Foresteppe - Diafilms (2015)

"Egor Klochikhin (Foresteppe) evokes an idealized Russian past, filling Diafilms with field recordings, colorful instrumentation, cellophane static and sampled Russian monologues. At times the tape seems to wobble, but it’s not the tape – it’s the patina of memory, an imitation of an ancient cassette on a new cassette. The tape casts a spell similar to that of an ancient folk tale: a brook babbles, a bear turns in his den, the sound of bells is cast upon the wind. Somewhere, an old man and woman are making a child out of snow.

The music is a perfect reflection of a lost art. The diafilm – a series of 20-40 celluloid strips – was popular in the 50s and 60s, but only in the Eastern Bloc. Still images with dialogue, similar to those found in children’s books, were projected on the wall as a narrator read the accompanying story. The tape wobble is meant to evoke the often unsteady image. The physical package is a time capsule, a souvenir from a bygone era. It’s a gem of a release from Foresteppe and yet another triumph for Klammklang Tapes."

Tracklist:
1.01 - Foresteppe - Playschool (6:05)
1.02 - Foresteppe - The Snow House (4:22)
1.03 - Foresteppe - Sweet Bear Dream (4:04)
1.04 - Foresteppe - Talephone (7:17)
1.05 - Foresteppe - A Boy & an Elk (2:03)
1.06 - Foresteppe - Golden Hair (9:42)
1.07 - Foresteppe - You Should Know Where You're Going To (7:14)
1.08 - Foresteppe - Masha I Podushka (6:30)