Andrey Kiritchenko :: Ultra Marshes (Flaming Pines)

Here, he dives headfirst into bold ideas and uneasy experimentations, echoing the spirit of fellow sonic explorers like Kim Cascone and Francisco López—both of whom he has collaborated with under the banner of his boundary-pushing label, Nexsound.

An intricate network of unsettling musique concrète

Flaming Pines is a lovely craft-based indie label owned by the sound artist Kate Carr and whose productions should be well-known by Igloo readers. It sas been a while since my last review about this publisher but I’ve kept an enthusiastic regard about their creative output. In a relatively similar musical position to labels such as Eilean Rec., Audio Gourmet, and Twice Removed, Flaming Pines cultivate ambient/chamber music, micro-tonal soundscapes, and poetically-thoughtful field recordings as their area of specialization. They notably published materials from Ava Rasti, Matt Atkins, and Savvas Metaxas—whose music I particularly appreciate; blending organic, blurry, then languid emotionally textured ambient releases.

An album as Ginestra by Ava Rasti is an absolute masterwork of austere and melodious semi-classical ambient. Among their upcoming releases we also noticed the promising Bayt Yakan by Luca Nasciuti who already produced a vibrant and cloudy droning release in the Tiny Portraits series but also this experimental, mysterious and thrilling hypnotic Ultra Marshes by Andrey Kiritchenko.

This album is mostly built upon heavy vintage-sounding synth lines, processed field recordings, and a large palette of sound effects, as well as manipulated atmospheric textures. It’s challenging to classify this eerie strangeness, but you can imagine something at a cross between Mort Garson, Ragnar Grippe, and The Residents’ cryptic electronic fantasies with a deep research on sound motifs and collages. Ultra Marshes unveils a striking dimension of Kiritchenko’s artistry, showcasing his fearless trajectory across diverse sonic territories. Here, he dives headfirst into bold ideas and uneasy experimentations, echoing the spirit of fellow sonic explorers like Kim Cascone and Francisco López—both of whom he has collaborated with under the banner of his boundary-pushing label, Nexsound. Recommended for those who like to navigate in an intricate network of unsettling musique concrète, vaguely ambient/noise-sounding waves, and kinetic electroacoustic grooves.

Ultra Marshes is available on Flaming Pines. [Bandcamp]