Aether Gust

LP+CD

2023

Ltd.300

Comes nestled in a thick crafted carboard black embossed sheath. Oxy is a transient project combining talents of Ivan Pavlov, better known as CoH, and Sasha Galianov, the main force behind the electronic sound of the avant-garde performance collective Shortparis. The two once met at a festival where they performed a semi-improvised live set. The first performance sparked mutual interest in continuing joint experimentation, which, after a series of concerts, eventually led to this studio recording

The name of the album is constructed of the two titles presented each on one side of the LP. The first side, Aether, delivers a powerfully charged contemplative exploration, in which the two seem to carefully study the sound of each other's instruments. The search for balance between the analogue and the digital reveals a murky terrain of focused sonic pressure interwoven with potent silence filled with echoes. Towards the end, Aether, amorphous in the beginning, gains structure and rhythm, as if preparing the listener to its more agitated sequel, Gust

Side two, starting with trademark minimalistic patterns of CoH quickly picks up in intensity and wanders into the domains of digital heavy-metal, in which Sasha's menacing guitar riffs are meticulously disjointed in favour of power focus. Then Gust takes the listener through a minor apocalypse, past a few relieving joyful moments of temporal enlightenment, and towards a strange peace found in a disorienting, synth-framed collage of acoustic guitar sounds. Aether Gust is a record that requires listener's full attention, offering in return a captivating journey though peculiar landscapes at the intersection of the worlds of the two adventurous music explorers, exchanging their sonic beliefs and passions

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