Showing posts with label Pavel Khvaleev. Show all posts
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02:18:00



The Future is what Pavel Khvaleev does … until perhaps he doesn’t. Are we about to shatter a decade-long universal truth? Well, a little bit. Pavel’s fifth longform takes both name and inspiration from Fritz Lang’s iconic Metropolis - a breathtaking vision of retro-modern grandeur, meeting expressionist dystopia, high above cloudscraping edifices and stark industrial backdrops. That however was as so close to a hundred years ago as to make little difference. Pavel, by contrast, only began work on his ‘Metropolis’ after the release of his last two studio albums (‘Inhale’ and ‘Exhale’), back in 2021.




To do so, he’s drawn on a wellspring of collaborators from the pool of actors, singers, songwriters and voice artists he’s built up over twenty years of film and musicmaking. To put that into ‘Metropolis’s context, it includes Ryan Masson (soon to be seen in season 2 of The Last of Us) and the recently Grammy nominated singer Haley Johnsen.




A dazzling collage of progressive and melodic house, fringed with techno, February 2025 finds him ready to release this singular reimagining. Welcome to the world of PARAFRAME’S ‘Metropolis’.




1927’s Metropolis was a fusion of visual storytelling, uncanny silent era ether and strikingly toned music - a modus that Khvaleev’s respectfully channelled into his interpretation. When composing, his mind’s eye will take him places visually very specific indeed. To spaces that could be, well … anywhere but here. Naturally though, the frustration was he was ‘there’, but his audience wasn’t. Waiting for technology to catch up has long been the bane of the visionary, but historically the payoff is it gets there in the end. That was where Pavel finally found himself three years ago, and is also where he has broken step with Lang. The ‘playground’ that 3D engine technology now afforded him allowed him to place himself, not in front of ‘Metropolis’s towering structures, but inside them - within them. And to do that, he used Unreal Engine - the same tool that studios employ to visually power games like Fortnite and shows like The Mandalorian. 

The Frankfurt-based artist goes on to explain. “I already had good experience creating short 3D animations with Unreal Engine, so I decided to work on a conceptual, hour-long film, which integrated my live performances and that of my vocalists. 3D designer Vasiliy Poryagin sent me concept ideas for futuristic locations, that I then rebuilt and refined through Unreal, adapting them to become the visual component of ‘Metropolis’. I changed entire buildings, rearranged architecture and added wildlife, all the while being able to see the results rendered in real-time.”

Completing the project also required a collaborative troop of players, something Pavel already had close at hand. “Aside from their talent’, he continues, ‘many of these artists have fascinating backgrounds. Ryan Masson for example is a successful Hollywood actor, with one of his latest roles being in the new season of HBO's The Last of Us. The wonderful and charming Haley Johnsen was nominated for a Grammy last year with her solo project.

Boticka, whose voice can be heard in the track ‘We Are The Only Ones’, has the most captivating and sensual tone in the world—or at the very least France! The guys from Denton Thrift were simply born to sing, and this is already our second collaboration together. Avis Vox, my wife, is essential to every one of my albums; I couldn’t imagine releasing one without her involvement.”

From one to the next, ‘Metropolis’s metropoles each vary in their aesthetic. From the worn and industrialized to the borderline pristine, each tonally reflects the audioscape PARAFRAME’s composed for it The technotic drive of recent single ‘Mermaids’ leans into, if not quite the apocalyptic, then certainly the worn and dystopian. By contrast, ‘Breathe’ models a refreshingly colourful, hyper-modern vision of mechanised industria. “I spent almost three years working on this album’ concludes Pavel.’ It was a long journey because sometimes it’s hard to know when a track is truly finished and ready to share. Each song has its own story and unique feel, but at the same time, they’re all connected by ‘Metropolis’s overarching vibe and atmosphere.”


PARAFRAME’s music to comes to life through ‘Metropolis’. You can experience it, in all its stunning 60-minute glory on Paraframe's Metropolis Album Showcase, and its music through all good streaming and sales channels from Feb 7 via this link.



Tracklist: PARAFRAME – Metropolis
01. Bird Life (with Avis Vox)
02. Breathe
03. We Are The Only Ones
04. Mermaids
05. Solid Breaker (with Denton Thrift)
06. Panic
07. Feel It Now (featuring Haley Johnsen)
08. Close To Me
09. Son Of Earth (featuring Ryan Masson)
10. Radiance
11. The Secret Place
12. Move



Summary:
[review top="1"]
[item value="10"]PARAFRAME - Metropolis out 7/2/2025 via Black Hole Recordings [/item]
[content title="Summary" label="Overall Score"]PARAFRAME’s new album, “Metropolis,” is a reimagining of Fritz Lang’s classic film, using 3D engine technology to create a unique visual experience. The album features collaborations with talented artists like Ryan Masson and Haley Johnsen, each contributing to the album’s diverse and connected soundscapes. “Metropolis” will be released in February 2025, offering a stunning 60-minute journey through futuristic metropolises.[/content]
[/review]




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04:16:00

 



01: PARAFRAME - Panic (Original Mix)
02: PARAFRAME - Panic (Extended Mix)

In 2021 Pavel Khvaleev advanced a bold new vision that began to challenge the very idea of what an electronic music release was. Created as much for eye as ear, his multisensory ‘Exhale’ album launched the Pavel Khvaleev Presents PARAFRAME experience.

From its commencement Pavel’s intention was always to un-dock his name from the project and let PARAFRAME exist in its own universe. At the start of this summer the Denton Swift collab ‘Solid Breaker’ began that process and it continues today with the release of PARAFRAME’s first solo outing, ‘Panic’,

Echoing the unique methodology behind PARAFRAME, ‘Panic’ nestles organically within a nexus of several musical sub-genres. House-patterned drums & rhythmic percussives, technoir bass & harmonics and FX’d electronica are blended into a ceaselessly hypnotic piece, that’s as addictive as it is floor-driving.

The music is only half of ‘Panic’s genius though. Pavel’s mind has envisioned an every-bit-as imaginative visual component to sit alongside its sonics. A work of art itself, its accompanying imagery is part Avant Garde film, part provocative music video and part Dalì-esque artistic canvas.

So, the question is … should you ‘Panic’?? The answer is most definitely ‘yes’ 





Dimitri Kechagias review:
[review top="1"]
[item value="10"]Beat and Rhythm[/item]
[item value="10"]Basslines and Groove[/item]
[item value="10"] Melody [/item]
[item value="10"] Synths [/item]
[item value="10"]Breakdown[/item]
[item value="10"]Climax / Drop / Crescendo / Pay off moment[/item]
[item value="10"]Intensity, Drive and Energy[/item]
[item value="10"]Sound-design and Arrangement[/item]
[item value="10"]Overall Atmosphere[/item]
[item value="10"]Goosebumps / Shivers moments[/item]
[item value="10"]Emotional affinity and heartfelt moments[/item]
[item value="10"]Originality and Inventiveness[/item]
[item value="10"]Radio Friendly[/item]
[item value="10"]Vocals & lyrics[/item]
[item value="10"]You can’t get this memorable track out of your head[/item]
[item value="10"]It has potential to become an anthem or a classic[/item]
[item value="10"]PARAFRAME - Panic [/item]
[content title="Summary" label="Overall Score"]PARAFRAME aka the always inventive and creative Pavel service another  exceptional  track named Panic accompanied as always with his futuristic melancholic visuals. Panic is brilliant melodic techno meets deep trance crossover with excellent sound design and the stunning little synthy details and atmospheres upon the deep pulsating basslines, dark kicks, groovy drums and most importantly the nice incredible robotic vocals that work perfectly to add context and make even darker and intense the claustrophobic feeling of it! If you search for an eclectic twist with a visionary artist who follow his own path without following trends then Pavel and his new project will guide us sonically to new audio experiences not to be missed. #PureGold Love IT [/content]
[/review]


Additional info:

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03:06:00

This December will see the release of ‘Sonder’ – the sophomore solo LP from Moonbeam founder Pavel Khvaleev. Following his 2017’s ‘Rebirth’ debut, ‘Sonder’ is a continuation of effectively his life’s work: breaking down the barrier between what we hear and what we see. 

‘Sonder’s tracks are loosely themed around the Dictionary Of Obscure Sorrows’ definition of the word. Namely the conceptual realisation that every random person passing us lives an existence every bit as real & intricate as our own. 



To realise this Pavel re-orbited with Moonbeam’s established, extraordinary troupe of singers/artistic collaborators. Avis Vox, Blackfeel Wite, Loolacoma, Sopheary, Jacob A. & others – all vets of the group’s 10-year run - resumed their inimitable singing & songwriting work. Others though are newer-comers to Pavel’s high-texture universe. The album features first-time pairings with UK duo RINNGS, Polish composer producer and multi-instrumentalist Olga Wojciechowska and J-Pop sensation LIA. 

Through ‘Sonder’, Pavel is presenting an album that’s as close to uncharted territory as exists in this electronic music day & age. 

On the surface, ‘Sonder’ is a spectacle for both ear and (through its accompanying videos) eye. Deeper down however it’s a swirling admixture of deeper meaning, channelled through the avant-garde, the introspective, spiritual & abstract. Across two discs, the album is divided equally & unambiguously into vocal & instrumental works. 

Dedicated to the former, disc one is a platform for one transcendently affecting song after another. Among them you’ll find ‘Videos’, which (commented DJ Mag in their 8/10 review) “is sung to achingly beautiful effect by UK M/F twosome RINNGS”. ‘Losing Battles’ - the album’s most recent single with LIAprojects house-ier, more Disclosure-ish vibes. Equally tranquil in nature are ‘So Real’ and ‘The Saviour’ - Blackfeel Wite and Pryce Oliver respectively handling their beautifully accented vocal components. Alumni from Moonbeam’s breakthrough ‘Around The World’ album, Avis Vox is in radiant form on the bittersweet future-folk of ‘Sun’. ‘Blind Infinity’ and ‘Skin’ meanwhile draw subtle but reminiscent parallels with the early works of Lamb, Portishead and others. 

Everything is relative on Planet Pavel, so to say that Disc 2’s instrumentals are of a clubbier profile would be a qualified statement. It does however move onto a 4/4 footing, the warming of its synths on opening numbers like ’Nocturnal’, ‘Visions’ and ‘Find You’ comparatively signalling a more ‘up' tone to its second act. ‘Forever’ (with A*S*Y*S) locks in a groove factor, while ‘Indigo’, ‘Sonorous’, ‘Blackout’ and others assume trancier tempos and outlines. ‘Shades Fade’ closes out Pavel’s dazzling second solo LP. In bleepy, quirky, engaging form, it plays with your perceptions of what he is/does to ‘Sonder’s very last. 



‘Sonder’ can be streamed/purchased here!!  

Tracklist: 
Pavel Khvaleev – Sonder

Disc 1
01. Videos (with RINNGS) 
02. So Real (with Blackfeel Wite) 
03. The Saviour (with Pryce Oliver) 
04. Losing Battles (with LIA) 
05. Sun (with Avis Vox) 
06. Human Touch (with Blooming) 
07. The Star (with Blackfeel Wite) 
08. Dark Angel (with Loolacoma) 
09. Blind Infinity (with Olga Wojciechowska) 
10. Skin (with Sopheary) 

Disc 2
01. Nocturnal 
02. Visions 
03. Dark Story (with Erase Me) 
04. Find You 
05. Forever (with A*S*Y*S) 
06. Indigo 
07. Sonorous
08. Siberia (with Ivan Starzev) 
09. Blackout (with Jan Zyabovski) 
10. Shades Fade 



About Pavel Khvaleev: Bringing sound and vision to the point of indecipherability would be mission-impossible for all but a handful. Pavel however is a man with the toolbox of abilities equal to that task, foremost amongst them vision. The composer/filmmaker’s work has – to date - produced some of the most arresting, thought-provoking and (some might even say) challenging marriages of audio & video within electronic music. Musically he skates the peripheries of a half-dozen electronic music styles, never alighting on any long enough to become classified by it. His feature films (The Random, III and most recently Involution among them) have been shown at film festivals from Berlin to Buenos Aires and dozens of hubs between. In November of 2018 DJ Mag said “The unlikely worlds of trance and art-house never got closer than through the output of Moonbeam Following their 2016 disbanding, Pavel Khvaleev continued solo and if anything the level of artistry’s only risen.”

Additional info:

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13:28:00

These days, ‘expect more’ is how Pavel Khvaleev believes audiences should approach electronic music. And he’s spent the last dozen years raising those expectations. Composer, filmmaker, producer and a polymath-like range of other skills have resulted in the uniting of some of electronic music’s most striking sounds & images. Since Moonbeam’s 2016 disbanding, Pavel has thrown himself even deeper into the extraordinary audio/visual and highly conceptual universe he and his brother began. On the surface, a spectacle for eye and ear, underneath it’s a swirling melange of deeper meaning, channelled through the avant-garde, meditative, metaphysical & psychological. 

As ever supported by his artistic troupe (Avis Vox, Blackfeel Wite, Jacob A. and many others), in the spring Pavel released his sophomore solo album. Based on the premise that every random person passing us is living a life as vivid and complex as our own, ‘Sonder’s opening track was the once-heard/impossible-to-forget ‘Videos’.

For it, he collaborated with Karl Zine and Nai Jannson of UK twosome RINNGS. Their innovative techniques, using multi-layered male/female vocal tracks was something that Pawel folded into ‘Videos’, bringing his own polyphonic sounds and analogue synths in as support. Adding subtle bass waves and harmonic trance sequences, collectively it conspires the track’s extraordinary dream-like air of cruising tranquillity. 

Karl and Nai performance is a classic two-hander, each voice beautifully playing off the other. Line by lyrical line, the song moves between the overt, implied and the veiled. Part-meditation on the sometimes-fleeting nature of love, lyrically its ‘Videos’ are metaphors for memories - blurred, subjective and half-remembered as they often are.

All in all it’s taken six months for the Russian to fully realise the track as a single release and if that sounds like the longer time, one look at its official video will convince you otherwise. A production in every sense of the word, it’s an extraordinary accompanying work, shedding considerable additional light on ‘Videos’ implication. 








Dimitri Kechagias review:
[review top="1"]
 [item value="10"]Beat and Rhythm[/item]
 [item value="10"]Basslines and Groove[/item]
 [item value="10"] Melody [/item]
 [item value="10"] Synths [/item]
 [item value="10"]Vocals and Lyrics[/item]
 [item value="10"]Breakdown[/item]
 [item value="10"]Climax  / Drop / Crescendo / Pay off moment[/item]
 [item value="10"]Intensity, Drive and Energy[/item]
 [item value="10"]Sound-design and Arrangement[/item]
 [item value="10"]Overall Atmosphere[/item]
 [item value="10"]Goosebumps / Shivers moments[/item]
 [item value="10"]Emotional affinity and heartfelt moments[/item]
 [item value="10"]Originality and Inventiveness[/item]
 [item value="10"]Dancefloor Efficiency / Festival Arenas Effectiveness[/item]
 [item value="10"]Radio Friendly[/item]
 [item value="10"]You can’t get this memorable track out of your head[/item]
 [item value="10"]It has potential to become an anthem or a classic[/item]
 [item value="10"]Pavel Khvaleev & RINNGS - Videos [/item]
 [content title="Summary" label="Overall Score"]Pavel Khvaleev, the beloved member of the legendary Moonbeam returns with the stunning single Videos featuring RINNGS. The track is an exceptional slice of chill out/electronica in its original version with great cinematic touches and #PureMagic atmosphere. It will carry you away into the unknown rewinding and replaying your favourite videos from VHS tapes to digital ones. The extended version is deep melodic driving tripping out version packed with colourful synths, melodramatic strings and deep pulsating bassline that has all the beauty to keep you captivated for long. On the other hand Matvey Emerson Remix adds balearic guitar riffs and live feeling creating the perfect ISOS style track that will remain as classic for sure with that after summer bitter sweet feeling to it. Absolutely high-class production that shines from start to finish without doubts. Don't overlook this beauty! #PureGold Love It [/content]
[/review]

Additional info:
https://www.facebook.com/pavelkhvaleevmusic/
https://www.facebook.com/rinngsmusic/
www.blackholerecordings.com
www.facebook.com/blackholerecordings
www.twitter.com/blackholerec
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