Tag Archives: world music

Ilmu’s Mua

Ilmu’s sophomore album Mua is a fresh journey through the dark sounds and emotions of the North. Rooted in the Karelian Republic’s mystical cultural heritage, the band, who recently moved from Russia to Finland, weaves a tapestry of sound that … Continue reading

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Leli’s Da Vo Gornitse

You know what a “remix” is, right? It’s where a producer embellishes an existing piece of recorded music, usually by adding sounds, beats and effects created by electronics in the studio, to turn it into electronic dance music. Every time … Continue reading

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Zor’s Sukha-khur and Zor with Evgenii Tkachev’s Kukushechka EP

One of the participants in the 2024 Russian World Music Chart is Suukha-hur the third album by Buryat musician Zorigto Batotsyrenov (stage name Zor). The album is named after a musical instrument featured in this release. The suukha–khur is one … Continue reading

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Vedan Kolod’s Birds

The Russian folk music ensemble Vedan Kolod has created a triumphant album in the midst of personal and national upheaval. Birds, their tenth album since forming in 2005, is a master work of world music combining traditional Siberian folk songs … Continue reading

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Easy Star All-Stars’ Dub Side Of The Moon

“Dub is a form of Jamaican music, which evolved out of reggae in 1960s Jamaica. The dub sound is usually accomplished by removing the vocals from an existing music piece, and adding extensive echo and reverb effects, and occasional snippets … Continue reading

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Otava Yo’s Loud and Clear

The Russian folk rock band Otava Yo is dealing with the turbulence facing their part of the world by doing what they do best — making music. And what music! Their latest album Loud and Clear is full of stirring … Continue reading

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Hulbækmo & Jacobsen Familieorkester’s Rundsnurrknurr


Rundsnurrknurr is pure musical fun. The music of Hulbækmo & Jacobsen Familieorkester is based on Norwegian folk dance music, but the proclivities and unbounded creativity of the four multi-talented players take it in too many wild directions to count. This … Continue reading

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Gordon Grdina’s The Marrow with Fathieh Honari

Canadian Grdina is a Vancouver-based guitarist, composer, improviser, and master oud player who is incredibly active in improvisational and experimental music of many kinds, most of it based around Middle Eastern and specifically Persian themes. On The Marrow he and … Continue reading

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Slavyanochka Ensemble’s Molodoi Tud Wedding, and Vereya’s Soitua Maa

Here are two recent recordings by women’s vocal ensembles from different regions of Russia. In these reviews I compare them to other Eastern European women’s vocal groups. I offer the comparisons only as an aid for Western listeners. The comparisons … Continue reading

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Hajda Banda’s Hajda!

Hajda!, the debut album by Hajda Banda (Гайда Банда) is a captivating journey into the rich musical traditions of the Podlasie region in eastern Poland, the western parts of Belarus, and Polesye on the Polish-Ukrainian-Belarusian border. The album showcases the … Continue reading

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