- According to Macro, their latest signing is part of a "quirky new techno underground" taking shape in the former Soviet bloc. This new wave has brought us Stanislav Tolkachev, Etapp Kyle and a chunk of Nina Kraviz's Trip roster. Vladimir Dubyshkin—from Tambov, 460km outside of Moscow—has appeared on Trip twice, and his style is further refined across the two For Various Reasons EPs. In a word, they're intense: the tempos start in the mid-130s, the grooves are funkless but pummelling, and the arrangements achieve delirium with limited materials. Sometimes Dubyshkin seems to be referencing early rave; "Serious Attack"'s detuned bassline and squeaky melodies sail closest to the throwback winds.
Elsewhere, the rave spirit continues to lurk. Dubyshkin balances vogueish Euro-techno darkness with flamboyant silliness; his tracks are comic-book evil rather than genuinely sinister. At the opening of EP2's "Please Don't Tell Me That," an elegant piano loop is detuned and then hammered by clownish drums. EP1 opens with "Uhod," which is basically a single four-note melody, hollow synth leads and a piledriving bassline, propelled forward by a relentless kick drum.
It's hard to favour one of the two EPs, though the first might be a smidge better (it has "Treatment," which is about as huge and hellish as "Uhod," and the noxious, track-long breakdown "Symphony No. 9"). But both explore similar styles: either fairground-gone-wrong or, in Dubyshkin's (slightly) more reflective moments, trance-style hypnotism. The latter approach yields gems, too. "Who's Your Daddy" is a billowing, sidechained cloud of pads and voices, and probably sounds excellent on drugs, while "She Put Me Under A Light Trance" is less "light trance" than "heavy, paranoid stupor." Closing EP2, "Overland Trip" is the closest thing to "deep" in Dubyshkin's arsenal, and is weaker for it. He's best when pushing things to the limit.
TracklistEP1:
A1 Uhod
A2 Who's Your Daddy
B1 Treatment
B2 Symphony No. 9
EP2:
A1 Please Don't Tell Me That
A2 Serious Attack
B1 She Put Me Under A Light Trance
B2 Overland Trip