• Music

    Oidopuaa Vladimir Oiun – Divine Music From Jail

    July 13, 2024 - By 

    A snippet from Oidopuaa Vladimir Oiun’s outsider release at his Bandcamp site: “Oidupaa spent 33 years of his 55 years of life in prison – in fact, this album was recorded in prison. Oidupaa himself claimed that his conflicts with Soviet legislation were slander, which often happened with other Tuvan artists of that time. During his imprisonment, Oidupaa Vladimir became a believer and glorified God through his songs, thereby creating an unprecedented combination of Tuvan throat singing and Christian tradition: “With all my voice, throughout the whole universe, I glorify you, my Heavenly Father – among distant people, among near…

  • Music - Youtube

    Rare Soviet Oriental Jazz & Groove Mix Compiled and Mixed by Sasha Svistunov

    June 24, 2024 - By 

    Once upon a time, I had a decent working knowledge (at least for an American expat) of Soviet Jazz.  It keeps popping back into my life, and I still find it a joy to listen to even 30 years down the road.  Thanks to Shasha Svistunov for compiling some real treasures here, including quite a few whose names are new to me! Brief run-down in English Tracklist: 1. Oleg Kutsenko Leningrad Instrumental Ensemble – Oriental Suite (Oleg Kutsenko, 1975) 2. Kavkaz Jazz Trio – Borjomi Park (Vagif Mustafa Zadeh, 1966) 3. Vadim Ludvikovski Ensemble – Rhythm Dance (Arno Babadjanian, 1961)…

  • Music

    Romowe Rikoito – UKA

    March 24, 2024 - By 

    This is the latest from Prussian/Russian neofolk band Romowe Rikoito.  The music is heavy, based on the neofolk paradigm, of course, but what sets this apart is the reconstructed Old Prussian lyrics, something the band is passionate about transmitting.

  • Music

    Novoselie, Questa Musica – Requiem

    March 18, 2024 - By 

    A sublime, baroque look at the requiem on Fancy Music.  From the label’s Bandcamp site: “Requiem (from Latin requies – “rest”) is a high genre of concert sacred music, a kind of mourning oratorio. Even the above phrase is little understood by the general public, not to mention the names and meaning of the Latin psalms of the canonical Requiem. As for people who are knowledgeable, for example by virtue of belonging to the Catholic Church of the Latin rite, even for them, I am sure, these texts are devoid of the burning apocalyptic meaning with which they were filled…

  • Music

    Various Artists – Antonovka Records: Made in Davlekanovo: Russian and Chuvash Songs from Bashkortostan

    March 12, 2024 - By 

    The brilliant folks at Antonovka Records continue to amaze and delight with their travelogues across Russia, Moldova and the Balkans.  This particular recording covers an area I have ready plenty about, but have not yet passed through.  From the label’s Bandcamp site for this release: “The album features Russian folk songs in stage arrangements, as well as a couple of Chuvash ones (tracks 5-7). These are performed by musicians from the Davlekanovsky district of Bashkortostan, a republic in the southern Urals within Russian Federation. Some of the songs (for example, 3) are traditional of local origin, some are Cossack ones…

  • Music

    Divertissement Сhamber Orchestra, Sergey Kuryokhin – Re:SEASONS

    January 7, 2024 - By 

    Sergey Kuryokhin was as fine a composer as he was an improvisor.  The Divertissement Orchestra, led by violinist Ilya Ioff, reinterprets one of Kuryokhin’s finest compositions from his album The Sparrow Oratorium.  Well-played, indeed. Alisa Ten: vocals [1, 2, 4] Vera Chekanova: vocals [2, 3, 4] Lidia Kovalenko: violin [1], viola [2, 3] Mikhail Blekher: honky-tonk [1], celeste [2], piano [3, 4], harpsichord [4] Vladimir Volkov: double bass [4] Ivan Chernobaev: percussion Ilya Ioff: violin [1, 3, 4], drums programming [3]

  • Music

    Disen Gage, Alexei Borisov, Misha ‘MOX’ Salnikov, Eugene Voronovsky – Bionika

    December 7, 2023 - By 

    Russian experimental band Disen Gage have collaborated with some of the country’s most notorious experimental musicians.  Alexei Borisov, for instance, has been featured on these pages before.  MOX and Voronovsky are new names.  The music is an impressive mix of early-era Tuxedomoon-influenced music supported by a avant-prog bass, drums and guitar.  Experimental enough to be weird, but structured enough to be familiar to the ears.

  • Music

    Cristina Godoroja – Ciob​ă​naș Cu Oile: Songs From Moldova and Romania

    November 27, 2023 - By 

    Antonovka Records, once based in Russia but now ensconced in Moldova, continues to release some of the most seminal music to ever come out of the former Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, and their reach seems to keep expanding.  This album covers the work of traditional singer Cristina Godoroja, an ethnomusicologist and singer based in Moldova’s capital, Chișinău.  The works hail from Bessarabia and also feature Romanian-language songs.  A worthy addition to any world music collection.