Katja Zavoloka is a young Ukrainian artist who releases her wonderful music on Andrey Kiritchenko’s Nexsound label. A bit reminiscent of AGF (from the former GDR), she is one of the few female artists in the realm of cutting-edge electronic music who successfully combine sonic minimalism, accessibly melodic structures and danceable rhythms. Like most of the numerous artists from former USSR who keep attracting attention with brilliant releases these days, Zavoloka interweaves her pieces with decent traditional elements that give her music depth and a fascinating exotic touch. “Suspenzia” ranges from abstract, experimental textures to straight 4/4 beats, whereas the tasteful, dynamic arrangement throughout pulls the listener deep into the excitingly clear ocean of sounds.
(Andreas)
Review
Zavoloka – Suspenzia
There’s so much superb Ukrainian electronic music coming out on Andrej Kirichenko’s Nexsound label that it’s tempting to see Kiev shaping up as the new Cologne or Vienna. Katia Zavoloka’s debut is as challenging and rewarding as anything put out by labelmate Kotra or Kirichenko himself. Over the album’s 70 minute span she proves herself to be a sly, witty programmer, as much at home with the confrontational machine noise and modulated radio static of “Laktorybka” as the itchy-twitchy Mouse On Mars-style nearly pop of “Nathnennia”. One of the great things about Suspenzia is the way that it manages to find new things to say with the most overused of vocabulary, Zavoloka’s deployment of delay and reverb effects being particularly noteworthy. This is tense, sinewy music, not easy to digest at first, but well worth the effort.
By Keith Mouline