Kedr Livanskiy – Liminal Soul

To hear Livanskiy tell it, her last album was “born on the dance floor.” Returning to DJing after a several-year hiatus reignited her love of early dance music, an energy which she channelled into 2019’s Your Need. Produced by fellow musician and frequent collaborator Flaty, it remains her most upbeat record to date, with influences ranging from dub and breakbeat to 90s electronic and ghetto house. Your Need was met with acclaim from both fellow DJs and music press alike, earning her features in publications like The Guardian and Pitchfork, as well as live gigs from Moscow to New York City.

The infectious pop energy of Your Need is still present on Liminal Soul, but this time it’s more refined; a single element in an elaborate arsenal. Coming off a grueling tour cycle, Livanskiy felt boxed in by the very music that had fueled her - “the dance floor had shaped me at some time, [but] then it almost suffocated me,” she explains. At the same time, she was reflecting on her own growth and age - “I desired to create a mature album, since I’ve absolved my adolescent essence and entered the beautiful maturity.” Rather than simply rebelling against the upbeat nature of the last record, however, she opted instead to expound upon it: Liminal Soul takes the technicolor dance floor conjured on Your Need and drops it into the middle of a lush forest, striking a perfect balance between the electronic energy of contemporary life and the organic ease of the natural world.