Saint Petersburg producer Nuage – aka Dmitry Kuzmin – has been creating outstanding electronic music for a number of years, having previously put out some high quality releases on influential labels like Med School, Absys and IM:Ltd. While these early releases were deeply rooted in drum n bass, Nuage has recently shifted his sound to encompass a wider range of influences and styles, allowing his music to express a broader spectrum of emotions.
“The styles are completely different,” Nuage says of his latest LP Prints of You, which is out now on Translation Recordings. “From drum n bass and trip hop to house and garage… I tried to put a soul into each of the tracks to make it a living, breathing composition.”
It is this sense of vitality and careful detail that make Prints of You such an engrossing experience for the listener. The heavily layered synths, effected vocals and intricate instrumentation combine with heavier percussion and bass elements to create an intriguing, genre-bending sound.
“I’ve always wondered why musicians should be limited to one style,” explains Nuage, “Why not do what you really want? Of course you need to keep your vibe and sound recognisable, but I decided to remove the boundaries that I no longer needed on this new album.”
Considering this change in musical direction, it would seem that many fans of Nuage’s dnb work may be turned off by the new record, but this hasn’t necessarily been the case.
“Sometimes I like to research on the Russian music resources and read comments about my music, because they are the most honest critics,” Nuage told us, “The reaction isn’t always the same – someone says it’s 5 stars and then someone asks ‘where’s the damn drum n bass and what are these sweet, girly songs you’ve written?’ Of course, I expected this, but in general I see much more positive words about the album than negative.”
The press seems to be well and truly in the positive camp, with DJ Broadcast labelling Prints of You “a truly pleasurable listening experience, containing a wide variety of influences to keep your attention while your head is firmly planted in the clouds.”
The record features a number of outstanding guests, and Nuage told us all about some of the amazing artists that he worked with on the album.
“I collaborated with artists from both Russia and Europe, with vocalists and musicians. With Gerwin, an electronic musician from France, we met a long time ago – I have a lot of records with him and even almost wrote a split album for a drum n bass label, but eventually we both moved away from 170 and we decided not to release this LP and focus on solo production. The track ‘Slow Moves’ shows our collaborations from the other side.”
“Ellie is a singer from Russia that I met through one of the social networks. We talked a lot and I asked her to try writing something on my music, she proved very talented and we’ve already done three tracks together.”
“Veronique, a cellist from Montreal, was probably the most harmonious collab –everything she plays really fits into the compositions like butter on bread.”
“Katie I met during a tour in Poland, she’s a unique vocalist and our track ‘Usual Dreams’ is one of the LP’s strongest in my mind. When I recorded this song, she asked me to use more effects on a voice, then I cut her words by letters and added effects, it gave to the vocals a more random sound – vintage, weird, and it sounded even better on the track.”
Like Nuage’s wide-ranging influences, the many collaborations on the album certainly add to the depth and variety of Prints of You, and Nuage cleverly manages to combine all these disparate elements into what he calls “a clear and simple sound.”
The record flows smoothly, with tracks ranging from 130 to 170 BPM, capturing and holding the listener’s attention throughout the 15-track journey.
With his star continuing to rise, we asked Nuage what the near future had in store for him and his music. “Around the next two months I expect a very cool EP on Paris-based label Roche Musique,” he revealed, “There will also be yellow wax with some experimental sounds from Saint Petersburg on local-based Audioplants.”
“And for those who liked my new album, we are preparing a little surprise – Remix Projects with tracks from Prints of You coming soon.”
For now, you can get your hands on Nuage’s outstanding new LP, which is out now through Translation Recordings, available on Vinyl, CD and Digital album.
Written by Will Van de Pol
