Top image: Photography by Masha Demianova

Hailing from Moscow, Russian musician Kedr Livanskiy – whose real name is Yana Kedrina – began to gain international recognition outside of the underground scene via her woozy lead single Ariadna, released this summer. Since then, Kedr has dropped her debut full record – a dreamlike mix of ethereal beats coupled with Kedr’s whimsical vocals, delivered in her native Russian – in September to critical acclaim.

Initially trying her luck as a producer in order to break out of a period of depression, Livanskiy downloaded music software Ableton and found a source of escapism and focus; since that discovery, Kedr has compared the process of making music to ‘magic’ and even ‘sessions of psychoanalysis.’ Drawing influence from the seminal period of 80s electronic music in Izhevsk – a remote city often hailed as Russia’s most consistent source of electronic music – Kedr channels this creativity through her use of analog synthesizers, such as Roland’s SH-101 and Juno 106, resulting in a pulsating ride that segues between future and nostalgia.

Here we talk to Kedr about her upbringing in the Russian capital and the intrinsic presence the city has in her sound.

Violet Conroy: How did you initially get into making music? 
Kedr Livanskiy: I started playing in a punk band at the age of nineteen. The group only existed for two years, but I quickly realised that I found this form of creativity too monotonous and narrow, so it became uninteresting and I left the group. I was searching for myself in those years and really wanted to create, so I studied at film school but during the learning process I realised that this type of work means cooperating with many people and as it turned out, teamwork is not for me. So I left school and I ended up falling into a depression. During this low period, I downloaded Ableton and started making music myself, and it turned out to be the perfect creative process for me; you do not need to depend on anyone else, you just do everything yourself. I was always fond of music, but it seemed very difficult to get into it alone, but, as it turned out, I just needed the right push. The music pulled me out of that depressive hole, and allowed me to experience the world around me again. This is most ideal and natural form of expression for me.

Violet: Talk me through your experience whilst making your new album, Ariadna? 
Kedr: The work on my first EP was quite spontaneous as I had little experience and I did everything using my intuition. Afterwards, for several years I became interested in other aspects of the process so it became more interesting for me to play with form and structure. On this album I wanted to work more diversely, with live instruments as well, which allowed me to delve deeper into the musical process and once again I realised that, for me the process is much more significant than the result. Of course, the result is important, but that is a completely different aspect of the music. The process of the work is magic, it’s like having sessions of psychoanalysis. When I looked at the songs that I like the most, I realised they told a story. I wanted the album to have varied songs reflecting one individual’s many different life experiences.

“…the fact there is no longer an Iron Curtain is relevant since I’m able to share my music with the world, as well as listen to any music I want to which obviously wasn’t possible when the USSR strictly controlled what music was coming in.”

“It is unclear how a group of people managed to achieve such an amazing sound without access to world music, they formed their own scene and discovered a musical genre which was already present for the rest of the world.”

Violet: How has Izhevsk, a seminal period of electronic music in 80s Russia, inspired your sound? Which artists in particular really changed things for you? 
Kedr: During the second half of the 80s in the USSR almost no foreign music penetrated the Iron Curtain and people were not allowed to go abroad. While the electronic revolution had already taken place all over the rest of the world, only bands such as The Beatles and Led Zeppelin reached Russia. In the underground scene there was only rock ‘n’ roll, jazz, punk and something close to synth pop which functioned within these genres. There was very little experimental music and much less electronic music too. It is unclear how a group of people managed to achieve such an amazing sound without access to world music, they formed their own scene and discovered a musical genre which was already present for the rest of the world. I have personally been influenced by bands like Stuk Bambuka v 11 Chasov and Samci Dronta who were creating music during this time.

Violet: Your new track Ariadna comes across as rather mythical and utopian. Why is this quality of escapism present in the music that you make? 
Kedr: It’s not exactly escapism, just an expression of certain feelings and sensations that cannot be described with images of the real world. Although in part, maybe it is escapism. Not all of the images in my songs are mythical, but by using the cultural inheritance that spoke to me and my spirit, I was able to draw parallels with modern life and my worldview.

Violet: What part do Russian politics and the decomposition of the Soviet Union play in the sound of your music and the approach you take?
Kedr: Politics don’t affect the creation of my music. However the fact there is no longer an Iron Curtain is relevant since I’m able to share my music with the world, as well as listen to any music I want to which obviously wasn’t possible when the USSR strictly controlled what music was coming in.

Violet: How has growing up on the outskirts of Moscow influenced you as a person?
Kedr: While I was growing up the country was in such a mess that the city centre of Moscow was practically no different from the outskirts, that was the kind of atmosphere at the time. It was only the presence of cultural monuments that distinguished these two worlds from each other. Today, of course everything is different. The outskirts of Moscow have become cultural themselves and as always there is more freedom and fewer eyes on you – there are corners in which no one will find you. The reality of the suburbs is the same but not as vividly expressed as the city centre, so there is a place for imagination in which you can populate it with your own images.

Kedr Livanskiy: Ariadna is out now via 2MR.
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