TAiR-s third long-term artist-in-residency is a musician duo from Russia: Delicate Features. The duo was formed in St. Petersburg in 2013 by a musician Pavel Diakov and a singer Radmila Nikogosian. The musicians kept a low profile during the first two years. The press even called them the «secret Saint-Petersburg’s treasure ». The duo did not perform. In spite of that, in August 2014 their debut album “The Passenger” was released by the reputed Los Angeles based record label Not Not Fun.Big online magazines such as Tiny Mixtapes and No Fear of Pop write “Delicate Features combines layers of frigid ambiance with seductive undertones and soothing vocals”. Described as “misty synth-jazz with windswept new age memory pop” their musical influences are rather wide. Delicate Features moves in their own way while leading us to the unknown and entrancing with every step. The duo often uses folk instruments in their tracks. Every sound becomes valuable in wandering improvisations with Radmila’s mystic elvish voice.
Soon after the release of their debute work, the duo played their first shows at such large internetional festivals as Electro-Mechanica festival where they performed together with artists like Kode9, William Basinski, Legowelt, Candie Hank, Ben Frost and other gurus of contemporary electronic music scene; and European Biennale of Contemporary Art Manifesta, the show took place in one of the halls of Saint-Petersburg Hermitage Museum (Winter Palace). Later on the band performed in different festivals and clubs of Saint-Petersburg and Moscow.
The second album «Sky Of Earth» by Delicate Features, released on Not Not Fun also received high appreciation among listeners and press, demonstrating a very elegant way of combining electonic music with other genre like folk, black metal, dance music.
Tiny Mixtapes pointed out: Sky Of Earth below that smooths out all the love and kindness this world has to offer. А Kevin Cole – program director of one of the world’s most popular American independent radiostations K.E.X.P fm in one of his interviews to S7 magazine sais, that he would gladly use Delicate Features tracks during his broadcast. Also added that – such music projects amaze him because of such a natural sound of electronic music…
After the release of their second album, Delicate Features played conserts in Russia and Europe, among them, performance at one of the world’s most famous show cases – Tallinn Music Week, and shows at Saint-Petersburg Art-center Nevsky 179.
Musicians confess that their songs are emotional splashes, constantly moving and changing in unpredictable directions. “We don’t know how it will develop when we start recording a track, we don’t try to follow a certain style or framework, the only thing that’s important for us is that we don’t lie to ourselves. And it makes each track a living organism that you want to explore.”
The residency in Tartu
“We would like to study a variety of folk creative activities of Setumaa: songs, music, dances, fairy tales, legends, proverbs, riddles, games. It is also very interesting to learn more about calendar and family ceremonies, work and trades, because everyday life of any nation is reflected in the folk songs, each ritual action is accompanied with sound and image.”
During the residency Radmilla and Pavel plan to:
– Visit the habitats of the Setumaa in the adjacent areas of Estonia (the counties of Võrumaa and Põlvamaa) and in the Pechora region of the Pskov region.
– Visit events http://www.visitsetomaa.ee/events
– Collect field material (Field ethnography (German Feldforschung, English Field work). Record live Setumaa songs.
– Study the material, use it in our own work. The creation of musical works using these records, as well as attempts to reproduce the folk motifs of the Setu in modern processing.
– Creation of a mini album, inspired by the culture of Setumaa. Possibly take part in local festivals, as well as on a radio show.
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Delicate Features: https://delicatefeatures.bandcamp.com/
Delicate Features: https://delicatefeatures.bandcamp.com/