Ivo Papasov - Balkanology
Hannibal, 1991
This one’s for all you lovers out there. That’s right, you. Take the time and stop your love making to check out Ivo Papasov and his Bulgarian Wedding Band. Ivo and his boys are masters of Bulgarian wedding music (that’s right, you heard it, Bulgarian wedding music) and on this album they have no problem showing off their their style and control, all in the name of love.
Essentially, these guys are out of their minds; they play with the oddest time signatures, offbeat syncopations, quick glissandos all over the place, and an overall frenetic intensity that doesn’t stop. Even when the songs slow down, the energy stays. It takes you on a wild roller coaster ride at breakneck speed and then proceeds to make you cry at your long lost buddy’s funeral, staying oh so stylish all along the way.
Although the music is highly complex, it still feels natural. All the techniques that are alien to western music are somewhat filtered out by a jazzy, sometimes even funky, rhythm section, along with Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flourishes. While some might say these modal tendencies detract from the authenticity of the music, it makes it extremely listenable and gives it some major eclectic points.
So fuck it, next time you feel the need to spice up your love life, try your hand at getting down to Ivo Papasov’s Balkanology.
330° out of 2π
Review by Quiroz
Track List:
1 Mladeshki Dance (6:17)
2 Hristianova Kopanitsa (3:26)
3 Istoria Na Edna Lyubov (4:17)
4 Ivo’s Ruchenitsa (9:42)
5 Song For Baba Nedelya (3:30)
6 Ergenski Dance (3:36)
7 Mominsko Horo (8:48)
8 Tziganska Ballada (5:24)
9 Veseli Zborni (4:19)
10 Proleten Dance (2:38)
11 Kasapsko Horo (2:15)
