Love is in the air again! Russian electro pop duo Magnetic Poetry is back at Lilystars Records to release its five-song EP Far Away on June 27th, 2014. Following up last October’s dreamy single “That’s True, Love,” this new collection is hypnotic, intriguing, dance-inducing audible love.
This is no surprise. The Moscow-based DIY-duo (Oksana Ivashinin on vocals, Dima Ivashinin on guitars/synth, both on sound creation) use their love of music, each other, and making music together as their medium to share love with the rest of the world. “We love each other so it’s all that keeps us going, especially music-wise,” says Oksana. “We like to create everything ourselves and we try not to involve people in the process. So eventually you film and record, and make cover arts yourself – that makes it all meaningful – the creative process inspired by relationship.”
The (music) lovers come from very 80’s influences including hardcore Italo disco, 80’s hip hop, new wave and industrial. Growing up with The Beatles and brit pop, Oksana’s big 80‘s crush is on American girl trio The Flirts while Dima’s ear tuned to Ace of Base, George Michael, Laskovy May, and Modern Talking among others. Both are fans of Kraftwerk which they dub “the essence of dance music and electronica.”
The songs included on Far Away demonstrate these influences but also show how far the twain have come since the innocent charm of “That’s True, Love.” This time Oksana’s gentle vocals undulate in and out of beats in more brazen, sampled fragments, broken apart and brought together again with much more experimentation. The new collection adds dimensions revealing a maturity of composition.
“Noone Knows” shows Kraftwerk influence but also industrial complexity, as does “Safe By Your Side.” Vocals start as rhythmic samples – the human voice becomes another instrument, a sound effect constructing the song with the other building blocks of synth, guitar, keys and electronic drums. “Lost” is the boldest mix, with the layers of voice forming the main part of the instrumentation, then stripping back to just one line of voice sample.
Simple childhood sweetness fills the heart with “Dance Together” as Oksana sings, “Take me by the hand like there’s no war and there’s no lie, just let’s dance together.” “Home Forever” likewise starts as a simple theme of safety and comfort guised as 80’s new wave simplicity but evolves into richly textured rhythmic patterns, beautiful bits of sound chopped and rearranged to create a symphony of sound.
Though their influences are many, the creative layerings of rhythm and sound are Magnetic Poetry’s own, summoning all lovers of love and music to dance!
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