tracks by acos coolkas, d-pulse and an-2

an-2 and samos have turned the clock back to finish off a couple of sessions theyd recorded together years back. maxim samos is our keen friend and sophisticated guitar player from minsk, belarus that we know for years. his first appearance on theomatic was back in 2008 with space-rock tune alpha storm, which received lots of positive feedback and found its way to the prins thomas live at robert johnson compilation. as well as guitars, maxim can play almost any string instrument and, on one of his erstwhile trips to istanbul, he dropped by a music store, picked up a saz and immediately set it alight, blowing away the entire staff. after scoring a big discount, he came out, clutching it in his hands. an-2 commented on samos playing on the saz during one of his first visits to minsk, and immediately suggested cutting a track together something that took 10 years, but the wait’s been worth it. what weve got is surreal halal-acid-folk-disco affair, perfect for whirling dervishes or dancing the dhikr. the storys continued on the b-side, where were treated to a tale of trips in a gti, before finishing with a nordic saga about cold fronts coming at us from behind the polar circle.

theomatic is back with a surprise 12-inch from the labels mainman an-2. mint ep is a collection of four space-boogie jams spanning a variety of moods and tempos that have been recorded over the period of last couple of years. the lo-fi beats and pulsating kalimba-esque arpeggios on sigint create an instant feel of a sci-fi movie soundtrack, while an ultra-deep kick drum and a punchy bass on mint is a sure way to test your speaker performance. things get more chilled and pensive on the flipside with dusky downtowns brooding synthwork and rolling pads taking you on a stroll along glittering neon-lit city streets. last, but not least, amberflames take on dusky downtown is a steaming affair that uses tight compression and lush synths and to create that special euphoric dancefloor moment.

the eighteenth theomatic installment comes courtesy of amberflame. the a-side unique is a lean towards the early-naughties dancefloor-oriented french electronica with a certain amount of delicate synthwork and contemporary crisp blended in. the laidback and melancholic ultraviolet, on the flipside, would, without any doubt, make a perfect soundtrack to a sunset drive down the coast… with a beautiful lady… in a convertible.

approaching theomatics tenth anniversary, andrey zakharov aka an-2 brings together sunset stories, the first true long play released on the label. the six tracks , including previously unreleased ode to andromeda and elegy fm, represent an-2s very best production from 2006 to 2011.

7he myriads debut on theomatic with the stellar betelgeuse ep

as hot as ever the new ep from our siberian disco friends is finally landing into theomatic’s catalogue. the title track solar wind is a rhodes driven hands-in-the-air early night anthem: simple yet powerful, just the way we like it! the flipside features an offbeat cosmic number “planetarium” which sounds like a perfect soundtrack for some colourful sci-fi cartoon about the early years of space exploration, with all those rockets, flying saucers, stars and comets with long tails. the bonus track (available as a digital download only) is named after the soviet moon exploration robot vehicle lunokhod 2 (’moon walker’ in russian) which was sent to the moon in 1973. being rather minimalistic at the begining it slowly evolves and reaches its apogee closer to the end with calm and beautiful melody which leaves the listener in a peaceful mood

after two years an-2 is breaking the silence with his new ep demonstrating a fully refreshed sonic palette he has been in the search of. built over a quirky synth bass line, >beside me< is filled with all the right melodic elements that walk a thin line between sounding baroque yet minimalistic at the same time. >chronos<, named after the greek god of time, rolls on like the second hand on a clock face - surely fit for an early night dance floor it will never become an anachronism in your record collection. and finally, >dare< which combines all the usual suspects: a funky bass guitar, dreamy arpeggios and ethereal pads - is set to please any discerning crowd!

a year after the initial digital release heres the long awaited nugget for all the vinyl lovers: d-pulse >velocity of love< with the new richer sound and the additional vinyl-only remixes. after a lot has been said about the original track and hot toddys mix (which was recently licensed for the ministry of sounds >late night sessions< compilation) these two new remixes resting on the side b are definitely worth to be mentioned. mario basanov (hailing from lithuania) really surprised us all with his musical thinking and a fresh point of view on the original track and also - by finishing such a quality mix in only 3 (!) days. the second mix that finishes off the ep was done by the new name from izhevsk - andrew starodumov aka eclectic sound (previously featured on our >obscured by the machines< compilation). his mix is a nice background for coastal chilling under the soft evening sunbeams. enjoy

when we heard pompeya for the first time and were told they were from moscow, we were like: - what!? are you kidding? this is probably the first russian band singing in english with such a classy brit touch and male vocal being very strong and sophisticated at the same time. they jestingly describe their style as >melodramatic popular song< and >cheenese< is indeed a very dramatic piece with simple yet powerful composition and lyrics that really make big sense. the original is very well supported by a bunch of remixes each of which is unique on its own. an-2 & samos come with a warm, relaxed and funky instrumental version which is followed by a blockbuster mix from moscow disquo maestro leonid lipelis (an entirely perfect dance version of the original that could ever exist) and finally, for those few sirs and mesdames who are not yet aesthetically satisfied and who still find themselves seated while others jump and shout, here come d-pulse with their paranoid mix that gathers the thunderclouds to the full darkness and - at the end - lets the revival sunbeams break through.

this is a long awaited release on theomatic from a russian-born (now czech-based) house-quartet d-pulse. this definitely should have happened before as all d-pulse members and theomatic’s commander andrei zakharov (an-2) are fellow-townsmen and have known each over many years. d-pulse are known for their expressive live performances (guitar, bass and keys), everything you hear they play live and their unique vibe can shake any audience, be it hip moscow cuties or shy hick-town chicks. the band’s hectic schedule has put this ep on hold for several months, but at last guys managed to organize themselves and lay final touches to the production. the a-side is a mellow, spaced-out disco jam called ‘prekrasna’ - the russian for ‘beautiful’, especially when referred to ladies. the dancefloor-aimed ‘moments’ on the flip side starts off with hypnotic, dubbed-out guitar and atmospheric synths laid over fat house beat. it gradually leads to the breakdown followed by guitar driven blast-off and takes you to the orbital heights from wherever you are.

joining forces with the minsk-based whiz kid maxim samos, who makes his second appearance on theomatic, an-2 delivers two mid-paced numbers that naturally blend the elements of funk, rock and disco. sometime you may find yourself in a mood when you are not worried about past troubles and there is a calm confidence that from now on everything in the future will be just fine. and this is what the new theomatic release from an-2 is about.

theomatic celebrates its 10th release with an-2’s epic ‘viajero’. spanish for ‘voyager’, ‘viajero’ is a dedication to all travellers and the spirit of travel. it’s about the fact that every traveller searching for better place on earth every time ends up with the same - meets himself. the track is a result of a long work, waves that you hear in the background is pacific ocean recorded at machalilla national park in ecuador while guitar was recorded in izhevsk, russia - an-2’s hometown, it’s performed by ramil vafin, keen guitarist, guitar maker and big friend of an-2, finally it all found it’s way together in an-2’s st.petersburg studio. the remix comes courtesy of the ever excellent duo acos coolkas

maxim samos - a new artist and sophiscated guitar player joined the theomatic family. he comes with explosive rusty and dusty space-rock influenced tune - >alpha storm<. taking the idea to the higher levels of perception an-2 will leave you breathless with dancefloor friendly remix spinning wheels with its motoric bassline

excellent disco flavoured deep spacin techhouse !! the seventh theomatic release represents the unbeatable fact that besides chilling during the last summer an-2 didnt give up his studio work. put together the wide open spaces, shining sun, seashore, cool breeze and warm summer nights, add some outdoor recording, phazed synthlines, rhodes piano, engage a good friend to cut the burnin guitar solo, put on the decent beats seasoned with smooth bass guitar and you get the >wide open< ep

wings - another doubletracker from andrei zakharov aka an-2 on his own theomatic. this record as well as the previous >diva< is performed in diptych concept which means that both tracks have common elements and build perspectives to the same idea but from different points of view. slow, hardstepping and austere fatal version vs. light and bright vital version. musically both tracks is a versatile combination where funk and disco organically intergate the techno elements... support from sasse & c-rock

acos coolkas are konstantin atomas and vasiliy basalaev from omsk, russia. omsk by the way is the largest city of southern siberia situated at the crossing of transsiberian magistral and the irtysh river - 2500 kilometers from moscow to the east. its pretty hard to imagine where it is unless you are a geography expert. however - there are people that produce electronic music like this living there.acos coolkas are mainly known in russia for their domestic works and releases and >skyline< is one of their first releases abroad and first (but definitely not the last) appearance on theomatic. their atmospheric, freshness-breathing house seasoned original version supported by andrei zakharov aka an-2 with his more-serious-attitude-to-the-things stratospheric disco story on b-side

excellent minimal electrofied techhouse, stonecold and sure shot