A Colorful Blend of Genres
Russian musician and producer Yana Kedrina, professionally known as Kedr Livanskiy, has returned with her first solo release since 2021’s Liminal Soul, entitled K-Notes. This house-, dub-, and breakbeat-inspired EP provides listeners with a change from the dream pop compositions heard on her duo Kosaya Gora’s most recent album, and instead focuses on a much more danceable sound.
The first track on K-Notes, “With Love K…,” is a perfect mix of light and groovy. The tune begins with a loud yet thin breakbeat, which is accompanied by low synth bass notes. Kedrina’s airy vocals are soon heard, and her soft, delayed murmurs echo from ear to ear. This track’s bold synth bass ties the piece together very well, and is a bit reminiscent of the instrumentals heard on Magdalena Bay’s tune “2 Wheel Drive.”
“Kayf Mir” is a distinctive and ambient yet funky track, with delicate chords that are played over a driving drumbeat. Again, the bass notes guide the piece, serving as the foundation and establishing a great sense of urgency in this high-BPM track. Lingering, resonant chords swell over Kedrina’s “oohs” and “ahs” until they fade out and settle.
The title track begins with sustained accordion-like chords played over some glitchy blips and piercing high-hat hits. Brassy synth lines are heard before Kedrina makes an entrance with the melody. The robotic, glitchy noises provide an interesting contrast to the catchy drumbeat and soft chords played throughout this track.
The backbone of “Reflex People” is the groovy yet goofy synth line heard during the majority of the track. It has a similar quality to the iconic brassy synth line from the intro of “Who Dat Boy” by Tyler, the Creator. While this song is initially catchy with a driving pulse, the vibe suddenly changes when full, ethereal chords are played over Kedrina’s reverberant vocals. Soft yet sharp, spaced-out high-hat sounds then unexpectedly lead back into the tune’s usual funky feel.
The final track, “Stop This Way,” contains choppy, EDM inspired synth notes played over what sounds like a pan flute. Kedrina’s vocals range from full to soft during this track, and tend to reflect the quality and dynamics of the different instruments. This tune has a catchy and expressive melody, filled with tambourine-like sounds, sporadic percussion hits, and instruments that were heard in the beginning of the track that layer on top of one another.
Overall, Kedr Livanskiy was very successful in bringing this multi-genre album to life. The various instruments and eccentric sounds heard throughout this EP add lots of color. As a whole, it combines elements of different musical styles exceptionally well.
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