Hvl - Ostati (2018)

Back in 2015, Team OA proudly showcased the work of Georgian producer Gigi Jikia, better known as HVL. The Away From Everything We Know 12” was instrumental in establishing Organic Analogue’s tendency for deeper strains of electronic music, and now it feels right to be welcoming Gigi back to present his long-awaited debut album.

In the past five years HVL releases have been flying out on labels such as Rough House Rosie, Housewax, Flyance and many more besides. Favouring a dubby aesthetic and adept at handling rhythms and tempos between house, techno and electro, the HVL sound is as distinctive as it is classically rooted. Part of this balanced approach is undoubtedly shaped by Gigi’s role within the scene in his native Tbilisi. As a resident of the much vaunted BASSIANI, he’s helped bring electronic music culture to Georgia and his debut album, Ostati, is a conscious tribute to this youthful, dynamic scene on the farthest reaches of Eastern Europe.

The Georgian word Ostati describes, ‘one who has mastered their craft,’ and Gigi applies the meaning to both his own artistic development and that of BASSIANI and the Georgian electronic music scene that, even five years ago, was a faint whisper of what it is today.

Sonically, the album (which Gigi refers to as one of his most personal works to date) is intended as a document of the sound of Tbilisi - a seductive, understated update on the established HVL dynamics, centred on warm, outboard house and techno but with a noticeably understated mood. There are ambient tracks that let sweeping pads and tones ooze from the speakers, but by and large the club tracks take a pared down approach that favours space and meditation over bold brush strokes. This is far from run of the mill minimal techno though. Whether it’s the teeth-gnashing bite of broken beat affair “Askinkila” or the rough and ready acid workout “Continuum”, the sound is gutsy and dripping with character. “Sallow Myth” unfurls itself over nine minutes, pitching somewhere between the warm-up and twist-out part of the night with tranced-out acid lines and rugged drums to suit a heads down throng.

If you think of releases on Ostgut Ton as painting a picture of Berghain as a club, then Ostati spells out a space where dim lights and mysterious corners provide a playground for wild ideas to dart around in the dark. The overall atmosphere may appear subdued, but it’s merely a cover for the fiery spirit lurking underneath. More than anything, this release defines a sound for HVL and BASSIANI distinct from what you might expect to hear in a more established cultural hub.

While it may not be able to recreate the feeling of getting lost in the smoke in the middle of the empty swimming pool in the early hours of the morning, until you can make it to Tbilisi let HVL be your guide.