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Unpacking the Helix LP with Lapa [Exclusive Interview]
The Rust has had the pleasure of reviewing and interviewing several acts on the Loci Records roster, but we’ve always had a particular soft spot for Lapa. His cumulative works sit right at the nexus of sound that we hold in such high regard, and Helix is no different. While so much of the electronic music in our wider orbit focuses on sheer kinetic and percussive weight, Ilya Goldberg and Cedar Miller have gladly made their bed alongside the gentler, melody-driven bent. To get better acquainted with the scope of Helix, The Rust took the opportunity to get Ilya on the record for a brief conversation covering this latest LP and his thoughts ahead of its full release:
Ilya Goldberg has been a stoic mainstay in American electronic music for the better part of 15 years, with a storied career as the right hand of Emancipator’s live act and studio production, and through his concentrated solo project, Lapa. At first familiar glance, his individual catalog has matured into a distinct attitude, taking cues from his instrumentally-driven Spirit Vessel and Meeting of The Waters LPs while developing a modern, electrified style. Enlisting the help of contemporary instrumentalist Cedar Miller, a frequent collaborator with Ilya and several of their other musical peers, the duo have minted the phenomenal 11-track Helix LP.
Stacking up against his previous LP’s, Lapa and Miller clearly demonstrate the musical stride that pushes Helix ahead of the pack. In many respects, it is an obvious evolution of the kind of musical output that has come to define the bulk of Loci Records artists. Soft tones and the instrument-forward styling of Lapa’s traditional sound ease the way into the record, bringing emotionally transcendent melodic and textural elements into the forefront of the music. Lush chord swells, gentle arpeggios, and delicate harmonics take center stage, elaborated through ranging tempos touching on trip-hop, downtempo, and breakbeat rhythms. From Rune, to Mirocycle, to Essence, there is compositional substance for a multitude of tastes throughout the entire runtime of the record.
To get better acquainted with the scope of Helix, we took the opportunity to get Ilya on the record for a brief conversation covering this latest LP and his thoughts ahead of its full release:
The Rust: It's been 8 years since the release of your last solo LP, Spirit Vessel. Between two collaborative albums with Emancipator, the DOS project, and certainly other exploits, you've clearly stayed busy in the interim. When did Helix begin to take shape for you?
Lapa: The idea of Helix was conceived 3 years ago. Unlike the other albums that I've worked on, this one came together much faster. All the tracks were written during 4 long studio sessions.
The Rust: There's a textural quality to this record that feels like a pronounced development in your individual style. You're obviously well renowned for your skills with the bow; can you talk to us a bit about your time as a producer? When did you first get your legs under you?
Lapa: I first started learning about production when I was around 6 years old. I was in my Dad's studio watching him mix the tracks on multiple reel to reel tape machines. I feel like that really gave me a sense of what it's all about. Fast forward many years, I got my first laptop with Ableton in 2011 and started experimenting with sounds. It took few years to really learn the flow of the program. However, I feel that the more time I spend producing, the more it becomes an extension of me. Just like a violin has become my voice and a tool to translate my most intricate ideas.
The Rust: Did you always envision Helix as a long-form record? Do you consciously write with an LP in mind, or do you gather compositions along the way?
Lapa: My first two albums came together more as a collection of tracks, with some written along the way, once the album started to take shape. Helix was always envisioned as an LP, which perhaps made the process more streamline and focused.
The Rust: Talk to us about your granular, song by songwriting process. Do you consider yourself an instrumentalist first when you sit down to compose and arrange music?
Lapa: In one way or another, my background as a violinist will always be at the core of my music. At this point, my production process involves many tools, and being instrumentalist is just one of them.
Limited edition color vinyl pressing of Lapa's new LP, Helix in a standard sleeve.
Available in three different styles, limited to 100 each:
Space Candy: Turquoise w/ Pink & Smoke
The Aether: Pink, Purple & Black
Eternal Glow: Semi-opaque Violet & Purple
Includes a digital download of Helix.
Eco-Vinyl - “As Green As Possible”
***Images are only a rough estimation of colors and concept, not photographs. Due to the nature of the vinyl production process, final results may vary widely.
Limit 2 per person, we reserve the right to cancel any orders with more than two copies.
Ships in Fall 2026.
The Rust: Harkening back to the mention of your collaborative releases, you're nominally attached to the Emancipator project, and have put some significant time into your work with Random Rab to boot. Be it through direct collaboration or the slew of remixes you've created for your contemporaries, how has the peer experience informed your musical perspective?
Lapa: I see my collaborators also as my teachers. As we make music together, inevitably we discover subtle nuances of each other styles and unique ways of composing and making sounds. To me that's always been one of the most profound and exciting aspects of music making. I really do love making music with friends! Helix, has only solidified this feeling. The entire album was created with my dear friend Dr. Jason Miller. We've been collaborating on many musical and nonmusical projects since 2010 and the creation process of this set of tracks has been a culmination of our life experience together.
The Rust: You've been fittingly on the road with Thievery Corporation recently to help support their latest tour. Have you taken the chance to explore some of these new tracks on stage? How are you feeling about their juxtaposition against your earlier works?
Lapa: Yes, I have played a few of the new tracks on tour. It was fun to finally bring them out of the studio! I find that these days I rarely play tracks from my previous albums. Not because I don't like them, but because the current set of music is a more accurate reflection of who I am as a musician and a person.
The Rust: You're clearly patient behind the wheel of your own project, and the music speaks to that with incredible clarity. What's the driving force behind that patience in a landscape hyper-speed-release mentality?
Lapa: So far that's just been my natural pace. There is a certain amount of time that has to pass, in order for the tracks to mature and settle into their perfect form. Once in a while there will be a track that comes together in the most organic way, and no matter how much time passes, it almost never changes its shape and essence. Those are the gems. I feel that producing is just a practice towards achieving those golden moments.
The Rust: What's next on the horizon for Lapa? Any parting words on the upcoming release of Helix? Play and write as much music as possible!
Lapa: I hope that when people experience Helix, it unlocks the pathway into the depth of the sonic universe. It's a different world out there! Once you close your eyes and let the sounds take you on a ride powered by the overtones and feelings.
The Rust has had the pleasure of reviewing and interviewing several acts on the Loci Records roster, but we’ve always had a particular soft spot for Lapa. His cumulative works sit right at the nexus of sound that we hold in such high regard, and Helix is no different. While so much of the electronic music in our wider orbit focuses on sheer kinetic and percussive weight, Ilya Goldberg and Cedar Miller have gladly made their bed alongside the gentler, melody-driven bent. Whether you're just tuning in for the first time, or you've been an active fan since the nascent Emancipator days, Helix is all but guaranteed to take a top spot in your personal collection.
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