SNAKEATSNAKE – Order and Discipline

It’s been a while since we’ve discussed a more electronic-leaning release on DIY Conspiracy, but when it comes down to Bulgarian solo industrial/old-school EBM act SNAKEATSNAKE (ЗМИЯДЕЗМИЯ), his music is as raw and punk as it gets, no matter what his instruments of choice are.

I’ve been following Stefan Stoev’s music for over 20 years now. His approach has always been a combination of musical, visual, and performative experimentation. From his now-defunct project shemale ZERO, which transformed from an industrial guitar-based duo to a solo queer synthwave act to various, long-abandoned projects like Uber43 (ambient) or [STO] (cold wave), it’s never been only about the music but about the whole experience his sounds are used to take you on.

Преглъщам и плача

Прегръщам и плача

On Order and Discipline (Ред и Дисциплина in Bulgarian), we get 13 tracks of primitive and mechanical electronic dance music, stripped to its very bones. SNAKEATSNAKE’s signature sound comprises solely of drums, bass sequences, junk percussion, the occasional synth lead, and vocals with minimal but quite vivid lyrics dealing with personal and public decay. Some of the tracks on the LP we’ve heard before on SNAKEATSNAKE’s split tape with Hollow Reflection. What unites them with the other part of the material is that all the lyrics on this record are in Bulgarian. The vocals on the LP are more like chants that change only slightly, if ever, giving this primitively constructed music an almost ritualistic quality, which explains why watching SNAKEATSNAKE live is quite an entrancing experience.

In a recent interview, SNAKEATSNAKE mentioned his music is intentionally brief, aggressive, and raw, with minimal musical or lyrical development throughout the tracks, but with Order and Discipline being the third and finest full-length release of the project, I cannot help but wonder where his music could go if he were to even slightly expand his sonic palette. I do appreciate and comprehend the dedication to minimalism, but I truly believe that there’s a place in the music for even more junk textures, meaner analog basslines, or more subtle nuances in between the raw beats.

This being said, Order and Discipline collects some of the best pieces the project has released so far. From the hypnotic but honestly too brief “Hits Below the Belt,” to the almost confessional self-titled track, the anthemic “Concrete” and “Factory Bread,” or the menacing “Trauma,” all those tracks and their lyrics hit you right in the arrhythmic heart and black mold-filled lungs, especially if you’ve been born and raised in Eastern Europe and are actually enjoying it.

Цимент, пясък, чакъл, вода

Бетонът управлява сега света

Order and Discipline is not only a milestone in SNAKEATSNAKE’s discography. The LP is also crucial to the scene as it marks the second release from the DIY Sofia-based label, Balkan Sprachbund, which launched in December 2023 with Voyvoda’s Autochthonous. They’ve promised us uncompromising Balkan underground, so that’s a big reason to follow them.