Maksim Mudrinić, Oskar Kovač - Made in Sivac: Serbian Music from Vojvodina (Antonovka Records)
Vojvodina is an autonomous region in northern Serbia. The rivers Danube, Sava and Tisa divide it into three historical regions — Banat, Bačka and Srem, which partially extend into neighboring countries. Gajda is a common name for several types of Balkan bagpipes. In Serbian, the instrument is called "gajde" (in plural). The Vojvodina gajde has a double chanter with a characteristic wooden horn and one bourdon. The air is pumped by an elbow bellows, which makes it possible to sing while playing. Maksim Mudrinić is a musician and bagpipe maker from the village of Sivac, Bačka. He is a key figure in the preservation and revival of the Vojvodina gajde. Oskar Kovač is a musician from Sivac who plays the samica, a plucked string instrument.
Manja Ristić - Sargassum aeterna (Rekem Records)
Rekem Records presents the new album by artist and researcher, Manja Ristić. A classically trained musician and composer whose work extends to dance, theatre and movie production, Ristić also focuses on interdisciplinary approaches to sound, field recording, and experimental radio arts. "Sargassum aeterna is a programmatic four-track album framed by a fantastical narrative set in a dystopian future—the year 2221—where today’s social and ecological contradictions have reached their most extreme conclusions. Within this future world, we witness catastrophes largely of human making: disturbances in the Earth's magnetic field, a global war (North vs. South), destructive ocean mining, and the suspension of human rights." Parežanin
Matthias Puech - Cabanes (Hands In The Dark)
According to Puech, each composition from his new album
Cabanes has a distinctive two-part story that are both clear and intriguingly interconnected. The first one often revolves around the anecdotal and tangible aspects of instrumental "play," showcasing a technical exploration with his tools, the discovery of sounds in a library, and the serendipitous encounters that inspired them. The second part, however, delves into the more elusive yet profound state of existence that the French artist experienced while engaging with these sounds, reflecting on the moments he listened and re-listened to them, ultimately deeming them worthy life companions. These two narratives, perhaps reshaped over time like distant memories, interact in ways that can either clash or complement each other, creating a lasting impact on the listening experience.
Misha Sultan + Purpurniy Dyadya - THAI (Aural Canyon)
"This album was primarily recorded in Saint Petersburg between 2021 and 2022. We later reunited in Thailand last year to complete the project. As with our first record, we aimed to capture the spontaneity of the moment. However, this time, some tracks feature overdubs and additional post-production, while others remain mostly improvised."
Monika Pich - Slowmotion (Okla Records)
Monika Pich is a practitioner and theorist of art, author of field recordings, compositions, and soundtracks created for radio and film. Her interests include cognitive processes, stylistic-semantical interpretation, and the analysis of the quality of content, form, and reception of media messages, including multimedia translations.
V.A. - Music For A Revolution Vol 1 : Guinea's Syliphone Recording Label (1967-1973) (Radio Martiko)
From 1967 to 1983, Guinea’s government presented selections of songs on its own recording label, Syliphone. These recordings were revolutionary in many aspects: Syliphone was the first recording label to feature traditional African instruments within an orchestre setting; it was the first to present the traditional songs of the griots within an orchestre setting; and it was the first government-sponsored recording label of post-colonial Africa. Syliphone represented authenticité in action, and over 750 songs were released by the recording label on 12-inch and 7-inch vinyl discs. All are highly sought after by collectors worldwide. This first volume of a two-volume series presents a selection of the best of early Syliphone recordings. The songs demonstrate not only the essence of Guinea’s authenticité policy and of its subsequent Cultural Revolution, but of a confluence of musical styles from Cuba, jazz, highlife and the diverse influences of Guinea’s cultural groups.
Nadah El Shazly - Laini Tani (One Little Independent Records/Backward Music)
Nadah El Shazly, the Egyptian-born, Montreal-based producer, vocalist, composer, and actor, presents her second album,
Laini Tani. Renowned for her blending of experimental sounds with traditional Arabic influences and improvisational styles, she’s garnered international acclaim for her genre-defying artistry, mesmerising vocals, and avant-garde arrangements.
