Ukrainian electronica with a hard edge and many beats…it’s the latest package from Dmytro Fedorenko in Berlin and it’s Istyna (PROSTIR +10 / SONG 33) by Zavoloka. Kateryna Zavoloka has I think been involved with the packaging and design of releases for as long as I can remember – about 20 years if we include her visual work for Nexsound, which is a predecessor label to Prostir and I Shall Sing Until My Land Is Free. Fedorenko and Zavoloka have also worked together as Cluster Lizard.
Today’s item may represent a new purity or simplicity in her music, or an attempt to get back to original motivations…the title Istyna simply means “the truth” in Ukrainian, which is a scarce enough commodity in today’s world to the extent that it’s pretty much on the endangered species list…and especially when it comes to discussions or reportage about global affairs. If earlier work was more hard-edged and abstract, today Kateryna Zavoloka is making a bid for melody, light, rhythm, and a directness in her approach that is very welcome. She’s also making connections to the homeland she knows and loves so well, even recording and sampling traditional instruments from that part of world and including them in the layers of the finished release. These samples – if indeed that’s what they are – are so perfectly integrated with the music that we have to conclude that “seamless blend” is indeed what she’s managed to achieve.
Very enjoyable set of tunes, very upbeat and shining with a defiant optimism, even when there’s a cloud or two of anguish and melancholy informing the mood in the background. Even the cover art shows she has moved away from her usual sharp-cornered geometric shapes in favour of a wispy mood-enhancing playfulness. (06/05/2025)