A Short Biography 2019 – Russian Linesman
The enigmatic Russian Linesman has been recording music in his Nottingham lair for twelve years, writing acoustically and capturing snippets of vocals, guitars and pianos, and enclosing them in an expansive digital sarcophagus.
He has released numerous singles, EPs and two studio albums to date – his discography reads like a travelogue (which is rather ironic as he hates people who go on about travelling all the time). But so far, that is what the majority of his music has done – from his first release (a vinyl record) titled ‘Bratislava Story’, to his first full-length album ‘Icelandic Story’ (a concept album inspired by travelling around Iceland).
His follow-up, ‘Nostalgia Story’ was a trip into happy childhood memories interspersed with more recent events, balanced carefully on the borderline of nostalgia. The album’s thirty-seven songs were recorded live in one take.
2017 saw him release an incredibly ambitious project titled ‘The Eysenck Suites I-IV”, a year spanning, critically acclaimed series of 7-track mini-albums that explored the psychological theories of Hans Eysenck. This was followed in 2018 by a project featuring an array of remix interpretations of some of the ‘Eysenck Suites’ finest moments.
He is now launching his new project consisting of six four-track EPs that will be released throughout 2019 – 2020, at bi-monthly intervals. Joseph Campbell’s ‘A Hero with a Thousand Faces’ is an analysis of centuries of human storytelling, based around the anthropological theories of Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, and this fascinating book has provided the blueprint for an artistic abstraction of the concept of the ‘Monomyth’.
He also runs the Loki Recordings label in his spare time.
11 Things you didn’t know about the Russian Linesman…
- Although he uses James Holden’s favourite software Jeskola Buzz he still writes all his music on acoustic guitar and piano.
- His music has been described as a form of ambient progressive electronica that draws inspiration from the likes of Nick Drake, Syd Barrett, My Bloody Valentine, and M83, amongst others.
- As a DJ, he has performed all around Europe, supporting the likes of Nathan Fake, Fred Falke, Max Cooper and Lone.
- Nemone’s support for his ‘Eysenck Suite’ project on her BBC 6Music show proved a real pivotal moment. The Linesman was thrilled when she featured him in her “An Evening With…” slot, an honour previously bestowed on the likes of Jon Hopkins, Jean-Michel Jarre, Future Sound of London, Leftfield, Fatboy Slim, Ellen Allien and DJ Shadow: https://soundcloud.com/russianlinesman/an-evening-with-russian-linesman-for-nemones-electric-ladyland-on-bbc6-music
- Before enveloping himself in electronic music he toured as an acoustic singer/songwriter playing folk music.
- He recorded the music for telecom company TalkTalk’s ‘Light Graffiti Tour Of the UK’ advert featuring artist Michael Bosanko: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pC9VO0QvnGM
- He has collaborated on remixes with Maps, Simon (of Bent), Max Cooper, Eelke Kleijn, Sun Glitters, James Yorkston, Morris Cowan, Audioglider, Magic Panda, Wesley Matsell, Ryan Davis, Margot, Avus, Jesse Somfay, Applescal, Roland Kinkenberg and many more.
- He fulfilled a life long dream and visited most of the filming locations from Twin Peaks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Pgtwzjic0M&t=247s
- Al Lowe, the creator of classic PC game ‘Leisure Suit Larry’, is a fan and features some of his music on his website: http://allowe.com/downloads/music-larry.html
- He runs the Loki Recordings label in his spare time: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6RwBqUeQP9okewodmBvC6o?si=0GxHVzbtSKiHL2QHe2XSbw
- The British Psychological Society has reviewed the Russian Linesman’s music: http://thepsychologist.bps.org.uk/finding-melancholic-balance
Russian Linesman Info:
https://twitter.com/russianlinesman
https://soundcloud.com/russianlinesman
https://www.facebook.com/russianlinesman
https://www.discogs.com/artist/447757-Russian-Linesman
https://open.spotify.com/artist/3sIH8lHWLGHJMenpRCSmMv
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGDPS5BTcevGE_qNmqzfzSw
https://russianlinesman.bandcamp.com
Loki Recordings Info:
https://twitter.com/lokirecordings
https://soundcloud.com/lokirecordings
https://www.facebook.com/lokirecordings
https://www.beatport.com/label/loki-recordings/15992
https://www.discogs.com/label/220042-Loki-Recordings
Interviews:
http://www.magazinesixty.com/russian-linesman-qa/
https://change-underground.com/russian-linesman-electronica/
