Ariadna [CD]

2019 repress; 2017 release. Moscow's Kedr Livanskiy (real name Yana Kedrina) confesses, "Synthesizers help me maximally feel the present moment." Livanskiy was born into a shifting and critical time for Russia. The Soviet Union had exhausted and old values were anathematized because of reconstruction. A sense of displacement drove Kedr to find herself. She's escaped reality repeatedly in her explorations into the imagery and ideas of romanticism, mythical, and fairytale themes which visibly bleed throughout her work and especially on her debut full-length Ariadna. The title track which was named after the Greek goddess, Adriane, debuted via Thump who've stated it "anchors it's elegantly drifting shoegaze melodies with a knocking electro beat." Ariadna marks a change in her recording approach: her critically-acclaimed breakthrough EP January Sun was written and recorded completely in Ableton, while Ariadna was written using the Roland SH-101, Roland Juno 106, and Korg Minilogue synthesizers, then mixed down in Ableton. According to Kedr, "This way, one gets into a flow of live interaction, here and now, with the instrument." There is a definite leap in production values this time around, but Kedr manages to keep true to her sound despite the greater Polish and depth. "ACDC" features Martin Newell.