X.Y.R.

Short for Xram Yedinennogo Razmuwlenuja, X.Y.R. functions as the ambient solo outlet of Russian musician Vladimir Karpov. Drawing on analog synthesizers, looping devices, effects pedals, and field recordings, he constructs gently bubbling, softly rhythmic soundscapes suited to prolonged introspective listening. Although the results remain relaxed, gentle, and agreeable, an undercurrent of solitude runs through the music, suggesting isolation on a desert island—or, in the instance of 2014’s Arktika, amid Arctic surroundings. Before launching X.Y.R., Karpov had performed with the experimental Cherepovets ensemble 2muchachos; the project’s first appearance came via the 2012 Singapore Sling Tapes release Robinson Crusoe (Lost Soundtrack). After moving to St. Petersburg, he issued cassettes on Constellation Tatsu and Illuminated Paths alongside further digital material. Near the close of 2015, Los Angeles-based Not Not Fun Records put out the cassette Mental Journey to B.C.; two years later the same label issued his first vinyl album, Labyrinth, together with the companion tape Reflections.