Laboratorium Piesni - Lecieli Zurauli

 #Laboratorium Piesni #world music #European folk #Eastern European folk #traditional #polyphonic chant #Slavic folk music #a capella #white voice #Polish #music video

Laboratorium Piesni (polish: Song Laboratory) is a female-run collective music project, founded in Poland in 2013. The vast majority of their songs are from Polish and Eastern European folk traditions, though they also incorporate other sources. They also host workshops to help people develop their voice and “awaken the human musicality.” Laboratorium Piesni’s primary musical focus is polyphony (multiple voices with little to no musical accompaniment), which is the dominant form of ritual and folk music for animist cultures, also  surviving into Europe as a dominant form into the 1500’s. This music is also known as “a capella,” but many groups have moved away from this Christian label (“a capella” literally means, “in the way of the chapel”).  From: https://abeautifulresistance.org/pagan-music-list/2019/3/23/the-pagan-music-list-2

The band Laboratorium Pieśni can attest to the fact that local and indigenous culture is becoming more and more popular in the globalized world. Let the question of quantity not be an indicator of their quality, but the fact that the Facebook group is followed by over 80,000 people is telling and shows that such music arouses interest. Their white voice is interesting and very eloquent in the 21st century. Thanks to this, the eight-member band also serve as anthropologists who, traveling around various corners, bring various traditional songs into the workshop to present them in their own polyphonic interpretations.
Laboratorium Pieśni draws a vocal map of Central and Eastern Europe (Belarus, Poland, Ukraine), and also the Balkans, Georgia and Scandinavia. It seems that there are no limits, and the singers' heads are full of ideas and enthusiasm for finding songs from different cultures. Many of the songs are sung a capella, but some of them gain accompaniment in the form of subtly introduced shamanic drums, bells or percussions. Thanks to this, the vocals gain a multidimensional character and space. At the same time, they do not obscure the content, on which you can fully concentrate thanks to the simplicity prevailing here. "Rosna", the long-awaited album, collects all these interests on one release. It shows the band in more mystical songs, those taken straight from indigenous villages, but also more lively songs, such as the Finnish "Käppee", which breaks with its Slavic origin. Girls often choose love topics for the workshop, devoted to interpersonal relationships - the album comes with lyrics with translations, thanks to which the songs are more communicative and understandable. But even if we don't decipher them during the first listening, the music still sounds mysterious, shamanic and blunt. In the era of post-produced recordings and sound-packed tracks, such clean vocals, devoid of effects, are perfect hygiene for the ear, because they remind us that something seemingly simple can be complex and multi-threaded at the same time.  Translated from: http://noweidzieodmorza.com/pl/9212-laboratorium-piesni-rosna/

BraAgas - Fraile Cornudo - BalconyTV

 #BraAgas #Balkan folk #medieval #Scandinavian folk #world music #Sephardic folk #traditional #ethno #Czech Republic #live music video

BraAgas is a predominantly female band interpreting folk songs from all over Europe in original arrangements. A significant part of BraAgas' repertoire consists of Sephardic songs, Scandinavian and Balkan folklore, and they enjoy odd rhythms and melodies. On their last album ‘O Ptácích A Rybách’, the band also focused on folk songs from Moravia. In their arrangements of folk music, BraAgas try to use the diversity of the origin of the individual songs and the interesting sounds provided by ethnic and historical instruments, over which great female vocals are soaring. They have performed at leading festivals such as Colors of Ostrava, MFT Zlatá Praha, Rainforest World Music festival, EBU Folk Festival in Cologne, and Sur Jahan festival in India.  From: http://www.folkworld.de/73/e/braagas.html

BalconyTV was a wheeze cooked up by three friends living on Dame St. in central Dublin, and then improbably became a global online phenomenon, before a peculiar and confused descent back to something like obscurity. The story is now the focus of a three-part podcast, allowing those involved to have their say, with the series also showcasing the vagaries of the music industry. BalconyTV was the brainchild of friends Stephen O’Regan, Tom Millett and Pauline Freeman. The podcast is by Mark Graham, a lecturer in the Department of Arts at SETU (South-East Technical University) in Waterford, also a musician himself. In fact, his former band, the highly regarded King Kong Company, turned down the opportunity to appear on BalconyTV - unlike sundry others, such as Ed Sheeran, Kaiser Chiefs, and Mumford and Sons.
According to Graham, the trio who first set up BalconyTV in 2006 were hungover when the idea first came to them. One of the group, Tom, was a musician and was practicing double bass on the balcony. The others thought it looked good and so BalconyTV was born.
“It started a little bit before YouTube,” explains Graham. “They had their own website first, with a Flash media player, then YouTube came on stream so in the very early days of YouTube they were early adopters. It is de rigeur now to video performances but they were the first to do it, not just in Ireland but maybe in the world.” At first the trio recorded a magician doing his act on the balcony, or someone juggling a football, but it was music performances in this incongruous settings complete with background traffic noises, which caught the imagination of people online. For Graham, BalconyTV formed the template for enduring online music shows such as the Tiny Desk series by US broadcaster NPR.  From: https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/artsandculture/arid-41057474.html 

Otyken - Storm

 #Otyken #Siberian folk #Siberian indigenous music #traditional #world music #folk rock #throat singing #tribal drumming #music video

A group of aboriginal Siberian taiga people makes its way across a frozen river. The sky is gray and the wind is growing stronger: a storm is coming. They unpack their gear, pull out large drums and proceed to pummel them. “Are you going east?” A girl in a colorful indigenous outfit and long black hair wails. “Then be careful!” This is followed by a song that can best be categorized as ethnic rock: there is throat singing, a keyboard sampler imitating an electric guitar, drumming and dancing. Also making it into the picture is a bass guitar-looking instrument made out of something that looks like the skull of a large animal - and you’ll find that that’s exactly what it is. This is Otyken and this is how the video for their track ‘Storm’ begins. The band members are all indigenous Siberians who hail from the Krasnoyarsk Region, in the heart of the Russian North. Otyken was founded in 2019 and is the brainchild of Andrey Medonos, director of the local museum of ethnography. Their style is a mixture of rock, R&B and tribal electronica, complete with throat singing. They perform in three languages - Chulym, Khakassian and Russian. All the band members are representatives of the Chulym, Ket and Selkup ethnic groups. And all hail from tiny villages in the remote taiga - no coffee shops, pharmacies or even electricity. The name ‘Otyken’ comes from the turkic word meaning the “holy place where warriors laid down their arms and held talks”. According to Medonos, Otyken gained popularity thanks to foreign tourists interested in Siberian life. South and North Americans and Canadians are frequent visitors, often looking for parallels with their own cultures. At first, Otyken had a more authentic and traditional sound, but, in order to increase their reach, the band began introducing outside elements. The costumes were improvised, as well - they’re not really true replicas, but more of a mixture of traditional and modern elements. You’ll often see animal hides, feathers and modern elements all rolled into one. As for the instruments, the same principle of embellishment applies. “The most unusual instrument we have is the morin khuur [a Mongolian string instrument] made from a horse’s skull. We have other instruments and outfits as well: maracas, horns…” says Tsveta, who plays the Jaw harp.  From: https://www.rbth.com/arts/335614-otyken-siberian-indigenous-band

Laura Love - I Am Wondering

 #Laura Love #folk #Afro-Celtic #Americana #Afro-Carribean #folk pop #funk #R&B #world music #singer-songwriter

Laura Love's restless, musically adventurous spirit has carried her in a remarkable array of directions. A bass player with a unique vocal style, Love has performed everything from grunge to jazz to bluegrass. She has covered songs as diverse as Hank Williams' I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry, Jackie DeShannon's Put a Little Love in Your Heart, and Kurt Cobain's Come As You Are. Most remarkably, she has melded her own funky, folky genre from African and Caribbean rhythms, Irish melodies, and R&B. She calls it Afro/Celtic. "Love has a powerful raspy voice not unlike Toni Childs, and she uses it to full advantage — howling , crooning, and even yodeling," Lahri Bond wrote in Dirty Linen magazine. "These tunes usually have spiritual underpinnings that give Love's lyrics a simplicity with a lot of depth. Love often strings together 'nonsense' words that serve as rhythmic connecting devices similar to scatting or African chant."
With self-deprecating wit, the singer described her sound to Billboard as "more like confusion than fusion. I don't really devour a lot of music, but I hear snippets here and there at festivals without meaning to. Some of it just sinks in — the really emotionally grabbing stuff — and sticks with me. But I've always loved Appalachian — the high lonesome, bluegrassy, mournful, minor-key white soul music — and I love black soul music. Time magazine music critic Christopher Farley has described Love as more traditionally folky than musically exotic, believing that Love could be a descendent of Joni Mitchell, and her songs address typical coffeehouse subject matter. "Love has a voice rich with dark shadings and rural twang," Farley wrote. "She calls her music Afro/Celtic, but it's mostly front-porch folk with a few twists."
Love made her jazz-singing debut for a "captive audience" at a penitentiary in her home state of Nebraska in the early 1980s. She was 16 years old. Later, she developed a following in the Seattle music scene, where she played grunge rock in the early years of her career. Eventually, Love found — or, more accurately, created — her own niche. "The Afro-Celtic label doesn't communicate the full flavor of Love's songs," Nelson George wrote in Playboy. "Her songs have bright, lilting melodies that contrast nicely with lyrics that focus on poverty and pain. But Love isn't as heavy-voiced or didactic as Tracy Chapman. Her vocals are lighter, higher-pitched, and less guarded than those of her fellow pop-folkie. As pained and bitter as the songs are, Love suggests there's room for optimism."  From:https://musicianguide.com/biographies/1608000914/Laura-Love.html

 

Saddhu Brand - Whole Earth Rhythm

 #Saddhu Brand #psychedelic folk rock #acid folk #world music #Indian classical #1970s 

This is what happens when you get four hippies back in San Francisco after a four year layover in India. Sounding strangely burnt out yet happy, the songsters of Saddhu Brand stick exclusively to traditional Indian instruments and vocals. The vocals come in two varieties: the strangely unemotional sounding female chorale vocals and the voice of one addled guru sort of fellow by the name of Peter Van Gelder (from Great Society).
In many ways, this disc makes me think of a weird transmutation of the British freak-folk scene. There's a kind of Incredible String Band vibe here, although this band has a different set of acoustic instruments and they're nowhere near as talented as the ISB. The whole affair reeks of patchouli (or let's say Nag Champa, I hate patchouli), but what we have here is for the most part a typical San Fran band thrown through a Hindu blender. "People Brittle" would easily translate to a later period Jefferson Airplane song with electric Western instruments, and "I Give You Johnee The Truth" is only one step removed from sounding like West Coast "cowboy" music like New Riders Of The Purple Sage. Just get a different singer and ditch the flute and sitar. Of course the charm of this albums is that it does have the aforementioned flute and sitar.
On the longer tracks "Babu Shoda" and "Dabi Das' Song" the band tries their hand at more authentic Indian style compositions. It's not going to stand in my way if I'm reaching for a Ravi Shankar record, but it's enjoyable enough. While they do whip up a wild dervish sort of sound on the later track, it's far muddier and less precise than something similar that the Indian masters would concoct. Whole Earth Rhythm threatens to confirm more than one cliche concerning the late 60's. If you can stomach that and enjoy Indian instrumentation, you'll probably find something to enjoy.  From: http://psychedelicobscurities.blogspot.com/2007/09/saddhu-brand-1970-whole-earth-rhythm.html

Stick In The Wheel - Roving Blade

 #Stick In The Wheel #folk #British folk #contemporary folk #folktronica #world music #indie folk

London’s Stick in the Wheel live up to their name: For the past few years they’ve been jabbing at the spokes of the English folk scene in their attempt to upend the system. With their 2015 full-length debut, From Here, they conceived of English folk music as something rooted in the past but not in the pastoral; the songs were urban instead of rural, social realist, often abrasive, and defiantly outside the folk mainstream. On traditional tunes dating back centuries as well as originals about the London riots and contemporary land-rights laws, Nicola Kearey sings in a voice that has more in common with Joe Strummer than with Shirley Collins. Co-founder Ian Carter eschews the jazzy improvisations that have defined UK folk guitar since the days of Davey Graham and Bert Jansch. Instead, he plays intricate looped rhythms that sound like he’s mimicking the beats he once created with the XL Recordings-signed electronic group Various Production. They followed up From Here with a 7” single based on 17th-century ballads, a split with the Irish band Lynched, and a collection of mostly a cappella performances recorded in the living rooms and kitchens of some of the country’s biggest folk artists. With their second album, Follow Them True, Stick in the Wheel continue their attack. About half of the album refines the acoustic folk sound of their debut, with lyrics emphasizing the pride of craftsmen and laborers as well as the desperation driving the poor. As Stick in the Wheel dig through the vast catalog of British folk music, they gravitate toward tales from the fringes of society: the destitute, the hopeless, the wronged, and the forgotten.  From: https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/stick-in-the-wheel-follow-them-true/

Vartra - Sena

 #Vartra #world music #Balkan folk #Slavic folk #ethnic fusion #dark folk #tribal drum #shamanic #music video

Vartra is a collective of musicians, dancers and craftsmen based in Belgrade, Serbia, gathered around a common goal of bringing magic and mystery to the stage through a unique blend of their skills, interests and experiences. Our music is influenced by various genres, from traditional Balkan music characterized by the merging of Slavic and oriental cultures, through a variety of traditional music styles of indigenous cultures across the world, to a more harsh, industrial and dark atmospheric sound, common for genres such as doom metal. Most of our lyrics stem from old folk incantations and mantras from the Balkan area, that are sung in Serbian and Vlach languages. Our performances are enriched by utilizing handmade drums and rattles crafted by main instrumentalist and vocalist Siniša Gavrić. These instruments are made from animal skins and foraged materials from the rivers and mountains of Serbia.

The album Basma is inspired by the remnants of the South Slavic healing practices and folklore in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The lyrics in the majority of our songs are based on folklore from these areas, leaning predominantly on fragments of the spells used for healing purposes. These spells, named basma in the said areas, are the most archaic aspect of folk medicine and their power to heal illnesses, remove curses or cast away evil spirits lies in suggestive rhythmic repetition.This album was composed and recorded in the home studio of Siniša Gavrić and Ivana Stošić.

From: https://vartra.bandcamp.com/album/basma

Initially formed by Siniša Gavrić and sisters Ivana and Aleksandra Stošić, the band has extended into more of a community, brought together by an interest in world fusion music, Slavic paganism, shamanistic drumming and spirituality in general. Beside band members, integral part of the Vartra tribe are dance performers and friends dedicated to crafting costumes, accessories and stage requisites for live shows. The first debut album “Luna Nouà” was recorded at home based studio in Belgrade in 2018 and officially released on CD Baby online store in January, 2020. The band performed on multimedia arts festival Dev9t (Serbia), Exit festival (Serbia), Javorwood festival (Bosnia and Hercegovina), Elysium festival (Serbia), Lovestock festival (Croatia) and Nishville Jazz Festival (Serbia). The second album “Basma” was released in 2022 by a German publisher CPL music. “Luna nouà” was heavily focused on Vlach incantations (Eastern Serbia) while “Basma” focuses on the lyrical heritage from Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Montenegro. Their live shows are a cathartic experience, evocative of healing ceremonies and often combined with dance. Dark in a way that draws darkness out away from the spectator, Vartra’s primordial sound speaks directly to our internal rhythms and the lost ancestral wisdom that exists within all of us.  From: https://vartramusic.com/about-vartra/

Gjallarhorn - Suvetar

 #Gjallarhorn #world music #European folk #Finnish folk #Swedish folk #traditional #medieval #music video

This adventurous Ostrobothnian quartet formed in 1994 have created an alluring and successful style that has launched for them a thriving international career. Combining the Swedish folk music tradition of Finland with medieval ballads, ancient poems and rich, acoustic soundscapes, Gjallarhorn conjure an atmospherically charged sound fronted by Jenny Wilhelms' vocals and didgeridoo, integrating perfectly with the Norwegian hardanger fiddle, violin, mandola and percussion.
Gjallarhorn are Jenny Wilhelms on vocals, violin and hardanger fiddle; Adrian Jones on viola, mandola, vocals and kalimba; Tommy Mansikka-Aho on aho, didgeridoo, mungiga, udu and djembe; and Peter Berndalen on percussion and kaliba. Wilhelms is an outstanding vocalist, with a soft soprano that is layered throughout their album “Sjofn" to create a sense of abandon that is oddly tender and never harsh. She sings in the traditional Scandinavian style, with occasional flourishes from Indian vocal traditions. Wherever it comes from, it's phenomenal. Think Vartina without the shrill factor; after all, Wilhelms doesn't need to use her voice as percussion because she is supported by an awesome collections of percussive sounds and the drone of the didgeridoo.
Gjallarhorn takes us deep into Scandinavia, to parts with warm, subtle Swedish and Finnish accents and the epic ballads we associate with those northern parts. African and Oriental percussion instruments, and the Australian didgeridoo provide the obsessive drones. Violins, a jew's harp, a mandolin, a magnificent voice, cries resounding ad infinitum in the idea open spaces of Scandinavia; a multitude of noises, echoes, buzzing and tapping sounds, are all used to serve tradition, with ancient epics, medieval ballads, and rites. This music has a strongly modern orientation.
From: https://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=1240

L'Ham de Foc - Pandero

 #L'Ham de Foc #world music #Mediterranian folk #Catalan folk #Greek folk #neo-Medieval #traditional 

Power and beauty are the two main concepts in their music, and fire and water the contrary elements that are symbolized by their name. L'Ham de Foc (Fish hook of fire) from Valencia are no longer an exotic musical phenomenon for specialists but a well sounding name within the international worldmusic scene and a timeless musical concept, that develops its strong character without taking care of current fashion. A new instrument, a new musical style can only be studied and understood going to where it comes from and within its cultural context. This attitude was responsable for a lot of journeys especially to Greece where the main protagonists of L'Ham de Foc -singer Mara Aranda and multiinstrumentalist Efrén López- have now found their second home. Their compositions have the ability to transform music for specialists into an understandable but profound music. Each album of L'Ham de Foc reflects what they have experienced in their recent journeys and studies. L'Ham de Foc´s audience is as diverse as their instruments and influences: with their concerts and CDs , apart from the standard worldmusic/folk audience, they have also reached listeners coming from classical music, Rock/Pop, Gothic/Wave and medieval music.  From: https://www.womex.com/virtual/galileo_mc/l_ham_de_foc

L’Ham de Foc was one of the leading groups of a new Folk movement in Spain, that worked the traditional roots into a new, modern music concept. But L’Ham de Foc’s work is not just a superficial look at its roots. The musicians’ intention was to go back to where things originally came from, to learn how to play instruments, techniques and interpretations from first hand. Mediterranean folk music, including their own Valencian music, Greek music and also music from India or Northern Africa, are main influences for L’Ham de Foc. This mixture was responsible for a widespread acceptance of their music. To understand the group’s work, one needs to know some things about the special cultural situation of the Valencian region. During the history of the southern Spanish coast, different cultures settled down, imposing their cultural roots. Due to its harbors, southeastern Spain was an important place for trading and the result was a permanent cultural exchange. Musically spoken, three different zones have the strongest influence: The Arabic countries in the south. The tradition from Aragon and Castille in Spain, France and Italy denominated as the European zone. The central zone that is identified by a fusion of the north and the south. Hereto belong countries and regions like Greece, Andalusia, Yugoslavia, Albania, the Balearic Islands, Malta, Crete, Valencia, etc. These cultures are characterized by melismatic melodies, polyrhythms, double stringed instruments, wind instruments, quarter tone harmonies, and by the presence of the Arabic culture throughout 700 years.  From: https://worldmusiccentral.org/2019/01/31/artist-profiles-lham-de-foc/

Psalteria - Nazad, Nazad, Mome, Kalino

 #Psalteria #medieval #world music #neo-medieval #folk #traditional #pre-BraAgas #Czech

Psalteria was a Czech medieval folk band consisting of four young women. The quartet advertised itself with the catchphrase "the medieval women's band". The group's repertoire consisted of traditional pieces from the Middle Ages, which the group interpreted in their own way. In addition to songs in German, Latin and French, most of the songs are in Spanish. Due to a high presence on German medieval markets, Psalteria was able to achieve high popularity here in the medieval scene. In January 2007, the group disbanded. The band members now play divided into the medieval groups BraAgas and Euphorica.  Translated from: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psalteria

 ‘Go back, Kalina, don’t follow me. Ahead is a thick forest, you can’t cross it.’
‘Then I’ll turn into a hawk. I’ll fly over the forest. I’ll be yours forever.’
‘Go back, Kalina, don’t follow me. Ahead is a deep river, you can’t cross it.’
‘Then I’ll turn into a trout. I’ll swim across the river. I’ll be yours forever.’
‘Go back, Kalina, don’t follow me. At home I have a beautiful wife and some children too.’
‘Then I’ll turn into the plague. I’ll kill your wife and take care of your children. I’ll be yours forever.’
From: https://londonbulgarianchoir.bandcamp.com/track/nazad-nazad-mome-kalino

Jasmine Sandlas - Patt Lai Geya

 #Jasmine Sandlas #bhangra #Indian music #world music #Indian folk pop #Punjabi folk #music video

Born in Punjab and raised in California, Jasmine Sandlas has an East-meets-West heritage that’s helped her stand out among Punjabi playback's most beguiling singers. Born in Jalandhar, Sandlas was raised in a Sikh family and spent her formative years inspired by Punjabi folk singers. At age 13, she moved with her family to Stockton, California, adding the music of the US West Coast to her palette of influences. By 16, Sandlas was writing her own material, rooted in the style of her Punjabi inspirations but undoubtedly inflected with Western pop stylings. As a recording artist, Sandlas has spun many plates in her career to date, including prolific playback work across three languages as well as stylistically diverse solo pop albums and collaborations with the rapper Bohemia.  From: https://www.shazam.com/artist/jasmine-sandlas/377061445

Bhangra is a type of traditional folk dance of Punjab. It is done in the season of harvesting. Bhangra is especially associated with the vernal Vaisakhi festival. In a typical performance, several dancers execute vigorous kicks, leaps, and bends of the body - often with upraised, thrusting arm or shoulder movements - to the accompaniment of short songs called boliyan and, most significantly, to the beat of a dhol (double-headed drum). Struck with a heavy beater on one end and with a lighter stick on the other, the dhol imbues the music with a syncopated (accents on the weak beats), swinging rhythmic character that has generally remained the hallmark of bhangra music. An energetic Punjabi dance, bhangra originated with Punjab farmers as a cultural and communal celebration; its modern-day evolution has allowed bhangra to retain its traditional Punjabi roots, while broadening its reach to include integration into popular music and DJing, group-based competitions, and even exercise and dance programs in schools and studios.  From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhangra_(dance)

Elephant Stone - Setting Sun

 #Elephant Stone #psychedelic rock #neo-psychedelia #Indian music #world music #ex-High Dials #Canadian #music video

Combining the influence of Indian classical music with the influence of British Invasion bands like the Kinks and the Beatles, Canadian neo-psychedelic outfit Elephant Stone is the brainchild of Rishi Dhir, formerly of the High Dials. The project's first album, 2009's The Seven Seas, demonstrated Dhir's knack for breezy melodies as well as his use of instruments like sitar, dilruba, and tabla in a Western rock context. Elephant Stone was operating as a trio by 2014's Three Poisons, and they made use of a children's choir on 2020's Hollow, the project's fifth album. The French-language EP Le Voyage de M. Lonely dans la Lune appeared in 2022.
Inspired by his own ongoing Indian classical music discovery, Dhir formed Elephant Stone in Montreal in 2008. With Dhir singing lead and handling nearly a dozen instruments, he recorded the project's debut album with help from several guests, including producer Jace Lasek. It arrived in May 2009 on Dhir's own Elephants on Parade label (with Fontana Distribution). The Glass Box EP followed in 2010 on Elephants on Parade and 360 Degree. The group then signed with Canada's Hidden Pony for 2013's Elephant Stone. Settling into a regular lineup of Dhir, Gabriel Lambert on guitar, and Miles Dupire-Gagnon on drums, Three Poisons arrived in 2014, also on Hidden Pony. They covered "L.A. Woman" for that year's “A Psych Tribute to the Doors.”  From: https://www.allmusic.com/artist/elephant-stone-mn0001606201/biography

Tautumeitas - Bērzinš

 #Tautumeitas #folk #Latvian folk #world music #traditional folk #Eastern European folk #music video

One of the most notable events in recent years in Latvian folk music has been the debut of the ensemble Tautumeitas. As their name implies, the group gathers together six ‘folk girls’ who perform songs inspired by Latvian folk songs and folklore. Their first recording, Lai māsiņa rotājās!, was performed together with the drum and bagpipe ensemble Auļi, and the group’s proper first debut album, simply entitled Tautumeitas, was released in 2018. In just a few years, the ensemble has become one of the best known and most popular folk ensembles, and have even appeared in a commercial for the Latvian national airline airBaltic. The members of the group are Asnate Rancāne (violin, voice), Aurēlija Rancāne (drums, voice), Ilona Dzērve (accordion, voice), Lauma Bērza (violin, voice), Laura Liepiņa (percussion, voice) and Laura Marta Arāja (percussion, voice). The album also features additional musicians and instruments, such as brass instruments and cello. Integral to the album’s sound is also producer, percussionist and arranger Reinis Sējāns. Though they use many elements from Latvian folklore in their songs, it is still a thoroughly modern album, and one might consider the songs to be a kind of ethno-pop style of world music. As all six members of the group are singers, it is then no surprise that the vocals are the main focus for the musical offerings. The importance of singing is echoed in the first song, the appropriately titled ‘Sadziedami’, where the powerful vocals are supported by a thunderous musical accompaniment while the ensemble sings ‘sadziedam mēs, māsiņas’ (let’s sing together, sisters!) Inspired by the Krustabas ritual (or Latvian folk Christening), the song ‘Pāde’ is a song about self-growth. The ritual of the ‘pādes dīdīšana’, where the one being christened is passed around in the arms of the invited guests, is meant to pass along positive thoughts from the guests. In this song, as with many of their songs, Tautumeitas use the mystical aspects of Latvian folk rituals to create a richly layered song, with help from Reinis Sējāns, who provided the arrangement.  From: https://latviansonline.com/popular-tautumeitas-ensemble-release-debut-ethno-pop-folklore-album/

Laboratorium Piesni - U Lisi

 #Laboratorium Piesni #world music #folk music #European folk #Eastern European folk #ethnic #traditional #polyphonic chant #Slavic folk music #a capella #white voice #Polish

Laboratorium Pieśni (Song Laboratory) is a group of female singers from Poland, created in 2013. Using traditional, polyphonic singing they perform songs from all over the world: Ukraine, Balkans, Poland, Belarus, Georgia, Scandinavia and many other places. They sing a capella as well as with shaman drums and other ethnic instruments (shruti box, kalimba, flute, gong, zaphir and koshi chimes, singing bowls, rattles etc.), creating a new space in a traditional song, adding voice improvisations, inspired by sounds of nature, often intuitive, wild and feminine.  From: http://laboratoriumpiesni.pl/en/about/

There is a song that is always waiting for you. It reminds you of the simplest things. Open your heart, expand your understanding, open yourself to the primal memory of who you really are. You are the song and the song is you. Take a deep breath and release it. It will become a wild river that will fill your life, taking you to the source. This song is your life.
Our Tribe! We invite you to the world of our newest album “Hé Oyáte”, filled with polyphonic traditional songs of different cultures, as well as original intuitive compositions in dreamed up words, melodies and stories, in the rhythm of shamanic drums, nature sounds and Earth’s pulse.  From: https://laboratoriumpiesni.bandcamp.com/album/h-oy-te-2

Aman Aman - Sien Drahmas Al Dia

 #Aman Aman #world music #folk music #Sephardic music #Mediterranian music #Greek folk #Turkish folk #traditional #neo-medieval #Ladino

Aman Aman are a group of skilled world musicians and ethnomusicologists who came together to explore the traditional music of the Sephardi, the Jewish people of Spain. This mixture of Jewish heritage with Spanish language, customs, and music created a fascinating culture that is seldom recognized. With a wealth of knowledge between them (many of the band members teach music at the university level), the ensemble reproduces music from many Mediterranean countries, including Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, and Spain.  From: https://www.allmusic.com/artist/aman-aman-mn0001533419/biography

We are used to hearing the Sephardic repertoire interpreted from the perspective of the world of classical musicians, with all its tics: fake voices, musicians playing with sheet music and no room for improvisation. Aman Aman prefers to approach it from the perspective of the traditional music of those countries that welcomed the Sephardim, which is, after all, the source from which they drank when they arrived from their diaspora. In some cases, we have even dared to mix the music of the Sephardim with Turkish or Greek pieces, with which they are very similar.
The sound of Aman Aman is based, as can be heard in various field recordings, on the sound of strings, winds and percussion from the Middle East, with the more "current" contribution of the cello, although played as in the modern orchestras of the Maghreb, Turkey or Egypt.
The ensemble is made up of Aziz Samsaoui (qanun), Diego López (bendir, darbuka, zarb, doira and riq), Efrén López (ud, bağlama, lavta, cümbüs and tanbur), Eleni Kallimopoulou (politiki lyra), Hristos Barbas (ney and kaval), Mara Aranda (voice and bendir) and Matthieu Saglio (cello).
In the year 1492 the Christian kings Fernando de Aragón and Isabel de Castilla decreed the expulsion or conversion of all Spanish Jews who had inhabited the peninsula since the first century AD. In a few months, more than 160,000 Jews left for the Ottoman Empire, Provence, North Africa, the Balkan states, and also Italy and the Netherlands. Diaspora Jews passed on their medieval Spanish past to their children: customs, music and language, and thus, from generation to generation, these elements were preserved to this day.
The traditional songs of the Sephardic Jews were, and continue to be, the romances in the Judeo-Spanish language (judezmo or haketía), which is currently incorrectly called “ladino”. There are no written examples of this popular music, but a large part of this wealth has come to us by oral transmission. In the interpretation of traditional Sephardic music, the female voice predominates. Men who knew Hebrew participated in the synagogal liturgy. The women generally did not know Hebrew writing and they sang in Jewish-Spanish, which is the daily language, the songs that refer to the cycle of life: birth, growth, marriage and death. The Sephardic lifestyle was merging with that of those places where they lived. And thus they integrated new melodies, rhythms, instruments, cadential formulas and ornaments to their repertoire. Also words from these new languages and any element that served the purpose of the song.
At the beginning of the 18th century, the Sephardic colonies of the western and eastern Mediterranean constituted two clearly distinct and independent cultures: that of the eastern Mediterranean (Turkey, Greece, the former Yugoslavia and Bulgaria) and that of the western Mediterranean (clearly influenced by Moroccan elements, and Spanish). Currently the Jewish community of the Spanish State is about 15,000 members. In addition, there are thousands of descendants of converted Jews who do not know their ancestry. Knowing and spreading these songs is knowing a part of the history of the place where we live and enriching our own human and cultural identity.
From: https://www.womex.com/virtual/aman_aman

Firewater - Psychopharmacology

 #Firewater #gypsy punk #world punk #dark cabaret #alternative rock #indie rock #eclectic

New York-based band Firewater incorporated a global range of musical influences into their highly dynamic sound. A loosely knit ensemble centered around the lead vocals of ex-Cop Shoot Cop bass player Tod A. (born: Tod Ashley), Firewater tied together such influences as Klezmer, Indian wedding music, art-punk, and Tom Waits-style cabaret poetry to create their heady, often quite danceable sound. Coupled with Tod A.'s acerbic, post-apocalyptic, and death-obsessed lyrics, Firewater was a band to be reckoned with almost from the beginning.  From: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0F5fXdlx1bKwYFZ70bfuZ9

You ever found yourself looking for something at the bottom of a cupboard and come out with something else covered in dust, long forgotten? Psychopharmacology is covered in lint, dust and shed pubes from the very same cupboard. Full of afterthoughts you'd have if you spent a month of late nights in the company of cheap red wine, even cheaper cigarettes and spiteful company. All this imagery and the sound and songs to back it up. But, I must say, this album is the closest to as "approachable" a Firewater album as the first time listener will probably get. For my money anyway. If you haven't heard of these lot yet and are taking a gamble, this is the place to start. Don't take my word for it, I've been listening since CopShootCop and won't knock too much anything creative Tod A. & co. put out - mainly because this is original music, slightly familiar but in a "can't place the artist," kind of way. You can bandy about Tom Waits for a comparison point, but you'd have to throw in the 'Stones, Beatles and a heady mix of dark, seedy and downright evil turns of carnival/burlesque/gypsy fare. Simply put, it's an intriguing spectacle to behold. Get yourself a nice big ashtray, a half a dozen warm beers and a bearded wench in an over-tight corset to accompany the journey. Highly Recommended. Bearded Wenches & Firewater, of course.  From: https://www.amazon.com/Psychopharmacology-Firewater/product-reviews/B00005BC94/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_show_all_btm?ie=UTF8&reviewerType=all_reviews 

Ouzo Bazooka - My Prince

 #Ouzo Bazooka #psychedelic rock #neo-psychedelia #Middle Eastern rock #garage rock #Middle Eastern psych rock #desert rock #psychedelic surf #Isreali #music video

Ouzo Bazooka was formed in Tel Aviv by Uri Brauner Kinrot, who grew up on the sunny shores of the Mediterranean sea and has been active in the music scene for over a decade, shaping the sound of influential local groups as well as the critically acclaimed mediterranean surf band Boom Pam (who collaborated with Turkish psychedelic-folk legend Selda Bağcan). Tel Aviv’s cultural diversity served as the perfect backdrop for Ouzo Bazooka’s formation and the maturing of their style; an exotic blend of middle eastern sounds and scales, moulded together with fuzzed psychedelic surf rock and garage. Following the release of their acclaimed self-titled debut album in 2014, the band was embraced by the local crowd and became somewhat of a local phenomenon. It was only a matter of time before their sounds reached the European front and after memorable high profile festival appearances, followed by two stellar releases, the media, critics and the international crowd took notice. The band’s position as the ambassadors of a new middle eastern rock sound was cemented.  From: https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/5067836177008380097/4507547854277938480

Dutar - Gelem, Gelem/Kis Kece Lanyom

#Dutar #Hungarian folk #world music #Gypsy folk #traditional

Hungary’s traditional music is as tricky a mix of East and West, of secular and religious, and of ancient and modern as Hungary is itself. While some theorists trace the earliest Hungarian music, and the Magyar people, back to Siberia, at the heart of the most widespread Hungarian musical tradition is Italian Catholic plainsong, a type of religious chanting that consists of one unaccompanied melody line. When the Turks arrived in the 15th century and conquered part of Hungary they brought sounds from the East, as well as Roma people who came with their own unique music. While “elite” Hungarians developed classical forms generally identified with the West, Turkish and Romani music infused Hungarian village with an Eastern flair. Zoltán Kodály and Béla Bartók, two noted early 19th century Hungarian ethnomusicologists, educators and composers, traveled into these villages to record Hungarian “peasant” music. They documented Hungary’s folk music traditions just in time, because after World War II music became the official domain of the ruling Communists. The regime established folk choirs and orchestras and only allowed music to played in public that was fully sanctioned (and fully sanitized) by the Song Committee. An underground folk music scene rose in opposition; people gathered in the táncház (dance hall) and revived traditional dances like the csárdás as a form of cultural protest. When the Soviets crumbled, Hungarian traditional music left the táncház and flourished once again. Today urban Hungarian bands like the Roma folk/folk and the Besh o Drom and the “speed-folk” Transylvanians have revived Hungarian traditional music, bringing it into the modern age, making it relevant for a new generation.  From: https://www.allaroundthisworld.com/learn/eastern-europe-2/hungary/hungary-music/#.Y611g-LMJq8

Folknery - Vyplyvalo Utenia

 #Folknery #Ukrainian folk #dark folk #world music #folk rock #roots music #neofolk #ethno #Ukrainian folk rock

Folknery describe themselves as 'Ukrainian free folk,' which sounds as if the band from Kiev, Ukraine, are about to blow your head off Albert Ayler-style. On Folknery's album Useful Things, the band does expand the palette of Ukrainian folk music: there's plenty of structure to their music, but a gleeful kitchen-sink abandon so that experimentation and genre-clash unite in soulful grooves. The story of Folknery mirrors the music's off-kilter approach: this is a band whose name emerged as a mash-up between William Faulkner and folk music, the idea for which came straight out of a dream. Volodymyr Muliar and Yaryna Kvitka founded Folknery in 2009. Muliar was fresh out of his experiences drumming for various Ukrainian rock bands, and he was delving into folk singing with another Ukrainian group called "Rozhanytsia." The two enjoyed not only music, but also bicycling – and in fact, they continue to conduct wide-ranging cycling trips that have evolved into excursions across Ukraine, and other countries, in order to find folk music and record living singers. Augmented by another member of Rozhanytsia, vocalist Yulia Sovershenna, the group continued to incorporate world music influences and diverse instrumentation. Together with percussionist Roman Sharkevych and guitarist Dmytro Sorokin, Folknery also utilizes accordions, African djembe, field-recorded sound effects, and hurdy-gurdy.  From: https://www.rootsworld.com/reviews/folknery-16.shtml

Ginger Baker's Air Force - Early in the Morning

 #Ginger Baker's Air Force #Chris Wood #Graham Bond #Denny Laine #jazz-rock #afro-fusion #blues rock #afrobeat #hard rock #R&B #supergroup #1970s #ex-Cream #Beat-Club

For a change, the late 1960s yielded up a supergroup that lived up to its hype and then some. Ginger Baker's Air Force was recorded live at Royal Albert Hall in January of 1970 - in fact, this may be the best-sounding live album ever to come out of that notoriously difficult venue - at a show that must have been a wonder to watch, as the ten-piece band blazed away in sheets of sound, projected delicate flute parts behind multi-layered African percussion, or built their songs up Bolero-like, out of rhythms from a single instrument into huge jazz-cum-R&B crescendos. Considering that this was only their second gig, the group sounds astonishingly tight, which greatly reduces the level of self-indulgence that one would expect to find on an album where five of the eight tracks run in excess of ten minutes. There aren't too many wasted notes or phrases in the 78 minutes of music included here, and Steve Winwood's organ, Baker, Phil Seamen, and Remi Kabaka's drums, and the sax playing by Chris Wood, Graham Bond (on alto), and Harold McNair, all stand out, especially the sax trio's interwoven playing on "Don't Care." Additionally, Denny Laine plays louder, flashier, more virtuoso-level guitar than he ever got to turn in with the Moody Blues, bending notes in exquisite fashion in the opening of Air Force's rendition of the Cream standard "Toad," crunching away on rhythm elsewhere, and indulging in some more introspective blues for "Man of Constant Sorrow."  From: https://www.allmusic.com/album/ginger-bakers-air-force-mw0000202606