More aural generosity from Ilia Belorukov on his solo set I Did What Was Possible To Quiet Us (SPECTROPOL SpecT 28), where it seems as though he’s trying to hold down a one-man avant garde movement on his own terms, as if to over-compensate for the general lack of musical experimentation in his mother country (Russia)…in five tracks, experimenting wildly across genres (ambient drone, free improv sax playing, electro-acoustic composition, and what-have-you) using his formidable skills to arrange many compelling “granular soundscapes”, as the back cover will have it…what’s interesting here is how some of these combined tones verge on turning into a form of experimental easy-listening, so tasteful and mellow is the overall vibe, yet somehow you can’t hate the man for his multiplicity of ideas or his fondness for processed sounds. In this instance, he’s particularly good with his use of tape loops, even if they have in fact been generated without using magnetic tape, a technique which can’t fail to pull the listener into a friendly vortex of warm and pleasant bubble-bath. The very title of this set implies some sort of compassion and care, applied in a potentially dangerous or hysterical situation. Belorukov would be useful in an emergency, doing everything he can to comfort the wounded, albeit he’s not a qualified medico. From 18 September 2014.
