Track 03 from “As Days Went By”, a four track EP by Life On Thin Ice, a an electronic one-man band of Kirill Yurchev.  Kirill is a Cyprus-based musician who creates instrumental tracks within a variety of genres adjacent to electronic and instrumental hip-hop music. 

He got his start by putting together a home recording studio to create foley-style sound effects and musical scores for local theatre shows while studying at the University of York – this happened in 2020, and the subsequent lockdowns gave him plenty of free time to get to grips with the recording process. 

“As Days Went By” is one of the results of lockdowns in the UK, which slowly but surely distilled into four-track EP. It features tracks that have some similar traits and approaches, which does not necessarily mean they are all alike. With the opening composition, ‘Greenfied (On Fire)’ being a slower, almost Boards of Canada-style IDM/trip-hop affair, ‘Brainstoppers’ is a real banger with a guitar sample of Kirill’s playing softening the second half of the track on top of a bed of machine-timed electric impulses and discharges.

While the creation of the record was not completely DAW-less, the bulk of the arrangements that are created for Life on Thin Ice records are done within the AKAI MPC One, with the mastery of that instrument being one of Kirill’s creative goals.  

This music was heavily inspired by 90’s WARP Records, as well as his deep knowledge and appreciation of the American funk scene of the 70’s and punk scene of the 80’s – all the way to more contemporary influences, such as Nicholas Jaar’s record label Other People. Being his personal project, Life on Thin Ice crosses some of the bases Kirill himself loves a lot: IDM and catchy guitar melodies.

As Days Went By

Brainstoppers

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LIFE ON THIN ICE - Brainstoppers

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