Following their 2022 critically acclaimed debut album “Origin of Forms”, named Library Music Album of the Year at PopMatters, the Moscow-based instrumental outfit The Diasonics return with “Ornithology”, a sophomore album that pushes their sonic boundaries forward while staying true to their unmistakable style. Recorded at their custom-built Studio 23—housed in a repurposed Soviet-era lamp factory—the album captures the result of two years of intense creative exploration and experimentation.
With their very signature blend of cinematic funk, Eastern-flavored melodies, instrumental hip-hop and analog soul, The Diasonics have carved out a unique space in the global funk scene. “Ornithology” marks a new chapter: inspired by recurring avian themes in their surroundings, from trains and stations to local folklore and the cries of birds circling their studio, the record channels ideas of movement and freedom, both thematically and musically.
“The theme of birds and ornithology emerged all by itself – we simply began noticing birdlike names all around us: trains and stations, shops, places, people’s surnames, books, and films,” the band says. “We got our hands on some vintage synthesizers and have been tuning oscillators while listening to the cries of seagulls flying around the factory where our studio was based. The ideas of flight, freedom, and space became central to the new album’s music.”
Sonically, the essential features of Ornithology include not only synthesizers but also Diana Greb’s mesmerizing vocals, which blend seamlessly into the sound palette, breathing life and soul into instrumental funk. “Balancing in our imagination between the earth and the skies like birds, we’ve tried to create our own musical language within the concept of ornithology, reflecting every human’s desire to get closer to birds and soar freely, beyond physical or mental limits.”
Formed in 2019, this five-piece instrumental unit — Daniil Lutsenko (electric guitar), Kamil Gazizov (keyboards), Maksim Brusov (bass), Anton Moskvin (drums), and Alexander Shingaling (previously Anton Katyrin) (percussions) — quickly gained cult status through a series of sought-after 45s on Mocambo and Funk Night Records. Their critically acclaimed debut album “Origin of Forms” mixed by Henry Jenkins, producer of the Australian cult band Surprise Chef, came out on Record Kicks in 2022. The vinyl went sold out in few weeks and is now in-demand on the international cinematic funk scene. “Origin of Forms” was chosen as record of the month on FIP (Radio France) and received great reviews from outlets such as Wax Poetics, Mojo, Rolling Stone FR, Clash, Uncut and support by Jamie Cullum (BBC2), KEXP, Radio France and Huey Morgan, Don Letts, Cerys Matthews and Tom Ravenscroft of BBC 6 Music.
With the new album Ornithology, The Diasonics dive into lush synthesizers, stripped-down grooves, and raw instrumental interplay, drawing from 1970s library music, Soviet jazz fusion, and disco-funk, and deliver another super solid release that confirms and pushes forward all the uniqueness that made “Origin of Forms” so alluring. Unmissable for fans of Khruangbin, Surprise Chef, and instrumental funk grooves.
“With The Diasonics funk rises in the East” Wax Poetics Magazine
“From Russia with love. The Diasonic are simply cool, you have to say it” Rolling Stone France
“A cinematic, ‘70s-steeped blend of funk, soul, psych-rock and various East European influences, combining guitars and keyboards with chunky funk and hip hop rhythms” KEXP
“Russian Federation instrumental combo embraces the groove” Mojo Magazine
“The champs of the Russian vibrant funk scene” FIP Radio France (Album of The Month)
“Elevating psychedelic soul to new levels, their cinematic sweep displays an awareness of hip-hop culture, and its crate-digging tendencies” Clash Mag (UK)
Tracklist:
1. Jay
2. Black Owl
3. Мockingbird
4. Larks
5. Peregrine
6. Finch
7. Storm Petrel
8. Oriole
9. Guineafowl
10. Chickadee
11. Cuckoo
