ივლისი 11, 2020
Label: CES Records
Catalog Number: CES007
Format: Double LP / Digital
Release Date: 24.07.2020
Project Name: If Strangers
Title: Dust
Members of If Strangers collective in no particular order:
Tamta Gwrliani – Ta mTa Gwarliani
Nika Machaidze – Nikakoi
Natalie Beridze – Natalie Beridze
Nazi Chavchavadze – Nasi Chavchavadze
Irakli Margishvili – Progenol
Katisha Dashniani – EKNR
Anushka Chkheidze – Anushka Chkheidze
Nino Davadze – DAVA
Lasha Chkhaidze – Lasha Chkhaidze
Tamo Nasidze – Tamo Nasidze
Anka Odishelidze – ELY ANN
Dato Janezashvili – Omar Jgenti
Kuji Tabagua – Kuji Slwn
Track-list:
1. If Strangers - “Static Encounter 1“ prod. Tamo Nasidze/Natalie Beridze
Voc: Tamo Nasidze
2. If Strangers - “Resurrection” prod. Nasi Chavchavadze/Kuji Slwn
3. If Strangers - “Pure Light Inside Light” prod. Nasi Chavchavadze/Anushka Chkheidze
Vocals: DAVA
4. If Strangers - “If Strangers” prod. Progenol/Nikakoi/Natalie Beridze
Vocals: Natalie Beridze; Lyrics: Natalie Beridze
5. If Strangers - “Glass” prod. Nikakoi/Progenol/Tamo Nasidze
6. If Strangers - “Cardboard Clay” prod. Nasi Chavchavadze/Tamo Nasidze/Progenol/Lasha/Natalie Beridze
7. If Strangers - “Aware-Unaware” prod. Omar Jgenti/Natalie Beridze/Progenol/Kuji Slwn
8. If Strangers - “Fracture” prod. Anushka Chkheidze/Ta mTa Gwarliani/Progenol /Kuji Slwn/EKNR
Vocals: Anushka Chkheidze; EKNR Lyrics: Anushka Chkheidze
9. If Strangers - “Dust” prod. Natalie Beridze/Nasi Chavchavadze
10. If Strangers - “Tunnel” prod. Ta mTa Gwarliani/DAVA
11. If Strangers - “Fear and Rust” prod. ELY ANN /DAVA/Anushka Chkheidze/Nasi Chavchavadze
Vocals: DAVA
12. If Strangers - “Incitatus Runs Away from Senate” prod. Nikakoi/ELLY ANN
13. If Strangers - “Hidden Dimensions” prod. Ta mTa Gwarliani/Nikakoi
Vocals: Ta mTa Gwarliani; Lyrics: Ta mTa Gwarliani
14. If Strangers - “Paraphrase” prod. Lasha/Tamo Nasidze/Nikakoi
15. If Strangers - “Static Encounter 2” prod. Tamo Nasidze/Natalie Beridze/Nasi Chavchavadze/Progenol
Vocals: Tamo Nasidze
16. If Strangers - “Familiar Emptiness” prod. Lasha
17. If Strangers - “Closer” prod. Anka Odishelidze/Progenol/Tamo Nasidze/Nikakoi
Vocals: Tamo Nasidze; Lyrics: Tamo Nasidze
18. If Strangers - “Manicured Keys” prod. DAVA/Anushka Chkheidze/EKNR/Nasi Chavchavadze
19. If Strangers - “Distance” prod. Ta mTa Gwarliani/Anushka Chkheidze/Kuji Slwn/Lasha
20. If Strangers - “Sparkling Room” prod. Natalie Beridze/DAVA/Kuji Slwn/EKNR
21. If Strangers - “Hibernation” prod. Anushka Chkheidze/Natalie Beridze
Vocals: Natalie Beridze; Lyrics: Natalie Beridze
Concept:
If Strangers: this concept emerged recently, during Covid19 lockdown, as a result of which, CES - as many other institutions sought ways to continue their existence, by altering teaching process, in compliance with new regulations.
Our course at CES (music production and song writing) went along with school's adjustments to lecture in front of lucid screens, divided into multiple windows, which created diverse hindrances, since our teaching methods would not survive through online interaction with the class.
As physical interaction now seized to exist altogether, we had to come up with an alternative version of lecturing, which would be both educational, practical and would result in a ready-made product.
Our newcomer students on the other side of the screen, (most of them complete strangers), joined us in our online project / lectures, with slim to none understanding of what they were up to. All they knew was group name: ”Collab19", and that it was not going to be our "normal" course.
We decided to do a massive collaboration together with our 11 new students, including both of us - lecturers, making total of 13 participants. The challenge was to put out a ready album at the end of two months.
technically the process was: we would randomly divide ourselves into groups of two or more people and each group would start a track, by sending each other stems, then working further, adding their stems and so on. during our next online meeting, we would discuss the process, sum up what we've achieved during the week and pass previous group's half-made track on to the next couple and so on. hence each track at the end would be written and produced by multiple participants, including lecturers.
the process immediately became so inspiring and stimulating, that by the end of a week, we would have several ready tracks on our drive. Certainly, pandemic made us more disciplined and hard-working at the time, as there was not much else to dwell on.
We considered the abundance of risks that this process carried. As we basically indulged and promised 13 strangers, including ourselves to create something not only for the sake of overcoming creative "hibernation" during pandemic; not only to escape our often times desperate need to fight boredom, but rather to compel ourselves to create a product, which would outweigh and outgrow the very reason and circumstances under which it all begun.
This process took us to the unknown journey, resembling the process of reading good poetry, where the words are not supposed to merry, yet they translate huge mess into emotional momentum, which one will never forget.
By the end of two months, Strangers "Dust" resulted in 21 tracks, to be put out as a digital release at CES Records, in July 2020.
As a result of Covid19 pandemic and the process it made us jump into, Strangers - as a project will continue as a sequel, with other groups of strangers, regardless of the future of pandemic.
We came to believe, that each and every sound stem, which was exchanged within our group during the working process, provoked, nurtured and educated each one of us, regardless our experience, age or taste. At first, it made us overcome our daunting anxiety and boredom, yet in the process, I believe, we learned to embrace boredom, as one of the most valuable tools of exploration, self-analysis and indulgence.
I mentioned boredom, because it directly corresponds with the name of the album - "Dust", which can be perceived in many ways, but I personally recall Joseph Brodsky's assay "In praise of boredom", where he writes: "... For boredom is an invasion of time into your set of values. it puts your existence into its perspective. the more you learn about your own size, the more humble and the more compassionate you become to your likes, to that dust a swirl in a sunbeam...Ah, how much life went into this fleck! not from your point of you, but theirs. You are to them; what time is to you; that's why they look so small. do you know what the dust says when it's being wiped off the table? "Remember me", whispers the dust".
Credits:
Co-producers: Nika Machaidze; Natalie Beridze; Natia Sartania
Mastering: Gvaji at Leno Records
Artwork: Image of the dust photographed with microscope by Nika Machaidze
Designed by: Liza Asatiani
Music Video for DUST: Nikakoi
Costumes: Sadaawhere?!