New Music from Kan Wakan

Kan Wakan is Gueorgui Linev—the producer, composer, synthesizer scientist, film score fanatic, and multi-instrumentalist whose highly-acclaimed full-length debut Moving On dissolved the genre-breaking electronica of Massive Attack, Air, and Zero 7 into a bottomless sea of 20th century minimalism, psychedelic soul, and ambient atmosphere. It’s been two years since the release of Moving On, and the Bulgarian-born musician from Los Angeles has been busy in that time. He’s begun working with others and has created music with the likes of the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra, Arctic Monkeys, and Moses Sumney, whose Linev-produced track featuring Thundercat was just named as a “Best New Track” by Pitchfork. He’s also been crafting Phantasmagoria, an upcoming three-LP collection of enveloping, slowly developing songs featuring vocals of multiple guest singers. The new Molasses EP collects four of those songs, each sung by his close friend Elle Olsun.

The title track is a lavishly-arranged song composed by Linev on his grandmother’s piano during a recent visit to his hometown of Sofia, Bulgaria. “Molasses is allowing the weight to fall with a hope,” he says. “[It’s] a self-heartened embrace of the burgeoning we see before us – a clearing and a rising fog, that moment when we take stock of our surroundings and realize we have changed.” “I Would,” the first song composed for the upcoming album, is a true collaboration that Linev and Olsun composed together based on a nylon guitar riff that had been “on playback” in his mind for a while. Though he hadn’t figured out what to do with it, she immediately began singing a melody and the two bounced ideas off of each other until it was finished. “I quite enjoy collaborating in the traditional sense,” he says about writing with Olsun. “I had gotten so used to working on projects, passing around files over the internet and not seeing outside of the four walls in the studio, it was really refreshing to sit by the piano and make music together. I’m continuously drawn to the human aspect of music and do my best to embrace the natural imperfections that happen in a performance.” “Canopy” and “Hold Me Close” continue developing the simmering, soulful vibe made manifest by the clear musical chemistry between Linev and Olsun.

“Combining warm, modern R&B and chillwave with a soulful country edge, Kan achieves an extremely innovative and captivating sound.” -Hillydilly

“Something pretty special. …The songwriter’s hazy blend can’t help but over-power you.” -Clash Music

RIYL: Portishead, Air, Chet Faker, Massive Attack, Bonobo

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