Exotica
Light instrumental music from 1950s America, in which studio musicians conjured distant islands and jungles with percussion and the sounds of nature.
Articles
Articles
This page brings together the directions the magazine is built around, along with a catalogue of standalone articles. Each topic is not a genre shelf in a shop but a way of listening: we explain what lies behind the name, where to find verified information and how to approach a sound that still feels foreign to you.
A genre name is just a sign on the door. What matters is what plays behind it.
How this section works: a topic appears here if it can be covered without naming living musicians, without rankings and without advertising, through history, sound, instruments or listening habits.
Magazine topics
Six directions the magazine returns to most often.
World music as a label
How a handy category for record shop shelves became the word still used for very different kinds of music from all over the world.
Experimental and electronic
Music in which sound itself takes centre stage: noise, synthesised timbres, tape techniques and unusual forms.
Unusual instruments
From the theremin to household objects: how instruments work that you will never find in an ordinary orchestra.
Field recordings
Sounds and music recorded outside the studio: in the street, in a forest, at a village celebration. What makes such recordings valuable and how to listen to them.
The home collection
Credits on CDs and records, storing your media, cataloguing your collection: everything that helps you collect music thoughtfully.
CD card (archive) (in Russian)
Article catalogue for English-speaking readers
This is where the magazine's standalone articles, written specifically for English-speaking readers, will appear. They are original texts, not translations of material from other language versions of the site.
- Aion 2 classes: Practical Overview for Players
A practical look at choosing among Aion 2's eight launch classes: roles, flight-based combat, group synergy and how to avoid outdated build advice.
- EA Sports FC: Ultimate Team Development And Match Planning — Planning Walkthrough
Field notes on EA Sports FC Ultimate Team: building a squad over time, planning matches, comparing self-directed play with help, and what to verify first.
- GTA 6 Gameplay Coaching and Skills: Source Check
What can honestly be said about GTA 6 skills and coaching before launch: confirmed facts, transferable open-world habits and how to vet any advice you find.
- How to evaluate gaming services and player resources: Online Communities
How to judge gaming services and player resources using online communities: forums, wikis, Discord, video creators and aggregators, with their limits.
What the editors are working on
- Tiki bars, hi-fi and the exotica craze of the 1950s
- Why the theremin became the sound of science fiction
- Recording your own neighbourhood: a first field recording
- Reading the small print on a record sleeve
Editorial rules
- Articles in this catalogue are written separately for each language version and are not translations.
- Some articles link to third-party websites, including gaming services; we do not control their content, prices or terms.
- We do not publish advertising for labels, shops or concerts, rankings, prices or reviews.
Read next
- Collections
Themed collections of directions for a first encounter with unusual music.
- Analysis
How to break down a track by timbre, rhythm, structure and recording quality, using hypothetical examples.
- Archive
All magazine sections grouped by topic, plus a note on the domain's archived addresses.
Sources
- Music encyclopedias and reference works
- Release credits: booklets and sleeves
Historical information is based on music encyclopedias and reference works. Details of releases, concerts and venues change, so check them with publishers and organisers.