SHA RU
[USA]
Ustvarjanje Sha Ru poganja večno gibanje, ki zajema techno, breakbeat, dubstep in drum’n’bass. “Vedno se seliva iz kraja v kraj, najina glasbena oprema je vedno v prtljagi,” pravi Masha. Leta 2019 je par, ki živi med New Yorkom in Berlinom, napisal Near the Equinoxes EP (Sorry Records), prostoren projekt, ki se spogleduje z dubstepom, in Zer0 (Kindergarten Records). Ob stopnjevanju pandemije sta se preselila v Minsk, sledila sta Kijev in Tbilisi. Do takrat je njuno ustvarjalno razmerje potekalo v kratkih, intenzivnih obdobjih. Ko sta imela čas za raziskovanje novega delovnega procesa, sta se potopila v temne, psihedelične globine. Sledili so trije razdeljeni EP-ji: Bernal Sphere (2020), Polychronia (2020) in Ether (2021).
Sha Ru, ki se je potopila v zapleteno realnost vsakdanjega življenja v teh državah, je izdala albuma Feel the Future, Belarus! in White Red White, Keep Up The Fight v podporo prodemokratičnim organizacijam. Masha se z ritmično govorjeno besedo v materinskem ruskem jeziku spoprijema z grozotami državnega nasilja v napetih, utripajočih ritmih. S prvencem Match My Sway, ki sta ga izdala za založbo Woozy, sta zbirala sredstva za ukrajinski dobrodelni organizaciji Kyiv Angels in Repair Together. EP V.O.I.D iz leta 2022 je bil prvi projekt skupine v celoti v angleškem jeziku; priložnost za eksperimentiranje z bolj klubskimi zvoki, pa tudi z osebnimi občutki o premagovanju strahu. Poleg kompilacij VA za Pressure Dome, Infinite Machine in Kindergarten je nova smer Sha Ru prežeta z intimnimi izkušnjami in pripovedmi.
Sha Ru creations are fueled by perpetual motion, spanning techno, breakbeat, dubstep and drum’n’bass. “We’re always moving from place to place; our music equipment is always in the luggage,” says Masha. In 2019, the NYC-via-Berlin couple wrote Near the Equinoxes EP (Sorry Records), a spacious, dubstep-indebted project, and Zer0 (Kindergarten Records). As the pandemic closed in, they moved to Minsk, followed by Kyiv and Tbilisi. Until then, their creative relationship had existed in short, intense bursts. With time to explore a new workflow, they plunged themselves into dark, psychedelic depths. Three split EPs followed: Bernal Sphere (2020), Polychronia (2020) and Ether (2021).
Immersed in the complex reality of everyday life in these countries, Sha Ru released Feel the Future, Belarus! and White Red White, Keep Up The Fight in aid of pro-democracy organizations. Through rhythmic spoken-word in her native Russian, Masha confronts the horrors of state violence over taut, skittering beats. Match My Sway, their debut for Woozy, fundraised for Ukraine’s Kyiv Angels and Repair Together charities. 2022’s V.O.I.D EP was the band’s first fully English-language project; an opportunity to not only experiment with more club-focused sounds, but also personal feelings of overcoming fear. Alongside VA compilations for Pressure Dome, Infinite Machine and Kindergarten, Sha Ru’s new direction is steeped in intimate experiences and narratives.