BIONIKA

It has been way too long since there has been an album from one of my favourite Russian experimental prog bands, but finally, after a gap of four years, they are back with their eighth studio album, 'Bionika'. I have been fortunate to review all of their releases to date, enjoying them all, but yet again we have had a significant change in line-up with only founder member Konstantin Mochalov (guitar) still there from 'The Big Adventure' while Anton Efimov (guitar), who played on some earlier releases has returned, and they have been joined by Daria Solovyeva (beats, synths), and Nikolay Filimonov (bass). Anton was the person who sent me the album to review, but I thought nothing of that as he has sent me many releases by the excellent Addicted label over the years, and he did not tell me he was back on this one.

Apparently, the concept of this album came together in the Bio-Organic Music Lounge at Disen Gage's New Year "corporate party" on 29/12/2021, where Alexei Borisov (Nochnoi Prospect, F.R.U.I.T.S., Astma) brought fellow musicians Eugene Voronovsky (Cisfinitum) and Misha 'MOX' Salnikov and everyone started talking about a collaboration between Disen Gage and these noise/ambient artists (who are all credited on the album cover) to create something which was aligned to the experimental roots from one side, and the ambient from the other. The result is something which is aligned to the band's earlier works as well as feeling closely related to New York's Gridfailure. As with the rest of their works this is not something which can be played in the background but needs to be listened to intently on headphones, is not something which can be fully understood on the first time of playing and will definitely not be to everyone's tastes.

This is abstract, industrial, experimental, with notes and instruments being brought in and out, layers of sound being used to create emotional responses with some being fuzzed and distorted, others being clean and clear. Sometimes it feels as if no-one knows what they are doing, while there can be focussed vision at others, the true reality is that this is music which creates an audio image in our ears which is both compelling and disturbing. Organic, yet with hard edges, this is for people who want to be adventurous and feel that Can and Art Zoyd never pushed hard enough.

"Bionika" is the 8th full?length album by Disen Gage, whose "trademark" is the 2008 release "... The Reverse May Be True" - one of the best discs of Russian progressive rock in its entire history. However, it is not worth comparing "Bionics" with the aforementioned disc or any other Disen Gage release - for example, the magnificent penultimate "The Big Adventure" (2019). The Moscow formation, led by guitarist Konstantin Mochalov, tries not to repeat itself, their albums are surprisingly diverse, and it is almost impossible to fit the band's music into some stylistic framework. The reviewed release has a pronounced improvisational "essence", but at the same time it bears little resemblance to such "jam-oriented" albums of the ensemble as "Libertage" (2006) and "Snapshots" (2016) ? there is much more ambient, as well as electronica and noise. The track "Free Prize" is generally closest to two "non?rockish" Disen Gage albums - "Hybrid State" (2017) and "Nature" (2018). A significant part of "Bionika" is a rather monotonous, rhythmic, atmospheric, instrumental (minus spoken words) music that is able to fascinate with the atmosphere and attention to sound delights. Personally, I was pleased and surprised by the work on the organ part in the final "Clap Your Hands". Although "Bionics" hooked less than the aforementioned "... The Reverse May Be True" and "The Big Adventure", I believe that this release is a creative success of Disen Gage; it can be recommended to all fans of experimental improvisational forms of progressive rock at the junction of "guitar" and "electronica". And you can be happy for Mochalov and his colleagues that they continue to move forward, despite all the existing obstacles and restrictions.