Our dear friends at Mahorka Records continue to surprise and delight us. Their latest release features two musicians, the MadMen Duo (I don’t know where they are from, but they did record these tracks in Bulgaria if I understand correctly) whose music comes off as a wonderfully dark combination of Continue Reading
Bulgaria
Christophe Bailleau – Insight and Vision
Before I get to the promotional blurb on the website for Mahorka Records, I can give my thoughts on the album. Christophe Bailleau’s Insight and Vision crosses so many genres that one would think, based on the description, that the music would be unlistenable. Nothing could be further from the Continue Reading
Hybrid Rain and Liquid Paper by Hans Castrup + James Hill – Each Star Pulses Two Colours
Imagine a gorgeous trumpet and piano sound immersed inside of electronic blips and beeps. It’s eerie, sounding something like a film-noir film soundtrack as performed by improvisational or experimental musicians (think Jon Hassell or Toshinori Kondo). That is what you have with this collaboration by Hybrid Rain and Liquid Paper. Continue Reading
Ambient Folklore – Bestiary
The Bulgarian band Ambient Folklore have a new album out, and it surpasses any neofolk/dark-folk album I’ve heard over the past two years. The sounds on this record are heavy and foreboding, made more so by very prominent hurdy-gurdy expertly played by Petar Delchev. It sounds as if mid-period Death Continue Reading
Abu Ama + BedouinDrone – Dawlat Lībiyyā
Abu Ama and BedouinDrone’s most recent collaboration, Dawlat Lībiyyā, is being presented to the world by Mahorka Records, who have released this album as a well-deserved vinyl edition as well as a adding an extra track added to the digital version. The duo released several albums both together and individually Continue Reading
Various Artists – Let’s Stamp: 1950s Folk Dance Recordings from Bulgarian and Yugoslavian 78rpm Discs
The ever-reliable Canary Records out of Baltimore, Maryland, have released a compilation of Balkan 78 rpm shellacs with a lot of the artists being unidentified, but whose music is most assuredly from my home away from home.
Luneta Freedom Jazz Collective – Slaves and Masters
Quite an impressive band out of the Philippines, courtesy of Mahorka Records out of Bulgaria. Some info from their Bandcamp site: Luneta Freedom Jazz Collective is an experimental jazz group from Manila, Philippines. Their first studio album “Ethos”, was recorded and released in April 2015. The group would go on Continue Reading
Biliana Voutchkova – Seeds Of Songs
This release is a double introduction of sorts for me; first, for the chance to finally delve into a full recording of the work of Biliana Voutchkova, an interdisciplinary artist, violinist, performer, composer, improviser and curator from one of the countries I most enjoy visiting, Bulgaria (though she is based Continue Reading
Emil – Само сам знам / Only Alone I Know
Emil Biljarski has had a storied career, first as keyboardist of the seminal Hungarian psychedelic rock band Korai Öröm, and who continued the psychedelic, world music and even post-punk stylings in bands such as Fókatelep and Meszecsinka. His pedigree is impeccable. He graces our blog with a new album which Continue Reading
Jeff Gburek – Three New Albums
We have the tremendous pleasure of announcing three new albums by composer Jeff Gburek. The first album is in collaboration with his partner Karolina Ossowska, who plays violin, ocarina and kalimba on this release. Gburek performs on zither, mandolin, miniature bandura and something called a blue-sky instrument, something new to Continue Reading