The First Sputnik

On April 3, at "Solyanka," the American-Russian label Pro-Tez Records is holding the launch of its combined tenth release. The Sputnik 1 compilation opens a new series of annual collections that will acquaint listeners with the musical work of composers from various corners of Russia. On 12-inch vinyl, and on a CD released simultaneously in several countries – a mix-compilation of 14 tracks.

1.Khz - Boot
2.De:Se - De's World
3.Polar lights - Joytime
4.Chizh - Psy Out
5.Scsi-9 - Cryville
6.Modul - Hidden (Square Sea Version)
7.B-Voice&KHZ - Ojuelas
8.BarBQ - Sunny Rain
9.Korablove - 100 Jahre Einsamkeit
10.Mujuice - S.O.S
11.DJungl - Eighteen
12.Amesh - Go On
13.Feldmaus - Put On A Magical Hood
14.Yuka - Snow Fox

44100Hz managed to obtain comments from the musicians involved in the project:

I can say that I'm grateful and proud, and today I'm not ashamed to answer the foreign press's regular questions about the state and prospects of the Russian electronic scene. Colleagues and friends responded to the invitation to take part in our first collection, some with debut releases for our label. Amesh, BarBQ, Chizh, De:Se, Modul, Mujuice, Suokas and other well-known musicians are brought together on a full-fledged compilation.

Despite the fact that I'm featured on the collection as a member of SCSI-9 as well, for me Sputnik 1 is above all a publishing project. As co-chairman of the Pro-Tez label, I fully oversee the challenging process of producing the vinyl; besides that, I'm also the mastering engineer of the collection – both its vinyl and its CD version. Some composers gave Sputnik their debut works – that's really very gratifying.

For the De:Se project, taking part in the Sputnik collection is already not the first pleasant experience of collaborating with Pro-Tez. Before this, the label released the single The Cold Sand, and that gave a very powerful boost to promoting our work. We're always glad to collaborate with the guys and gladly responded to their offer to take part in this project. We think that such initiatives really do contribute to uniting and developing the Russian electronic scene. The track "De's World" is our first experience of remote collaboration, since the members of our duo now live in different cities. We got together only at the stage of its mixing and mastering.

Taking part in this compilation means for us, above all, a connection with colleagues and friends from various corners of our vast homeland. A good company of real cosmonauts has gathered, the ship is steered by the experienced captain Kubikov – wonderful, nothing less. The collection features a track directly from the Modul project, as well as a composition written in collaboration with Sergey Suokas as part of the Feldmaus project. Our own track – Hidden – was created about 18 months ago for the future album "How To Play" – a composition with a broken rhythm, an old electric piano and touches of a transparent voice. Autumn, silence. A "straight" version was made specially for Sputnik 1. The track from the Feldmaus project – Put On A Magical Hood – was long in the making, with many edits and reincarnations – a difficult child, rainy and pensive.

Sputnik is a brotherhood of cosmonauts in orbit. A reunion of black-hole veterans. The word Ojuelas – in Spanish it means glasses, little eyes, a fritter. That's what the song is about too – cosmic cookery. Encrypted in the melody is a recipe for imperial pancakes. This is no food-from-a-tube. No side effects observed!

The track "Sunny Rain" was recorded in the summer of 2007. The title openly says as much – sunny rain. Everyone will define its mood for themselves. Some will say it's boring, and some will skip straight to the next track. I define its style as deep house.

I'm glad that the Pro-Tez label is developing. Generally speaking, there aren't that many such distinctive labels (I mean ones that release music only by Russian musicians). Only one other comes to mind – and that's Subbotnik. So I'm pleased to take part in further promoting the project. My track for the collection was written last spring. If you translate the title – 100 Jahre Einsamkeit – into Russian, you can immediately grasp its story (One Hundred Years of Solitude – 44100Hz).

Pro-Tez Records. The name Sputnik is extremely dear to my heart – so touching and so dear to the Russian ear, so naive, romantic and forgotten. The track is precisely about space – or rather, about a Pallas's-cat kitten whom earthlings sent to explore the boundless expanses of the Universe and conduct scientific experiments in lunar orbit, and he flies on his turquoise satellite, knocked off its orbit, ever farther into the icy cosmos and sends out S.O.S signals, but on his home planet no one hears him except his best friend – a gladiolus flower – because on Earth everyone is busy and in a great hurry, off to their errands or to parties.

Always glad to take part in projects of this kind. Many musicians, many ideas, and a single DJ's vision that unites everyone in one musical journey. The title of my track "Eighteen" has nothing to do with age. The composition was named after the file number under which it was recorded.

This number seemed attractive and enigmatic to me. The track was recorded in one breath and captured the mood of that very moment.

I really like the idea of the collection, and I'm especially impressed by its title, because I love everything connected with Space and flight. After all, any act of creation is in itself a flight into Space – the absence of gravity and the infinity of space.

My track came to me from Space too. From that part of it where such melodies and harmonies live as we hear in the work of SCSI-9. I deliberately tuned in to precisely that "zone," since I was creating the track specially for Pro-Tez.

Anton liked one of my compositions and asked me to write a couple more for the release, but the release didn't come together; instead Snow Fox was born, quickly and in one breath. I didn't agonize over the title either – I just named it that because, while listening, this image kept arising. SCSI-9 have a track "Blue Wolf," which I love very much; my "Snow Fox" somewhat echoes its mood – they're definitely from the same Space. When my track was ready and named, I was watching a film in which the main characters turned out to be a Blue Wolf and a Snow Fox. Can you imagine? It was a sign that everything was right! True, I still have too little experience in writing music – I mean the technical aspects – so Maxim had a rough time during the mastering. He changed and reworked many things, so for me personally it's now more of a remix than a track. On the whole I'm pleased; the song turned out well.

April 3, 23:00
Solyanka, 11

Nu:Gravity: Launch of the Protez Records collection "Sputnik 1"
Line-up: Dubolom (live), BarBQ (live), Amesh, Anton Kubikov

Admission: 500 rub.