#ethno electro

[radiofreealbemut]

Full album in free download here https://archive.org/details/psy-shepherd-x-ethnomite-pux-x-invisible-illusion-the-desert-earst

[culturedub]

Dub Jihad – Altahwida – Plongez dans un univers Electro Dub aux douces envolées orientales ! = https://culturedub.com/blog/dub-jihad-altahwida/ = #dub #ethno #electro #oriental #ep #music #culture #orient #habibi #oud #culturedub #chronique #review #dubjihad @benjaminfau @manuchehab @elektraum_official @culturedub https://www.instagram.com/p/Ch9zQO-sITn/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[residentraccoon]

Back in July last year I did some blind predictions of this year's eurovision so I'll just list all of them here lmao, enjoy

• Host city will be Glasgow or Manchester.

• Albania: Ethno ballad a la Theje (FiK 2022)

It was Liverpool lawl

It was indeed an ethnic ballad, but it wasn't exactly like Theje. Just typical Albanian in Eurovision song

• Armenia: A pop song with a bit of ethnic influences, probably won't qualify.

Sike, Brunette qualified, and the song does have a bit of ethnic elements in it. Pretty spot on.

• Australia: Something pop like We got love.

Nah, electro rock instead.

• Austria: Tired of NQ-ing so they send a great ballad with power vocals trying to imitate rise like a phoneix but in the end they qualify and score on the right half of the scoreboard.

They qualified, and they did have a right-scoreboard result. Another good prediction.

• Azerbaijan: Sends a girl with a weak pop song (a la Falling Stars, Moldova 2016) with half-swedish half-azerbaijani songriting that either borderline qualifies or nq's for the first time since 2019.

It did NQ, but it wasn't a girlie pop by swedes, this time it was completely made by the artists themselves.

• Belgium: Will probably send a dark ballad that changes tempo at the bridge. Really no idea for them.

Nope, no dark ballad this time, but a funky disco gay anthem lmao.

• Bulgaria: After years of doing so well BG will probably get their downfall. Will probably send a balkan ballad in english that won't qualify

Bulgaria withdrew.

• Croatia: Steps up their game and chooses Mia Negovetic (internally or wins the nf with changes rules and revamped) and scores in the top 15. Not sure on the genre, probably will be similar to her 2020 entry.

Croatia this year was extremely different 💀 but they indeed got top 15 in the end.

• Cyprus: sends a hot guy with an uptempo song written by one or two swedes trying to imitate Sweden's success. Doesn't qualify.

Partly true, it did qualify.

• Czech Republic: Will originally state they won't participate in esc 2023 but their decision will be changed in the last minute and will compete. They'll go with an uptempo song again and most likely place top 15. Before the contest the odds will say they won't q but will be a surprise Q.

It's pretty uptempo, placed top 10 even but the whole time the odds said they're a definite Q sooo this was again pretty spot on.

• Denmark: NF will remain the same, nothing will change despite the weak recent results. Their song will be fully in english and it will be a mid tempo song. They'll place around 20th.

Breaking my heart was pretty uptempo actually, and no, they didn't qualify.

• Estonia: They will send a female singer with a calming slow song, in the style of Med haekanddi sol or Calm after the storm.

It's a slow song sung by a girl, but it wasn't the same genre as the 2 stated above, just a power ballad.

• Finland: Gets again a top 10 result with a rock, meme-y song.

UMMM this one is VERY close. It was a metal meme-y song that got in the top 3. I was close with this one.

• France: Selects Pauline Chagne or LMK internally, or another female singer. Will place in the top 15.

Female singer, yes. But it was just outside of the top 15.

• Georgia: Will have a pop feel good song with a few georgian lines. Will qualify

Nope, not at all oof

• Germany: Sends a pop rock song and will place around 16ish.

They got last again 💀 but yeah, pretty close with the genre

• Greece: Sends a girl for the 7th time in a row and doesn't qualify. Song will be in english.

Song was in english but was sung by a boy. And it didn't qualify.

• Iceland: Remains strong, sends something in the style of Turn this around and places Top 5.

Iceland NQ'ed.

• Ireland: Sends something strong and emotional, with empowering lyrics. Will qualify.

Empowering lyrics yes, but it didn't qualify lol.

• Israel: Fuego style song lol. Top 15.

WOAH VERY CLOSE. It was similar to Fuego with it being a girl bop with lots of choreography, and got a top 3 result.

• Italy: Sends a weak entry but won't be in bottom 5. Will place 18ish.

Sike again, Top 5 with a ballad.

• Latvia: Either sends Justs or someone with an indie pop. Qualifies.

OMGGG another close one!! Justs was in the national final, and Sudden lights were an indie (rock) pop band. And they were pretty close to qualify but in the end...yeah.

• Lithuania: No idea for them. But I see them qualifying.

Yup, they were in.

• Malta: Continues the streak of cheap pop songs. NQs.

It was a pop song (not cheap though) that didn't qualify.

• Moldova: Same as Malta, will choose something extremely basic (such as Stay, Moldova 2019) and NQs.

Completely different lol. But I did guess the title of the Lithuanian entry so yay!

• Montenegro: Borderline Qs with an ethno bop.

Montenegro withdrew.

• Netherlands: First NQ since 2015. Will send something in the style of Montenegro 2016.

I guessed the NQ, but not the genre, it was a polar opposite one (aka ballad)

• North Macedonia: Qualifies and gets top 10. No idea for the song but will probably be something opera pop or just simply opera.

North Macedonia withdrew.

• Norway: Sends a girl with an emotional ballad sung in cursive. Qualifies.

It was a girl, and she qualified but no cursive sung ballad. They had one in the national final though (Elsie Bay with Love you in a dream)

• Poland: Sends something in the style of Paranoia from their NF.

Nope, they are both pop but come on, Paranoia is light years ahead of Solo 💀

• Portugal: Sends fado but people won't like it and will place bottom 5 in the odds. At the actual contest it either does very well or doesn't qualify.

They did send something ethnic Portuguese a bit, and it got bottom 5 in the final.

• Romania: Will choose Olivia Addams via internal selection with a song in the style of Sugar by Natalia Gordienko.

Nah, not even close.

• San Marino: No idea. They're so unpredictable.

I laughed 😂😂 they got a dated dad rock with cheesy lyrics in a broken english.

• Serbia: Balkan ballad probably.

We got epic boss battle with an electro beat instead lmfao

• Slovenia: Sends something with a lgbtq message since they just legalised this year the same sex marriages.

WELL- the music video had included a bit of that and it does have a bit of vibes, this was eerily close lol??

• Spain: Contines Benidorm Fest and gets another good result. Will send something catchy like Rayden

17th is more of a decent result but no Rayden style song.

• Sweden: Goes back to basic hot guy pop song. Top 10

Nope, we got Loreen lol

• Switzerland: Sends something very memey with yodelling and people will compare it to Yodel It. NQ

Completely different entry, emotional ballad about war

• Ukraine: Either places bottom 5 aka "host country" curse or wins the 2nd year in a row. Might be wrong and biased af but I can see them having a win streak like Ireland had in the 90s

Yeah, not the case. They did beat the host country curse.

• UK: Places high once again thanks to TaP music. Or at least I hope so.

Bottom 5 💀

[ceascult]

Argatu' - Culese din Cartier prezintă Argatu’ – Volumul IV

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[foartista]

(Opale)

[eurosong]

Good afternoon, folks! With the dust settling over which countries made it through to the grand final after two years waiting for results, and which did not, I thought I'd take a wee look at how 2021's results are in line with historic trends for each country. Here are a few of my takeaways from that!

Untouchables strengthen their grip: there are 6 countries now who have a qualification streak of 4 or more years. Ukraine is the only country never to NQ, and Sweden may never NQ again after their one time Bergendahl-shaped blip in 2010. These streaks are well known, but I find more curious the southeastern trio of powerhouses: Bulgaria seems to have one of the most ambitious delegations and Cyprus has one that found a niche that seems to secure qualification every year. I am really surprised that Israel, who not long ago found it hard to break into the final and had four years in the wilderness. I would have bet money that this was the end of their 2015-19 streak. Norway also surprised me somewhat, as I felt juries were likely to have tanked Tix.

Time in the desert: An unfortunate trend for me is the way that the two countries with the longest NQ streaks are Georgia and Latvia, both of whom have waited since their last appearance in 2016 to return to Saturday. Since then, both countries have offered up such diversity - rave electro, sultry torch song, gentle Americana and chaotic energy from Latvia; a big ballad, ethno-jazz, drama, rock and ambiental from Georgia - and gotten paid dust each time. I'd like to see both in the final much more often for always dancing to the beat of their own drummers.

Rebounding powers and new potential strongholds: Russia and Azerbaijan, who so often share points amongst each other, also shared disappointment in 2018 with long qualification streaks coming to an end. That seems more of a blip than anything else now. Also from the 2018 class of NQs, Malta, Switzerland and Greece have also strung two quals together and seem to have a renewed vision and competitivity. I'd be surprised if almost all these countries don't make it a hat-trick in 2022 based on current form.

Ends of era and new hopes?: Five countries managed to qualify in 2021 that did not in 2019. Portugal have really been through it all: four NQs, a fallow year, a win, last place in the final and an NQ that shocked a lot of the fandom. All they'll need is to get 25th or better to get their second best result of the past ten years - one wonders if they can build a streak after this. Belgium reëmerges after two years of misses in the shadow of huge success with Blanche and Loïc. Moldova bounce back after a 2019 NQ, and whilst I doubt they replicated their 2017-8 success, they'll be hoping to build on this next year. Finland and Lithuania have had their host of NQs in recent years, but both their NF formats seem revitalised - maybe they can build streaks.

Making room for them is Denmark after a three year run in the sun, Estonia whose qualification form has been unpredictable this past decade, Slovenia who had defied odds twice with unconventional songs in their native language, Czechia whose purple patch has come to an abrupt end, Macedonia who will surely fear that Proud was a blip and that they may return to their long line of NQs, and Australia - unable to perform in the studio, already handicapped somewhat in the odds by probably their most daring and unconventional entries so far, finally breaking an impressive 5 year qualification streak.

A tale of two Balkans: It really is the best of times and the worst of times on the Balkan peninsula. Former qualification lock Romania hasn't been in the final since 2017, nor too has Croatia - I do wonder if another Damir song would have stood out more and ended their spate of bad luck. Slovenia and Macedonia bow out and may be fearing the beginning of another NQ streak. Meanwhile, not just Bulgaria but also Albania and Serbia are in fine form. with 3 qualifications in a row, singing in their national languages each time and with songs embued in local musical culture. Notably, both their most recent NQs were singing in English and, in Serbia's case, with a song with little hint of traditional sounds. Perhaps they both have found a niche at the contest that some neighbours have not.

[hexfluid]

It's a party, a community, a label and a media and entertainment agency in Turin. Is a drugstore of electronic sounds, mixed with Acid Madness, Electro Prog, Cosmic Funk, Cold Wave, New Dance, Galattic Disco, Space Ebm and Ethno-Tribal notes, which feeds on art, dancers, ecology, naked dress, records, streaming, shows and workshops. A safe place, to feel free, immersed in local culture. No violence, no sexism, no racism, no homophobia. 

It's time of electro fluids to dance! 

Fluid experience for fluid people!

https://www.instagram.com/hexfluid666/

[berlysbandcamp]

Istanbul based musician/producer Tolga Böyük set the wheels in motion for Islandman, a fictional character composing musical stories about a non-existent place. On stage, Islandman is an electro-acoustic trio serving up a tasty mix of mellow electronica and dance beats with spacey live guitars and shamanic rhythms.

Last year, Islandman released a new album Kaybola, which sets off on a fresh cross-cultural journey. Shamanic rhythms are introduced to nomadic guitars in this trancey long play that’s inspired by the hidden, fictional tribe of Kaybola.

Dimitro, the band’s new single from the album, is a re-working of a traditional Bulgarian wedding song. First discovered by Böyük when he was digging in crates in an Istanbul record store, the track is re-laid over an 808 drum machine and bass, with raw, chant-like vocals that compliment perfectly the track’s slow, ritualistic flow.

The record is chock full of ethno-cultural material from Japan to Bulgaria, including field recordings of Tuva, Central Asia throat singers.  An intoxicating mix of experimental electronics punctuated by distinctly Turkish instrumentation.

Favourite Tracks: (1) Dimitro and (2) Sahara

[culturedub]

Les Frères Jackfruit featuring Imazzalen – Tamagit Dub – Un Dub du désert recommandé pour tous les Sound Systems militants et sans frontières ! = https://culturedub.com/blog/les-freres-jackfruit-featuring-imazzalen-tamagit-dub/ = #dub #electro #ethno #electrodub #ethnodub #electroethnodub #single #tamagit #tamagitdub #maroc #agadir #soundsystem #amazigh #culture #berbere #berbère #sousssystem #desert #pulsationstropicales #tazenzart #guembri #langueamazighe #chronique #review #culturedub @lesfreresjackfruit @rachid.bassam @marakujarecords @culturedub @_ithry_cn @boriziodelavega https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ7dh6Yhaly/?utm_medium=tumblr

[totemtribe-blog]

Got your copy of Kinship EP yet?

[sole-cuore-amore-e-droga]

Tel Aviv 2019: Straight outta Montenegro to Eurovision with 6 young souls

(this is a pre-vamp review so take this whole thing as “something I wanted to publish but my schedule was withholding until it was specifically time for them to be reviewed”, therefore, this is a bit of a retrospective review. Will tackle on its revamp later!)

Montevizija, which finally has an official Twitter account (we all should forget the times some dude named Vasilije pretended to having made one), offered us another batch of 5 songs for another year, actually revealing all of them beforehand this time and not just the snippets! Joy to the world I guess.

You gotta love Montevizija for it being the most underrated ex-Yugoslavian national final btw. Granted, it only lasted for 2 editions as of now, and it will take years to grow bigger as a thing, but so far, for us the NFs that are ingrained to our brains more are Dora, EMA and Beovizija (and even Skopje Fest when THAT was used to pick an act and not just served as a festival like it originally was meant to be), therefore Montevizija seems more shunned. But what do you expect when the lineup of 5 for two years in a row is not exactly as stellar as hoped for? Well, there are gems here and there, but they haven’t really won on either years (or at least not on the 2nd year if you call Vanja’s song a gem too), and yet somehow they find someone who call them great. But for me this Montenegrin entry is not. :L

And who is up there to be colossally blamed for its existence? None other than this group of 6 refering to themselves as D mol (with “mol” decapitalized for whatever reason... they used to have hyphen separating the ‘D’ and ‘mol’, but now they scrapped it altogether, an anime death I’ll never forget). Worth noting that I, as a 19 year old, have this particularly ugly feeling I must get rid of, and that’s the one of “feeling old”, already at my age. And this is how I felt seeing that the band whose song I am not fond of today is made up by members that are of 16-17 to 21-ish years old!!! So my heart insists that I shouldn’t go too hard on these poor younglings, even if this is just me, currently tackling the brethren of my age. Prepare as I’ll go to shred their composition they’re going to Tel Aviv with, “Heaven”, to bits.

Although, what I call “shredding to bits” is merely just nitpicking the reasons the original version (keep bearing in mind that I haven’t heard the revamp yet) sucks imo, and idk, the new “Heaven” miiiiiiight just grow on me, but I heavily doubt about it because I never cared for it in the first place (youhouuu, they were my last in Montevizija ‘19 for a reason), and I’m rather looking forward for the new faves from the 8 songs I haven’t listened to yet rather than those that were already chosen. And even the Eurofans were not quite fond on the revamp, as some think the additional ethno sounds made it sound worse (and of course there are some that kinda like it or think of the song as their guilty pleasure). So why shouldn’t I? :O

Anyway, old “Heaven”. The first sounds on here to grace my ears on this song consist of one light piano note being tapped to an exact rhythm and a confused baby girl stuttering. And I’d’ve maybe enjoyed this more ironically at some point if it weren’t for the latter sound effect being re(ab)used later in the song!! Ugh I hate it. The lyrics are fine I guess... though isn’t it ironic the only English song in Montevizija’s lineup this year won?? It’s like the Montenegrin people were openly cringing when being the only ones to understand Vanja comparing his life to cat’s and mouse’s and calling his heart “the most expensive toy” in his song and then they were like “you know what? Let’s let the WHOLE Europe understand how terrible our lyrics are! ^_^” (no but for real, who still uses “I’m in heaven, falling straight into your heart” as a pick-up line? Did they travel through time from 1998 to 2019 or something???)

Speaking of the 90s, the whole song smells like a dated cliché of that period. You know, the kind of “the high school prom song from that 90s teen sitcom’s who you’re forced to watch when your elderly aunt is in the house with you and there’s nothing else on TV” dated. Dated even more than “Chain of Lights”. Seriously though! It includes the pathetic “wah wah” bassline, mid-tempo beats, the boy/girl-group harmonies... catch me puking sugar-coated cheese to this, no thanks. Oh and if you already read my “Zero Gravity” review (which you probably never even bothered to after seeing how much text would you have to read), I definitely mentioned that I’m not a fan of those “two verses-two choruses” songs, and especially those kind of ones that aren’t sounding like something suited for radio (e.g.: Poland 2018, “Light Me Up”)... this obviously sounds like something from the radio of the times the at-the-time senior highschoolers are currently over 30 or slightly over 40, and that should be 4 and a half minutes long. These verses could just not be more ridiculously dragged out for the choruses to prevail and get stuck in our brains... fucking welp [sic] me already.

Well, if there are any brownie points I could give this, it’s pleasant, it’s harmless if I don’t take into account the cheese vibes this emits, and all this bunch are made up by up-and-coming talented singers that clearly deserved a better song...

And the staging concept in their NF was cool tho (illustrating their power of D mol), and I applaud the couple chemistry I guess

Oh and this below is one of the most underappreciated memes this Euroseason:

*stares into your soul in Montenegrin*

So yeah. Oh and the Rizo(tto) guy who is self-aware of his hotness and the hotness of the much older Eurovision guys this year, but he’s not doing it for me so that I could be in heaven falling, so he’s getting a hard pass.

All in all - a nostalgia cash-in made to appease the housewives from Podgorica to Skopje, from Novi Sad to Štúrovo, and nothing quite else, sung by a cool bunch of people that if anything are deemed this year’s "great people with an unfortunately too dated song and a shitty draw” by me. I don’t know much of their personalities but I do believe that even if they like what they’re singing, they’d be much better off doing a better sounding throwback, at least. So that even the disappointed-by-”Heaven” Eurofans could at least call it “so dated but a BOP!”. And hey, I’m aware of those fans that will likely be pissed at me for not bopping along to this, but I said what I said about it and yet again, if revamp changes my mind, I will change my opinion, but right now I’d not prefer to. Grumpy Adio.

Approval factor: Hell with the no. I would like Vanja back instead. At least he made himself a somebody to be cared about even if the Eurofans didn’t quite adapt to his song in return.

Follow-up factor: somehow, both “Inje” and “Heaven” were/are seen by the masses as instant NQs, so it somehow doesn’t sound like Montenegro is following a great path so far. And after this year anything that audience favours and wins can be seen as a way better follow up after something meh coming after something wrose.

Qualification factor: For the n-th time, I’m yet to check the revamp out to state where this will actually go, but being put 2nd in the draw is a massive stab in the knee, as demonstrated by even the national finals this year (Electric Fields in Australia Decides, Aly Ryan in Unser Lied für Israel, Lisa Ajax in Melodifestivalen final... the only glaring exception is ZENA in Eurofest but is it me or these producers did this just so they could be all like “heeeey we put a winning song on 2nd just to show that a NF song can win from ANY draw! ANY DRAW!!!” lol nope), and from it only a few lucky souls have crawled out victorious (Nathan Trent for example, the draw might have pushed him down in the semi but he got up again!). D mol, for as young and developing in talent as they are, don’t seem to be such. You can be young and pitied for your personality, but you always can at the same time have a song that completely crushes your chances to do well and sweeps up the last shards of hope right in front of your eyes despite being an angel worthy of protection (Ari Ólafsson, anyone?). Unless the D molians work all their magic and the random ethnic vibes into their favour for some reason, but for now it ain’t gonna work.

NATIONAL FINAL BONUS

And even then, what was so interesting about Montevizija 2019?? Let’s see...

• First off, let’s address one meme of the beginning of 2019 that Facebook may or may have not used purposefully to upgrade their automatic “facial recognition” skills - the 10 years challenge. Our first one of this season is the sassy maneater who spent her ESC stint by trying to unlove a guy so hard that he just couldn’t oblige - Andrea Demirović. Her decade-later A-game happened to be this one song she sang in her mother-tongue: “Ja sam ti san” (I am your dream). Now, I wasn’t particularly into it - I enjoy some electro tracks out there (like hello, “Igranka” is one of my favourite Montenegrin entries, and 2013 entries overall as well) but this one just ended up being the right amount of cool AND overbearingly unsettling for me to not really fancy it. Kinda like “Red” by HyunA - I can only bop to this if I don’t care about the fact I actually hate it, oops. (Or maybe it is just because Andrea once again used a composition done by one of those “rent-a-NF-songwriter” people. Which is at least better than collabing Ralph Siegel who’s stopped being relevant ever since starting to work with San Marino, or even since the hilarious attempt of a peace song sung by the original common framework, six4One. But since Michael James Down has co-contributed to one of the better Montevizija songs last year, I will not allow myself to think it’s thanks to those kind of songwriters.) Nevertheless, the Eurofans actualy kind of loved this song, but sadly, Montenegrins and the international jury did quite not, and she didn’t land on to the superfinal 2 (as opposed to a superfinal 3 last year, to which she could have easily qualified if it still were a 3). Here’s her song to y’all anyways (and the performance too, which just needed to include some random monster dudes dancing around... why? Because Eurovision! ^^):

• Speaking of Andrea, during the results part there was this one shot of hers where she was pictured just casually chilling on her phone, not giving a damn that she’s being underrated on the scoreboard. Not only she was badly rated, but this moment was such an universal #mood!

• In between the finally final results announcement (which I didn’t really know when exactly was it taking place because the winner wasn’t really said out loud before the event I will describe next was taking place??) there was this lottery going on of who would be the lucky two audience observers that’d win tickets to Tel Aviv... hilariously enough though, it somehow malfunctioned and there were some sort of errors regarding the announcement of the RIGHT winner <3 but the winners happened and I hope they’re getting to go to Tel Aviv at some point during the Eurovision events! Hope they don’t feel startled by the lack of taken seats this year.

• Unlike Eesti Laul, Montevizija this year took up the job of showcasing tweets of Eurofans, and somehow this fellow fella ended up seen by a handful of Montenegrins AND international viewers. Take a wild guess which of them know what a daddy Serhat is.

• And who could not forget the magic flying envelope for to announce the winner of the NF:

there must have been some Harry Potter magic in there :O

As for what touches the other songs, well there’s the last year’s fan fave Nina Petković with another song, but it’s no “Dišem”, so don’t even bother. Or bother, but imo it’s just okay-sounding, nothing that groundbreaking or pleasant enough to be competitive. The other few songs were also nice but I’d like not to make this longer as my other write-ups, to be fair. Sucked to be Mr. Kállay-Saunders who, as the international juror chosen for this national final, had to rank its songs... as that NF happened right on the same day his second A Dal 2019 performance was taking off. Not that the international jurors were supposed to be present in Montenegro on the day of this NF, anyways...

Anyway, despite all this goddamn criticism (that could’ve flown more smooth had my computer not restarted in the middle of me doing paragraphs for this review), I’m fare welling the D mol-ians and would like to wish them a heavenly Eurovision experience. ^_^

[usstatesofsong]

ESC 2019 Reviews - Hungary

Semifinal 1, #7 - Joci Pápai - "Az én apám"

Eurovision 2019 has six returning acts, some of which are getting their very first chance front and center, while we have a few familiar faces from recent years. We begin this journey of returnees with Hungary’s Joci Pápai, who brought the country to a Top 10 placing with “Origo.” It was one of my favorites of 2017 because it combined ethno-pop and electro elements. That song was a story about origins and heritage, and he brings us a new story about the relationship between him and his father with “Az én apám.”

For the preparation of this review I reread my 2017 review of “Origo,” and a few things stuck out. First, there is no ‘rap’ section in “Az én apám,” and Joci admitted back then that he wasn’t a rapper… but because he had so much to say in three minutes, he added the rap to “Origo”. I get the same genuine feeling with this entry, but not in a good way: it’s too jam-packed with lyrical content that I don’t understand. When you look up the lyrics and their translation, the song is an homage to the memory of his father from his childhood. It’s similar to Belgium 2014 or Germany 2018, but both had drastically different outcomes. It is sung completely in Hungarian.

So I’ll be fresh with you guys: this doesn’t have the same immediacy as “Origo” did. At least not in the first version, which lacked a consistent mood and filled post-chorus segments with whistle synths. In the final version, and in live performances, the post-chorus has been changed to violins and ad-libbed runs of ‘na-na-na-na-na’, which is Eurovision songwriter’s slang for “I don’t know what to do with this part so I’ll hum something along” - this makes it all the more strange that I feel the verses are too full of words!!

There isn’t a strong build-up, either. “Origo” used the rap to build up to the final chorus - this song uses the second “na na na” segment, repeats it, and Papai’s higher-octave runs fill our hearts with emotion. I’m concerned about this because in his final performance in ESC 2017 the higher notes began to fall flat at the end. This may not be a problem since he’s more of a seasoned act now, but if he’s ad-libbing vocal runs then anything could happen to that voice in front of millions.

I struggle with pinpointing what’s missing here… perhaps it’s a bit disconnected with current pop trends? I imagine for Hungarians that there’s something magical about this performance, but as an outsider it’s just some man with easy listening music; the stuff your 50-year-old aunt would enjoy. So I’m just not feeling this. Sorry.

All this being said, it could easily change on the night with a stellar staging that makes you feel something deep. We’ve seen that time and time again, and I would not put it past Hungary. Certain broadcasters will point out that he’s a returnee, and it could stir some interest? But I’m pretty certain this is staying in the semifinal. This is a shame because Hungary hasn’t *not* qualified for years. Even with that kind of record, their viewership and interest has been dropping, and the Panic button needs to be pressed for 2020…

My Rating: 4/10 Rank: 37th of 41

[allmusic]

AllMusic Staff Pick: Richard H. Kirk The Number of Magic

Similar to his first for Warp, Kirk uses an incredibly wide variety of sources for this album of gorgeous ambient ethno-funk, including electro, bleep, techno and Eastern melodies. In fact, on one track, "Monochrome Dream," Kirk combines jazz, dub, spacey ambient, and Latin rhythms, all at the same time (!). "Lost Souls on Funk" and "So Digital" are excellent as well, slightly more downtempo than the latest Cabaret Voltaire material and deftly produced like few others could do. Despite the disparity of genres, The Number of Magic holds together perfectly.

- John Bush

[atcostmag]

At Cost Magazine - Diaries from The New East - #5 - All the World's a Stage

Moscow via Belarus’ Sofi Lapina

The World Cup in Russia proved hugely successful, proving all the world’s a stage for Russian football, but with the emergence of “The New East”, what does this mean for its musical artists? In our latest blog digest, we select some of our favorite acts creating innovative spaces across the world’s latest country, proving to the rest of the world, that its artistry truly is world class.

Antenna & Tasma - “Astra”

For something a bit more downtempo, Kazan’s Antenna have you covered with their latest initiative with Tasma off their EP, “From Kazan with Love”. Inspired by the sub-zero temperatures of their home city, glacial synths and the percolating drip of their beaming arpeggios on their latest track “Astra” show the rest of the world that Russians can do spacey Nordic disco just as well as their Scandinavian counterparts.

Dobchinsky - “Ramabama”

For Moscow’s Dobchinsky, it’s hard to pin down their experimental brand of electronica down to a tittle. A combination of funk, lounge and downtempo all wrapped in one, their latest track “Ramabama” though lyrically minimal is lush with the textures of grooving bass, pumping electronic percussion and the nuances of electro-violin:

Djinn City - “Reality”

For Kazan’s Djinn City, their Tatar roots are never far from their unique brand of ethno-funk. Though their latest track “Reality” takes on the progression of a snappy baile-funk beat, the snarl of blaring Tatar horns are never far away as Djinn City’s visual storytelling is told through the coaxing, soft of frontman Aidar Khusnutdinov’s vocals:

Hospital - “Lush / Nothing But Love”

If there’s a genre that Russia certainly does justice, it’s definitely post-punk. From rock pioneer Kino to modern day greats Pompeya, Hospital carry the legacy of Russian post-punk with the DIY spirit of their grungy riffs and the shimmery aura of their beaming pop inflections. Whether its the sweet falsetto of “Lush” spilling through its dreamy gaze or the jostling thunder of track “Nothing But Love”, Hospital definitely deserve their place in Russia’s modern rock landscape.

Mir - “Resistance”

“Mir”, the Russian word for “peace” and “world” is the personification of New York’s Dan Sokolov whose heritage has shaped both his music and world view. With latest effort, Sokolov, wanted to change what it means to make electronic music beyond the “hype” and headlines. Titled “Resistance”, the track is a subversive call-to-arms for creators of electronic music offering both energy and emotion in one track. Massive synths combine with slow and solemn piano notes to create trap music that is both sonically arresting and melodically abundant. 

Sofi Lapina - “Wonderful Machinery”

Formerly known as Sonya Dramma from now-defunct act Boneage, the Belarussian Eurovision alumni and Moscow-based artist reemerges as Sofi Lapina with her latest track “Wonderful Machinery”. Carried by its tribal percussion and grungy guitars, her latest track is an impressive bout that channels the tour de force that is Sofi Lapina, as witnessed through the prowess of her roaring vocal emotion.

Sophie Fay - “Around U”

“Around U” is the latest track from Russian expat Sofya Fedorova who found her artistic calling in the Big Apple. Soft and textured, with the cooing R&B purr of her coaxing delivery,  “Around U” was about love and all those positive vibe, something Fay says the world needs more of.

[cinquecolonnemagazine]

Indie, rock e dintorni

La pandemia e i lockdown Covid-19 hanno sacrificato il talento e la grazia di migliaia di musicisti, cantanti, rapper, dj, interpreti, autori. Hanno sabotato la loro creatività, annientando le scintille visionarie, la capacità di raccontare storie|emozioni che spesso rappresentano storie|sentimenti dei propri simili. A prescindere dal fattore coetaneo e dalla geografia di origine. Tanti si illudono, celebrando questa o quella ripartenza culturale e turistica, ma è evidente che le conseguenze del dolore porteranno effetti a lunghissimo termine, in particolare nei più giovani. In questo terremoto emotivo ogni tanto subentra una crepa di luce felice. Una possibilità di stare assieme, condividere un’esperienza, una dose di allegria. Eccolo il plot narrativo di INDIE, ROCK e DINTORNI. Un progetto coordinato da Ravello Creative L.A.B. srl e finanziato con fondi POC 2014/2020 ad hoc per la metropoli del golfo partenopeo. Perché nel sulfureo andirivieni di artisti e idee, canzoni e concerti vietati, è proprio quello il vortice magmatico e sorprendente che non va assolutamente perduto o violentato. Alla ex NATO non ci sarà un festival di quelli stratosferici in stile luna park. Non sarà un megaraduno rivoluzionario, disobbediente e disinibito. Innegabilmente è – invece – una maniera sana e coraggiosa per reagire e per cominciare un processo di coesione fra artisti, sensibilità e produzioni autonome. Il titolo non poteva essere che uno, va ribadito: INDIE, ROCK e DINTORNI. Perché l’essere naïf, emancipati e originali fa sì che la reazione collettiva sia generosa e esplosiva. Devono tornare a essere un ricordo cruciale i live via social network, le dirette musicali da casa, i dj set in streaming video. La musica è un corpo fisico. I concerti sono spettacoli dal vivo per i vivi e un incontro privilegiato fra sconosciuti che si scoprono all’unisono e nel medesimo spazio. Stop all’alienazione domestica, ora. Tutti gli artisti coinvolti per questo progetto, dagli Almamegretta ai Fitness Forever, da Speaker Cenzou a O’ Iank, durante la forzata clausura non hanno smesso di elaborare strofe, suoni, versi, beat, collaborazioni. I loro studi e le loro abitazioni si sono adattati in oasi di intelligenza e intuizione, nell’attesa che si tornasse alla luna per portare in girotondo brani inediti, album classici, ritornelli e scratch, invettive, ballad, serenate e freestyle. Setacciando la città da San Giovanni a Teduccio a Posillipo, da Secondigliano a Bagnoli, dai Decumani al Vomero a Chiaia, fino a raggiungere l’hinterland per completare un dinamico mosaico ritmico, è emersa una squadra di artisti che in tre differenti serate – ciascuna delle quali inizierà con uno speciale dj set in consolle al tramonto – farà pulsare il quartiere a Ovest di gioia e benessere. Una volontà audace e underground accomuna il cast di artisti che si esibirà sul palcoscenico dell’ex base NATO, posizionato in modo che la platea di spettatori possa ammirare in prospettiva il promontorio di Posillipo e la silhouette dell’isola di Capri. La musica e la natura paesaggistica del territorio ancora una volta in una simbiosi cult. Per questa genetica intesa, l’Heart Immunity Tour degli Almamegretta trova accoglienza laddove una volta si architettavano conflitti e violenze. Dopo aver brindato al 25esimo anniversario di “Sanacore”, la band che vede Raiz al canto ritorna nella sua città con la tenacia dub, il groove elettronico nei muscoli e il Mediterraneo dentro agli occhi. Accanto a loro, i divertissement disco-surf rétro dei Fitness Forever di Carlos Valderrama e Gigi Scialdone e le correnti nordafricane del canto di M’Barka Ben Taleb. Speaker Cenzou porta in grembo le dinamiche rap-black, The Rivati le blues-song acustiche e K-Conjog le intuizioni ambient-electro. O’Iank è la parola di strada in canzoni irregolari, Vojago la dimensione partenopea ethno-world e Tartaglia Aneuro un folk-caraibico sospeso tra ironia e introspezione. Aldolà Chivalà è la satira nonsense in nuvole di poesia funk, PeppOh il soul che si intrufola pure dove le storie sono aspre, e Gabriella Di Capua l’altalena acid-jazz/rock. Abbondano le signore in palcoscenico, sì: Flo, per i sentimenti metropolitani e i canti d’autrice no border. Donix per la rinnovata coscienza urban-r’n’b. Roberta Nasti, per una lingua jazz che sa flirtare con i suoni pop. AAA: i Valderrama 5 e le loro caotiche e caustiche propensioni garage-lounge sono lì pericolosi e spiritosi. E poi la carovana hip hop dei Keep It Real. Apre la parata un trio di sfavillanti selecter, attesi sera dopo sera per una sorta di warm up dei tanti concerti: DJ Uncino (già nella audace crew Sangue Mostro e dj ufficiale del rapper Luchè) con i suoi irrefrenabili scratch di matrice hip hop, DJ Loonia nelle sue tentazioni dub e DJ Sapiens emerso dall’oasi house. A condurre le tre serate sul palco sarà Miss Lady V. Read the full article