RhoDeo 1116 Roots

Hello, last week we were left at the crossroads of our human civilisation, the middle east. A fertile sphere to be inspired by the other. Collaborations is the inevetable outcome for the new generations of aspiring artists, if not in music but perhaps in style of presenting. Baba Zula choose a well known dubmusic professor called Mad to master and mix their album, it does lift them from anonimity even if his influence isn't that present. The Vadhat sisters not being alowed to perform publicly were picked up by a Norwegian who opened the doors to the west for their singing. Great album here, finally two musicians whose path crossed in an unlikely place so they made the best of it...

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Baba Zula follows a musical compass to Turkish musical roots going as far back as pre-Islamic, shamanic times, through Anatolia reaches all the way up to present-day Istanbul. Despite sounds that might initially come to mind when one hears the phrase "Oriental Dub", Baba Zula's music is in fact rock'n roll that rolls in a way that westerners have not heard since the late 1960s rock epoch. Baba Zula share their legacy with us through their music, a music born out of Istanbul and influenced by the memories of Istanbul passed on to them from generations past.

The band was founded in Istanbul in 1996, featuring founding members Levent Akman and Murat Ertel as well as Coşar Kamçı who replaced original member Emre Onel in 2005. BaBa Zula added live drawing artist Ceren Oykut into the mix in 2004. Her presence onstage has added an important visual aspect to BaBa Zula's live performances. They go to great lengths to provide their fans with a unique live show experience. Their ritual-like performances are a mixture of disciplines of art, often featuring belly dancers, elaborate costumes, poetry, theatre and live animation, delivering viewers a tantalizing audio-visual feast.

Baba Zula's debut album, Tabutta Rovasata (Sommersault in the Coffin), is the original music score for Dervis Zaim's first movie of the same name released in 1996, The album also includes four songs on which the movie's stars Ahmet Ugurlu, Tuncel Kurtiz and Aysel Aydemir contribute vocals. Baba Zula's album Three Plays from Seventeen pieces (Doublemoon Records) comprising music created for the plays The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupéry, Frog Tales by Arnold Lobel and Kitchen Accidents by Perihan Mağden, was released in 1999. Along with a number of other artists, Ralph Carney, Brenna McCrimmon and Selim Sesler also took part in this album as guest stars. Baba Zula also made the music for the film Renkli Türkçe (Colored and in Turkish), directed by Ahmet Cadırcı.

Their third album Psychebelly Dance Music, released in May 2003, was mixed and mastered by the British musician and producer Mad Professor, who previously worked with Massive Attack, The Orb and Lee Perry. Their fourth album Duble Oryantal, which was released on Doublemoon Records in May 2005, reunited them with mix-master Mad Professor, Sly & Robbie and Alexander Hacke and reflects the culmination of years of fearless musical adventuring, and as usual there is a talented and eclectic supporting cast. On the 2007 release Roots, Baba Zula return to their original format as a trio. Traditional Turkish influences on the album include works by important composers and lyricists in the history of Turkish music, such as Neşet Ertaş and Pir Sultan Abdal as well as analog recording techniques courtesy of Turkish producer Mehmet Ateş.



Baba Zula and Mad Professor – Psychebelly Dance Music (Ruhani Oyun Havalari) (flac  286mb)

01 O Divanin Ustundeki Baygin Bakisin (Your Languished Gaze on That Couch) (Baba Zula, Ertel) 2:17
02 Kisaltmalar (Abbreviations) (Baba Zula, Ertel, MacCrimmon) 7:17
03 Tilki Dansi (The Fox Dance) [Dub Mix] (Baba Zula) 1:17
04 Fayiman Cuneyt (Baba Zula) 3:42
05 Cecom (Baba Zula, MacCrimmon) 5:15
06 Su Daglari Sardi Feryadim (My Cries Have Covered All These Mountains) (Traditional) 6:09
07 Tek Kurek Yalova (Married to Five Fingers) (Baba Zula) 0:23
08 Nobetci Felsefeci (Watchman the Philosopher) (Baba Zula) 3:04
09 Ser Ver Sir Ver (Sacrifice Your Secrets, Sacrifice Yourself) [Dub Mix] (Baba Zula) 6:10
10 Seksek (Hopscotch) (Baba Zula) 0:44
11 Biz Size Asik Olduk (We Fell in Love with You) [Dub Mix] (Baba Zula) 3:54
12 Seks Sinemasinin Esrari (Mary Jane of the Sex Cinema) (Baba Zula) 0:40
13 Urfa Besiri Hoyrati (Traditional) 6:18
14 Kisaltmalar (Abbreviations) [Dub Mix] (Baba Zula, Ertel, MacCrimmon) 7:14
15 Zerrin oz un Odasina Girdim (I Stepped into Zerrin oz Room) (Baba Zula) 2:31


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Who can stop Eve from singing ?

Born in Tehran in 1973, Mahsa Vahdat started her career in music by taking piano lessons of Minoo Mohebbi from an early age. She continued the piano with Laleh Aghevli. She picked up Persian traditional singing with Pari Maleki and continued singing with Mehdi Fallah and Mohsen Keramati. Vahdat also plays the setar which she studied under Ramin Kakavand and later Masoud Shoari. She entered the Art University in Tehran in 1993 and graduated from the Music Faculty with a BA in Music. In the Art University she has been under the influence of master musicians such as Sharif Lotfi, Ahmad Pejman, Hooshang Zarif, Behnam Vadani, Abdorreza Sajadi, Hushang Kamkar, and Mohammad Reza Darvishi.

A new work by Iranian sisters Mahsa and Marjan Vahdat is a step away from the more contemporary collaboration they made in 2007 with Norwegian musicians. After this fruitful cooperation with Knut Reiersrud they decided that this time around, they'd work with Iranian musicians playing ney, setar, bass, synth, oud, doudouk, kamancha, daf and other percussion), and with the composer, arranger and producer Atabak Elyasi. ).

The front page of the CD shows a more than 4000 years old woman figure from Iran, and together with the title “I am Eve” and the strong poetic power that fills the whole record, it strikes a tone of woman power which has the weight of thousands of years and makes the oppressing doctrines of present Iran a parenthesis of history. The music on the record is more meditating and less experimental than “Songs from a Persian Garden”. But it still takes brave steps to renew the Persian tradition, both harmonically and in terms of sound. First of all, it brings power and beauty, and it is carried by fantastic vocal works and delicate and interesting arrangements.

“I am Eve” has melodic elements born from Persian classical tradition, shaped by the Vahdat sisters. The poems are written by contemporary poets in Iran like Azar Khajavi and Layegh Shir Ali and by classical poets like Rumi and Baba Taher. Among the musicians are Pasha Hanjani and Amir Eslami (ney), Shervin Mohajer (kamancha), Shahram Gholami (oud), Ali Razmi and Atabak Elyasi (setar), Reza Asgarzadeh (doudouk), Babak Riahipour (bass), Ali Rahimi (daf and percussion).

Since Lullabies from the Axis of Evil followed by Risheh dar khak (Roots in the Ground)~The composer of this album is Pejman Taheri and its publisher Ava-ye Barbad. Compositions strive to find a new language that combines classical Persian music with new poetic forms.The latest Album "Scent of Reunion" ( Love duets across civilications) was released in 2009

After the Islamic Revolution in 1979 in Iran, the female voice was banned in public and even some years after the revolution female singers can only perform for women only audiences or alongside a male voice. She can never perform solo in public; a process of elimination of the female voice in the performing cultural heritage in Iran. But many female singers in Iran have continued singing regardless, as have sisters Mahsa and Marjan Mahdat, who give private concerts in Iran but mostly perform outside of the country.

Their repertoire is inspired by regional and traditional music from Iran with their own musical expression; their lyrics are
mostly mystical and love poems from great Persian poets like Hafez, Rumi, Saadi from several centuries ago, as well as
contemporary Iranian poetry speaking about Iranian society. An active campaigner for human rights, Mahsa gives numerous benefit concerts and, with Marjan, is also one of the ambassadors of Freemuse, an independent international organisation advocating freedom of expression for musicians and composers worldwide.

Btw t an excellent booklet with the translated poetery comes with it.



Mahsa and Marjan Vahdat - I Am Eve (flac 320mb)

01. I Am Eve 7:05
02. Mystery 5:04
03. Kurdish Song 6:12
04. The Mirror of the Morning Wine 6:03
05. Navai 6:40
06. Sorrowful Spring 6:07
07. King of Love 8:44
08. Mirage 5:10
09. Land of Love 4:28
10. Caravan 5:05

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Zhubin Kalhor was born in 1980 from Iranian parents, he started his musical journey at the age of 14, when he started learning to play Daf (the framedrum) and Kamanche (the Iranian fidel) with the famous Iranian master Ardeshir Kamkar. After having played Persian classical music (radiff) with various masters, he left Iran and settled in Pune, India where he met musicians from all over the world. Years of playing with musicians trained in different background, like classic Indian, Jazz and Blues, Turkish, Arabic etc. gave Zhubin the opportunity to experiment and find his unique style.

But to him music is not only a matter of style. It’s about transforming spirituality and the mysteries of life into chemistry with the listener. The last 5 years Zhubin has performed solo and with various bands in concerts and festivals all over the world, among others with Bahramji, Ahura, Barbad, Pecheurs de Perles, Prem Joshua and the Mystics of Sound and Hawa.

Rajkumar Bikramjit Singh was born into the Royal family of Rajkumar Roton Singh and Yaimabi Devi in the town of Imphal in Manipur februari 65. In 1974 tragedy struck this self confident 8-year old. An accident left him incapacitated for over a year. Bikram was under closely monitored medical treatment for multiple fractures which he endured after falling off a tree. The shadow cast over young Bikramjit’s misfortune, prompted his father to gift him with his first flute whiles he convalesced. All that persistent practise paid off: Bikram was just thirteen years old when he started accompanying singers and other musicians on tours. He played for (AIR) All India Radio that year with some established radio performers. But his real reckoning came when he moved to Pune to pursue higher studies.

In 1989, Bikram moved to Pune to complete his masters in Archaeology followed by a Ph.D in 1992. However, pretty soon his academic pursuits came to a halt as Bikram dove passionately to pursue his musical career. He met fellow 'outcast' Zhubin there and discovered their shared spirituality easily overcame the 15 year generation gap and so together they released Himalay.

Their music blends ranging from Iran to India, a carpet weaving are the Northeast. Artist's compositions, where the two partners ranging from local to global album, relaxing at the peak of the Himalaya Mountains as a break in life. Misty mountains, the villages along the shores of rivers that pour, delicate anklets tinkle in the morning to the sound of the awakening of the image with the full album. Zagros'un mountains, the valleys of the passage, from the plains of the Himalayas extending the music's poetry breathe Zhubin and Singh.



Zhubin Kalhor and Bikramjit Singh - Himalaya ( 122mb)

1. Village Road / Köy Yolu - 10:32
2. Morning Dew / Sabah Çiği - 09:49
3. Tale Of The Bootman / Çizmeli Adamın Hikayesi - 10:02
4. Bamboo Dance / Bambu Dansı - 09:35
5. Lonesome Journey / Yalnız Yolculuk - 10:07
6. This Journey Continues / Bu Yolculuk Devam Eder - 10:17

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