ELIZABETE BALČUS
Riga, Rīga, Latvia | Established. Jan 01, 2011 | SELF
Music
Press
“She frequently employs her voice as another instrument with its whoops, shrieks and groans giving the impression of a ghostly opera singer, while at other times creating an eerie choir by multi tracking her vocals.
Overall the album is a hazy, dreamy sonic delight (with just enough surprises) which leaves the listener in a blissed out trance like state, somewhere between the waking and sleeping as the album title suggests.” - Davey Hammond
“A performance closer to performance art rather than conventional music. I was fascinated to see what was coming next. Definitely a “marmite” act (i.e. you’ll either love it or hate it), but either way she is not likely to care too much.” - Christopher Spring
“...Her electro-pop inclinations often hardwired and intensive, with the flute improvisations of “Behind the Castle” mixing with a beat that could match Portishead’s “Machine Gun” if it wanted to. These kind of moments show Balčus sowing together total opposites, putting herself in untenable positions -- free jazz jams and stringent rhythmic policies -- in the name of a very particular kind of pop music. It’s a fantastic, weird record, possibly unlike anything you’ve heard. A triumph of fanfare and fury with a patchwork discipline." - ROBIN
“Someone could compare Elizabete Balčus to Bjork, but I think she`s more like grown-up Lewis Carroll’s Alice.” - Raivis Spalvēns
Elizabete Balčus with her otherworldly voice and quite supernatural visage digs really deep the matter on her new full length album called “Conarium”. The album is merely fantastic: partly incisive, partly impulsive, partly vague.” - Rodrigo Jansons
Discography
- 2016 Conarium Album | Liminal Noise label
- 2011 Wooden Horse EP
Photos
Bio
ELIZABETE BALČUS is a Latvian musician and performance artist who creates neo-psychedelic dream pop from surprising, collaged, genre juxtapositions that is simultaneously melodic and experimental. Elizabete attended Latvian Academy of Music in order to study classical and jazz flute. At the end of 2016 Elizabete released her album CONARIUM under the UK label "Liminal Noise". Album has got nomination at the Annual Latvian Music Recording Award "Zelta mikrofons" 2017 for Best alternative or indie pop album of the year as well as nomination for Latvian “Mercury Prize” - "Austras balva" for Best Album of 2017. In 2011 Elizabete independently released her first EP "Wooden Horse" and won the Annual Latvian Music Recording Award for Best debut. In addition to her solo career, Elizabete plays in the indie-pop band "Sus Dungo", as well as with punk-rock orchestra "Gatis Ziema un Karaliskā Dekadence". She also writes music for the theatre and acts in theatre productions.
Anything is permitted in her musical cosmos: looping flute and voice, clicking electro pop beats and playing fruits as a synthesizer as well, leaving the listener in a blissed out trance like state, somewhere between the waking and sleeping. Live performance engage the audience with a psychedelic and theatrical situation that is as befuddling as it is mesmerizing.
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