Description

One Little Independent Records are delighted to present Aralkum Aralas by Galya Bisengalieva. Recycled vinyl made entirely from production offcuts and nonconforming product.

Kazakh artist Galya Bisengalieva’s debut album was released by One Little Independent Records in September 2020 and is a concept record about the shrinking of the Aral Sea, which has been called one of the “20th century’s more jaw-dropping ecological catastrophes, a consequence of the Soviet-era policy of diverting the two tributary rivers to irrigate cotton plants across Central Asia” (NY Times)

Roughly a year later, Galya is releasing Aralkum Aralas. In Kazakh aralas means mixed/reworked. Galya has thoughtfully curated a remix album of artists to respond to her work having previously commissioned new compositions for her to record for her own label NOMAD Music Productions. Those musicians are; Coby Sey, Jing, Moor Mother, Jlin, CHAINES and Nazira. Galya approached artists whose practise she judged would resonate with her source material and bring new light to the narrative. She was interested in getting responses from artists from such diverse backgrounds as Taiwanese, British, American and Kazakh and approached previous collaborators for their insight into her voice.

Galya collaborated with Moor Mother (Philadelphia based interdisciplinary artist, Camae Ayewa) during her Feb 2020 CAFE OTO residency as well as supporting and performing rher 2019 free verse poem The Great Bailout at the Barbican. British composer CHAINES has worked extensively with Galya who commissioned them to write a piece for her second release EP TWO in May 2019. Nazira is a fellow Kazakh, hailing from Galya’s home town of Almaty. She is a resident at Room 4 Resistance in Berlin, as well as a key figure in Kazakhstan’s emerging club scene. Coby Sey is connected to Galya via shared experiences performing with Mica Levi as well as being an admirer of his productions. Likewise, Galya selected Taiwanese born composer and writer Jing who’s dreamlike ‘Psychiatric Population’ EP was released on the 6dimensions label in 2020. The album is rounded out with a piece from the IDM post-footwork iconoclast Jlin.

Each track of Aralkum Aralas tells something of the dark history the piece is meditating on. Kantubek is a ghost town on an island in the disappeared sea. Currently in ruins and deserted in 1992, it housed the Soviet Union’s top-secret Aralsk-7 biological weapons research. Moynaq is a city in northern Karakalpakstan in western Uzbekistan, a former port whose population has declined precipitously as the water receded. Barsa-Kelmes was the largest island in the lake, now the site of toxic salt dust storms. Zhalanash is an ex-fishing village, whose old harbor contained several ship hulls, left standing in the desert. Kokaral is the name of the dam which was finished in 2005 in an attempt to save a portion of water.

As well as being a composer, Galya relishes curation, with deep thought having gone into her commissions for her first two releases; EP ONE and TWO. With Aralkum Aralas she continues to champion experimental sounds and celebrate the space between electronic and acoustic music.

“Aralkum feels like a deep meditation on our interaction with and responsibility for nature. Between the menacing dissonance of “Moynaq” and the swelling harmonies of “Zhalanash”, an elegy morphs into inspiration.” Bandcamp

“absolutely thrilling” The Guardian

“a musical journey from beauty to desolation to hope” Uncut

“takes us on an underwater journey through the flora and fauna of a dead sea forest.” Fact Magazine

“A sonic representation of the verdant rich life in the vast expanse of the Aral Sea before its destruction.” Nowness

“Bisengalieva’s meditation on aridity strikes the perfect tone.  Concept albums are hard to pull off, especially debut concept albums. Aralkum leads listeners through a gamut of emotions, yet resists the urge to wrap it in a neat bow.  The open-endedness reflects the nature of the artist herself.” A Closer Listen

Tracklist

1. Aralkum (Coby Sey Remix)
2. Moynaq (Jing Remix)
3. Kantubek (Moor Mother Remix)
4. Barsa-Kelmes (Jlin Remix)
5. Zhalanash (CHAINES Remix)
6. Kokaral (Nazira Remix)