![Unpacking the Helix LP with Lapa [Exclusive Interview]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/59530136f5e2319eabb7d87f/8f4b6558-8754-420f-a86f-c1d343ead1e9/Lapa+1.jpg)
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.
A Quaint Conversation on the new Collaborative DOS Project
Individually, Ilya Goldberg and Random Rab have extraordinarily fruitful careers on their own merits, with the former both through his Lapa project and being Doug Appling’s right hand man in Emancipator, and the latter through a dedicated, double-decade approach to the Random Rab sound. It was only a matter of time before these not so disparate camps found themselves unified under the same banner, and this year saw the inception of their collaborative project, DOS. Consequently, and ahead of their appearance at Secret Dreams later this month, the Rust felt it necessary to have a quaint conversation with these artists on the nature of their collaborations, the inception of the project, and the lens through which they view their own musicality.
Individually, Ilya Goldberg and Random Rab have extraordinarily fruitful careers on their own merits, with the former both through his Lapa project and being Doug Appling’s right hand man in Emancipator, and the latter through a dedicated, double-decade approach to the Random Rab sound. Their creative talents have existed in parallel for at least the last 10 years, filling the space with melodic, instrumentally-driven trip-hop and downtempo music on numerous lineups across the touring and festival circuit. With such a self-evident sonic crossover, it was only a matter of time before these not so disparate camps found themselves unified under the same banner, and this year saw the inception of their collaborative project, DOS.
Where others may feel the need to pull from and establish entirely fresh palettes of sound and influence for on-going collaborations, Rab and Goldberg don’t just lean further into their respective creative lanes; they actively elaborate on the air-tight fit of their compositional and instrumental backgrounds. DOS’ self-titled LP, released in February of this year, doesn’t feel so much like a third path taken as much as it feels like a maturation of both individual inputs. The benefit is as clear as the overall mixdown; there’s no lag or lull in their collaborative arrangements, with both musicians letting the multitude of instrumental layers blend as they will, and rest when they need to.
While combinations of popular producers from within the studio are in no shortage of supply, such a naturally congruent mix always has a particular shine to it, and we’d be remiss not to dive further into the makeup of the DOS dynamic. Consequently, and ahead of their appearance at Secret Dreams later this month, the Rust felt it necessary to have a quaint conversation with these artists on the nature of their collaborations, the inception of the project, and the lens through which they view their own musicality.
The Rust: Where does your relationship with one another start? Did you meet as a consequence of your creative projects?
DOS: We met at Burning Man (year?) We were both on our way to play a set. When we first met, we instantly said that we need to make music together. This was before either of us had even heard each other play. I think we both instantly knew there was some sort of connection that needed to be explored. We started by collaborating on our first track which was Vapour Train off the Random Rab album aRose. Since then we wrote over 20 songs before finally deciding to start a new project with its own identity.
The Rust: Why start this new collaborative project? What was the genesis point for DOS?
DOS: We had done a lot of collaborations and sets together. However everything either fell under the Random Rab or LAPA umbrella. While we love these songs, there was always a feeling that we weren’t able to explore a true artistic collaboration. Somewhere along the line we decided that we needed to make an album together that was more 50/50 and allowed us both to forget about our individual identities and be a part of something fresh and completely unexplored.
The Rust: There's a notable overlap in the style of your individual works, particularly regarding a focus on laid back and pensive compositions; what was the initial writing process for the DOS project like for the both of you?
DOS: Our approach has always been “when we both say yes, it’s a yes” This allows us to avoid any kind of conflicts or confusion. Basically if we both agree, it’s a go. This makes the whole process very relaxed and explorational. It’s true that a lot of these songs might feel more laid back, but there’s an intensity to the production
The Rust: The landscape of contemporary electronic music tends to lean towards a much grittier array of motifs. Can you talk a bit about your experiences within that dynamic? What keeps you both drawn to the more grounded palettes of your overall works?
DOS: We are passionate about true self expression which naturally comes out as the music we hear. We made the creative decision to be less concerned with what is happening in the scene at large and more focused on what’s in our hearts.
The Rust: While your self-titled album contains trace elements and infusions of your individual works, it carries itself with a much more distinct world-music appeal, especially in the percussive sense. Was this a conscious choice, or a consequence of happenstance?
DOS: Everything we do is a conscious choice. We have an array of acoustic instruments and percussion which bring irreplaceable textures to our sound. We also collaborate extensively with our friend Custom Phil who injects custom fire to all of our percussive elements. Although we generally perform as a duo, we bring out Custom Phil to a handful of select performances. For instance, we’ll be performing with him at Red Rocks on July 22.
The Rust: How much energy are you looking to put into the DOS project? Was this a convenient outlet at a convenient moment, or are you looking to dive headfirst into this new collaborative environment?
DOS: Rather than seeing this as a convenient opportunity, we see this as a natural evolution of our decade long collaboration. Our goal with DOS is to keep it special and always bring a unique performance and audio experience to our listeners.
The Rust: What can we expect from future DOS releases? Are you sensing a stride with the styles and grooves that dominate the debut album?
DOS: We are currently working on some new singles and have another album in the works. For our live performances we strive to bring a balance of lush melodic content and undeniably danceable grooves.
Emancipator and Lapa Hit Their Uptempo Stride in 11th Orbit LP
With well over a decade of history as collaborators on and off the stage, Doug Appling and Ilya Goldberg have defined the Emancipator sound as a veritable rolodex of vivacious music. Now, pushing into lightly-trodden territory at full speed, the Emancipator and Lapa projects have met in the middle for the collaborative, dance-floor centric LP 11th Orbit.
With well over a decade of history as collaborators on and off the stage, Doug Appling and Ilya Goldberg have defined the Emancipator sound as a veritable rolodex of vivacious music. Of his own accord, Appling has already released two LP’s and two EP’s across the last two years under the Emancipator moniker, continuing his solo production work alongside a cast of other musicians and instrumentalists. Goldberg’s last full-length LP, Spirit Vessel, released through his individual Lapa project four years ago and expanded upon the soft-spoken motifs found in his debut Meeting Of The Waters LP. Now, pushing into lightly-trodden territory at full speed, the Emancipator and Lapa projects have met in the middle for the collaborative, dance-floor centric LP 11th Orbit.
Moving across tempos and temperatures in composition has engendered a vast studio catalog spanning a variety of rhythms, modes, and attitudes that have made Emancipator not just a mainstay veteran of instrumental electronica, but a malleable force onstage in virtually any context. Uptempo grooves have always been part and parcel of either musician’s compositional gait, but 11th Orbit is a quintessential house album with a potent infusion of world music and classic Emancipator hallmarks. Hitting it’s stride out of the gate, “To Infinity”, “Mamba”, and “Vortex Cortex” all set the major flavors of the record, introducing steady-beat cocktails of spacious and pocketed arrangements made with footwork in mind. Maintaining it’s cruising altitude at variable speeds, tracks like “Leopard Shepard”, “Crow Nebula”, and the closing song “Hailo” bring the energy down to subtler pace, showcasing more effusive musical tangents and rhythmic interplay that record has to offer without cutting the overall vibe and tone set from the jump. From start to finish, 11th Orbit paints a clear and potent picture of the dance-friendly side to the Emancipator and Lapa mindsets, adding yet another grab bag of hearty ingredients to future Emancipator performances.
In a modern paradigm currently dominated by brackish, full-throttle sound design and unrelenting downbeats, Emancipator and Lapa continue to suffuse a palatable and organic approach to electronic music across an ever-growing swell of appreciators, curious revelers, and unsuspecting new fans. With the addition of 11th Orbit to the available arsenal, the rest of 2022’s Emancipator performances are sure to include a host of uptempo choices and surprises, keeping the package as fresh as it’s ever been. If you’re feeling a dire need to scratch the itch left in the wake of this lush new LP, check out the Submersion Festival tab in our websites header above for ticketing information and the full weekend lineup!
FOLLOW Emancipator: Soundcloud / Bandcamp / Spotify / Official
FOLLOW Lapa: Soundcloud / Bandcamp / Spotify / Instagram
Lapa - Spirit Vessel
Having set the standard for his musical output, Lapa has now released a second full-length album, “Spirit Vessel”. It is a vibrant blend of organic and digital timbres, with a strong emphasis on instrumentation. The album instantly stands out as an artifact of venerable significance, an archetype for the hybridization of musical styles.
A major part of the allure of electronic music as an overarching genre is the niche that it provides to artists who find themselves existing between the defined lines of musical schemas. Ilya Goldberg, known by his moniker of Lapa, is a veritable branch of the growing stylistic tree that contains countless other producers, musicians, and audio engineers whose product is an amalgamation of influences, instrumentation, and performance execution. A violinist, producer, and all-around versatile musician by trade, Ilya himself was a progenitor of the influential rise of combining state of the art live sampling technology and live instrumentation. Having joined Emancipator both on the stage and in the studio from 2011 on, the harmonious interplay of his violin coupled with the composition and brevity of the produced track underneath would go on to captivate tens of thousands across the United States touring and festival circuit. Of course, being the virtuoso that he is, Ilya would eventually go on to flesh out his personal musical vision through the creation of the Lapa project.
2015 saw the first Lapa studio release titled “Meeting of the Waters”. A creamy concoction of downtempo and ambient soundscapes, the album is riddled with the back and forth conversations of brilliant string movements and tonally smooth synthesis. Having set the standard for his musical output, Lapa has now released a second full-length album, “Spirit Vessel”. It is a vibrant blend of organic and digital timbres, with a strong emphasis on instrumentation. The album instantly stands out as an artifact of venerable significance, an archetype for the hybridization of musical styles.
“Back to Africa” begins with a wondrous major melody, and becomes a musical allusion to the sensation of weightlessness once the staccato hi-hats are introduced. As the beat breaks down to the ever familiar boom-bap shuffle, filtered arpeggios dance in and out of the mix, gently following the key of various melody tones trading the lead line around the aural space. Passing the halfway point of the track, those familiar, floaty tones reemerge, bursting into existence in and around a climactic bridge of percussion and sustained monophonic note-play.
“Stoika”, a collaborative effort with Random Rab, starts off with high-treble strings producing triplet arpeggios, followed shortly thereafter by the percussive cushion that props up the melody. The song is almost entirely organic tones until midway, when psychedelic synth lines float in and out existence through smooth filters and choice touches of reverb. The cumulative blend of repetitious textures create an ongoing head-nod hypnosis that begs to be rinsed through over and over again.
The album concludes with “Empty Space”, a 13-minute musical narrative that summons imagery of damp rainforests adorned with vaporous clouds that rests just atop the canopy. Background tones gradually rise and fall on chromatic scales while vivacious refrains introduce new melodies at a constant rate. It feels so expertly produced for fidelity, and simultaneously feels so far from the synthetic overtures of so many similar musical endeavors. The track comes to a beautifully amorphous conclusion, transitioning from a rhythmic composition to an ambient adventure, and settles on a harmony fit for the horns of welcoming angels.
Beyond just the brilliance of the studio album itself, the Lapa live performance is a treat all its own. With drummer Brandon Warren and multi-instrumentalist Nickles D’Onofrio, Lapa is a fully functioning live act that combines Ableton Live and its powerful looping, sequencing, and sampling capabilities with the rooting tones of drums, bass guitar, and violin. Playing on DJ tropes and theories concerning transitions and mixing tracks, the performance is a seamless start to finish ballet of the auditory minds atop the stage. If good fortune comes to pass, hopefully Lapa and his outfit will be gracing ears live and in action sooner rather than later. With his newest album available across most major distribution and streaming platforms, there is no excuse for being out of the loop when it comes to this virtuoso of his craft.
FOLLOW Lapa: Soundcloud / Bandcamp / Facebook
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