- Even in our hyper-connected internet age, language and borders are still enough to isolate certain artists and scenes. Take ГОСТ ЗВУК, or Gost Zvuk, an exceptional label based in Moscow with a roster of artists from Russia and surrounding countries. Since 2014, Gost Zvuk and its sub-labels have released a slew of inspired albums and EPs that touch on everything from leftfield house and techno to IDM, ambient and, in the case of Flaty's New Suggestions, something like post-rock and shoegaze. The delivery is unpretentious but artistic, with beautiful artwork and titles, perhaps defiantly, written in Cyrillic. But beyond accolades from Hard Wax and the occasional Discogs user, Gost Zvuk and its artists remain oddly under-appreciated.
The latest release from this camp is Kuzma Palkin's Sierpinski Curve, a double 10-inch on the trackier Gost Instrument sub-label. Compared to Palkin's only other record, the dense and rich Audiosapr LP, these four tracks are decidedly functional, but by no means conventional. There are hooks, however minimalistic, like the gusts of hi-hats on "SugrobChill," or the warped sub-bassline on "3 DeepTX" that creeps into the mid-range. The drums are grimy and punch-drunk in a way that recalls STL. Little flourishes make the arrangements feel loose and unpredictable—the one-off drum fills on "3 DeepTX," or the unexpected moment near the end of "SugrobChill" when the beat, until then a fierce and lean techno pulse, falls into a stepping rhythm. More evidence, if any was needed, that this crew has flown under the radar for too long.
TracklistA SugrobChill
B 3 DeepTX
C 25-11-te
D 2 DisintegrationSwirl