Kedr Livanskiy (Russian for “Lebanese Cedar”) is the moniker of Yana Kedrina, a Moscow-born singer and producer whose brand of electronic pop draws on ’90s techno and jungle influences. Her early releases, such as the 2016 EP January Sun, sounded as frozen and wintry as her surroundings, yet contained a hopeful, longing quality. Her sophomore full-length, 2019’s Your Need, while just as haunting as her prior work, was much brighter and more energetic. 2021’s Liminal Soul recalled her earlier sound while also incorporating acoustic instruments and featuring one of her first English-language songs.
Born in 1990, a year before the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Kedrina started out as a punk musician before becoming enamored with electronic music while a college student. Inspired by international artists such as Inga Copeland, Laurel Halo, and Florian Kupfer, Kedrina and her friends started a label/collective called Johns’ Kingdom, which quickly became one of Moscow’s premier outlets for underground electronic music. After posting a few tracks to SoundCloud, Kedr Livanskiy was signed to 2MR, a New Jersey-based electronic label co-founded by Mike Simonetti (founder of Troubleman Unlimited and Italians Do It Better) and Mike Sniper (Captured Tracks). Her single “Sgoraet” appeared in late 2015, followed by the January Sun EP in early 2016. Kedr Livanskiy’s debut full-length, Ariadna, was released in September 2017; the CD edition included the entirety of January Sun. Second album Your Need, a more vibrant mixture of dub and deep house influences, was issued in 2019. Liminal Soul, a darker, moodier album featuring guest appearances by Flaty and Synecdoche Montauk, arrived in 2021. ~ Paul Simpson, Rovi
