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Now check out the video and an interview about it over at i-D: http://i-d.vice.com/en_gb/article/meet-kedr-livanskiy-a-key-player-in-moscows-underground-electronic-music-scene

The Fader: "'Keep Your Word,' is both her most unstable and most arresting yet. Just when you think you're settling into an electronic daydream, she blows the whistle and lets the frenetic rhythms of jungle reign."
http://www.thefader.com/2016/02/15/kedr-livanskiy-keep-your-word
www.facebook.com/Kedr-livanskiy-1006510909393113/
www.youtube.com/channel/UCeQ-sEip…MYrR-4iopA/videos
www.facebook.com/2mikesrecords
Pre-order vinyl/mp3/wav/flac: www.omnianmusicgroup.com/products/january-sun

Kedr Livanskiy is Russian for Lebanese Cedar.

Kedr on growing up in Russia and the influence that had on her music: 
"Of course the big problem was perpetual drunkenness—people would drink themselves to death. I was born on October 4, 1990. It was a very interesting but critical time for Russia—a time of great change. The Soviet Union was no more, and old values were anathematized because of the reconstruction.

In my early teens no one seemed to understand me in this world (I thought), so I read Washington Irving novels and listened to The Cure. At around 20 years old I felt a real need to find myself, so I entered the directing department of the Moscow School of New Cinema. At the same time, electronic music fascinated me completely.

A small circle of my friends formed around a mutual interest in music. We always went to concerts together, of which were mostly international artists: Inga Copeland, DJ Spinn and DJ Rashad, Legowelt, Death Grips, Florian Kupfer, Dean Blunt, etc. It wasn’t long until we organized the community and DIY record label known as John’s Kingdom. It’s not only about music; it’s also a channel for art, videos and lifestyle. Now it’s the most alive and honest thing in Moscow.

My music is strongly inspired by Autechre, Aphex Twin and Boards of Canada, but with the lyrics and mood of Mazzy Star. I admire contemporaries Inga Copeland and Laurel Halo, however, my songs are more pop-leaning because of the powerful influence MTV had on my adolescence."

January Sun

Otvechai Za Slova (Keep Your Word)

Get LP/CD/Digi

Kedr Livanskiy - Otvechai Za Slova (Keep Your Word)

New single from the album "Ariadna" out Sept. 8th. Pre-order it on limited edition vinyl (comes with bonus 12"), CD (comes with January Sun EP) and cassette. 

Moscow's Kedr Livanskiy (real name Yana Kedrina) confesses "Synthesizers help me maximally feel the present moment." Livanskiy was born into a shifting and critical time for Russia.  The Soviet Union had exhausted and old values were anathematized because of reconstruction.  A sense of displacement drove Kedr to find herself.  She's escaped reality repeatedly in her explorations into the imagery and ideas of romanticism, mythical and fairytale themes which visibly bleed throughout her work and especially on her debut full-length 'Ariadna'.  The title track which was named after the Greek goddess, Adriane, debuted via THUMP today who've described it "anchors its elegantly drifting shoegaze melodies with a knocking electro beat."

Kedr considers this album to be divided into a couple of different parts - like how one person can contain many different moods. The first half revolves around mythological thoughts and the second takes cues from the urban and suburban environments around her, all the while in the middle of everything is the hero who experiences real feelings and emotions. 

Kedr also channels the places in her neighborhood on the outskirts of Moscow (affectionately dubbed by her as "BORDER MOSCOW"). There's a river there where identical Soviet high-rises stand on both sides, with a bridge and garbage processing plant adjacent. Where nature and industry meet. The whole scene looks very apocalyptic, but also mystical and mysterious, especially at twilight.

Her inspiration for this record comes from the Izhevsk (sometimes referred to as "the capital of Russian electronic music") sound of the 80s, including groups like Stuk Bambuka V XI Chasov (Bamboo Crash at 11AM) and Samtsy Dronta. The movement in Russian experimental music is especially inspiring, with acts likes Valery Chkalov, Sergey Kuryokhin and Pop Mechanica; in general, the late-Soviet period was very inspiring with all its figures in music, cinema, their energy and their approach towards life and art.

'Ariadna' marks a change in her recording approach: her critically acclaimed breakthrough EP 'January Sun' was written and recorded completely in Ableton, while 'Ariadna' was written using the Roland SH-101, Roland Juno 106 and Korg Minilogue synthesizers, then mixed down in Ableton. According to Kedr, "This way, one gets into a flow of live interaction, here and now, with the instrument." 

To her, this interaction is more "raw and sacred" than actually mixing the track down, which seems like "mere formalism" in comparison. There is a definite leap in production values this time around, but Kedr manages to keep true to her sound despite the greater polish and depth. 

Kedr Livanskiy Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/kedr_livanskiy
Kedr Livanskiy YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeQ-sEipCI_MiMYrR-4iopA
Kedr Livanskiy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kedr_livanskiy/
Kedr Livanskiy Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kedr-livanskiy-1006510909393113/

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