Stanislav Tolkachev - Depth Of Light

Recording info

'Go. I don't need you anyway. You were only holding me back. You, with your rigid ways and impenetrable exterior; I'm not like you. I need movement, fluidity. Freedom. Expression. Feelings. I need to be alive. This emotionless, glass-eyed view of the world that's your vision. And you held me to it, like some sort of prisoner. Yes, that's what you are. You're shackles. Iron bars disguised as safety. You thought I would stay with you forever, in the limbo of that grounded shrinking quadrant, drip-fed. Your pet. Your lab rat. For a while there I totally lost myself, sinking further and further under your sedation. Life became colourless. And then there was nothing. But in the curlicues of deep encompassing darkness, that's when I realised: I wasn't the weak one. It was you all along. You needed me. I was the prop that stopped you from falling down. Well, no more. This ends now. It's time we became unbound. I release you. Go. Be free.'

Grey Series 04 comes from the farthest corner of Eastern Europe courtesy of Ukrainian techno pioneer, photographer and designer Stanislav Tolkachev. Like the sullen eerie beauty of his black and white photography, Tolkachev's music explores the darker, surreal fringes of electronic music in its purest, rawest state. Retroactive seams run through his audio and visual output to date from the grainy analogue qualities of his Detroit facing sound, through to the classic stills that emboss his discography. They are almost one and the same, both challenging and re-contextualising the past with modern sentiment, agendas and hidden meanings pursing with intrigue and ambiguity. 'Depth of light' sees Tolkachev plot more intoxicating, caustic dream sequences, translating fitful night terrors into a diverse and multifunctional EP. Beginning with the woozy title track we confront fears ('Like a cat's shadow') and anxieties ('Break something that breaks you') on the feverish A-side, before flipping over for reserved reprieve ('No home no flag') and acid-washed revenge ('Don't shit on your own doorstep'). And then we awake. Tired, sweaty, but satisfied.