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Dimitar Dodovski – D​é​rive

Norman Records does a far more in-depth job introducing the world to the music of North Macedonian composer Dimitar Dodovski a wee bit better than I could.  From their promo sheet:

“”Dimitar Dodovski approaches his craft of granular synthesis from a melodic perspective at most definitely the warmer end of the drone spectrum. Opening track ‘I’ introduces, of all things, mallet-struck chimes amongst the digital layers. The mallets recur on the following track (‘II’), but only when you least expect them. Staccato synth rises from a mist-draped lake of sound, each milky chord change rung by a bell. Pixelated textures drop in, then out, then back into focus again as Dodovski deftly carries us along on his smooth, humid, watery journey. It’s a gradually, dreamily dissolving picture of serenity. Sounds to submerge yourself in. By track 4, handily entitled ‘IV (Soul)’ I am spellbound by such moments of beauty that I have stopped typing and words have totally evaded me. For several minutes. That’s really not a good thing for a reviewer — but it *is* a recommendation. So. There. Especially if you enjoyed Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith and Suzanne Ciani’s latest joint opus. The rest of the album is equally lush. Even the choral pads and New Age-isms of some of the sounds can’t detract from that. It’s so very tropical sounding, unhurried; I can imagine stop-motion photography of an orchid blooming afresh to each struck note. David Attenborough’s voice optional but not entirely unnecessary.” –Norman Records”

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Gianni Marchetti – Milano: Il Clan Dei Calabresi

Thanks to killer reissue labels like Four Flies Records out of Italy, we can experience the easy/cheesy listening sounds of 1970s Italian movie soundtracks.  From the label’s Bandcamp site:

“Four Flies’ 45s series continues to pay tribute to the golden age of Italian film music, this time with the first 7-inch release ever of two super-groovy themes from Gianni Marchetti’s soundtrack to Milano: Il Clan dei Calabresi (known in English as ‘The Last Desperate Hours’), a 1974 poliziottesco film directed by Giorgio Stegani.

“M2”, on side A, is a re-versioning of a timeless classic – Quincy Jones’ “Ironside” theme – where the punch of funk comes to the fore and is fused with the acid sound of early 70s Italian prog rock. This combination of jazz-funk and prog rock is found also in “M3″, on side B, which weaves a tapestry of powerful horns and gently weeping guitar over a driving, funk-blues bass line.

A must-have for lovers of rare grooves and poliziottesco films! But don’t wait around, it’s a limited edition!”

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Evgeny Masloboev – Clay. Thirteen Contemplations on Matter

Clay is the topic of the latest Fancy Records release by composer Evgeny Masloboev.  The topic, as described by the artist, is a fascinating one, tied in with some incredible contemporary classical music.  From the Fancy Records Bandcamp site:

“Clay is a living mystic. This is the ever-dancing childhood of humanity. In the mythology of many peoples of the planet Earth, clay is presented as a medium for the emergence of life and as a material for the creation of the first homo. The Old Testament Adam of the Semitic tribes, Enkidu of the Sumerian peoples, Gayomart in the Zoroastrian service to fire, or the version of the origin of life of the Dogon people, reflected in the secret knowledge of how the goddess of the Earth was created when the omnipotent Amma (Amma) threw clay into the primordial void – these and many other images live in our original feeling of ourselves in the nature of matter and in the endless dialogue of people with the planet.

The idea of creating a musical album «Clay. Thirteen Contemplations on Matter» ripened in me as clays ripen in a drop of rainwater and the muscular contraction of plant roots that trigger the magic of chemical processes. The causes and consequences of a number of cultural events and the artifacts associated with these processes led me to discover the melodies and metrorhythmic formulas contained in ceramic objects and in the structure of the clay itself. Now, entering a room finished with ceramic tiles, I think: «how much music is contained in these walls and in the floor!..». The bedroom of the Mozart spouses in Figaro House (Vienna) – the poet Velemir Khlebnikov and his «Star Alphabet» – the artist Pyotr Miturich and his three-sided cubes – my «Star Alphabet» and the first part of it, the film «Adam» – the music album «Clay. Thirteen Contemplations on Matter». Such is the chain, my letter to mankind. And this is my explanation of love to the planet.”