Slow Crunch by KIKOK

Under the alias KIKOK works musician Pavel Fedoseev from Perm. Before pursuing his solo career, Pavel drummed for the band Gnoomes, playing shoegaze and touring across Europe. Now, Gnoomes are based in Slovenia—where they’ve gained European recognition—while Pavel has focused on studio work. The reason for this shift is an illness that prevents him from traveling long distances. Though he misses the lively festival scene, he still finds positives in his situation: he can dedicate himself to his passion, because now he can do "whatever he wants," and push forward his solo project, KIKOK.

In 2017, his self-titled album KIKOK was released on the Dutch label Magnetron Music, and in 2019, the label put out his next album, SAUNA. Pavel admits the material was raw, and he even cobbled together the cover art in Paint. This spontaneity and fresh sound won over seasoned producers. However, the artist himself considered this success insufficient—his work isn’t meant for a broad audience, but collaborating with a major label was a valuable experience.

KIKOK describes the distinctive sound of his early works as shoegaze-Italo-disco. Admittedly, this blend isn’t for everyone. However, his latest release on Mestnost**—"Slow Crunch"—sounds completely different. The steady beat and synthetic structures have been replaced by fluid dynamics, expressive pauses, and rhythmic shifts. There’s more emotion, sensuality, and melody. The album was mixed and mastered by Kostya Kokokei, co-founder and creative force behind Mestnost.

By the way, the artist’s alias comes from two words in his native Komi-Permyak language: "Ki" (hand) and "Kok" (foot). Pavel loves playing live and considers performances a special form of communication with the audience. He doesn’t often perform in his hometown of Perm, but when he does, it’s always an event. When Pavel is behind the console, it’s immediately clear why he’s KIKOK: his fingers, our feet—that’s how Komi-Permyak magic works, channeled through a tangle of cables.

mestnostrecords.com