Voice and Magnitofolk present
No more center.
Murmansk region
From ambient to dark metal created among tundra and ice.
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Úlfur bloði "Draugr"
"In this track there is a reference to medieval Iceland, as well as to a cult associated with draugrs — the living dead. The music creates a dark atmosphere and shows the summoning of a draugr with a spell in Icelandic, as well as the performance of a horrifying ancient ritual by a possessed shaman…". This is the first recording (debut, if you will). Apparently, the description was written by the author himself, so I decided not to change it. It is a project of a person from Murmansk under the nickname Wolfe.
Wonders Of Nature "White Sun"

This is a track by a friend of mine, Timofey Buharin from Nikel (the one on the border with Norway). All-embracing and absorbing ambient that conveys well the atmosphere of the Kola Arctic and Lapland. When you listen to this music, you imagine yourself standing all alone in the middle of the endless tundra with dwarf birches around you, howling wind and clouds rapidly rushing into the distance… Wonders Of Nature project has a huge number of views and plays on YouTube and other streaming platforms.
Shuort "Snow"

Timofey also has another project — Shuort. I would like to tell you about it as well. This time it’s not folk, but nonetheless the music that was born in certain harsh conditions and that, just like the person who created it, was tempered by the severe Lapland cold and the endless winds of the tundra. Here is the link to the Timofey’s second project. And be sure to read this post. It contains plenty of information about those who worked on this track and the creative process. Astonishingly Timofey succeeds in approaching and collaborating with famous musicians. He is not just talented… He is immensely gifted. In case you are unaware of its location (maybe you are though), just find Nikel on a map. And when you hear this kind of music… This is just unbelievable. By the way, in the vicinity of Nikel there is a mountain, a hill of about 500 meters high, which is called Shuort. Quite high in contrast to the vast tundra and hills of lower heights. There are also Khibiny Mountains and Lovozero on the Kola, but they are in the center of the peninsula, while Nikel is in the north, near the border. Many myths and legends are associated with the mountain, which in turn are associated with shamanism and the life of the indigenous population of the Kola Peninsula — the Sámi.
Yagelyurta "V Glubinakh etchnoy Merzloty" ("In the depths of permafrost")

Here is another rather mystical project, which is based on pure regionalism and the culture of the indigenous population of the Kola Arctic - the Saami. Once again, it's this kind of a viscous and immersive ambient seasoned with electronics. Everything is based on local myths and sagas, and, of course, as in any other project, it reflects the worldview of the person who created the piece. Living in a certain place for a long time, and especially having been born there, you, willy-nilly, begin to delve into the surrounding atmosphere. Then if it fits you well, you immerse yourself in it. And If it doesn't, you radically change yourself and your location. In this case, it is clear that the author has been imbued with the atmosphere of Lapland to the depths of their soul and expresses their feelings through what they are good at... Namely through music.

By the way, Ягельурта (Yagelurta) is another Kola Peninsula mountain, in its eastern part, to the right of Lake Umbozero. Its name, apparently, has a reference to "ягель" (yagel) – the favorite food of reindeers, and the second part of the name is a reference to the word "уррьт" (urrt), which indeed is translated from Sami as "mountain". Which makes up "Yagel mountain". Yagelurta is the watershed of the Ponoy and Iokanga rivers, and is the highest point (398 meters) of the Keiva upland (Finnish "kivi" means stone), which is about 200 km long.
MOR "ideniye Murmana" ("The Vision of Murman")

Another Murmansk musical heavyweight. Frankly, I don’t particularly like this kind of scenes within our area, but sometimes I come across prominent and unique gems. Mor is just one of these projects. Balanced, honed and monolithic material, that makes your blood freeze and herds of goosebumps migrate across your body! Once again, it’s not folk but black metal. The thing is, it’s really hard to write merry tunes in such places as Far North. You either get amorphous, spacious ambient, or dark folk, or, as in this case, black metal. I strongly suggest you take a closer look at both Shuort and Mor. These are very significant Murmansk projects.
Karnasurt "Rozhdennyi Severom" ("Born by north")

This is the very first single off the Karnasurt's debut album. One can get all the relevant information directly from its description. With slight adjustments in terms of time. The song is about love for the North and its sacredness. About eternity and everlasting past. Continuity is one of its leitmotifs. The album itself is conceptual in essence and is the first part of a trilogy about a Viking who came with a group to Lapland in search of new lands. But... He gets that feeling as if he has come home. Here begins the search for oneself through a dialogue with the world around him.
Karnasurt "Blót"

This is the third single off the second album. In Norwegian this time. The description can also be partially taken from the post. This one is of a ritual nature. A song of sacrifice, so to speak. An appeal to the Gods and Spirits of the North and Lapland, with whom I try to live in harmony and esteem. This is important for me as a person with an animistic worldview. Nature and everything that surrounds us is a living being. A person will never be able to conquer it and therefore it is necessary to strive for harmony, not consumption.

As for the "Skog" album: this is actually the second full-length album of the project. It is not by chance that the title means "Forest" in Norwegian. The songs off the album tell, in fact, a story about a wandering of that very Viking from the first album into the local forest after coming to Lapland. From dusk till dawn, he wanders in it and starts to realize that these are his native places. This is a search for oneself and one’s thoughts, one’s roots, so to speak. The album is sacral from beginning to end and, indeed, is quite dark, but nothing more. Only this darkness stems not from terror, but rather is like some haze that the hero is trying to dispel.
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Producer: Nikolai Ovchinnikov
Interview: Ksenia Zhelezova and Elena Stupak
Experts: Radif Kashapov, Ilyas Gafarov, Oksana Boda, Maxim Pushkin, Vladislav Demin, Oleg Myagkov, Amar Abazov, Bulat Khalilov

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