Interview with Kentin Jivek

As a parting gift from 2012, I got an opportunity to do an interview with Kentin Jivek, French musician, quite versatile, known for his moving music in what might, in a simplest way, be called ambient folk. If you haven't listened to his work yet, do it now. If you have, now's your chance to hear about it in Kentin's own, inspiring words. Here's a snippet, and a link to the whole thing can be reached right below it.

Kentin Jivek

Hi Kentin! First off, I’d like to thank you for doing this interview; it is a pleasure, even though it’s only by e-mail. So, here goes.
Could you start by introducing yourself? What can you tell us about your music? What does ‘Kentin Jivek’, as a music project, entail?

I’m mainly writing, composing, and producing the albums that you can hear. Before the release of the first album “La Maigreur Elégante, i’ve spent a long time on the road as a performer in theatre plays and as a musician. Then, it was time to shape all the experience through a real studio album.



The genre that you create is most often described as ‘ambient folk’. In what sense would you say that’s true? And in which ways is your music different, it varies from everything else?

Ambient Folk is a musical genre that deals with the Indian and minimalistic musical expression. You’ve just one note and then you build something around with acoustic instruments (guitar and violin). If you see closer, every song has a single note in common, even if you have maybe five different chords. That’s the main thing. It has a repercussion on the words/lyrics and what you can spread during the performances.
It’s different, because i don’t listen to music, I just enjoy vibrations in all forms, so i’m not influenced by “the big machine”.

Read the whole interview here, at KronosMortus.com 

(there's also a Hungarian translation, so scroll down if you prefer it in English).

Kentin Jivek - Stig Dagerman

Neofolk Tide: Death in June + Miro Snejdr in Zagreb

Death in June

Artists: Death in June, Miro Snejdr/Lounge Corps
Venue: Jabuka Club, Jabukovac 28, Zagreb
Time: November 17, 2012 - 9.00 pm
Entrance fee:  110 kn/125 kn

It's October in 1992. It's Death in June's first show in Croatia. To play such a show here at that time was something barely imaginable. Honestly, when I first heard about this some time ago, I couldn't believe it. This had been the wartime. Neofolk - the genre plus all that goes along with it - something unheard of. And yet, the band did an amazing set, which was also recorded and released as one of the first live recordings (Something Is Coming).

Two decades later, the band returns to the same country, same city, same place. True, they've been here in the meantime, but I don't think any of those occasions had the impact as this one had. This was a celebration of much more than just a band playing yet another show.
Naturally, this was felt in the club, not only through the band, but through the audience as well.

Miro Snejdr

With a setlist of no more than 34 numbers, changing the clothes, and collaborating with Miro Snejdr, an amazing musician (also known for his project with Kentin Jivek: Dois EP), Douglas Pearce pierced our hearts. The music he makes comprises of background instrumentals, percussion, and an acoustic guitar.

Death in June

His communication with the audience was impeccable, which could also be seen in his attempts at speaking Croatian and incorporating it into the lyrics of his music, just as Miro Snejdr opened the evening with the Croatian anthem.

Death in June

Setlist: Till the Living Flesh is Burned, Death of a Man, Bring in the Night, Ku Ku Ku, Takeyya, Cathedral of Tears, Peaceful Snow, Life Under Siege, Hail! The White Grain, Wolf Rose, The Maverick Chamber, Good Mourning Sun, Hullo Angel, Symbols of the Sun, The Honour of Silence, All Pigs Must Die, Giddy Giddy Carousel, Fields of Rape, To Drown a Rose, The Golden Wedding of Sorrow, Leper Lord, Hollows of Devotion, Tick Tock, Fall Apart, Kameradschaft, Leopard Flowers, Runes and Men, We Said Destroy, Little Black Angel, But What Ends When the Symbols Shatter?, Rose Clouds of Holocaust // Heaven Street, C'est un Rêve // 13 Years of Carrion.




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Death in June - Tick Tock (live in Zagreb)

Review: Dalriada's Napisten Hava (2012)

Artist: Dalriada

Album: Napisten Hava

Release date: September 29, 2012 through Hammer Music / Nail Records

Written by: Dajana Lerić
for BalkanRock.com (originally in Croatian)
Rating: 4/5 

Dalriada is a Hungarian folk metal band which may not be the most familiar to a wider audience, but nevertheless has a tremendous discography and a successful career. Their latest album „Napisten Hava“, is the 7th studio album which continues an interesting tradition. Namely, six of seven album titles have ancient names for months (“Fergeteg” is the name for January, “Jégbontó” for February, “Kikelet” for March, “Szelek” for April, while “Ígéret” stands for May). Likewise, “Napisten” is the name for June, and the name of the album means “The Month of the Sungod”.



The first song on the album is what is probably the most famous Hungarian national dance, “czardas”, followed by the song “A Dudás”, which depicts a bagpipe player. The song is about a Hungarian myth which says that bagpipe players had to go all the way to hell to learn how to play this ancient instrument. The song, of course, starts with the sound of bagpipe, but we can also hear an interesting combination of guitar and violin. It's not a novelty that Dalriada uses wide range of instruments in their songs, so here we can hear contrabass, flute, viola, even lute.

Dalriada at Samhainfest 2012

The next song is a patriotic song with a slower rhythm called “Tündérkert” or “The Fairy Garden”. The idea for such a beautiful and picturesque title comes from the Romanian province Transylvania where a great number of Hungarians live. Since the lyrics often speak of Hungarian history, it is clear why the province was so inspiring. Namely, there have always existed tensions between Romanians and Hungarians. Also, many famous Hungarians were born there, for example Mátyás Corvin, one of the greatest Hungarian-Croatian kings. His father, János Hunyadi, is also shown as the hero of the song “Hunyadi és Kapisztrán Nándorfehérvári Diadaláról (Saltarello)”. The song is about the battle of Belgrade which took place in the middle of the 15th century, when Hunyadi and Saint John of Capistrano defeated a strong Ottoman army. The beginning of the song has a slow tempo and the listener can easily imagine a picture of a slow-marching army, while later the song speeds up and conjures up assault and fight. Similarly, two other songs, “Julianus Útja” and “Puszta Föld” also have the historical background. In all three songs male vocals complement the female voice.

Dalriada at Rockmaraton 2012

The song “Napom, Fényes Napom” has a beautiful intro melody where we can hear the virtuosity of the violin player and how wonderfully a violin can sound.


The title song “Napisten Hava” talks about the origin of the world. The story is based on a Hungarian traditional story, while “A Juhászlegény Balladája” has its origin in a Moldavian-Hungarian horror story.

“Borivók Éneke” is a typical call for a drink. However, the drink of this song is not the traditional Hungarian pálinka, nor beer, but wine. The song has a very fast rhythm and a melody from a Hungarian traditional song. Besides “A Dudás”, this song will definitely become a hit for the concerts!

The album has a perfect composition, with the first song as an instrumental as well as the last song on the album, this time a slow dance from a place called Gyimes.

Dalriada - A Dudás (official video)

The Wondrous World of the Beast

Lori Lewis (Therion)

Artist: Antalgia (ES), Elyose (FR), Therion (S)

Venue: Club 202, Fehérvári út 202,  Budapest

Time: October 17, 2012 - 7.00 pm

Entrance fee: 6500 HUF

Therion is one of those bands to whose existence I owe thanks and much more. Knowing their music helped me make some of the most important steps, especially when it comes to music being such a huge part of my life. Had it not been for them, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be here right now, writing this or doing anything else related to it for that matter.

I've already done a short report on this concert, which should be published sometime over the weekend at KronosMortus.com (in English and Hungarian), so I will only post a few highlights here, plus the photos, of course. So, stay tuned. :)

~there are links to the gallery at the end of the post~

Elyose

Antalgia

I have to say that I prefered Therion's opening bands from the last few tours. They were more suited to my liking, especially Leprous and Sabaton, at the time quite unknown. This year, however, they decided to go with something more symphonic. Antalgia and Elyose stepped in. They are two quite young bands from Spain and France, respectively, fronted by lovely ladies of metal. They were quite good on the stage, and it was obvious that they were enjoying themselves, just as their fans were.








Therion, on the other hand, completely stunned the whole audience; those that have seen them live before, as well as those new to their music. They played a set of 21 song, never ceasing to amaze us. Although they did have much stage setting, their show was more than just playing music. It was a dramatic performance. You cannot describe a Therion experience, so I'll let the photos give you an idea. Here are a few, for more check out the galleries - links below.

Thomas Vikström (Therion)

Setlist: O Fortuna; Poupée de Cire, Poupée de Son; Son of the Sun; Via Nocturna; The Flight of the Lord of Flies; J'ai le Mal de Toi; Abraxas; Vanaheim; Lemuria; Gothic Kabbalah; The Siren of the Woods; Ginnungagap; Land of Canaan; Wine of Aluqah; The Rise of Sodom and Gomorrah; The Khlysti Evangelist; Une Fleur Dans le Coeur; Son of the Staves of Time // The Wondrous World of Punt; The Blood of Kingu // To Mega Therion.

Christofer Johnsson (Therion)

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Summoning the Muses at Samhainfest

Bands: Ankh (HU), Tales of Evening (HU), Niburta (HU),

KerecsenSólyom (HU), Virrasztók (HU), Darkest Era (UK),

Arkona (RU), Dalriada (HU), Silent Stream of Godless Elegy (CZ)

Venue: Club 202, Fehérvári út 202, Budapest
Time: September 29, 2012 - 3.15 pm
Entrance fee: 3 499 HUF

The time for Samhainfest has come and gone. Seriously, it's more than obvious that Budapest is the place for folk metal events like these. The crowd was huge, crazy and wild; and so were the bands, amazing bands, I must say. I won't go much into details, I hope my photos will bring you at least one piece of the hot atmosphere from Saturday.

~there are links to the gallery at the end of the post~

This festival was also a turning point for my photography. First of all, I finally took my new lens for a ride. True, I shot with it at Sziget festival already, but not like this. (There's a post from Sziget here as well, but it's hidden for now, as I have to do some changes. It will be back on soon.) I can honestly say that I've really enjoyed myself shooting the bands this time. The lights were really good, and the bands showed such diversity that I would have been utterly sad if I had not been allowed to shoot. Big thanks to the organizers for that.

Ankh

Ankh has just released their first EP, named Tükörterem. A friend of mine, Tamás, wrote a review of the album both in English and Hungarian. Check it out here! and be sure to also have a look at Tamás's Facebook page. He puts a lot of work into presenting the world of folk music to people all around the world, not just Hungary as the name suggests. Here's the link: Folk Metal Hungary.
Now, back to Saturday. The first bands had short setlists, but nevertheless presented their work in best light possible. Unfortunately, at some points during the whole evening the sound was a bit off. Sometimes the singer's voice could not be properly heard, while the guitar would stand out too much. Despite that, the band warmed the crowd up quite well with songs such as this one:

Ankh - We Are Gonna Fall (video)

Setlist: Ankh, Éj az Erdőben, (new song without title), The Longest Journey (Pt. I), We Are Gonna Fall, Tükörterem // Lezárt Szemek.

Tales of Evening

With quite less folk elements, but the same level of energy, Tales of Evening took over the stage. Fans especially loved the beautiful singer Ivett, with a singing technique slightly different from the other bands vocalists', but nevertheless wonderful. The band also has a video out, have a look here:

Tales of Evening - Lázadás (official video)

Setlist: Intro, Álmodd újra, Az én csodám, Hajléktalan lélek, Credo, Inkább egyedül, Lázadás, Reménysziget, Az én mesém, Outro.

Niburta. I always feel like a little girl when I have to write something about these guys. What can I say? I really love their music; even before they added Macedonian folk song and lyrics into it. That bit blew my mind. Now I'll stop my cheesy rambling and just (im)patiently wait for the album, Scream from the East. I posted about the release and one of the songs here, so I'll show you Mašala, the Macedonian song this time. It's a story about a hurt, cheated guy:

Niburta - Mašala (video)

Niburta

Setlist: The Descent (intro), Balkanic Heart, Nap és Hold, Mašala, Dance of Satyrs, Forgotten Path (feat. Alkonyat of KerecsenSólyom), Awakening.

KerecsenSólyom

KerecsenSólyom was the biggest and nicest surprise for me on Saturday. Wow! The effect that the band had on me was enormous. I've listened to their music once or twice before, but for some reason it never stuck with me. On Saturday, however, they completely amazed me. Even though they didn't use any folk instruments on the stage (too bad, I was really looking forward to that hurdy-gurdy intro on A Hősök Mulató Mezeje), the energy of the band, mainly the singer, completely put the playback into the back of our minds. Of course, upon returning home I gave their studio work another chance and it was successful! So, here's my recommendation to you:

Kerecsensólyom - Kerecsen (video)

Setlist: Intró, Hadak Ura Szekerén, A Hősök Mulató Mezeje, Aquileia Ostroma, Népmese, Kerecsen, Révülés.

I've seen Virrasztók at Rockmaraton in July, and same as then I have to say that these guys always have the best lighting system. Even if their music wasn't so good, it would always be so nice just to look at them on stage. :) Fortunately, the music they make is really appealing, they call it psychedelic folk metal, but you really have to be there to feel that flow of energy.
Not to forget, what I also loved about this evening was an enormous number of violins on stage (Ankh, Niburta, Virrasztók, Dalriada, Silent Stream of Godless Elegy), never enough.

Virrasztók - Sirató (official video)

Virrasztók

Setlist: Intro, Szigeti Veszedelem, Fehér-fekete, Vidróczki, A Kaszás, Az Én Időm.



 
Darkest Era performed as the first of the three foreign bands. They came from Northern Ireland, where they formed in 2005, as a celtic metal band. When compared to the other bands of the evening, though, one could easily notice the difference, not that it meant anything less for the band on Saturday. They certainly got the crowd going, and rocked them hard.

Darkest Era

Interestingly, there are two female members in the band - but neither is a singer. One of them, Lisa, is in charge of smashing on the drums, while Sarah amazes fans with her guitar skills.

Darkest Era - An Ancient Fire Burns (official video)

Setlist:  An Ancient Fire Burns, On the Crest of Doom, Heathen Burial, To Face the Black Tide, Poem to the Gael, The Last Caress of Light, The Morrigan.

Arkona, on the other hand, comes from Russia and has been around a bit longer than Darkest Era. They play folk metal in combination with slavic paganism. I've been a fan for so long that I don't even remember how I got into it. The singer Masha is such an amazing singer and charizmatic woman, she just blows everybody's mind with pure appearance on stage. Not to mention the addition of folk instruments such as bagpipes to their music, with the rest of the amazing musicians. Here's what it's all about:

Arkona - Liki Bessmertnykh Bogov (official video)

Arkona

 Setlist: Az' (intro), Arkaim, Goi, Rode, Goi!, Ot Serdtsa K Nebu, Slovo, Pamyat', Slav'sya Rus'!, Zaklyatie, Kupalets, Katitsya Kolo, Leshiy // Stenka Na Stenku, Yarilo.

While talking about Arkona, I'd like to show you another project of Masha and Sergei: Nargathrond (video).

Dalriada

 
The main act of the evening (although, for me it was Arkona), Dalriada's show was already running quite late, so the band had to make it shorter than intended. Fortunately, it turned out to be a good idea, since the main singer Laura is pregnant. For that reason, band will also cease performing until March, as they pointed out. On stage they were once again joined by Fajkusz Banda, a string band, to help out with the folk melodies. The end of the concert also saw the live performance of Dalriada's newest single, A Dudás, on which a bagpiper and an additional singer came out. On the bad side, Dalriada had quite some problems with the sound, but it did not stop all the fans in the club to support them in front of the stage.

Dalriada - A Dudás (official video)

Setlist: Ígéret, Napom fényes Napom, Hírhozó, Kinizsi Mulatsága, Hunyadi és Kapisztrán Nándorfehérvári Diadaláról (Saltarello), Borivók Éneke, Leszek a Hold, Szondi Két Apródja 1. // A Dudás, Hajdútánc.





The closing band for the festival was Czech Silent Stream of Godless Elegy. They've been playing since 1995, and with the latest album developed the most prominent folk style. Although a lot of people left the venue after Dalriada, there was quite a crowd still gathered in the club, supporting the band. They performed with such enthusiasm that you just couldn't resist basking in their music. For those who did not stay: you missed one hell of a band. Here's some of what they prepared for us in Budapest:

Silent Stream of Godless Elegy - Skryj hlavu do dlaní (official video)

Setlist: Mokoš, Tváří v tvář, Dva stíny mám, Wizard, Skryj hlavu do dlaní, Pramen co ví, Slava, I Would Dance.

Silent Stream of Godless Elegy

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Thanks to all the bands for making such breathtaking music, to the people for supporting them, organizers for bringing this to Budapest, and everyone who helped me - you know who you are. ^^