In a Landscape (John Cage)
Earnest Hood - Saturday Morning Doze
Miyako Koda - lo
Maria Minerva - Unchain My Heart
Terminal Sound System - Duchamp Falls
Jasper Tx - Black Sleep Pt. III
Yuichiro Fujimoto - Handwritten Map To Sea
Aoba Ichiko - いりぐちでぐち
Virginia Astley - From Gardens Where We Feel Secure
Pendant - Des Vieux Temples
Loidis - The Floating World (& All Its Pleasures)
Yagya - Snowflake 10
CS + Kreme - Eyes on Ceiling
The Caretaker - False Memory Syndrome
Mountains - Blown Glass Typewriter
Stars Of The Lid - Fucked Up (3:57 AM)
Claire Hamill - Spring: Awaken (Larkrise)

Forlate — Mixtape For W Λ V E S

Tracklist: 

Yutaka Hirose - Nova
Rare Silk - Storm
Young Marco - Temple On a Roa
Kiln - toypieceplate
Daniel Haaksman feat. Cibelle - Corpo Sujeito
Carmen Villain - I Trust You
Mateis e. aqir - Argentum
Chari Chari - Flow Dub outta Borneo
UB40 - The Earth Dies Screaming
Beatrice Dillon - Reebs Dub / New Age Travellers
Rhythm & Sound - King in My Empire
Zazou Bikaye - Munipe Wa Kati
Ploy - Zoom
Ariwo - El Alacrán
Jay Glass Dubs - The Sweetest Dub

Far away already the sea has gone out: Mix for OTO Radio

Tracklist:

1. Mȁ̲̠̻ͥ̾ra͔̥̩̾͊̑cuyá͊ – Dunes oubliées
2. Carmen Villain – I Could Sit Here All Day
3. Astral Engineering – Seashore Dub
4. Alek Lee – Sfarot (Dub)
5. Pharaohs – Energy
6. Waak Waak Djungi – Mother, I'm Going
7. Fuga Ronto – Journey Unknown
8. Mark Barrott – The Mysterious Island Of Dr Nimm (Nu Guinea’s Aquarium Mix)
9. Len Leise – Mandala Maksim
10. Antoine Kogut, Nico Motte – Jungle Dweller
11. 関根真理 Mari Sekine – Beginning (Lena Willikens Remix)
12. Tornado Wallace – Circadia
13. Sign Libra – Intro/Tropical Plantarum
14. Shimza feat. Kususa – Anemos (feat. Kususa)

forlate

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