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On vynil LP's (1990-1991) Print
"M'Ars 12 LP Albums Series" eng, rus

 

"Keyboard", July 1991

ImageMelodiya Records and Mikhail Chekalin don't get along. The 32-year-old synthesist never bought the Soviet version of the corporate line; though the monopolistic label produced his first two albums, Vocalise in Rapid and Post-Pop - Non-Pop, he refused to record in their state-owned facilities. Now he has taken a further step toward artistic self-sufficiency by arranging with Moscow's avant-garde M'Ars Art Gallery to release a set of 12 albums of original music recorded in 1981-89. Titled Independent Composition, it is available in a limited edition of 2,000 copies from Mars Gallery, 32 Malaya Filyovskaya St., Moscow 121033, U.S.S.R. Here, Chekalin poses with a portrait by Mars artist Yuri Mironov and a Roland D-50.

 

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Audion #25 (6/1993), Audion #58 (2013), UK

 "Mikhail Chekalin is certainly one of the most radical and innovative synthesists around, not only in Russia but  globally, he's taken the art of synth music way beyond its generic form. Via his twelve LP "M'Ars" series issued a couple of years back, he has startled many with his bizzare sonic creations." Alan Freeman, Audion #25 (6/1993),UK

"During 1990-91 a 12 LP collection more or less cataloguing all his major works from 1980's was released in cooperation with the Modern Art Gallery "M’Ars". The Gallery exhibitions that took place each Spring at Malaya Gruzinskaya ulitsa in Moscow downtown became a major attraction. The various different exhibition spaces, along with the art displays would also feature M. Chekalin’s "soundscapes". A unique and different concept to the usual silence of a modern art gallery!

Ten out of the twelve albums in this series are what I'd class as uniquely innovative classics of synthesizer/multi-instrumental music. The other two are titled PRACTICAL MUSIC MAKING and are more of the upbeat electro-pop type stuff as heard on his earlier LP's.

In sharp contrast to those, the "Meditative Music for the Decomposed Electro-Organ" series came as a huge surprise. These are possibly 90% organ performances that, like most of his work, are performed live, obviously with the aid of much trickery, delay lines, echo devices and such-like. These bizarre excursions often hint at the pioneering music of Oskar Sala, the very early Klaus Schulze, and elements as diverse as contemporary classical music or the more atmospheric and of the systemic field of Terry Riley or Peter Michael Hamel. involving organ and other instruments. Talking of contemporary classical - further releases have the words Symphony or Concerto in the title. It was probably a coincidence that around the time these came out that Klaus Schulze also ventured into similar realms on his BEYOND RECALL, yet whereas Klaus was constructing the sample-patch arrays, Mikhail had done much of this 1980's work with far more primitive equipment. All these other Mars series releases are quite extraordinary really, with a special accolade going to the weirdest of the lot CONCERTO GROSSO 1 & 2.
The first Soviet CD release RUSSIAN MYSTERY was pretty much a compilation of choice album tracks. After this Erdenklang presented Mikhail Chekalin to the world, first with three tracks on a CD in their "Looking East: Electronic East" series, and then the album NIGHT PULSATION which featured some more tracks from his LP's along with unreleased material, showcasing all his styles.
Apart from some reissues, I lost touch with what Mikhail was up to after that. Of course, with such a major body of work behind him, 10 LP's of exceptional high quality..."  (Audion #58, 2013, UK)

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A. Patterson / Eurock, U.S.A.      Mikhail Chekalin LP Reissues.

 Mikhail Chekalin has been one of the most influential modern composers of the last 35 years in the former USSR, now Russia. His work was experimental; in fact, his raison d’etre was specifically to break new ground stylistically. He worked outside the boundaries of established culture, while at the same time breaching its borders when possible to expose his art and music to the people at large. Over the span of his long career, Chekalin has produced some 40+ works that range the sonic spectrum for post-pop, to free jazz, electronic, and post-symphonic. During the 1980’s, he made a breakthrough of sorts when the state owned Melodiya label released several albums of his music. For the most part, however he created art and produced music underneath the radar.
Between 2005 and 2010, MIR Records in the USA released eight productions devoted to works by Chekalin. This new installment of albums changes the label focus to feature re-mastered reissues of his influential albums released by the state owned Melodiya label during the 1980’s. The music on those albums covers a wide stylistic spectrum from the diverse experimental beat-influenced electronic music of Vocalise in Rapid (1983-85), and avant-garde post-symphonic experiments of Post-Pop Non-Pop (1987), to the dense, ambient, neo-classic space music compositions for keyboard on Meditative Music for Prepared Electric Organ I & II (1978-82).

In addition, several albums released during this era illustrate the primary period where Chekalin more fully developed his idea of “post-symphonic” music.

Between Spring And Autumn by Stealth [1986]
 is the beginning of the primary period where Chekalin fully developed his idea of post-symphonic music. Perhaps his most orthodox neo-symphony, an 11-part work, the electronic melodies and themes he incorporates into the full composition are powerful, and at times beautiful. The result is the creation of a wonderful listening experience. 

 Green Symphony/ Borderline States [1988]

The albums Green Symphony (1987) &  Borderline States (1988) saw his use of electronics become more spatial, surreal and darkly melodic. The overall tone is more somber with hints of dissonance beginning to become assimilated into his evolving style. This 2 on 1 CD pairs them up to create a very unique cerebral listening experience.


 Symphony-Phonogram [1988] 

Chekalins album Symphony-Phonogram (1988) demonstrates his efforts to creating an aggressively more avant-garde musical approach with themes become far more free from and experimental instrumentally. Thematically his compositional sense of  poly-stylism and the grotesque are far more developed here.

 Concerto Grosso [1989]

These two works, Concerto Grosso 1 & 2 (1989), are symphonic extravaganzas. They represent perhaps the ultimate expression of Chekalins modern stylistic reincarnation of Shostakovich and Shnitke, resulting in his own unique Post-Symphonic musical conception coming to full fruition.  (A. Patterson, Eurock, USA)

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From Catalog ULTIMA THULE SALE LIST # 112 (Sept-October 2008)

BETWEEN SPRING & AUTUMN BY STEALTH (Melodia) LP - This curiously titled LP often reminds me of the explorative work of Ralph Lundsten.

PRACTICAL MUSIC MAKING II (Melodia) LP - With Tietchens & Frohmader synth stylings, but full of contrasts & surprises.

THE GREEN SYMPHONY (Melodia) LP - Sitting between classical avant-garde & synth, hinting at the recent explorations of Klaus Schulze (only this is earlier).

BOARDER STATE (Melodia) LP - With elements of Peter Frohmader/Asmus Tietchens' electro-experimental rock.

THE SYMPHONY: PHONOGRAM (Melodia) LP - A grand electronic/sonic weird symphony.

INTRODUCTION TO INTUITION (Melodia) LP - Intuitive improvisations with electronic keyboards, rhythm computers, etc. Not at all what you'd expect!

CONCERTO GROSSO - I (Melodia) LP - Challenging innovative floating, really unusual (but quite accessible) instrumental fusion. Most fascinating.

CONCERTO GROSSO NO. 1 (Boheme) CD ?11.00 - The LP plus 3 bonus tracks (28 minutes) - seemingly previously unreleased.

CONCERTO GROSSO - II (Melodia) LP - A step on from Frohmader's darker synth world towards the spooky regions of Schulze/Grosser's "Babel".

 

ultimathulerecords  referencing Between Spring And Autumn By Stealth, LP, Album, C90 31675 006 (Discogs.com)

 I suppose a clue is in the title, that this is a much more varied album than most in this series. Here we have Chekalin exploring a variety of more melodic moods, from the dark and mysterious to bright and tuneful. Some of this reminds me of the early 1980's synth based Peter Frohmader / Nekropolis, and there are a good few tracks that feel like Tangerine Dream during their early soundtrack phase, and there are other less tangible variations. If you want something good by Chekalin that's not so weird, then this is the ideal starter!

ultimathulerecords  referencing The Green Symphony, LP, Album, C90 31375 000 (Discogs.com)

 One of 10 excellent albums in Chekalin's "Mars" series, this is strange synth based music a little like Klaus Schulze of the era but without the sequences or rhythms. Dark and challenging but melodic music that defies pigeon-holing!

referencing Concerto Grosso № 1 
 ' It's difficult to say something new in electronic music, but this composer/musician is one of a kind. Few merge depth and accessibility, innovation and tradition this seamlessly. Highly recommended for those into any progressive music, but definitely to those tired of Klaus Shultze and not digging Herbert Eimert...   (Discogs.com)

 

 Weird electronics Russian style by Alan Freeman

 

Mikhail Chekalin is a multi-instrumental talent from Russia (born in Moscow in 1959) mentioned before a good few times in Audion in the 1990's. In fact, on his own website he includes a quote from my review of NIGHT PULSATION "certainly, is one of the most radical and innovative synthesists around, not only in Russia but globally" (Audion, 6/93, UK) at the top/opening of his biography page.

Mikhail apparently started as a "synthesist-keyboardist" in the late 1970's. At that time he was considered too unorthodox and
avant-gardist to fit into a rigorously conservative mainstream of Soviet contemporary serious music. The changing politics of Brezshnev’s era and beyond that meant that he gradually moved from the underground and "unwelcome attention by KGB" to being accepted as part of the new drive to promote the Russian arts worldwide, with releases on the strictly state controlled Melodiya record label.

His first LP releases were oddball collections of more commercial styles with avant-garde elements woven in. In Audion #18 I extolled the virtues of these in comparison most of the really naff synthi
test-card type music I'd encountered, saying "Chekalin however, does throw in a good deal of invention and surprises into his albums that could well appeal to those liking the idea of an instrumental Kraftwerk or Yello. POST-POP, NON-POP has two radically different sides, whereas VOKALISE IN RAPIDE features vocal effects in an uptempo synth music". Such releases never prepared us for what was to come, for that I'll re-edit from Mikhail's own biography...

During 1990-91 a 12 LP collection more or less cataloguing all his major works from 1980's was released in cooperation with the Modern Art Gallery "M’Ars". The Gallery exhibitions that took place each Spring at Malaya Gruzinskaya ulitsa in Moscow downtown became a major attraction. The various different exhibition spaces, along with the art displays would also feature M. Chekalin’s "soundscapes". A unique and different concept to the usual silence of a modern art gallery! Ten out of the twelve albums in this series are what I'd class as uniquely innovative classics of synthesizer/multi-instrumental music. The other two are titled PRACTICAL MUSIC MAKING and are more of the upbeat electro-pop type stuff as heard on his earlier LP's. In sharp contrast to those, the "Meditative Music for the Decomposed Electro-Organ" series came as a huge surprise. These are possibly 90% organ performances that, like most of his work, are performed live, obviously with the aid of much trickery, delay lines, echo devices and such-like. These bizarre excursions often hint at the pioneering music of Oskar Sala, the very early Klaus Schulze, and elements as diverse as contemporary classical music or the more atmospheric and of the systemic field of Terry Riley or Peter Michael Hamel. involving organ and other instruments. Talking of contemporary classical - further releases have the words Symphony or Concerto in the title. It was probably a coincidence that around the time these came out that Klaus Schulze also ventured into similar realms on his BEYOND RECALL, yet whereas Klaus was constructing the sample-patch arrays, Mikhail had done much of this 1980's work with far more primitive equipment. All these other Mars series releases are quite extraordinary really, with a special accolade going to the weirdest of the lot CONCERTO GROSSO 1 & 2.

The first Soviet CD release RUSSIAN MYSTERY was pretty much a compilation of choice album tracks. After this Erdenklang presented Mikhail Chekalin to the world, first with three tracks on a CD in their "Looking East: Electronic East" series, and then the album NIGHT PULSATION which featured some more tracks from his LP's along with unreleased material, showcasing all his styles.

Apart from some reissues, I lost touch with what Mikhail was up to after that. Of course, with such a major body of work behind him, 10 LP's of exceptional high quality, it was going to be a difficult task to come up with something comparably fresh and new. As has often been said "necessity is the mother of invention" and often people "make do" and are more creative with limited resources than having all the technology in the world at one's fingertips. A well-worn mantra as to why so many great innovators of the 1970's ceased to do anything of interest once they'd become well-known and wealthy!

So, what of Mikhail Chekalin's later releases? Well, he's proliferated! There are 50 or so different album releases documented on his web discography. Here are a few of them...

First of note is ALBUM WITH A SYMPHONY, which collects various recordings from 1982 through to 1992 (released in 1995) and is another guide to all his styles. This opens with the excellent almost 21 minute opus The New Age Symphony which is not new-age at all in the accepted sense, but does offer some new twists on his more abstract neo-classical style. After that we have a variety of shorter different tracks ranging from techno-dance to faux Debussy! Tracks 11 onward are excellent again, and also A Pagan Vocalise is the vocal element (pretty much) of a different already known track.

Mikhail seems to have something in his musical psyché about things pagan, so lo-and-behold a CD release called A PAGAN SUITE. This was recorded at around the time the Mars series was released, but was unreleased until 2004, this is pretty much a mish-mash of various ideas heard within that series. Indeed it may well be remixed and/or sampled from it. A big patchwork of all sorts of moods, though largely all experimental, it amounts to one the best non-reissue CD's.

Three others from the mid to late 1990's: PORCELAIN GOD came out pretty much hot off the press, documenting works from 1996. It's often very symphonic/orchestral sounding, parts are also the closest to Klaus Schulze of the era. All diverse and creative stuff, if a mite incoherent. AVOIDING THE DESIRE FOR CUTTING AND PIERCING OBJECTS - great title, and oddball album, all sorts of hybrid jazzy and classical concoctions, many upbeat wonky things that remind me of 1980's instrumental stuff by Carlos Peron, Bill Nelson and the likes, along with Schulze like stuff with samplers, and too many operatic vocals in parts. SATURN.IZDELIJE NO... from 1999 is pretty much more of the same, but this time it feels more soundtrack like. Plenty here then for the curious collector!

 CD reissues of most Mars series LP's exist, mostly remastered and with bonus tracks. There are also CD-R releases on MirRecords via Eurock in the USA.

 

 
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