ECHO OF SMOKY
STAIRWELLS
Andrey Gritskov, also known as Echo of Smoky Stairwells (from the Russian ekho prokurennykh pod"ezdov — EPP), was one of the most distinctive narrators in sad rap, weaving self-ironic, brutally honest stories out of the darkness of everyday life. The prophetic world captured in his final releases became even more haunting after his unexpected passing. We are proud to present our ongoing effort to preserve, document, and systematize his legacy.
Photo: Deprsna
MATERIALS ↆ
There are still many unanswered questions surrounding EPP’s final posthumous release (1). Among them is the existence of an early alternative version of the album cover (2), created by Egor Hound.
The cover itself consists of two parts. The central part remained unchanged in the published version (3). However, Andrey felt that the skull motif used in an early version of the second part (4) had already become overused in the hardcore music scene. As a result, the final version featured a weapon instead (5).
BODEGRAVEN (2023)
1.
TOUR POSTERS
Older drawings by the same artist were selected as illustrations for the last two gigs (5). The final versions omit some details present in the original drawings (6–7).
COVER ART
THOUSAND-YARD STARE (2018)
2.
After returning from Sweden, Andrey’s childhood friend from Murmansk, HÆRVÆRKET, began shaping EPP’s visual identity. This album cover was one of the most significant works to emerge from that period.
COVER ART
TOUR POSTERS
Poster sketches by the same artist for the tour supporting the album’s release.
PLAYLIST
3.
Long before the Thousand-Yard Stare era, HÆRVÆRKET created an illustration for Andrey’s side project, NAPAJALNI KABLI, translated from Slovenian as “power cables” (1). Interestingly, the original drawing features only the track title “BHOPAL 030,” suggesting that it was not originally intended as the cover for a full EP (2).
Another early treasure from that period is a poster for a home concert in Murmansk, where EPP performed for the first time (3). Andrey performed as a replacement for another band, as indicated by a note on the original drawing (4).
EARLY ILLUSTRATIONS (2013-2015)
5.
We’ve been always paying a lot of attention to the fan art. Here you can see the tour poster illustrations by Yulia Fomenko (1) and vozvrasheniye (2-3).
OTHERS
