Wednesday, January 28, 2009

New Kukeri Videos from Pernik, 2009!





Here is a clip of Kukeri or sometimes referred to as Surva. This particular clip is from a Bulgarian friend of mine who attended the festival this year. The tradition has been loosely traced to Thracian times  and has a rich cultural history throughout Bulgaria. The costumes are made of goat hair and each village or city has its own particular style. This style is from the Pirin region (Blagoevgrad, Simitli, Razlog, Bankso). The music in the background is called Zurni which is the name of a clarinet instrument called a zurna. I posted about Zurni music a couple of months back. The music is historically based from Turkish Mehter Marching Music.

Surva.org is the official website for the Pernik Festival and more travel information can be found there. Anyne thinking of traveling to Bulgaria during the winter should seriously consider attending one of these festivals. It is a hidden gem of sorts that isn't advertised as much in the travel guide books. There are festivals in the month of January (but not limited to) at Razlog, Pernik, Simitli. 



Here is another clip from the Pernik festival. The style is from the looks of it from Pernik but i'm not completely sure. I've got more clips and videos and I hope to upload them later. Email me if you are interested in more of these Kukeri clips.

Monday, January 26, 2009

The Balkan Hour | January 26th, 2008 | First Official Show

Today was the first official show for The Balkan Hour on 88.1 WRFL Lexington. This semester the Balkan Hour will be from 2-4pm on Mondays at 88.1 WRFL. For those of you interested, you can stream WRFL live through the website or you can download the archives of the show. 

My DJ login is called Balkanhour on the server, so you can browse my playlists from previous shows as well.

Today, I divided the music into genres or sets so people could see the differences between the musicians and style throughout the Balkan Music scene. I actually didn't get a chance to play everything I wanted, so keep in mind that this isn't definitative. 


I'm looking for a good .mp3 player to play these large .mp3s on the Blogger setup but I haven't had any luck as of yet. Does anyone have a suggestion for a service that would work. I have my own webhosting as well. Suggestions are welcome.

I'm also trying to figure how to put the playlist of the show up. The WRFL playlist doesn't allow you to edit it for mistakes or add musicians so it is never a complete and accurate list. However, it seems redundant to retype it on the blog as well. If there is a track you would like identified, please let me via email or commenting.

Great Balkan Music Blog with Downloads


I happened upon a great blog with music dowloads for Balkan Music. They've got a a lot of Balkan influences like Gogol Bordello (Entire CD collection) but also some Balkan classics like Kocani Orkestar and Goran Bregovic. It looks like the blogger is Turkish but I'm really sure. Enjoy the music.

Definitely Check This site out!


Tuesday, January 20, 2009

The Luminescent Orchestrii | NEW CD - NEPTUNE'S DAUGHTER

The Luminescent Orchestii just released a new CD called Neptune's Daughter from the Nine Mile Records label. Luminescent Orchestrii is another great example the fusion coming out of the New York music scene. They get interwoven with Gogol Bordello and other musicians fusing Roma and Balkan influences to create great music the acts like a spokesperson for the region and the sound. Neptune's Daughter still has these Balkan influences but you can tell the the musicians are creating their own sound and one should be careful to label them as a definitive representation of traditional Balkan music. However, one should feel comfortable in their musical ability and distinctive sound.

My Introduction to the Luminescent Orcherstrii:

It was the fall  of 2003 and I was visiting my sister in NYC while she was in school in Brooklyn. For whatever reason, we were wondering around DUMBO (Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass) on a Saturday  as the evening drew close. If I remember correctly, it had rained and we were looking for a place to get out of the rain but most of the shops were closing. As we searched, we started here some form of music emanating from a loading dock / garage on Main St., it seem like an impromptu concert space because I can't find the location online. 

We happened upon the beginning of the a set by Luminescent Orcherstrii  just as it was getting dark. The crowd was typically Brooklyn, meaning beyond definition and characterization other than hipster/young professional in New York.  As we walked in, they played one of their more well known songs, Taraf Hijacked, which is a loving imitation to the Romanian Roma band called Taraf de Haidouks. My sister, on impulse, promptly bought their Live recording without either of us understanding the genre or even really the name of the group performing. Until this year, the record sat dormant until I rediscovered it while searching for more Balkan Music.

Taraf Hijacked - Bulgarian Bar (Mehanata)


Better Quality Audio:



The Luminescent Orchestrii and Neptune's Daughter:

This is by no means a Gogol Bordello record, neither is it Balkan Beat Box reformed. Luminescent Orchestrii uses these catchwords as most lessor known musicians do to allow people to notice their music. I'm by no means an expert but I would consider that Luminescent Orchestrii leans more towards folk music (spanned internationally) than it does have something to do with "Gypsy Punk" or Balkan Beat Mashups. However, if I was Luminescent Orchestrii, I too would use the same strategy to market my new album. The music is within the same sphere and music scene. Anyone that enjoys Gogol Bordello or Balkan Beat Box should give Luminescent Orchestrii a chance to expand their folk and Balkan knowledge ( I also recommend listen to native Balkan musicians as well). They play at the same clubs at Gogol Bordello and other Balkan musicians at the the Bulgarian Bar or Mehanata.

The tracks vary in style and tempo ranging from Bulgarian and Moldovian traditional folk to folk ballads of their own making. For the most part, the cd takes on a slow tempo that matches its folksy sound and lyrics.

Plays:

3. Nasty Tasty -- Upbeat 
7. Dreaming in Turkish -- Chill slow jams, similar to Bulgarian wedding music
13. Neptune's Daughter -- Ballad, uptempo

Bottom Line:  Good folk music from New York with Balkan, Turkish and Cuban influences. Definitely listen to it. Its another great example of how Balkan music is influencing music around the world.