scsi-9

moscow

Unconditional truth for an artist comes not from any rule-bound banality. It is, conversely, found upon the unknown horizons that open before him––in those unattainable realms that only music can reach

В художнике безусловная правда не в банальном, протокольном смысле, а в высшем, открывающем нам какие-то неведомые горизонты, какие-то недосягаемые сферы, куда только музыка способна проникнуть

Petr Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)

The minimalist aesthetic of Anton Kubikov and Maxim Milyutenko runs like a thread through Russian electronica of the last twenty years. Equally consistent has been their fidelity to downtempo, even ambient forms of deep- and tech-house. Throughout the 2000s they founded and then nurtured the vital Moscow label PRO-TEZ, which now has something of a legendary status in Russia. With some justification, Kubikov and Milyutenko use their Resident Advisor profile to call themselves “the most respected and best-known Russian house/techno duo––both at home and abroad.”

Their catalog currently extends to more than fifty releases, housing over two hundred tracks. One of the more recent publications––embedded here––is “Nebula Hotel,” which the pair again use to consider their career. The title refers to an imagined location in the world of gaming. “There is a place in the multiverse where you can rest and detach from everyday duties. Where you can walk through empty lobbies or encounter strange people from a different time and place. You can enjoy a drink with some cultural legend or other. Or simply thrill yourself with the unexpected. This is also somewhere you can dwell in nostalgia––or dream of distant shores. Whether our music is a soundtrack to reality or more suitable for fiction, we call the result ‘Nebula Hotel.’” Two masters of tangible vinyl in brick-and-mortar clubs establish a new, weightless residency.

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