After a long wait, Los Angeles-based artist Gueorgui Linev, aka Kan Wakan, has just unveiled “Phantasmagoria, Vol. 1,” the first part of his album trilogy. Recorded with the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra, the soothing and enveloping record notably features the amazing “Molasses,” “I Would,” or the freshly shared “Indigo.” To celebrate this release, the talented Bulgarian producer proposes the opening track “Unlucky” as his new single. It is a perfect sum up of the album: a gorgeous mix of organic and electronic layers, graceful vocals and an orchestral sense of narrative that combines tension and contemplation. Listen to the track below and stream the album on your favourite outlet.

The musical brainchild of L.A-based producer & composer Gueorgui Linev; Kan Wakan, has seen his fair share of HighClouds posts and his ability to constantly pull compelling aesthetics is to blame for that. His latest single “Indigo” is no different in that regard as the compelling palette of sonics and variety of instruments used make up for a special listen.

Guiding you through the sweeping mix of varying brass, fluctuating bass and elegant keys with twinkling harp accents is Kan Wakan‘s longtime friend and jazz vocalist Elle Olsun. Her mysterious croon and hypnotic cadence provide a neat juxtaposition to the rich textures of the song. “Indigo” could take you a while to sink in as Kan Wakan‘s meticulous approach to structure and instrumentation will make you catch something you hadn’t heard before, even at third listen.

In fact, “Indigo” is close to a good story, building anticipation throughout the song for the next detail and sonic plot twist. It also serves as doorway into “Phantasmagoria (Vol.1)”, an album we’ve been waiting for two years. To celebrate, Kan Wakan has curated his own festival in Sofia; Outlier fest, taking place on September 15.

Sonically, SAÍGO‘s tender falsetto powers through throbbing beats by producer Alexander Vincent helped by a little white magic from Gueorgui Linev (Kan Wakan). Lyrically, whatever SAÍGO writes about is always palpable and insightful, describing his works as “narratives to the abrupt arrival of a dystopian future” inspired by news reports around the world. Unlike most of his peers, SAÍGO (born Tien Nguyen) chooses his topics meticulously uniting cerebral themes: meta-ethics, climate change denial, assimilation or even the surveillance state.

About “Neither”, the L.A artist detailed it’s written about:

[su_quote]the peril of idealizing those we admire, and how we magnify the inevitable disappointment. We are in the process of renewal, redrawing the borders of our societal grey areas, tearing down the glossy posters of our false saints and fallen idols[/su_quote]

SAÍGO sings: “Neither of them are you / Neither of them is true” in the chorus, pointing at the flaws of the celebrities we admire. The Vietnamese-American singer suggests a change of attitude when it comes to idolization and idealizing as this “peril” leads to “inevitable disappointment”. Following this train of thought, “Neither” encourages us to focus on improving ourselves as we can never be someone else, no matter how much we admire them. In other words, give attention to what is valuable and essential.

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100. CITY FATHER – “Coquette”

99. BILLIE EILISH – “Bellyache”

98. SABRINA CLAUDIO – “Belong To You”

97. PETRA GLYNT – “Fell In A Hole”

96. HERCULES & LOVE AFFAIR + SHARON VAN ETTEN – “Omnion”

95. GIRLI – “Hot Mess”

94. THE SOFT MOON – “Burn”

93. J.I.D – “Never”

92. ACE TEE + KWAM.E – “Bist Du Down?”

91. CRALIAS – “Hope You Are”

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90. CHROMATICS – “Shadow”

89. RUN THE JEWELS – “Legend Has It”

88. CARDI B – “Bodak Yellow”

87. YELLOW DAYS – “Hurt In Love”

86. JFDR – “Airbone”

85. SUSANNE SUNDFØR – “Undercover”

84. TOM TRIPP – “Aurelia”

83. SUPERORGANISM – “Something For Your M.I.N.D.”

82. KAN WAKAN – “Still Feather”

81. NILÜFER YANYA – “Baby Luv”

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80. WAKE CHILD – “In The End”

79. JAJA BU – “Sweetness”

78. ALVVAYS – “Dreams Tonite”

77. KIDÄ – “Bone Mother”

76. HÅN – “The Children”

75. ULYSSE – “Mañana”

74. SHY GIRLS – “You Like The Pain Too”

73. GOURMET – “Delicious”

72. SORCHA RICHARDSON – “4AM”

71. MILLIE TURNER – “Underwater”

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70. NABIHAH IQBAL – “Something More”

69. KEDR LIVANSKIY – “Your Name (имя твоё)”

68. MORGXN – “xx”

67. GRIZZLY BEAR – “Mourning Sound”

66. DANIEL CAESAR + KALI UCHIS – “Get You”

65. DILLON – “2.KIND”

64. COUCOU CHLOE + SEGA BODEGA – “Flip U”

63. THE TRP – “Soda”

62. JAY SOM – “The Bus Song”

61. GFOTY – “Tongue”

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60. SELENA GOMEZ -“Bad Liar”

59. ELA MINUS – “Juan Sant”

58. EMPRESS OF – “Go To Hell”

57. SHE Major – “Please Don’t”

56. VAGABON – “Cold Appartment”

55. NADINE – “Ultra Pink”

54. SONDER – “Feel”

53. RINA SAWAYAMA – “Alterlife”

52. SEGA BODEGA + SHYGIRL – “CC”

51. GOLDLINK + BRENT FAIYAZ – “Crew”

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50. CRATER – “Unearth”

49. QUAY DASH – “Decline Him”

48. YELLE – “Romeo”

47. GABRIEL GARZÓN-MONTANO – “Fruitflies”

46. WESLEE – “Bathwater”

45. FOREST SWORDS – “The Highest Flood”

44. KENDRICK LAMAR + ZACARI – “LOVE.”

43. ALEX CAMERON + ANGEL OLSEN – “Stranger’s Kiss”

42. SMERZ – “Oh My My”

41. SASSY 009 – “Are You Leaving”

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40. CHARLI XCX – “Roll With Me”

39. TESSA DIXSON – “Prayer”

38. TOMMY GENESIS – “Tommy”

37. SSION – “Comeback”

36. PIXX – “Romance”

35. DANNY L HARLE – “1UL”

34. LCD SOUNDSYSTEM – “american dream”

33. LANA DEL REY – “Love”

32. KING KRULE – “Dum Surfer”

31. SAMPHA – “(No One Knows Me) Like The Piano”

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30. MAKTHAVERSKAN – “Vienna”

29. CCFX – “The One To Wait”

28. KLLO – “Downfall”

27. KELLY LEE OWENS + JENNY HVAL – “Anxi.”

26. BLUE HAWAII – “No One Like You”

25. FEVER RAY – “Wanna Sip”

24. JULIEN BAKER – “Turn Out The Lights”

23. LIL PEEP + LIL TRACY – “witchblades”

22. FAKA – “Uyang’khumbula”

21. TR/ST – “Bicep”

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20. SARO – “Eyelids”

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19. BROCKHAMPTON – “Summer”

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18. TYLER, THE CREATOR + KALI UCHIS – “See You Again”

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17. O-SHiN – “A Revelation”

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16. ionnalee – “SAMARITAN”

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15. Vince Staples – “Crabs In A Bucket”

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14. WWWATER – “My Hands”

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13. Björk – “Blissing Me”

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12. Carly Rae Jepsen – “Cut To The Feeling”

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11. Big Thief – “Mythological Beauty”

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10. SZA – “Drew Barrymore”

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9. Frank Ocean – “Chanel”

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8. Wy – “Bathrooms”

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7. SOPHIE – “It’s Okay To Cry”

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6. Moses Sumney – “Doomed”

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5. Kelela – “Onanon”

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4. Arca – “Desafío”

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3. Lorde – “The Louvre”

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2. Perfume Genius – “Slip Away”

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1. Yaeji – “Raingurl”

Listen to the 100 tracks of 2017 according to the HighClouds‘ staff via Spotify, Youtube and Deezer.

Kan Wakan is the moniker of LA-based Bulgarian-born producer, film composer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Gueorgui Linev. Besides production and songwriting for artists such as Moses Sumney and Thundercat, the artist has been keeping the audience in suspense for more than two years with the release of his forthcoming album “Phantasmagoria”. This period has been marked by the release of several singles, including the excellent “Molasses” and “Still Feather“. Today, the artist is back with a new teasing single, “Tuesday”. The track, which features vocals from Rachel Fannan, Avi Buffalo, and the strings of the Sofia Philharmonic orchestra, is apparently one of the most expensive productions of Kan Wakan to date!

About the song, Kan Wakan detailed:

[su_quote]Writing Tuesday with Rachel and Avi was like finishing each other’s stories.. and also like being stuck inside of a Zelda game on multiplayer and with our combined efforts, working to broaden the map and find our way. It was only towards the end when we were able to look back and see the overarching theme. We needed each other to bounce ideas off of, so we could find a connection and common ground.[/su_quote]

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Connect with Kan Wakan via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Released in three parts, the LP is already causing some commotion on the Internet as it has charted in almost every platform. While the precedent track, “No Feather” features rising star SAÍGO, “Phantasmagoria Pt. 1” features Elle Olsun and the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra. Mixing electronic sounds with pop and classical vibes, the producer has proven that the attention he is getting is more than deserved and we can’t wait to hear what is coming next.

You can follow Kan Wakan on Facebook, Twitter and Soundcloud.

Its fifth single “No Line” showcases, once more, his proficiency in blending the organic with the electronic. The bottom line of Kan Wakan‘s work is to avoid the overheard pop tendencies which encompasses the song’s structure but more importantly its sound. In “No Line” he does so by breaking out of the traditional boxes by fusing contrasting elements. The track commences with a subtle but dissonant synth in tandem with tremolo-filled guitars setting the stage for the fine-grained nature of SAÍGO‘s vocals. Gueorgui‘s friend and L.A based musician sings “there ain’t no line between your love and hate” in the chorus which implies that if someone hates you, there is a chance, they also love you… The same brain circuitry is involved in both extreme emotions which could apply to this track: you either dislike it and think it’s too far-out or you might also think it’s beautifully avant-garde and love it.

As the tune progresses, crescendo layers of new sonorities and acoustic instruments arise merging freaky layers of synths with powerful drumming and organic arrangements. The phenomenal finale takes off around the three-minute mark yielding an epic orchestral jam, in a way only Kan Wakan can, touching the borders of psychedelic rock soundscapes.

The way he talks about the track reflects his complex sound… Gueorgui told Pigeons & Planes that “No Line” is “the unravelling of a lopsided relationship, the deconstruction of false dichotomies as glimmers of optimism are replaced by the harsh hues of clarity. As truth emerges, strange bedfellows are unmasked: threats masked as promises, oppression enabled by hope, damnation the appetizer for salvation.”

The highly anticipated triple LP is the result of three years between Sofia, his home ground, and his studio in Koreatown, Los Angeles. Defined as “a sequence of real or imaginary images like those seen in a dream,” “Phantasmagoria” is shaping up to become a real musical chef d’oeuvre after his astonishing previous release “Still Feather” who aggregates more than 300k listens. Veritable Swiss army knife, the 28-year-old producer, film composer, songwriter, and genre-breaking multi-instrumentalist has already performed with the likes of Arctic Monkeys, Royal Blood and Lianne La Havas in the past.

His music has an intellectual perfume to it which earned him the “synth scientist” epithet. On the one hand, while listening to the track, everything is perfectly mixed: every chord progression, sound and harmony is meticulously executed and melts together. On the other hand, the casual listener might not think so in the first place as the instrumental combinations and complex arrangements give way to eccentric textures. Sooner or later however, no matter what your musical tastes entail, you will find yourself intriguingly satisfied by Kan Wakan‘s bold and experimental music. Give it a listen and some time, because it’s nothing like you’ve heard before.

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The video marries perfectly the hearing experience, as we are covered entirely by the visuals. The hazy emotion of the track is pictured by the dancer who can evolve in between fragility and power. About the video, Kan Wakan explained:

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The concept for “Still Feather”’s music video was to draw on an enveloping sensory experience of augmented reality in a somewhat organic way. We utilized 360 degree animation, which we cast from above against the transparent walls of an isolated cube on a sound stage. Inside, our dancer and the animations perform in unison; the ebb of one flowing with the other to create an almost claustrophobic 3-dimensional space. Utilizing tight camera angles from the outside, we hoped to envelope the viewer pulling them into the projected world. Throughout the choreography we see the dancer interact with the animation, her attempts to escape and shift the space seeming to bring the artist and the environment into a greater unity, causing a deeper connection between the two.

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You can read our review of the track here and follow Kan Wakan over Facebook, Twitter and Soundcloud.