Strange and brilliant. That's the first thought that comes to mind when you hear Svoy's music. The Los Angeles-based Universal Music Group artist/writer/producer returns in a duo supporting Grammy-winning jazz master Kenny Garrett and their new album entitled "Who Killed AI?” on Mack Avenue Records.
Described as a "…Robot-driven repetitive-trance big-rhythm synth-pop modern-chart soul futuristic electro-disco techno meister" by The Big Takeover Magazine, an artist who is "…Not afraid to explore" by TheCelebrityCafe.com, with his music characterized as "…Poignant. Complex. Refreshing" by Billboard, "…Expertly produced" by PopMatters, "…Sophisticated. Hypnotic. Sexy" by AllMusic.com, Svoy is dubbed by Tower Records Japan nothing less than "…Prince of electropop", with his work having "…Depth and resonance", as reported by JazzTimes Magazine.
Svoy, Donald Brown, Kenny Garrett & Vernell Brown, Jr. at Sear Sound, NYC
Born Mikhail Tarasov in Vladivostok, an undulating fast-paced port city on the Russian Pacific coast, which every six months or so his deep-sea professional diver Dad would leave on red rescue ships bound overseas and his simultaneous translator professor of English Mom would remain in to get the rest of the family through blustery mostly snowless winter, Tarasov took seven years of classical piano from renowned Far-Eastern professor Mary Kalman who was later instrumental in his move to Moscow, further studies with celebrated musicians/professors Igor Bril and Yury Saulsky, and graduation as a pianist at the country's best contemporary music institution, Gnessins' Academy of Music. After winning several important competitions, including Special Prize from The Russian National Academy of Composers (also known as The Union of Composers of Russian Federation), Tarasov received a full scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he graduated with a Professional Music Degree after three years of majoring in jazz piano. While in Boston, Tarasov impressively won two prestigious music competitions in a row: the BMI Pete Carpenter Fellowship Award, presented personally by legendary TV composer Mike Post (Law & Order, NYPD Blue, Magnum P.I., among other primetime shows) in Los Angeles and BMI John Lennon Award, presented personally by Yoko Ono in New York. Soon after becoming a New York City resident, he made considerable noise on one of the internet social networks as the writer/singer/producer of the frantic ingenious electronic song "Driving Away" under the moniker Svoy (that can be translated from his native language as "autonomous"), which rapidly led to signing a record deal with Beverly Hills-based label belonging to legendary radio chief executive/record producer Frank Cody and widely renowned instrumentalist Dave Koz, Rendezvous, and a major publishing deal with Universal Music Group, followed by U.S. release of his debut self-produced album Eclectric to wide international critical and audience acclaim. He continued with Billboard-charting Independent Music Award-winning album Automatons on Tokyo-based historic label P-Vine Records shortly after, along with several other critically well-received records, and participated in a number of notable collaborations with some of the most innovative international music icons, including co-producing an electroacoustic jazz song with Meshell Ndegeocello and The Roots’ Mark Kelley for vocalist Claudia Acuna, crafting a string arrangement with Kenny Garrett for his Grammy-nominated album Pushing the World Away (2013) and appearing as a vocalist on his multi-Grammy-nominated album Seeds from the Underground (2012). Tarasov cites Kenny Garrett, Meshell Ndegeocello, Sting, Peter Gabriel, Boards of Canada, Telefon Tel Aviv, Lyle Mays and Pat Metheny Group among his most important musical and personal influences.
David LaChance, Mike Post, BMI’s Linda Livingston & Svoy at Mike Post Productions, Hollywood, CA
"To this moment, I have had a tremendously captivating and informative life, both as a musician and a person. I have lived in three countries and five cities for extended periods of time, met many remarkable people that I learned from and shared knowledge with. I have absorbed countless sound waves and have been allowed opportunities to give back with sounds of my own" says Svoy. "For all of this I am unendingly thankful and I cannot wait to hear and see more."
"Who Killed AI?” is due April 12th, 2024, via Mack Avenue Records.
© 2024 Svoy / Universal Music Group, Inc.
“...Distorted synths and drum and bass beats fused with Garrett’s fun and brilliant lines, a compelling portrait of what the future of music can be.”
“...Skittering. Might have made even the Dark Prince of jazz smile.”
“Kenny Garrett’s audacious and provocatively-titled new electronic album, Who Killed AI?”
“…The beats are hard, almost industrial. The synths are densely layered, shifting from almost ambient sound washes and mournful melodies to deep bass throbs and hard techno riffs. On “Miles Running Down AI,” the synths are so grimy they sound like the organ stabs and funk guitars of 1970s Davis tracks like “Rated X” and “Black Satin””
“...Meticulously crafted, thought out, and above all, remarkable.”
“...Striking. A roller coaster ride.”
“Their duo work is bursting with allusions to recordings by Miles Davis and other masters of electrified jazz to hip-hop, techno, trance, and minimalism...an amazing mix of styles...Garrett and Svoy have certainly brewed an imaginative brew.”
“...Brilliant hybrid of jazz piano-pop, anthemic emo-rock and ambient electronica”
“...Prince of electropop”
“...A sonic adventure. Swooning. Emotive.”
“...A musical prodigy”
“...Beautiful. Full of exhilarating finish.”
“...Superb. Sophisticated. Beautiful.”
“...High praise.”
“...Profound. Intelligent”
“...Sophisticated, delicate... emotional”
“...Radiant”
“...Far more than his previous work”
“...An impressive journey through the mind of a truly gifted artist.”
“...A sharp blend.”
“...One of the most accomplished experimental electronic artists”
“...Melding together experimental electronic, breakbeat, ambient, and neoclassical into a brainy whole, Svoy’s Symphony is a brooding and knotty piece of music”
“...Classical music elements with skittering, light-footed beats”
“...The ten tracks of the album escalate in intensity, each more pensive and introspective than the last.”
“...Robot-driven repetitive-trance big-dance-rhythm synth-pop modern-chart soul futuristic electro-disco techno meister”
“...He is not afraid to explore”
“...Depth and resonance”
“...Poignant. Complex. Refreshing”
“...Modern and moves”
“...An outstanding songwriter”
“...Effective”
“...The New York composer is a quintessentially modern songman.”
“...Sophisticated. Hypnotic. Sexy.”
“Great, great work!”
“...Absorbing. Sublimely beautiful.”
“...Wispy. Poetic. Delicate.”
“...Most original”
“...Grit. Off the beaten path of electronica.”
“...Sharp. Poetic.”
“...Far more than his previous work”
“...Rich in layers and diverse in sound. Riveting.”
“...A fascinating album”
“Groovy electronica filled with real melodies and great vocals. Awesome production... beautiful voice.”
“...Ultimate perfection of sound. High quality masterpiece”