[No political messages in here, yet let’s say that imperialist war can only be supported by those who lack intelligence or vision. And of importance: not every human being from Russia supports the invasion of Ukraine. This said…]
Hailing from Moscow, Russian Federation, [addicted label] might be quite an interesting label, yet (unfortunately?) way too unknown in our (western) regions. It’s home to many – and I really mean ‘many’ – hands full of bands and projects that dwell within spheres of Progressive Rock, Psychedelica, Free Jazz, Stoner, Avantgarde, Doom, Alternative, Electronica, Experimental, Punk, Noise Rock, and so on, and so on, and so on. For about two decades, this channel tries to support and promote the scene from, especially, Russian soil, but also from other countries (like Ukraine).
…and this easily brings me to Addicted Tunes, a sampler of rare and (mainly) previously unreleased tracks by several of this label’s close comrades. The compilation is available via the known digital sources, yet it has also been pressed on compact-disc (a very limited promotional version for friends and relationships, I think, with ‘comic’ visuals) and on tape. The latter was achieved with assistance of Maat Lander, who helped with productional duties, with design assistance, and with their contribution called The Adventure Of Kozmik Ken (which I will come back to soon).
One thing: there’s a fifteen-track version, and one that includes two bonus-songs. I will focus on that extended one… What follows is a very brief and concise description of each contribution involved on Addicted Tunes.
Шон (rus) - Не говори никому (05:31): (aka ‘shon’) Welcome aboard the electric bus… A piece of psychedelic Funk Electronica, very dynamic and danceable, with rhythmic beats, spacy loops and funky Rock elements;
Maat Lander (rus) - The Adventure Of Kozmik Ken (04:21): extremely energetic Space / Surf / Kraut Rock with an Ozric Tentacles get covered by Caudal attitude, with jazzy percussions, swirling strings and many spacelike noises;
IWKC (rus) (aka I Will Kill Chita) - Hugger-Mugger (04:31): somewhat different from what we’re used of, I think; this time replacing the Prog / Psych-Rock elements by an amalgam of influences, from soft Stoner-alike heaviness over Hip-Hop / Trip-Hop stuff and even hints of modern Pop-Electro-Rock, with a funky / jazzy undertone and a lot of, well, how would I call it: scratch or so?...;
Pressor (rus) - Twist The Bliss (Wiklauri Remix) (08:54): a remarkable acid-infused remixed version from this project’s so-called 2020-EP; it’s very varied, with Trip-Hop and Techno fragments, then again introducing influences from Trance, IDM-laden Electro and Drum ‘n’ Bass. The voices are remarkably more on the foreground this time, also slightly manipulated in the final remix;
Бром (rus) - Сон милицанера (04:01): at first, I thought John Zorn was aiming for a cover version of Madness’ Welcome To The House Of Fun, yet soon I had to admit my mistake, for this is madness²… Purest frenzy improv, mingling Free Jazz with all kinds of mental-aural disturbance: saxophone-cacophony, drums ‘n’ percussions violation, bass-string rape and an overdose of ear-grinding Avant-Jazz fury;
Dogs Bite Back (rus) - Don’t Shit On The Grass (04:32): here’s also an overload of improvisation involved, yet from a mentally alienated kind: glitchy experimentation, incoherent sample-distortion, dubbed bass-lines, explosive noises, insane percussions, and malfunctional (which is positively meant) sonic destruction…;
Juice Oh Yeah (rus) - Duul (08:11): once again, this band surprises with their eclectic yet organic mix of Eastern and Western influences. Duul starts quite integer, acoustic-oriented and oriental with a psychedelic twist (fine strings, drums and other [often traditional] instruments!), yet after a while (two minutes and something), things turn into heavier proportions for a shorter moment; before returning into another folkloristic piece of Avantgarde Music (which includes a fine scala of clean chants and choirs, uplifting percussions, progressive structures and archaic harmonies), working towards an explosive grand finale;
Dekonstruktor (rus) - Rust (03:01): a fine (yet way to short) hymn of Sludge / Stoner / Doom Metal, with soaring voices, grooving yet harsh guitars, thunderous drums, and abyssal basses. Because of its sloth-like slowness, Rust turns out to be extremely devastating in execution and overpowering in attitude;
Zatvor (rus) - Their Snakes Are Thy Snakes (12:37): this band too dwells in dimensions of ultra-doomed empowerment. This track stands for the most morbid and filthy Doom one can imagine, composed through mega-heavy rhythm strings, shrieking leads, slowly pounding yet colossal drum-patterns and distorted basses. Like a monolithic drone, this composition roars, like a slowly approaching yet unstoppable avalanche, ready to cover all sense of reality and inner peace. At about 1/3rd of the track, things intensify, ominously accelerating, ghastly intoxicating, adding many complementary layers of string-majesty and drum-authority. And this evolves, slow yet resolute, into a cacophony of well-structured chaos and noise-distortion;
Pressor (rus) - I Want You (She’s So Heavy) (): [bonus-track #1] Haha, a cover by The Beatles, why not? This Doom / Sludge / Stoner version reveals a psychotic creativity shows the cohesive interplay of this band. Everything seems to work out perfectly: the old-schooled vibe (the original version is from 1969), the stoned performance (those leads, that vocal timbre, these rumbling rhythm strings), the monumental sound; it just works;
Матушка-Гусыня (rus) - Транскомплект (02:34): an instrumental up-tempo track with a mood of good vibrations; swirling and swinging, funky and groovy, built around an acid-laden amalgam of complex rhythms, avantgarde progression and unprejudiced leads;
Mother Witch (ukr) - Ode To A Cold Heart (08:06): [now located in Australia, if I am not mistaken] with their intriguing Occult Doom Metal, this band did reach some ‘fame’ in the meantime. This older piece starts acoustic, with emotional guitars and the warm voice of Maria T. Step by step, this sensitive introduction slowly evolves into rather intense proportions, and at four minutes we get an episode of captivating Proto-Doom with these beautiful vocals, mesmerizing, even ceremonial harmonies, a heavy rhythm section, haunting solo-work and, above all, an atmosphere that surrounds the whole with awe, intrigue and sensation;
Отдел Самоискоренения (rus) - Газель смерти (08:24): Noise Rock with a huge Punk-vibe, done through discordant string-manipulation, rabid drum patterns, melodic vocals, pushing guitar-work and quite some noise-distortion behind (and within) the productional duties. The center of the track, then again, totally decelerates, morphing into an hypnagogic, somewhat seductive piece of dreamlike ambience (including some field-recorded samples). But the last three minutes burst out once more, with a fine-balanced mix of Surf Rock, Noise Rock, Punk Pop and Alternative / Indie oriented Rock Music;
The Flash Fever (rus) - Get Down (02:42): a self-produced live version with a dose of irony; kinetic Punk Rock, energetic, even anthemic when focusing on the melodies and voices, and breathing a timeless worship to the old-styled Punk-scene;
Detieti (rus) - Sucre Dans Rebelle (Ghostbusters) (07:01): [bonus-track#2] This too is a live contribution by Frogressive Punk act Detieti, starting with a performance of their 2015 piece Sucre Dans Rebelle and consciously, mercilessly adding their own twisted idea of the Ghostbusters movie’s main theme; Progressive Rock fused with hints of Brass, Jazz and Krautrock;
Был замечен... (ukr) - Смех (06:10): after a short industrialized introduction, Смех turns into an hallucinatory experience, initially combining avantgarde techniques with progressive aesthetics, getting canalized into a weird, psychedelic result. Like an anesthetic jam session, the last section adds other mechanoid and organ / theremin like elements, as well as totally frenzy voices and heavily droning guitars;
REBBBB (rus) - Наш лейбл feat зависимый оР (06:00): this (live) collaboration of Evil Bear Boris Big Band and Rudolph pays tribute to [addicted label] with their infectious mixture of Hip-Hop, repetitive patterns, roaring basses, eclectic percussions, punky vibes, multiple vocals (quite diverse yet deeply fitting), rocking structures, and traditional elements (through strings and percussion).
Addicted Tunes is an unusual compilation with a very open-minded mindset. It shows at least a fragmentary part of what the label has to offer the tolerant and liberal audience, without any restrictions and without any limitations (at least from sonic point). You might not find all contributions as interesting (nor do I), yet you might probably find some material that just intrigues…
https://noname666.bandcamp.com/album/addicted-tunes
https://www.concreteweb.be/reviews/willezurmacht-i-will-kill-chita
https://www.concreteweb.be/reviews/megalith-levitation-dekonstruktor