Russian producer and singer Yana Kedrina (aka Kedr Livanskiy) confirmed herself as one of the most important names in Russia’s underground electronic scene at her UK debut last Wednesday.
The much awaited performance came to the Islington venue Electrowerkz after having to cancel not only one, but two gigs last year due to issues with the granting of her visa.
Disappointed fans were now eager and had high expectations for Kedr´s show and weren't let down. Kedr offered a tale of experimental electronic music that is only seeing its beginning. I am sure we have yet much more to see from this eclectic artist.
Electrowerkz was the venue where the artist would be debuting her new single “Kiska” and promoting her album “Your need”. The venue seemed to have the perfect aesthetic for Kedr’s individual sets. It was intimate, with a good sound system and just about the right amount of space to enjoy and dance along with the experimental sound characteristic of the russian producer.
At the start of the set, the crowd appeared to be a difficult one. As good as the supporting artists Dewey and Waterbaby were, they didn’t manage to get the too-cool-to-dance people to loosen up. One would think that the moment Kedr would come on stage, the audience would immediately start dancing but they sadly seemed too much of a “Shoreditch crowd” for getting lost in the set.
Kedr was visibly enjoying herself. She didn’t stop swinging around the stage but it wasn’t until she started playing one of the most known songs from her last album, “Ariadna” that everyone seemed to be more receptive. From this moment on, people boogied along to the techno and bassy tune that the artist performed so masterfully and Kedr definitely felt more confident as she went on experimenting with faster beats.
The definite highlight of the night was when “Razrushitelniy Krug (Destructive Cycle)” started playing. It seemed like a spell had been conjured out of thin air and it made the audience experience a really special moment. People seemed to start to smirk at one another in a visible appreciation of one of the artist's most popular songs.
From then on and as Kedr started mixing faster and more dubstep beats, the atmosphere at the venue did a 360 and the energy kept up on a high level until the end of her set.
Kedr had said in previous interviews how she loves to express narratives through film and putting up visuals during her sets made it all feel complete. Kedr really delivered: the entire set was an experimental voyage which didn’t only delight the ears but all of the senses.
It is only the start of this promising artist. Kedr is currently touring in Europe and has just released the music video to her latest single “Kiska”. The full album will be out May 3rd, and will set the way for a new type of experimental techno, putting Moscow as one of the electronic music meccas.