Rosa Damask

Rosa Damask is the alias of Nastia Reigel, a Russian artist whose productions and DJ sets gained much acclaim in the last few years, both for her refined minimalist approach and impressive technical skills. So far she has released two EPs – Figures In Brine on Credo and Trust, Intimacy on Enemy Records, and is an active part of St. Petersburg’s underground scene as a curator of Грань (Grahn), LGBT event series at Клуб. Whereas productions under her own name are more dancefloor-oriented, her latest project Rosa Damask is an equally soulful, yet very personal affair that roams the shadier margins of post punk. Her debut album Heroes, which came out in July 2019 on Hospital Productions, was recorded in isolation as a means of visceral self-exploration, fusing cold drums and bleak guitar work with gentler moods and prominent, diverse vocals that were recorded in one take.

STM 297 brings an impeccable selection of tracks and artists that influenced the gritty and sensual sound of Rosa Damask, as well as her own unreleased tracks from different projects. Opening the mix with the abrasive ambiguity of her own track “Drowned Hearts”, she steadily moves through the ritualistic ambiance of Deathprod’s “Towboat” and a few tracks from Demdike Stare’s gripping occult phase. Rosa Damask slowly builds this piece on the subtle variations in pace and atmosphere, which allows the listener to deeply experience every single detail. Throughout the mix, she pays homage to Mika Vainio, including both his solo work and collaborations such as his earliest project Gagarin Kombinaatti and Vainio / Vaisanen / Vega. Their track “No Home Kings” provides an especially moving sequence with its sharp eeriness and Alan Vega’s unmistakable frantic vocal delivery, which blends with the desolate intensity of Lustmord’s track “Words Of Voice” and ominous clanging of Virile Games’ “Nailed To The Living Heart Of Heaven”.

In the records

“Freeway” by Special Forces briefly disrupts the lingering dense atmosphere with a dose of dark and quirky DNB which sets the stage for a bit more dynamic part of the mix. An initial venture into noise and power electronics introduces Reigel’s enchantingly raw project Pervert Pass, and continues with some moodier rarities, leading to more ethereal and even luminescent sound spaces that culminate in neofolkish sensibility of Rosa Damask’s unreleased track “Insideoutside”. It leaves only a hint of space before Prurient’s “The One Word” kicks in, summing up the interplay between rough and doleful elements that haunts the entire piece.

With STM 297, Rosa Damask moves from darker, more ritualistic and abrasive sonic hues to sparse moments of vibrant melancholy. What makes this mix so distinctive is her incredible sense of continuous, gentle build-up and an unexpected selection of heavy and vehement tracks that convey the full intensity of conflicting emotions without ever being overwhelming. Precisely this delicate balance creates a perplexing state of immediacy that only gets more intriguing on each new listen.

Rosa Damask on the mix

This mix contains works that document the history of modernist electronic music, which had a significant impact on the Rosa Damask project and my perception of musical culture, nature and sound physics. The mix features several of my works from the release on Hospital Productions and previously unreleased tracks, as well as recordings of my other project Pervert Pass.