Minorie (Katya Shirshkova & Koude)

Born in Siberia but based in France, Katya Shirshkova uses her own voice to create hypnotizing polyphonic harmonies with layered compositions and dense performances. For Minorie she will perform her piece 'Le Héron', which was released on Stellage in 2025. 'Le Héron' is a vocal only piece consistsing of four parts, each carrying its own symbol of a life period. These life periods refer to the images of different birds, a way of narrating that connects to old archetypes from legends and fairytales. In this sense 'Le Héron' creates a strong relation with folk traditions, which influence can be recognised throughout the piece. But above all, it is the intricately layered sound of her one-voice-one-looper choir that makes the experience so hauntingly beautiful.

The subdued music of Koude draws from meandering folk, slowcore, ambient and drone, folding these elements together with a quiet patience that resists easy categorization. Michiel Klein, Keimpe Koldijk and Ester Venema are building on their previous collaborations in acts such as Blessum (Vrystaete), Eklin (Night People) and Mike Koldin (Samling). The trio works with electric guitars, bass guitar, synthesizers, sparse percussion and occasional voice.