Founded in 2021 by internationally acclaimed club DJ Manfredas and sound artist Kotryna Briedytė , community radio station Radio Vilnius has aimed to fill a vital void in the cultural landscape of Lithuania since its inception. With a population similar to that of Chicago, the nation’s capital is home to a rich and vibrant underbelly of enthralling and experimental electronic music. The community station’s modus operandi has been to provide this community of creatives with a platform from which to showcase their art. After being established as an important pillar of Vilnius’s cultural community, the next step was obvious. Now partnering with The state51 Conspiracy, the newly fledged label offers its first musical release to the world.
What better way to launch this freshly-forged imprint, than with ‘XRAM’, the new release from Santaka, the collaborative project between Manfredas & cross genre drummer / producer Marijus Aleksa. Pronounced San-t-ka & meaning ‘confluence’ in Lithuanian, the duo inhabit a space between their respective musical practices, Manfredas’ club-oriented output and Marijus’ jazz background, which has been bolstered by the recruitment of several free jazz and avant musicians from Vilnius who join them on both of their releases. With previous support coming from BBC tastemakers Benji B & Gilles Peterson, introducing listeners the twisting sounds and percussive textures of the duo’s beguiling music. The EP package comes complete with remix from Berlin-based techno artist Marco Shuttle.
On this partnership Kotryna Briedytė says: “The state51 Conspiracy have released records by our beloved and radio related artists : Valentina Magaletti, Waclaw Zimpel, Nik Colk Void,. They also happen to have one of their offices in Vilnius. Just like the radio, the label is here to amplify and document new, diverse voices and sounds from Vilnius and beyond. Also go deep into the musical archives of Lithuanian music, a territory still very unexplored to most.”. On the partnership, The state51 Conspiracy added: “Vilnius has always been an important location for state51 and we’re constantly inspired by the creative community there. We’re honoured to be launching a new record label in collaboration with Radio Vilnius and excited to create a platform for artists to continue to thrive in this vibrant scene.”
Strap yourself in for the wild ride that is ‘XRAM’.
