In his childhood he wished to become a drummer, when he was 12 he started to play the guitar, at the age of 14 – listened to the vinyl albums of Joy Division and tried to discover new band names in Kurt Cobain's interviews, was hunting out a novel music, learning from other's achievements and fostering his own ideas. Pavel Dodonov, who was born in the city of Ulyanovsk and has grown in Snezhnogorsk near the Polar circle, is well-known to the general audience first of all as Dolphin's companion-in-arms – he participated in the recording of the album "Star" and was the genuine co-author of one of the best Russian albums "Youth" (as it was repeatedly mentioned by Andrey Lysikov himself, songs for "Youth" have been inspired primarily by the melodic ideas and improvisations of Dodonov); however his musical biography and history are not limited only to this. Before joining Dolphin and becoming his main partner - as a matter of fact, with Dodonov's arrival the project "Dolphin" was converted into a genuine group – Pavel played electro-rock in the project "San Ieronimo Twins", rehearsed together with the future drummer of Tracktor Bowling Alexey Nazarchuk and all time worked at home over his own compositions using a portastudio and guitars.
Once Charles Gayle, a free-jazz saxophonist, said that improvisation for him was not a musical experiment, but rather a much deeper spiritual experience, some kind of attempt to communicate directly with God. Dodonov could say the same about his solo works. His compositions vary from a shattering noise to fragile melodies, from a heavy stream of a sound in the spirit of My Bloody Valentine to almost blues fingerings – but you can always find an emotion, a feeling or an expression in them. Dodonov is notable for his rare erudition: John Frusciante, universal heritage Sonic Youth, avant-guard jazz, original folk – all this music is a source of inspiration for him but in no way an object of imitation; Pavel has his own style, his own method, his own secret. Finally he has his own sound: the owner of more than thirty guitars, Dodonov perfectly feels shades and nuances. His improvisations leave far behind the song form, but they are also very far from unsystematic noise; there is always a place for melody in them, they always have not easy conceivable, sophisticated and intelligent structure. In Russia there are very few people who wish and can compose such kind of music - among them Dodonov maybe better than anybody feels the genuine, innermost life of the sound.
Text: Alexander Gorbachev
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