Dream Weapons present: FIRST THE DANCE, THEN THE FEAST C60

Another compilation of wondrous folk music from behind the former Iron Curtain. Not so much the festive fairy tale dance party the cover art and title suggests. There’s some of that as well. But heartfelt songs and achingly beautiful melodies for the most part. Which is what made me fall in love and obsess with folk music from all over the world in the first place -Moahaha 

-Please forgive me if you’re among the... I don't know Billion people (probably more) who lives in one of these vastly different nations and cultures… often with little or nothing in common. It may appear as an inane concept for collecting an hour of music. But coming up with loose concepts and trying to make them work musically or sonically together, is what I do. Next up is folk from Western Europe, so at least I treat us all - myself included - with equal cultural ignorance:)

1 Чкотуа семейный ансамбль / The Chkotua Family Ensemble - Озбакь иашва / Ozbak Iashwa (Abkhazia, Georgia)
2 Gevorg Dabaghyan - Hayots Aghcheekner (Armenia)
3 Trio Bulgarka - Снощи съм минал, кумум Еленке / Snoshti Sum Minal, Kouzoum Elenke (Bulgaria)
4 State Merited Company of Georgia Folk Songs and Dances - Чакам те, мила / Chakam te, mila (Georgia)
5 Kolinda - Toredekek I (Hungary)
6 Мирза Тоиров (Mirza Toirov) - Бир келсун Bir Kelsun (Uzbekistan)
7 Vanja Lazarova Dimitrovska - Aj Iznikna mi Badem Drvo (Macedonia)
8 Filip Kutev & State Ensemble for Folk Song and Dance - Cijo Momice (Bulgaria)
9 Silvestru Lungoci - Doina Haiduceasca (Romania)
10 Dragica Nikolova - Da Sum Bistra Voda (Macedonia)

11 Hachig Kazarian Ensemble - Daldala-Satchmé (Armenia)
12 Yane Sandanski Ensemble - Руса въз роса вървеше, Теб та ни приляга, Мори, ваклай, ваклай (Bulgaria)
13 Levon Madoyan & Hachik Khachatrian, Vladimir Egorian - Derbent (Armenia)
14 Hamlet Gonashvili - Imeruli Nana (Georgia)
15 Abkhazian State Song and Dance Ensemble - Саматхуа Радеда (Abkhazia/Georgia)
16 Aram Merangulian & Armenian Radio Orchestra of Folk Instruments - Kenarigi Bar (Armenia)
17 Aidas - Ant Kalno Malūnėlis (Lithuania)
18 Armenian Song and Dance Ensemble - Narine – Choir (Armenia)
19 Taraful din Mavrodin - Pe Deal Pe Teleorman (Romania)
20 Veneta Tsvetkova / Венета Цветкова - Three Nightingales are Singing Like Larks / Три бюлбюла пеят (Bulgaria)

 Here

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The title title borrowed from a Hungarian folk tale, listen to: First the Dance, Then the Feast (read by Bethany O’Halloran)

Dream Weapons present: WHEN BRIDDES SINGETH BREME C60

The title means «When birds sing gloriously» which again is taken from a British medieval song titled «Lenten ys come with loue to toune». Speaking of the Middle Ages, the musical content of «When briddes singeth breme» is so-called Early Music based on material dating back to the 13th up to the 15th century. In the olden days life was brutal and ugly, but miserable lives calls for art of otherworldly beauty. For most of you it will probably sound much like folk music. And that's because it essentially is folk music. With every tune included originating from the mainland of Europe, my «Ye Olde England»-like title ended up as somewhat misleading. That’s because I made the cover art at an early stage, and every jolly «Hey nonny, nonny»-ditty was removed underway. Which is probably all for the better -Moahaha  

 

1 Reval’s Troubadours - Mit Ganzem Herzen
2 Veronique Chalot - La Chanson de Mai
3 Marc Lewon, Baptiste Romain & Ensemble Leones - Clausula
4 Kalenda Maya - El Rey de Francia
5 Phil Et Emmanuelle Fromont - La Brande
6 Micrologus - Volta ti in ca Rosina
7 Gothart - Imperayritz
8 Ensemble Unicorn - Ghaetta

9 Catherine Braslavsky - Je Te Pri De Cuer Par Amors
10 John Sothcott & St. George's Canzona - Estampie Real
11 Studio Der Frühen Musik - Lamento di Tristano
12 Ensemble Oni Wytars - Mari Stanko
13 Götterfunken - Nevestinko Oro
14 Fabio Tricomi, Fabio Accurso & Roberto Bolelli - Eia Frates
15 Alla Francesca - J'aime la Biaute

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Btw: In my late teens/early 20’s I was a passionate Medieval and Renaissance music collector. I became quite the amateur/expert. At least I thought so myself. But I never really recovered after my whole record collection was stolen in a break in. Thinking about it still fills me with sadness. But time has healed the wounds enough for me to compile this for you. Anyway, to find out more about the music and it's origins in fuller detail, you will have to google search the ensembles and titles. I did not have it in me to include all of that this time around.

Dream Weapons present: JAZU KISSA C90:

 

Unique to Japan, a jazu/jazz kissa are spaces where jazz music is played for dedicated listening rather than as backgrund music. As their "local" vibrant jazz scene feel somewhat overlooked and underappreciated, I thought I'd compile some of my favorite gems from 1970-1977. Quite similar to my previous jazz compilations really, except that’s it’s all originating from the Land of Rising Sun -Moahaha

 

1 Hiromasa Suzuki - 3000 B.C.
2 Ryo Kawasaki - Tane's Dream Part 3
3 Toki Hidefumi Quartet - Let's Get It Together
4 Terumasa Hino - Hohjoh
5 Isao Suzuki Quartet - Blow Up
6 Tohru Aizawa - Dead Letter

7 Akira Ishikawa & Count Buffalos - Speak Under My Breath
8 Mikio Masuda - Add Some
9 Kohsuke Mine - Recollection
10 George Hirota - Sahasurara-Sunrise
11 Masabumi Kikuchi - Circus
12 Takeshi Inomata & Sound L.T.D - Scotland Scene

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...and while I have your attention: George Glass why runs the Groovy Library-blog just wrote about locating a bunch of unpublished or disappeared comments in a spam folder. So I looked around and located more than 30 completely normal comments (seven or eight of them were my own:) in this "spam folder" I had never noticed before. I don't know why this happens but they're all published - or republished now. So if you've commented and you're comments were either never published or seemingly removed - it's certainly not because I didn't appreciate you thanking me for the mix:)