Kyiv-born, Berlin-based artist Sasha Kraveska — better known as Poly Chain — released her third full-length album, Nemesis, on April 25, 2025. The 15-track record also marks the first release on her newly launched label, Lightronics.
Described by Zakrevska as “a testament to my musical journey up to this point,” Nemesis spans over a decade of creative evolution. It draws together the early works of Poly Chain, like “Hyrax” and “Enhanced Comfort” (both composed in 2013), and more recent material written for live performance in 2024. Across 15 tracks, Nemesis seamlessly blends experimental club sounds with post-ambient textures.
Nemesis moves through a rich tapestry of sonic landscapes:
- “Salt”: An ambient piece that builds intensity through volume and texture. .
- “Sunflower”: A rhythmic club-ready track.
- “Elisiv”: Deep techno referencing a historical Kyiv princess.
- “Caffa”: Ominous in tone, yet oddly familiar.
The album’s arc mirrors emotional complexity — swinging between ambient introspection and club-driven energy.
With the founding of Lightronics, Poly Chain pushes further into cross-disciplinary territory. The label aims to foster interdisciplinary collaborations that blur the lines between sound, performance, and visual art.
“Now is the time to embrace cross-disciplinary approaches to forge new ways of perceiving art and sound,”
The release of Nemesis is accompanied by a video for “Salt,” filmed at Ukraine’s vividly pink Lake Lemuria. Its slow, hypnotic visuals move in step with the track’s ambient minimalism. Throughout the video, a series of thought-provoking captions reflecting on the emotional weight carried by those living through war appear. One line lingers in particular:
“Which salt is stronger? The salt of the land or the salt of tears shed by humans who are forced to bury their loved ones in parts?”
A reference to the brutal reality of Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, the piece acts as an understated yet powerfully devastating visual companion to the record.
For an artist merging ambient atmosphere, club structure, and cross-media ideas, the name “Poly Chain” couldn’t be more fitting.“Poly” hints at Zakrevska’s multiplicity of styles and influences; “Chain” reflects the links she draws between sound, visuals, and performance.
With a background in classical piano, a deep love of synthesizers, and an eye for visual design, Zakrevska’s work resists easy categorisation. Her work has appeared on forward-thinking labels such as Die Orakel, Mystictrax, and Into The Light, and she has performed at CTM, Dekmantel, Nuits Sonores, OHM, Tresor, and Garage Noord.
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