un/de/re-worldings

From the "Nostalgia Por Mesozóica" LP
Muscut 16LP (12", 2022)
More info soon...

Nostalgia Por Mesozóica

Misantropicalia

Nostalgia Por Mesozóica by Nikolaienko

Format: 12"LP
Catalogue number: Muscut 16LP
Release date: May 6, 2022
Limited to 300 copies

Format: Cassette
Catalogue number: Muscut 16C
Release date: May 6, 2022
Limited to 50 copies

“Nostalgia Por Mesozóica” is an exploration of "experimental exotica" consisted of synthesized tropical attributes — an artificial landscape isolated behind the glass frame. Reminiscent of recording techniques and sonorities ubiquitous in the 60’s and 70’s, it could conceivably have been intended as a soundtrack for the Mesozoic Era exhibition at your favorite Natural History museum. Limited to 1OO copies. Includes hand-numbered and stamped postcard.


Tracklist:
A1 Muzak For Mesozoic Showreel (feat. Arthur Mine)
A2 Troglodytes (feat. Arthur Mine)
A3 The Ancient Musical Complex Of Mammoth Bones
A4 Glass Flowers
A5 Sacrifice I
B1 Misantropicalia
B2 Dark Archeo
B3 Sacrifice II (Curse of Snakes Valley)
B4 ExotiCon
B5 Yalta (feat. Amphibian Man II)


Nikolaienko: modular synth percussion, tape manipulations, processing, effects.
Arthur Mine: Arp Odyssey (track A1), Venta synth-organ (track B2)
Composed by Nikolaienko and Arthur Mine and recorded at Labyrint Of Echoes Studio in Kyiv during 2017—2019.
Mastering by Flaty
Photos by Dmytro Nikolaienko
Muscut 16, 2020/2022

Reviews:
Nikolaienko has described Muscut’s mission as a kind of “audio archaeology”—perhaps in reference to the dusty, cryptic air of the label’s music, which takes inspiration from the abstracted sounds that Daphne Oram and Delia Derbyshire were creating with the BBC Radiophonic Workshop in the ’60s. On the label founder’s upcoming record, due out in May, he extends his archaeological obsession to the natural history museum. Nostalgia por Mesozócia is framed as an imaginary soundtrack for fossil exhibitions and dinosaur dioramas. Its nostalgia is many-layered: Analog chirps and liquid gurgles summon images of 200-million-year-old rainforests, while wheezing organs and clanking marimbas evoke the easy-listening exotica made popular in the ’50s by artists like Arthur Lyman. Mingling kitsch with surrealism, it makes for a fanciful and engrossing trip into the past. — Pitchfork (Philip Sherburne)﻿

'Nostalgia Por Mesozóica' is Nikolaienko's attempt to recreate an exotik mood while channeling the imagined world of the dinosaurs. He wanted to produce a Natural History museum soundtrack to the Mesozoic Era (the "Age of Reptiles" comprising the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods), and has managed it by combining the quirky organ music and Fourth World-adjacent percussion that became the staples of the exotica genre. In Nikolaienko's hands, it's approached with love and care - his sound sources are familiar and funny - with clearly a lot of genuine love for the subject matter.
'The Ancient Musical Complex Of Mammoth Bones' deploys bargain basement plastic rhythms offset by Nikolaienko's odd electronic treatments and hypnotic synths. 'Misantropicalia' is a swampy approximation of a distant era, using nostalgic memories of the past to connect the dots between aesthetic oldness, archaic global musical traditions and a collapsing culture. At its best, the album sounds like the high points of ex-Skater Spencer Clark's varied catalog (think Vodka Soap or Monopoly Child Star Searchers) and harmonizes with Christina Vantzou's bizarre and brilliant "Multi Natural" full-length. — Boomkat

Nostalgia Por Mesozóica (LP)

Nostalgia Por Mesozóica (LP) by Nikolaienko (Muscut 16LP, 12"/Cass, 2022) Excerpts

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Recorded at Ziad's Moukarzel"s Studio, for Unexplained Sound Label.

The Dark That Matters

THE DARK THAT MATTERS

Tony Elieh is a pioneering Lebanese musician and bassist known for his dynamic presence in the experimental and alternative music scenes. Originally a founding member of Lebanon's first post-rock band, Scrambled Eggs, Elieh expanded his artistry into experimental improvisation, blending elements of noise, rock, and electronic music. His versatile approach to the bass guitar often incorporates unconventional techniques, creating layered soundscapes and textures that push sonic boundaries.

Elieh has collaborated with numerous artists across disciplines, from visual art to contemporary composition, and his work often explores themes of memory, identity, and the interplay between sound and space. Performing both as a solo artist and with various ensembles, he has showcased his music at prominent international festivals, including Irtijal in Beirut and Kontakt Festival in Berlin, cementing his reputation as an innovative force in the global experimental music community.