Новости

SiJ is a Progressive Electronic project from Vladislav Sikach founded in Ukraine in 2011. The whole idea of the project is to experiment with dark ambience and industrial elements, somewhat in the same style as some of the Bass Communion albums. The project also utilizes field recordings. The project started releasing albums in 2011, and has since released 16 full length albums, the last of which is called "The Utumis Shrine", released in August of 2019. This album has only two very long tracks with a total run time of over 84 minutes. Sikach plays all of the instruments, but does have help with the vocal effects.

Some time ago, I quipped that, in their relentless rate of output, Cryo Chamber would eventually release an album for every letter of the alphabet. As yet untapped, I even suggested 'Y' being a likely contender in their near future, perhaps for one of their massive collaborative projects - there had to be some Old World denizen with a name starting with the letter they could draw inspiration from. Indeed there is! Not that I knew it existed, mind you, my knowledge of Lovecraftian lore generally gleaned from pop culture references (you know you got it made when South Park is riffing on you). Still, when the label announced the release for Yog-Sothoth, you bet I double-taked.

Did you know SiJ does solo albums too? Of course you do, because I've said as much in the past, though even these aren't technically always solo either. When Vlad Sikach initially launched the project, he had help from a couple associates, including Anna Vorobyeva on synths and Alena Perepadya on field recordings and photography. Hey, the design aesthetic was just as integral to the SiJ manifesto as the sound aesthetic, so it counts! Anna and Alena have remained a consistent presence, but many others have joined Vlad for collaborative work under the SiJ banner.

Siamo alla fine del 2017 e l’ennesimo anno infausto si prepara per essere immerso in un bagno di sangue purificatore. I 12 sigilli appena chiusi saranno prima ripuliti dalle scorie e finalmente saldati grazie allo scorrere dei caldi flutti. Tutto tornerà a emergere solo quando, con l’orrore del principio, ci renderemo conto che altri 12 enigmi dovranno essere risolti. Con la pazienza e l’indagine. Yog Sothoth è una delle figure più “psichiche” di tutto l’universo lovecraftiano, ma è anche una delle meno materialmente identificate.

Many times people see the word “collaboration” and think it’s some small-scale thing that two or three artists come together to create a different sound than what they typically perform. But if you’re at all familiar with the label of Cryo Chamber then you know that the world collaboration means something special once a year. It means something epic, expansive, dark, and beautiful is coming. For the fourth time, twenty different artists have come together to proclaim their love for H.P. Lovecraft. This time embodying the entity locked outside the very universe: Yog-Sothoth.

Having taken in more of SiJ's music since my first dabbling last year, I'm surprised he's ended up with a couple albums on Cryo Chamber. For sure his style of dark ambient and sonic experiments works within the label's overall manifesto (cinematic drone, and all that), but his sense of sombre melancholy feels more benign than this genre typically goes. He's less about the bleak outlook and crippling depression, and more about quiet contemplation, reflective of inner struggles rather than chaotic turmoil. Or perhaps it's music capturing the moments following the strife, of accepting complacency, the calm of clarity that comes when all hope is finally lost. Not a cheering thought.

I’ve never given too much thought to picking a soundtrack to accompany my Submechanophobia, defined by Google search as “the fear of submerged objects.” And yet, Cryo Chamber has released just that: a nightmarish paean to one of Lovecraft’s enduring horrors that dredges sunless oceans to dump its aural harvest of dread squirming fresh upon the slab...

Cryo Chamber are continuing to push the limits of what fans can expect from them. The label has been incredibly successful over the last few years in bringing a new generation of listeners to the genre of dark ambient. Through a heavy presence on Youtube and Spotify, Cryo Chamber prove that the use of these free channels of listening can and will result in increased overall exposure and the slow but steady recruitment of die-hard followers that will ultimately support the label for years to come.

Не Пхурпой единой, как говорится, земля русская воспевает хвалы древним божествам Гималайских гор. Уже давно ушедший от электронной музыки в этнографические исследования и путешествия Сергей Габбасов (Bardo, Vazhes) собрал немало полевых записей в своих поездках по Азии, особое место среди которых заняли скитания по стране Шанг-Шунг — бывшему тибетскому королевству, родине религии Бон, существование которого официальная наука датирует 5-6 веками до нашей эры, чтобы передать их на "переосмысление" севастопольскому проекту SiJ, дабы получить в итоге данное издание на шведском лейбле GTERMA, в каталоге которого уже немало подобного отнюдь не востребованного массовой культурой материала.

A truly unique and monumental undertaking is the reason for our review today.  For more than one year, 20 dark ambient/drone artists from different parts of the globe linked their studios and sounds for the ability to work with one another; the ability to pay tribute to H.P. Lovecraft.  The result is the new double CD, Yog-Sothoth; the 4th release in the Lovecraftian series.

For the last fifteen years, Dmitry Vasilyev has been documenting the experimental music scene all over the world thanks to his label, podcast and the many concerts he puts on in Russian and Ukraine.

The question of the infinite in regards to a poetic text – be it prose, paint or performed on an instrument – is unlikely to have been far from the mind of Raffaele Pezzella when curating this two hour plus compilation of twenty-two tracks from twenty-two separate projects. Something which can forever be returned to and which reveals an ever increasing scope must surely be considered fathomless. This is firmly rooted within the concept of the labyrinth. A musical path is laid out. Curated. It is a trail which requires your trust, your submission. To embark upon such a journey demands a receptive mind.

Russian artists Vladislav Sikach and Sergey Epifanov aka Sij and Item Caligo, joined hands to release this common work revealing 8 compositions. Both artists are truly work-addicts having released an impressive number of productions during the past years. Sij is also used to working with other artists; the list is too long to mention all other names he collaborated with, but you’ll find bands such as Textere Oris, Paul Minesweeper, Creation VI, Particula, Astral & Shit...