Mujuice

Mujuice is a Moscow-based artist who is at the forefront of electronica in Russia. In his music, he skillfully combines the robotic glitches of modern electronic music with dense layers of natural sounds. Working without a formal musical education, he started experimenting with electronica when still a teenager and released his first LP, Superqueer, in 2004. His early works were sparsely arranged electronic compositions akin to European minimalist electronica (think Berlin avant-garde).
Even though his music relies on sampling methods, Mujuice refuses to be labelled as a strictly electronic producer, believing that contemporary artists should use all available resources. Blurring the lines between genres, he borrows elements from acoustic jazz and pseudo-symphonic music but he also uses clicks’n’cuts, microsampling and glitch tech. His 2007 full-length Cool Cool Death bursts with energy, blending dark swarms of melody with vocals and pounding drum samples. (http://www.umstrum.com/mujuice)

MUJUICE's newest album "Downshifting" is released on Russian major label Soyuz in March 2011.

PRESS

ALBUM REVIEWS

DOWNSHIFTING (2011)

"Downshifting" is the best Russian album, which I head in the last 10 years"
"The first truly great Russian album of the 2010s"
A.Gorbachev, magazine "Afisha"

"Mujuice opens a new page in history of Russian pop-music. He managed to combine two absolutely antagonistic elements - romantic-depressive Russian rock and impassive clubbing electronic music."
Artemy Troitsky

… Given the local import of these songs, their domestic provenance, and growing sense of horror, "Downshifting" is destined to be seen as a major Russian achievement - for a long time. The album's title may refer to a freely-chosen social alteration, but these songs speak instead of fate, funerals, and other "downward" movements with little time for individual whim.
The nervous smile of rokapops has changed beyond all recognition.
David MacFadyen, Far From Moscow

OTHER PRESS

A related, simultaneous shift in his work was towards the use of samples - in his own words taken from a broad palette of "almost acoustic jazz, pseudo-symphonic music, experimental clicks and cuts, microsampling, and [last but not least] glitch-tech."

"a lightweight fusion of happiness and sadness mixed in ideal proportions. No contra-indications or side effects. Recommended for all ages."

"The king of Moscow's electronic sound." "Electrosound" label Russia

From Chopin chops to garage rock, Mujuice has grazed in every musical field. A producer at heart, his background in bands and composing has been put to good use soundtracking muscovite adverts and movies. However electronic music has proved a demanding mistress, and his love affair with the synths and drum machines has produced two LPs of experimental electronica and several techno EPs as well as a couple of tracks with DZA under their rave revival guise Cut2Kill. Nowadays he likes to jam either on his kalimba or toy piano to create glitchy punky electronic pop gems, milking attitude out of the machines 'til the cows come home. In this set from Short & Sweet at London's Cafe 1001, his bleeps, noises and sweet sweet melodies sound like a warmhearted lovesick robot getting ready to bear hug you. Red Bull Music Academy
http://redbullmusicacademyradio.com/shows/2544
http://www.redbullmusicacademy.com/london/artist/?id=142

His (Mujuice) music reflects these mutations, blending the orchestrated grandeur of Russian composers like Dmitry Shostakovich with samples of power drills and chopped-up voices. Over the course of several EPs and a full-length, 2007's Cool Cool Death, he has walked the line between delicate instrumentals and pop songs sung in a mixture of Russian and English, and his as-yet untitled new album, due in the next few months, displays a new type of songcraft that could propel him to levels of fame in the country unheard of for an unsigned artist anywhere in the world. But Cool Cool Death's dark jumble is a testament to the cramped nature of Mujuice's native city, stuffing lush, highly counterpointed string samples into deep beds of 90s boom-bap drum breaks. Finn Cohen, Pitchfork, 2010