Moduretik’s minimal electronics structures
Published April, 2014
by Easterndaze
Prague has had a fairly thriving minimal/synth wave scene in the last couple of years, mirroring the upsurge of interest in forgotten obscurities created on primitive equipment in Western European countries such as Germany, Belgium or France in the 1980s, packed and polished for 21st century listeners by labels like Minimal Wave.
Jan Jiskra aka Moduretik has made music since 2001. Over those thirteen years, his musical modus operandi has developed from IDM-influenced experiments through screamo/hc to 8-bit. His last sonic guise to date is the one that favours dusted analogue equipment over laptops, and incorporates not only music, but also “style”, and Jan with his tall lean black-clad persona fitted this perfectly.
Struktury (2009 – 2013) by Moduretik
Following his five releases to date comes his “compilation” of unreleased songs recorded between 2009 and 2013 in his Bohemian hometown. It sounds as a collection of B-sides, the weirder, non-traditional tracks which often surpass the obvious A-side stuff. Shunning his customary wavesque detached singing style, the new album relies on instrumentation. Though still sticking to the minimal electronics formula, this time, not slavishly, indicating a departure from his previous, more bluntly minimal/cold wave-inspired records. There is room for experimentation and playfulness, the VII’s track for instance features samples from late night house parties, an added layer of irony, that distinguishes it from its eighties predecessors.
Struktury (2009 – 2013) by Moduretik
Interestingly, the tape is mastered by Moimir Papalescu of Czech legendary EBM band Vanessa, and appears in a limited run of 100 copies.