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All Music Guide:
A Helsinki producer whose "clicks + cuts" style of ambience makes for easy comparison to countrymates Pan Sonic, Vladislav Delay (real name: Sasu Ripatti) has recorded excellent work for three of Europe's most challenging electronic labels: Chain Reaction, Mille Plateaux, and Thomas Brinkmann's Max.Ernst. He grew up trained in jazz and still counts Philly Joe Jones -- the fiery drummer for the first Miles Davis Quintet -- one of his prime influences. Also before entering the world of electronics, Delay took side trips through the music of the globe (Brazilian, Cuban, African). After a few failed experiments with fusing electronics in a band environment, he began producing on his own and grew to love the mid-'90s developments by German labels Chain Reaction, A-Musik, Mille Plateaux, and others.
After a series of experimentations during 1996-1997 (later released, as by Conoco, on the Kemikoski full-length), his first release was the Kind of Blue EP, released in 1998 on his Huume label. During 1999, Delay released singles on Max.Ernst and Chain Reaction, leading to his album debut, Ele, on the Australian label Sigma Editions. In early 2000, two more full-lengths followed; first, Chain Reaction released Multila, then Entain appeared on Mille Plateaux. Before the end of the year, Delay had debuted a housier incarnation, Luomo, with the Vocalcity LP for Forcetracks. Anima (2001), Demo(n) Tracks (2004), The Four Quarters (2005), and Whistleblower (2007) were followed by two 12" remix singles based on the album track "Recovery Idea." He also released another Luomo album called Convivial, as well as its follow-up remix 12" for "Love You All." To top it all off, Delay issued a new recording of his propulsive tech-house project Uusital entitled Karhunainen.
Vladislav Delay's Tummaa full-length was released in 2009, as well as the final part of the "Recovery Idea" series of remixes and the "Tessio" single from Convivial; a subsequent remix of the track by Ramon Tapia was released later in the year. Ripatti's 2011 was no less prolific. In May, the full-length self-titled band recording Vladislav Delay Quartet was issued on Honest Jon's, followed by the solo Delay release of Vantaa later in the year on Raster-Noton. He also appeared on the Moritz Von Oswald recording Horizontal Structures, and released another Luomo single entitled "Good Stuff."
Wikipedia:
Vladislav Delay is one of the pseudonyms of Sasu Ripatti (born 1976), a Finnish electronic musician. He has also recorded as Luomo, Sistol, Uusitalo and Conoco.
Background [edit]
Sasu has been involved in the ambient music, glitch, house, and techno genres. His method of track production involves a mixture of synthesizing, vocal recording and live reprocessing. Many tracks have an organic feeling that pervades through rolling, dubby basslines and vocal snippets. His partner is Antye Greie, with whom he has collaborated. Their daughter was born in 2006.
Sasu has released EPs and albums on labels such as Raster-Noton, Force Tracks, Chain Reaction, Mille Plateaux, Resopal, and Sigma Editions. He also founded the Finnish music label Huume Recordings.
From 2009 onwards Ripatti has been performing drums and percussion in the Moritz von Oswald Trio alongside Moritz von Oswald and Max Loderbauer. With the Moritz von Oswald Trio he has released two albums and a live LP. He has also released an album in 2011 with his own experimental jazz/electronic group, the Vladislav Delay Quartet.
He was chosen by Animal Collective to perform at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival that they curated in May 2011.
Musical style [edit]
Ripatti's music is renowned for its sophisticated textural qualities. His sonic approach relies heavily on a semi-random element, and many undulating, complementary and sometimes conflicting layers interplay throughout most of his music. A de-constructive element is sometimes detected within the music as Ripatti makes comment on established genres within his various releases.
Characteristic traits within Ripatti's music are sometimes a deep or bubbling synth-bass line, fractured and syncopated percussion - often placed freely within the music, long delay repetitions of various sounds, syncopated use of vocal samples, and complicated digital effect processing techniques. Generally, the music has a very spacious and organic sound, and albums such as "Anima" feature a very simple theme repeated with an array of musical and rhythmical interjections.
Ripatti releases under different names have conceptually varied, but have sonically related qualities; this may be due to Ripatti's different composition techniques. Uusitalo releases are often anchored by a house beat and highlight rhythmic variation (see 2007's Karhunainen). Vladislav Delay releases, on the other hand (see 2000's Multila), explore rhythmically sparse, experimental and ambient techno-dub soundscapes. Works under the Luomo name feature uncommonly wrought dance-floor ready vocal house.
Sasu Ripatti often references himself within his music. The "Vapaa Muurari" album, for example, has an instrumental track ("Social Selection") that was re-mixed or re-recorded as the track "The Right Wing" on the "Vocalcity" album. Similarly, the track "Tessio" on the "Vocalcity" album was re-recorded for the "Present Lover" album in 2003.
