With a long overdue, we finally managed to find the time to compile this list, so with no further comments here is the best electronic music created by Romanian artists in 2021, according to our opinion.
The most interesting finding of the year 2021 was discovering that the artist Weith is Sergiu Juravle, originally from Contanța (Romania) and now part of the Brainwaves Crew from Geneva (Switzerland).
One could argue that he comes from the jungle / breakbeat / bass scene and you can hear this on his releases Obsidian and Doomsday on Brainwaves, but in the last 2 years you clearly hear a distinct electro sound in his productions, especially the ones released on the mighty Brokntoys label from London.
First was a selftitled 7″ in the beginning of 2020, then one year later Weith appeared on the 10th compilation on the label, Cold Readings, and returned for a full 12″ release at the end of 2021 with Sanity Rituals.
Across 5 tracks, Sanity Rituals explores a rich palette of sounds mixing taut, acidic basslines with electronica soundscapes, offering a varietal electronic onslaught that seeps through jagged crevasses deep beneath the terrain. Weith featured also on a compilation from Hilltown Disco.
One of the most awaited release from 2021 was the debut album of Kosmogonik, released on Sushitech’s sublabel Pariter. The Kosmogonik project was started in 2018 by Bogdan Ardeleanu from Lisière Collectif and FILIPP with the goal to present a cosmic exploration of sound. Their debut album, Polyverse, includes nine driving and atmospheric tracks that vibrate all the way from heavyweight techno to cosmic ambient.
June last year, Șerb returned to Night Defined Recordings with ‘Transient Recs 2’, a collection of tracks produced between 2015 and 2018, providing a fine summary of the Romanian producer’s idiosyncratic vision of dance music.
Ovidiu Stanciu aka Articulat is based since many years in Rotterdam, but maintains a strong spiritual connection with his Romanian cultural heritage. He gets inspired from his heritage, be it film, dance or musical instruments, and creates rhythm and electronic experiments inspired by Romanian folklore. “Folclor Abstract”, his third release for Afrobotic Musicology, was released in April 2021 and provides a glance back to the roots in search of a meaningful future.
Articulat is also a regular on Rotterdam’s infamous Operator Radio.
Miruna Boruzescu aka Borusiade knows how to create ethereal tracks, somewhere between post-wave, techno and industrial vibes. “Purge”, her only output from 2021, was released on Tripalium Corp and it’s about heart-break in forced isolation, when the only way to stay sane is purging through music and lyrics. From the 80s synth of “Let Go” to the experimental ten-minutes-trip “Haunted Evolution”, these five tracks are talking about one’s coping systems in extreme emotional situations, hope and power to move on and last but not least, learned lessons and empowerment.
Next is a 5h30 mix from Borusiade recorded live in Bucharest at Platforma Wolff in the middle of last summer.
Valeriu Borcoș and Eduard Gabia aka K not K describe what they do as ‘a musical game of chess between synthesizer and drums’. The Romanian duo incorporates an analogue visual artist and contemporary dancers into their live performances, resulting in a theatrical show and a kind of real-time soundtrack to the action around them. In September 2021, the Romanian two-piece have dropped their EP ‘Memory’ on Disco Halal. The five-tracks release overflows with synth-driven vibes and cosmic disco energy.
The Khidja duo had quite a quiet year with just a couple of tracks on Duca Bianco and Garzen Records and a couple of remixes for the labels Playground and Projections.
Besides these, they have a monthly show caled Lamina Salta on HÖR Berlin.
Andrew Red Hand provided a masterful remix for UHF on the Madrid label Gladio Operations. The veteran producer from Iași converts the original track into a more emotional piece and highly influenced by the Detroit sound. Glad to see him back in business in style.
Cosmin Nicolae aka Cosmin TRG consolidated his path on the ambient, experimental sound exploration and also started to work in the film industry. Nevertheless he had appearances on a Dusk & Haze and a BPitch compilation and delivered a remix for a 1994 classic by Continental.
Virgil Bugnariu is a fine selector blending new beat and italo with an electro flavor. Here is a 4h recording of Virgil showcasing his unique style, also from Platforma Wolff.
The Hipodrome Of Music 