Vakula
Vakula

Mikhaylo Vityk's take on house music is heavily influenced by the rich history of the genre, with subtle jazz influences floating about and gentle voices pulsing you on. There's more going on beneath the surface though, as Vakula brilliantly uses and abuses the expectation pattern of his audience and twists things around, almost inaudibly. As Vedomir, V and, most often, Vakula, Vityk has mined further and more thoroughly into classic US house tropes than anyone in recent memory.Vityk differs from the usual European aping of Detroit and Chicago in two key ways, however. Firstly, he's incredibly prolific. A staggering volume of 12-inches for labels like Quintessential, Firecracker, Meakusma, Dekmantel and Shevchenko over the last few years betray an unwavering commitment and deep-seated comprehension of the style. The other point is a question of embellishment. Sure, much of his work could pass as a forgotten Moodymann standard, but whether it's his often hip-hop length tracks, the ambush of an organ sample or simply just something a bit weird, Vakula's tracks almost always come imbued with a sense of the unexpected.