PRESS
The Times
![]()
“Highlights?...Galya Bisengalieva’s Sagat, a lush electronic score during which Bordos turned the auditorium into Psychedelia Central.”
Pitchfork
![]()
“Kazakh artist Galya Bisengalieva has announced Aralkum Aralas—a collection of remixes of songs from her 2020 album Aralkum. It’s out October 15 via One Little Independent. It includes a new remix from Jlin. Listen to the new reworked version of “Barsa-Kelmes” below. The album also features Coby Sey, Jing, Moor Mother, CHAINES, and Nazira.”
If-Only
![]()
“ A rare focus on Kazakh artists breaking onto the Western stage as Galya Bisengalieva and Nazira go head-to-head.”
Norlha
![]()
“From the atmospheres crafted behind closed doors to the rituals practiced within, the home series invites members of our community to reflect on the meaning of home, in their own words. We hope this series offers our readers a sense of inspiration and groundedness as we bundle up during this wintertime season.”
Leland Originals
![]()
“Galya Bisengalieva signs with Leland Originals. Highly acclaimed violinist, improvisor and artist joins the roster.”
NRC
![]()
“Avant-garde festival Rewire verrast met creatieve online editie. Pop Avant-gardefestival Rewire tuigde een online festival op met optredens die performance art, muziek en kunst creatief combineerden.”
Fact Magazine
![]()
“takes us on an underwater journey through the flora and fauna of a dead sea forest.”
NOWNESS
![]()
“A sonic representation of the verdant rich life in the vast expanse of the Aral Sea before its destruction”
“Highlights?...Galya Bisengalieva’s Sagat, a lush electronic score during which Bordos turned the auditorium into Psychedelia Central.”
Pitchfork
“Kazakh artist Galya Bisengalieva has announced Aralkum Aralas—a collection of remixes of songs from her 2020 album Aralkum. It’s out October 15 via One Little Independent. It includes a new remix from Jlin. Listen to the new reworked version of “Barsa-Kelmes” below. The album also features Coby Sey, Jing, Moor Mother, CHAINES, and Nazira.”
If-Only
“ A rare focus on Kazakh artists breaking onto the Western stage as Galya Bisengalieva and Nazira go head-to-head.”Norlha
“From the atmospheres crafted behind closed doors to the rituals practiced within, the home series invites members of our community to reflect on the meaning of home, in their own words. We hope this series offers our readers a sense of inspiration and groundedness as we bundle up during this wintertime season.”Leland Originals
“Galya Bisengalieva signs with Leland Originals. Highly acclaimed violinist, improvisor and artist joins the roster.”NRC
“Avant-garde festival Rewire verrast met creatieve online editie. Pop Avant-gardefestival Rewire tuigde een online festival op met optredens die performance art, muziek en kunst creatief combineerden.”Fact Magazine
“takes us on an underwater journey through the flora and fauna of a dead sea forest.”
NOWNESS
“A sonic representation of the verdant rich life in the vast expanse of the Aral Sea before its destruction”Uncut
“A musical journey from beauty to desolation to hope.”Bandcamp
Aralkum feels like a deep meditation on our interaction with and responsibility for nature. Between the menacing dissonance of “Moynaq” and the swelling harmonies of “Zhalanash,” an elegy morphs into inspiration.September 2020
Pitchfork
5 New Albums You Should Listen To Now”
Vinyl Factory
Vinyl Factory
“Berlin Atonal releasing 19-artist compilation.
Featuring Gerald Donald’s XOR Gate alias, Galya Bisengalieva, Lafawndah, Caterina Barbieri, Laurel Halo, Nkisi, and more.”
Featuring Gerald Donald’s XOR Gate alias, Galya Bisengalieva, Lafawndah, Caterina Barbieri, Laurel Halo, Nkisi, and more.”
Composer Magazine
![]()
“The astonishing recordings on Aralkum use peaked strings and low drones to convey the sorrow and horror of a different kind of isolation – that which happens when your local environment disappears.”
Dazed
![]()
“6 albums to hear this week”
September 2020
Metro
![]()
“Aralkum is as deep, dark and inexplorable as the disaster it reflects. It advances like the poisoned sand. It is also beautiful and mesmeric, steeped in profound sadness, as if low sobs of protest were slowed to the pace of desiccation.”
I Care If You Listen
![]()
“Aralkum is a brilliant concept album. It is a journey rich with natural imagery and compelling sonic environments that linger long after their final sounds evaporate. If you are looking for a meaningful evening escape (and who isn’t right now), grab a pair of quality headphones, dim the lights, and give Aralkum an undivided listen. When you return, you may find yourself like I did: oddly refreshed and infused by a wild energy.”
A Closer Listen
![]()
“Bisengalieva’s meditation on aridity strikes the perfect tone. Concept albums are hard to pull off, especially debut concept albums. Aralkum leads listeners through a gamut of emotions, yet resists the urge to wrap it in a neat bow. The open-endedness reflects the nature of the artist herself.”
The Guardian
![]()
“It’s a truly immersive – and borderline mystical – experience.”
Boiler Room
![]()
“Aralkum disaster is the subject of Kazakh-British violinist Galya Bisengalieva’s arresting debut album “Aralkum”. Today she shares her debut single “Barsa-Kelmes” alongside its video directed by Damir Otegen.”
Boomkat
![]()
“Stunning debut LP proper by violinist and composer Galya Bisengalieva, offering an elegiac lament for the former Aral Sea, now Aralkum Desert, in Kazakhstan for the newly renamed One Little Independent Records. Following recent acclaim for her exploratory EPs with the NOMAD label, Kazakh/British artist Bisengalieva applies the dream-like qualities of those EPs to a more brooding and poignant purpose here, layering her strings into panoramic, weathered arrangements that describe and evoke her personal sense of pain and hope for what has been called one of the worst environmental disasters on the planet.“
The Wire
![]()
“Bisengalieva coerces a muted drone from her viola that swells and descends in impact as it rumbles around the room. At points she attacks it furiously, unleashing a cacophonous sound not unlike a razor blade dancing across a wire fence.”
“The astonishing recordings on Aralkum use peaked strings and low drones to convey the sorrow and horror of a different kind of isolation – that which happens when your local environment disappears.”
Dazed
“6 albums to hear this week”
September 2020
Metro
“Aralkum is as deep, dark and inexplorable as the disaster it reflects. It advances like the poisoned sand. It is also beautiful and mesmeric, steeped in profound sadness, as if low sobs of protest were slowed to the pace of desiccation.”
I Care If You Listen
“Aralkum is a brilliant concept album. It is a journey rich with natural imagery and compelling sonic environments that linger long after their final sounds evaporate. If you are looking for a meaningful evening escape (and who isn’t right now), grab a pair of quality headphones, dim the lights, and give Aralkum an undivided listen. When you return, you may find yourself like I did: oddly refreshed and infused by a wild energy.”
A Closer Listen
“Bisengalieva’s meditation on aridity strikes the perfect tone. Concept albums are hard to pull off, especially debut concept albums. Aralkum leads listeners through a gamut of emotions, yet resists the urge to wrap it in a neat bow. The open-endedness reflects the nature of the artist herself.”
The Guardian
“It’s a truly immersive – and borderline mystical – experience.”
Boiler Room
“Aralkum disaster is the subject of Kazakh-British violinist Galya Bisengalieva’s arresting debut album “Aralkum”. Today she shares her debut single “Barsa-Kelmes” alongside its video directed by Damir Otegen.”Boomkat
“Stunning debut LP proper by violinist and composer Galya Bisengalieva, offering an elegiac lament for the former Aral Sea, now Aralkum Desert, in Kazakhstan for the newly renamed One Little Independent Records. Following recent acclaim for her exploratory EPs with the NOMAD label, Kazakh/British artist Bisengalieva applies the dream-like qualities of those EPs to a more brooding and poignant purpose here, layering her strings into panoramic, weathered arrangements that describe and evoke her personal sense of pain and hope for what has been called one of the worst environmental disasters on the planet.“The Wire
“Bisengalieva coerces a muted drone from her viola that swells and descends in impact as it rumbles around the room. At points she attacks it furiously, unleashing a cacophonous sound not unlike a razor blade dancing across a wire fence.”
Pitchfork
“creates teeming and imagistic environments with four strings and electronics”Resident Advisor
“Award-winning podcast excuse the mess announces book and two-part compilation“The Quietus
![]()
“Galya...a powerful force in new and primordial music”
The Wire
![]()
“Technical versatility combined with an inquisitive temperament make Galya Bisengalieva a truly exciting violinist, as these appetising releases on her own label show.”
Brain Magazine
![]()
“Galya Bisengalieva vit dans un paradoxe. Celui d'être inconnu du grand public alors que ses accords de violons ne cessent de squatter les albums des grands de ce monde ces dernières années.”
The Guardian
![]()
“The highlight comes on Bisengalieva’s Umay, where she builds siren-like strings into a terror-inducing crescendo.”
Bleep
![]()
“There’s drone music, and then there’s this. Galya Bisengalieva rewrites the handbook on modern classical music in a language only she can read. Assisted by turntables, layers of electrics and a makeshift ‘drum machine’ assembled from recordings of traditional Kazakh instrumentation, EP TWO is a remarkably accomplished work of deeply felt composition and bullish futurism, as unnerving as it is moving.”
Boomkat
“Galya...a powerful force in new and primordial music”The Wire
“Technical versatility combined with an inquisitive temperament make Galya Bisengalieva a truly exciting violinist, as these appetising releases on her own label show.”
Brain Magazine
“Galya Bisengalieva vit dans un paradoxe. Celui d'être inconnu du grand public alors que ses accords de violons ne cessent de squatter les albums des grands de ce monde ces dernières années.”The Guardian
“The highlight comes on Bisengalieva’s Umay, where she builds siren-like strings into a terror-inducing crescendo.”
Bleep
“There’s drone music, and then there’s this. Galya Bisengalieva rewrites the handbook on modern classical music in a language only she can read. Assisted by turntables, layers of electrics and a makeshift ‘drum machine’ assembled from recordings of traditional Kazakh instrumentation, EP TWO is a remarkably accomplished work of deeply felt composition and bullish futurism, as unnerving as it is moving.”
Boomkat
“Remarkable set of compositions for violin that more or less reshapes what we know of the instrument in three different but equally startling and compelling ways. Oh there’s also an incredible remix from Actress as a digital bonus, did we say? What a f#cking record!”
A Closer Listen
“New musical forms are often built on the backs of the old, as younger musicians develop new approaches, blending genres to create unusual hybrids. This is the case throughout EP Two. One can hear the shattered glass of industrial, the hot metal of drone, the warm glow of world music, the tactile immediacy of vinyl and the dramatic flourishes of video games, all in the space of a quarter-hour. If EP One is a glass of fine wine, EP Two is a mind-altering drug.”
Stationary Travels
![]()
“Quite an evocative journey and quite the imposing collection of talent on display in this compact, but exhilarating recording.”
MOJO
![]()
“An award-winning violin soloist with the London Contemporary Orchestra who has recorded with Steve Reich, Laurie Spiegel, Terry Riley and Actress...spinning minimalist pizzicato patterns and heat-haze swirls of sublime tension and release”
130701
![]()
“From beautifully layered and drawn-out drone suspension to picked and looping structures. All beautifully played. It’s rich and deep and a great first move.”
Stationary Travels
“Quite an evocative journey and quite the imposing collection of talent on display in this compact, but exhilarating recording.”MOJO
“An award-winning violin soloist with the London Contemporary Orchestra who has recorded with Steve Reich, Laurie Spiegel, Terry Riley and Actress...spinning minimalist pizzicato patterns and heat-haze swirls of sublime tension and release”
130701
“From beautifully layered and drawn-out drone suspension to picked and looping structures. All beautifully played. It’s rich and deep and a great first move.”Pitchfork
“8 Albums Out Today You Should Listen to Now”