10 Years with Ambidextrous

Nick Zavrieff made his debut with his project Ambidextrous exactly ten years ago in the spring of 1998 and quickly became one of the leading figures of the "first wave of Russian IDM." The album Errorism released in 2001 and the twelve-inch vinyl Cross Split EP received good reviews in the press in Europe and the USA (applauded by German De-Bug, British Musik, American Igloo Mag, Belgian Freestyle Grooves), while Ambidextrous tracks have "featured" on numerous labels from Moscow's Art-Tek to the British Toytronic and the Florida-based Merck Records.

Since then, Nick has traveled a long road full of sharp turns. After several IDM records, an obsession with dance music led to two albums in the electro-disco style, regular concerts, and participation in several projects. Currently, Nick is the main musical ideologist of the ethno-trip-hop trio Jermook, plays keyboards in the bands "Svet pod Vodoy" and Dream Mechanics, and is also one of the founders and resident DJs of the promo group Rave Diggers, promoting dance music of the "first rave" era.

After several years of creative searches and "broadening," the album Rocket Mind (which Nick recorded for almost two years) has become a sort of return to roots. On this disk, we once again hear classic IDM - heavy, ragged drums and sentimental melodies. However, this time Ambidextrous has delved further into electronic traditions, adopting much from the sounds of the seventies - endless synthesizer arpeggios in the aesthetic of early Tangerine Dream and cosmic solos reminiscent of soundtracks to Soviet science fiction films. An inspiring event for Nick in writing the album was a trip to the Baikonur spaceport - this theme is also reflected in the design of the Russian edition cover. Changes also touched the technological chain - Nick decided for the first time not to limit himself to software synthesizers and utilized a variety of old "hardware" - vintage synthesizers Roland Juno 106, Korg Prophecy, Korg Poly 800, and even the Soviet analog monster "Electronica EM-25" were used in the album recording.

In the fall of 2007, the European edition of the album was published - Rocket Mind was released in a limited edition by the Belgian label U-Cover, specializing in IDM and other "non-club" electronics (they have worked with artists such as Kettel, Lusine, and Esa "Lackluser" Ruoho). And now, six months later, the edition for Russia, supplemented with bonus tracks.

For the presentation, Nick is preparing a special act - the staged performance of his music this time will not be limited to the usual "man with a laptop and keyboards." To perform live material, which was entirely recorded alone, "in the bedroom," Nick is assembling a small orchestra that will include not only a live rhythm section and guitar but also violin, cello, and even a turntablist, a master of vinyl scratching in real time.

Among the members of the "orchestra," you can find familiar figures. The drum kit will be handled by "the drummer of half of Moscow's indie bands" Sergey Ledovsky (Nick's colleague from Dream Mechanics, who also plays in Silence Kit and "Spring on Karl Yukhan Street"). The role of the scratch master is taken up by DJ Ilya Rasskazov (the ideologist of the promo group and internet radio station headz.fm), guitar parts are entrusted to Yevgeny Frankevich (Silence Kit, "Secrets of the Third Planet"), while the bassist of the "united orchestra" will be Denis "Don" Dubovik (Unlockedoor, Myholiday) - Nick's comrade in the group Jermook. String parts are assigned to Anna Yanovskaya (violin) and Alexander Kozlovsky (cello). As always, live video footage from UB VJs will accompany the performance, with whom Nick has been collaborating for several years.

A special guest at the event will be Ilya Bis, also known as Tonearm - one of the few Russian musicians to find success across the ocean. Ilya spends most of his time in New York, where he performs in clubs Tonic and Knitting Factory, but often visits Moscow. This time, Ilya will present a half-hour live performance featuring exclusively instrumental compositions.