Belarusian punk folkers Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants launch debut album Ha Numa (Bomba Piter Records, Russia)

With London's cult lo-fi guru Yo Zushi ("...the start of something major" **** Q Magazine) and the chamber folk songstress Jess Bryant.

All three acts record at the local art-rock hub, Golden Hum Studios, with By the Fireside's Daniel Lea (producer of Dark Captain, Light Captain).

About the bands:

Sasha Ilyuvekich and the Highly Skilled Migrants

Belarussian rock and roller Sasha Ilyukevich hits Dalston with his incomparable brew of punk, folk and blues. Combining the literate worldliness of Boris Grebenshikov and the emotional depth of Blood on the Tracks-era Bob Dylan, Ilyukevich's songs are propelled by a raw sound and melodicism that render the language barrier insignificant. This event marks the launch of his highly anticipated debut album, Ha Numa, released in Russia on St Petersburg's Bomba-Piter label.

Sasha is one of a small group of Russian-speaking artists whose music has found an audience outside his native country, playing his first UK show at the Luminaire in 2007. There, he met the musicians who would later become his band members. While the songs are written and performed in Russian, the unique sound of Sasha Ilyukevich and the Highly Skilled Migrants is attracting a growing cult in the UK, driven largely by word of mouth (and the enthusiastic buzz generated by his hand-pressed demo collection, Woe from Wit).
Myspace: www.myspace.com/sashailyukevich

Yo Zushi

Described by Mary Anne Hobbs (Radio One) as "the spirit of Bob Dylan for the 21st Century", lo-fi country singer Yo Zushi has released two highly acclaimed CD albums on Pointy Records (home to the Clientele, Tim Ten Yen, Flotation Toy Warning and Ladybug Transistor), as well as a limited edition cassette on Italy's Best Kept Secret Tape Label (Jangadeiros, 2009). According to London's Metro newspaper, his "lucid tales of alcohol-fuzzled intrigue" exude "a warm melancholia"; Steve Lamacq (Radio Two) calls him a "raw, intriguing talent". Q Magazine, which gave his 2005 debut, Songs From A Dazzling Drift (2005) a **** review, predicts that "this could be the start of something major". Dazed & Confused calls his music "a masterclass in storytelling", and Word praises his "perfectly constructed lyricism". Zushi has supported the likes of Joanna Newsom, Willy Mason, Scritti Politti, Rachel Unthank, Patrick Wolf, the Magic Numbers and many others. He was born in Hiroshima, Japan – famous for its momiji manjuu cakes.
Myspace: www.myspace.com/yozushi
Homepage: www.yozushi.net

Jess Bryant

According to Electric Roulette, Jess Bryant has “a voice like absolutely no-one else in gramophonic history”, and she “creates bewitching, fragile songs that conjure up images of late nights in dark wooded places, black magick, ancient folk tales and . . . somethin' else.” As captured on an EP recorded at the near-legendary Golden Hum Studios (By the Fireside, Dark Captain Light Captain, etc), Bryant's quietly intense music is to be treasured. Out of the Bedroom accurately calls her “phenomenal”: “One of the most poignant, tragic, sad and yet wildly beautiful things I've ever heard.”
Myspace: www.myspace.com/jkcbryant
Homepage: www.jessbryant.co.uk