{"product_id":"krok-vinyl-lp-cd","title":"KROK – Vinyl LP\/CD","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e1. Крок \/ Krok \/ 2. Lingua Do Mundo (feat. Tim Bernardes) \/ 3. Ніці \/ Nici \/ 4. Калі ты запытаеш \/ Kali ty zapytaješ \/ 5. Ціхі карагод \/ Cichi karahod \/ 6. P7 Blues  \/ 7. Voo Livre \/ 8. VCB \/ 9. Смак жыцця \/ Smak žyćcia (feat. Manami Kakudo)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Krok” means “step” in Belarusian - and for \u003cstrong\u003eAlex Chumak\u003c\/strong\u003e and his band this word comes with a lot of meaning. It’s the title and theme that run throughout \u003cstrong\u003eСОЮЗ (SOYUZ)\u003c\/strong\u003e's fourth album, reflecting the journeys the band has navigated in recent years, having moved to Warsaw due to \u003cstrong\u003epolitical unrest \u003c\/strong\u003ein their homeland of Belarus and the outbreak of war in Ukraine. \u003cstrong\u003eEmbracing the uncertainty \u003c\/strong\u003ebecame both the inspiration and main lyrical theme for Alex Chumak, SOYUZ’ composer and arranger, who also decided to go a step further and change the language in which he writes songs from Russian, which is used as lingua franca in many post-Soviet countries, to his\u003cstrong\u003e native\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eBelarusian\u003c\/strong\u003e. The result is nine songs about dreams and outer space, ordinary miracles, things very close and very distant at the same time. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn early 2022, Chumak and original members,\u003cstrong\u003e Mikita Arlou and Anton Nemahai\u003c\/strong\u003e, joined tens of thousands of Belarusians seeking safety abroad. Resettling in Warsaw, the band released \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eForce of the Wind\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e in October 2022, garnering widespread acclaim, a string of major European gigs, and led to Polish musicians\u003cstrong\u003e Albert Karch\u003c\/strong\u003e and\u003cstrong\u003e Igor Wiśniewski\u003c\/strong\u003e joining the band. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDeeper and more melancholic than previous works, KROK is quintessentially SOYUZ, laced with \u003cstrong\u003ehope, dreams and a celebration of life\u003c\/strong\u003e. Given the difficulties with finding rehearsal and recording spaces in Warsaw and the departure of the drummer Anton Nemahai from the band, Chumak explored alternative options. He reached out to friend and fellow musical collaborator, \u003cstrong\u003eSessa\u003c\/strong\u003e, about the possibility of recording the new album in his recently finished studio in São Paulo, with Sessa and \u003cstrong\u003eBiel Basile\u003c\/strong\u003e coming onboard as recording engineers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt the tail end of 2024, Chumak and SOYUZ’ new drummer, \u003cstrong\u003eAlbert Karch\u003c\/strong\u003e, made the trip to São Paulo to record the first sessions for KROK. Sadly, they travelled without Mikita Arlou, SOYUZ’ co-founder and Chumak’s longtime creative partner, due to the financial impossibility of bringing him too. Laid down \u003cstrong\u003edirectly to tape\u003c\/strong\u003e, these sessions featured \u003cstrong\u003eprominent Brazilian musicians Sessa, Biel Basile, and Marcelo Cabra\u003c\/strong\u003el, with a guest vocal feature by \u003cstrong\u003eTim Bernardes\u003c\/strong\u003e recorded at a later date. The final touches were then added back in Europe.\u003cstrong\u003e Lush string and woodwind arrangements \u003c\/strong\u003ewritten by Chumak and Karch were recorded at the Polish Radio studio in Warsaw, and Rhodes parts were added by Chumak at \u003cstrong\u003eSven Wunder’s studio in Stockholm.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThough primarily recorded in Brazil, KROK is not a Brazilian or MPB album. It blends the bands'\u003cstrong\u003e Eastern European roots with jazz, folk and global influences\u003c\/strong\u003e. The genre of the music is hardly identifiable: there are \u003cstrong\u003efolk ballads\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003ejazz-driven pop compositions \u003c\/strong\u003ecovered in lush and often dissonant string and woodwind arrangements where each note is placed with care and meaning behind it. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBroad in its palette, KROK is full of highlights. The title track was the first song Chumak wrote in Belarusian as an adult, making for a fitting opener and \u003cstrong\u003eone of the band’s finest tracks.\u003c\/strong\u003e Darker than most of SOYUZ’ songs, the tensions lift and lighten as the track progresses. The cinematic library jazz of 'Voo Livre', with ghostly vocals sung by \u003cstrong\u003eCiça Góes\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eIna\u003c\/strong\u003e, feels like a modern twist on the Italian library composer \u003cstrong\u003eAlessandro Alessandroni \u003c\/strong\u003ethrough its sublime choir and woodwind orchestration. Elsewhere, the heartfelt 'Lingua Do Mundo', composed, written, and sung by Chumak and the incredible \u003cstrong\u003eTim Bernardes\u003c\/strong\u003e, features one of the standout string arrangements from Chumak and Karch. 'Cichi Karahod' is an instant SOYUZ classic, almost \u003cstrong\u003ePat Metheny-esque\u003c\/strong\u003e as it opens, with the acoustic guitar and bass riff transitioning into jazzy AOR \/ pop-folk territory. The record closes with 'Smak žyćcia', a gentle, dreamy spoken-word poetry piece in Japanese by \u003cstrong\u003esinger-songwriter Manami Kakudo.\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDespite immense challenges, SOYUZ have delivered a\u003cstrong\u003e career-defining album in KROK\u003c\/strong\u003e. Heartfelt and beautiful, it is not an imitation of the past, but rather a truly original, contemporary expression all of its own.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHoused in a tip-on sleeve with printed inner sleeve.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe width=\"100%\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/GqdwkjHNAK8?si=FPpSCxvC67SLleUD\" title=\"YouTube video player\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe width=\"100%\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OrLN216tBzw?si=udm9qLanr6Wf71fH\" title=\"YouTube video player\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BCC3V0nnTJ8?si=Jt_bD6lefcjpfZ9D\" height=\"315\" width=\"100%\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"СОЮЗ (SOYUZ)","offers":[{"title":"Vinyl LP","offer_id":58738318508416,"sku":"MRBLP318","price":11.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":58738318541184,"sku":"MRBCD318","price":6.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0972\/1384\/1792\/files\/MRBLP318SOYUZ_KROK_Shopify_Square.jpg?v=1787212952","url":"https:\/\/vinylvers.com\/products\/krok-vinyl-lp-cd","provider":"My Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}