“Gypsy” (Used 14 times)

This week I reviewed Nouveaux Gymnastes, the debut collaboration from Polish composer Piotr Kurek, aka Pietnastka, and French drone musician Mika Perez, aka Sylvia Monnier. In the process of writing my review, I came across Kurek's earlier release, Dalia, released on the same enterprising Polish experimental label that handled the collaboration: Sangoplasmo Records. Since Dalia had sold out of its original cassette pressing, Kurek and Sangoplasmo both consented to having the album available here at the Free Music Archive. I called the thing "a sprawling and epic synthesis of experimental composition with the traditional melodies of eastern Europe", which - God willing - will read as an enthusiastic recommendation.

It was last summer when I discovered Big Blood hearlding from Maine. My friend Aaron aka Honeybear played them for me while we we're driving in a Winnebago from Portland, Oregon to Calgary, Alberta. Each day driving in a Winnebago from 1973 was pretty ridiculous. We were the slowest vehicle on the road, cars were constantly passing us and the summer sun was blazing down. With Aaron's dog Jasper in the back, crying and sleeping and us in the front with our tapes, C.D.'s, books, collage materials, empty & full cans of Pepsi, figurines from thrift stores on the dash we would slowly drive through central and eastern Washington on a straight away road with hills and fields for miles with Big Blood as the soundtrack.

From their handmade albums with original artwork, collage, screenprints and beautiful album inserts and then to their music which can lead any road trip on the right path. Big Blood was my soundtrack to last summer. The layers of sound, clapping, shaking voices, crishrounds as my friend Jeff calls them, ghost sounds. You feel like you are around a campfire of gypsies singing, dancing, contemplating, awaiting spirits, roasting food, enjoying life.

Listen to them when you want to escape in your mind to a place of heat, colour, comradery.

Listen when on a road trip in the desert.

Listen to them when you're having a bonfire with friends in your hometown with beers and fire roasted apples.

Listen to them in a summer rainstorm.

They are currently touring Europe. If you're out there you should really go check them out, I would love to one day see them perform. Check out their tour schedule here