WFMU : Freedom is Freeform!

MWE's set of entrancing, eclectic Balkan brass (or "Turkish Metal", as @kentsandvik described) was a highlight of the 2011 Golden Festival. NYC's 26th-annual music & dance bachanal, organized by the scene's pioneers & ringleaders Zlatne Uste Balkan Brass Band, showcased a greater range of "border crossing" music from the Balkans and beyond than ever before. Its elegant new location -- Brooklyn's Grand Prospect Hall -- was more elegant than the previous setting (a school in Inwood, where one of the stages was a gym). The new venue allowed for more stages and more performers (well over 50!), so naturally the WFMU Transpacific Sound Paradise broadcast team got a little more ambitious and set out to record on three stages where in previous years we had only documented one. The stage we missed was primary focused on choral/multi-vocal acts like WFMU favorites Black Sea Hotel, and fortunately there is video (via David Byrne's blog).

MWE's set took place on the 4th floor "Grand View Room," presenting "Sounds of the Middle East and Much More" (everything is "more" at Golden Festival!). I wasn't able to witness MWE's Golden Festival set live, but a big thanks to engineers Dave Mambach and Mark Koch who produced a great live document. MWE's live tracks really grabbed my attention with their four wind instruments (3-clarinets + 1 Zurna) creating a darkly festive drone beneath traditional Turkish percussion: dumbek (hand drum), riqq (tambourine), and the Davul (large double-headed bass drum). Their bio describes the Oakland, CA-based 6-piece's sound as "about the closest to heavy metal you can get without amplification."

MWE have also offered five tracks from their new demo to share, which Davul player Sean Tergis describes below:

 Varshaver: Varshaver is fully named "Varshaver Freilakhs," which is Yiddish for "happy dance from Warsaw." It's a klezmer piece. We learned it from an early 20th century recording of violinist Abe Schwartz.

 Sirtos (from Yiannitsa): The name speaks for itself but it should be noted that Yiannitsa is in northern Greece and this tune is in 7/8.

 Süleyman Ağa: This song is a Turkish Roman traditional. This 9/8 karsilama rhythm is probably the most popular rhythm among Turkish Roma.

Los Bilbilicos: This is a traditional sephardic tune that has spread in popularity all over the Mediterranean and Middle East.

 Halay: Halay is actually the name of a line dance from Turkey. It is driven by a relentless 2/4 beat, and usually features zurna and davul.

We have only just begun adding 2011 Golden Festival performances to the FMA collection, since there are so many incredible performances to go through -- keep an ear out for more and subscribe to the RSS!