Vedomir – Vedomir review

2011 was a staggering year for Vakula. From a slow emergence on the radar via choice deep house stables such as Quintessentials, Uzuri, 3rd Strike and Firecracker over two years, ’11 was a tough year to be a completist of the Ukrainian producer’s back catalogue. With at least as many singles as there were months in the year, it’s impressive to consider that at no point did the artist seem ubiquitous or in any way over-exposed. Perhaps a media-shy attitude from the man himself has aided this in some way, but now he is adopting the Vedomir guise (used once previously on a release last year for Soundofspeed) to deliver a full-length album for Dekmantel.

The Dutch label is a perfect home for the kind of oddball music that Mikhaylo Vityk is aiming for with his Vedomir project. As soon as “Jump In The Past” begins, it’s clear this is no straight-forward collection of floor tracks. Distant pads and swells wrap themselves around what sound like arpeggiated bass guitar samples in a classicist piece that ditches the beat to show what other avenues repetitive electronic music can go down.

That’s not to say that there are no grooves to be found here. “Music Suprematism” is anchored by a muted kick and fluttering hats, although it very much plays second fiddle to the choral pads and rich, trickling melodies. By the time the main bass riff kicks in, continuing a predilection Vakula tends to have for live bass sounds, there’s definitely a house record at the heart of this music, beguiling and dreamlike though it may be. “Forks, Knives And Spoons” is a more full-bodied track; still unconventional in many of its sound sources and arrangements, the song is dragged into a more accessible ballpark by a stern clap and a gorgeous choice of vocal hook. When the lead synth takes hold a stone-cold classic is born, both dramatic and sexy but also daring in the same bar.

There’s more low-slung funk to be enjoyed on the whimsical disco of “I Don’t Aspire Perfection I Accept That I Have”, while “Hello” plumbs more streamlined depths of strange deep house. “Lullaby” however provides one of the most stunning moments on the album, using a bath of notes to draw you into a most expressive synthesiser opus before slapping you round the face with an unexpected beat. “Loop Minuskova” is closer to primal techno in its outlook, harking back to the delirious looping vocal phrases that typified the earliest strains of tough Detroit beats. “Orthodox Ambient”, previously released on a 12″ single, simmers the occasion down for the album closer, giving one last blast on the arpeggiator for yet further proof of the classical leanings Vakula has in his music. Clearly an artist well suited to the album format, the spread of ideas and moods across this album only bode well for a diverse future for Vakula, while all the time sounding cohesive against all odds. You can’t ask for more than that from an artist or an album.

Oli Warwick

Tracklisting (2xLP):

A1. Jump In The Past
A2. Music Suprematism – (Keyboards And Co-Produced By Vasiliy Filatov)
A3. Casserole 80th
B1. Forks, Knives And Spoons
B2. I Don’t Aspire Perfection I Accept That I Have – (Keyboards And Co-Produced By Vasiliy Filatov)
B3. Hello
C1. Scream Of Kind Morning
C2. Dreams
D1. Lullably – (Keyboards And Co-Produced By Vasiliy Filatov)
D2. Orud’ Evo