Ilia Belorukov, Alex Riva

Tip! *100 copies limited edition* Russian modular synthesist Ilia Belorukov, now based in Serbia, and Alex Riva, a Zurich-based flutist, here focusing on woodwind recorders. The pair have performed with Notice Recordings alum Jason Kahn, and toured as a duo with the novel instrumentation they use here, presented on “Wrestling for Futility”. The pairing is not a combination we hear often, and Belorukov and Riva seem to relish in the obscurity and uniqueness of the timbres and textures conjured by their instruments. A tension exists between the electro and acoustic sounds, the kind of dynamic friction that can keep two sound streams independently afloat, while also dissolving and enmeshing until individual sonic characteristics are imperceptible. Together, they nimbly weave through the kinds of harmonic hairpin turns at which both modular and small wind instruments excel. Riva's glassy intonations gradually blossom into insistent torrents, while Belorukov’s timbres move between stuttering, ripping textures and a variety of tones, remaining appealingly lo-fi and never staying in one place for too long. The sense of bustling, playful activity is a hallmark of this release, revealing the unexpected connections between the two players and their method of sound production.