Oleksandr Demianenko - Recorded For Watercolors, Vol. 2 (2020)

Hush Hush Records is thrilled to welcome back Ukrainian musician, photographer, and artist Oleksandr Demianenko to help present his sophomore album, Tapes Recorded For Watercolors Vol. 2.

It’s been just over two years since Oleksandr joined the Hush Hush family for his debut album Tapes Recorded For Watercolors, an atmospheric, evocative, and richly-textured record inspired by his love for analog tapes. His fascination with analog mediums continues through today, both through his work as an accomplished photographer and through his own recently-launched cassette label, Giraffe Tapes. While his creative endeavors have increased since his last foray on Hush Hush, his knack for creating transportive, unique, and unpredictable music has stayed consistent, as does his habit of always carrying a field recorder and camera around with him to capture the natural world surrounding him.

In all honesty, this album is the result of a chaotic and tumultuous period in Oleksandr’s life. One of the only true salvations was time spent in his home studio, where he could escape in his otherworldly sonic creations. Building upon the whimsical sounds he’s captured in different pockets of the world, he creates hypnotic ambient vignettes and nostalgic electronic rhythms that transport the listener to a mysterious world. In similar fashion to his beloved debut album, his second album features 12 tracks that continue to draw upon his love of ambient, IDM, downtempo, and abstract music, often landing within a magnetic gray area between these styles.

Once again, the album’s artwork – both the single digital cover and the more elaborate cassette tape artwork – features a series of Oleksandr’s own watercolor paintings. Created during the same time period as the album, the watercolors are closely connected to the album’s amorphous mood and provide the multimedia inspiration behind the album’s title.