Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania. Radio Vilnius is a new label launched by the city’s leading independent station, of the same name. Championing the local underground / experimental music scene, their debut release contains a trio of tracks from Santaka. Fresh from their own debut long-player, No Rivers Here, pressed earlier this year by the always brilliant Byrd Out (1), the duo, of drummer / percussionist Marijus Aleksa and DJ / producer Manfredas Bajelis, deliver more impossible to pigeonhole jazz-not-jazz. 

The E.P.’s titular piece, Xram, is constructed around the voice and virtuoso woodwinds of Saulius Petreikis, and also features collaborative input from globally-renowned Romanians, Mindaugas Vadoklis and Andrei Rusu, aka Khidja. A collision of genres it begins with rapid, rhythmic clicking and bursts of rave “Hoover” bass, but this is then topped by muted, Miles Davis-like horns. Its busy, bottom heavy, futuristic fusion like a groovier take on Jon Hassell’s Fourth World. Emerging, evolving, out of a fog of ethereal vocals to build a banging, booming, furious funk. Tones tumbling. Circuits chatter. Chirrup. 

Marco Shuttle’s slow motion remix cuts the BPMs in half. Transforming the track from a full freakout flight to an intoxicating inner space exploration. Focusing on Petreikis’ amazing contributions it becomes a kind of deep, modern devotional music. More a ritual drum circle meditation. A hypnotic, healing mantra.  

Crescent is racing, rapid “ambient” techno. Washed in waves of atmospheric glitched grit. Improvised interference where elements are roughly scratched backwards and forwards. Glimpses of its traditional percussion sound sources caught in a machined melody that twists and turns like a Drexcyian sea snake. 

Finally, Xdrum’s sequences squeak and scurry about a percussive pounding that resembles Dusseldorf’s Durian Brothers. Sci-Fi sound-effects, chimes, and snatches of zither, showering its avant-garde, arty, take on an African tribal beat. 

(1) Two of the tracks also received terrific remixes from Khidja and Nik Colk Void for a limited lathe-cut 10”.

Santaka’s Xram is out now on Radio Vilnius.