This week we received news that the Russian electronic label Klammklang is back in business with the release of the debut album Zangezur from Lusia Kazaryan-Topchyan‘s solo project Margenrot. The Moscow-based artist grew up “an ordinary Siberian punk” in the city of Omsk, as she recently explained to Russia’s Wonderzine, and while she seems to have been involved in various musical projects, most notably she handled vocals and synthesizer in the all-female trio Fanny Kaplan–with her sister Karina on bass.
After the band broke up, she began to turn her attention to solo work building up an archive of field recordings and records from her travels thru Armenia, Georgia, and Poland. Her debut album is influenced by her family’s Armenian roots, as well as Experimental and Industrial music from the 80’s and 90’s. The album was recorded using analog synthesizers, digital plug-ins, her collection of samples, as well as acoustic instruments like saxophone and duduk–a double reed woodwind instrument made of apricot wood. The album title Zangezur is named after the conflict-ridden historical region in southeast Armenia. Translating as “the ring is in vain,” the phrase is from the culture’s folklore and came about after a prince from the region sabotaged a warning bell meant to inform inhabitants of invasion.
Today we listen to Margenrot’s track “Aghves.” The title translates from Armenian as “fox,” and discussing the cut with Mixmag Russia back in March, she explained:
“I took acapella from one of the tracks off the collection ‘Traditional Songs of Armenia Vol. I’…and then I added a dance rhythm section and decorated it with saxophone and primitive pipes.”
While the technique might be straightforward, the results are deliriously enticing. Built around the sampled and distorted vocal loops, Margenrot’s addition of kick drum and snare, as well as industrial sounding rhythmic elements and bass drone, propel this track with dizzying and exhilarating force.
