FOLTIN
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FOLTIN

Skopje, Karpoš, Macedonia | SELF

Skopje, Karpoš, Macedonia | SELF
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"Foltin: Ovaa Translplatirana Mashina za Chukanje Dosega ne Chukala Ljubovno Pismo (2008)"

ontinuing in the spirit of its previous masterpiece, Loo-Lee-Taa Too (Self Produced, 2005), Foltin stretches and shifts its musical ramblings like a sea captain navigating a treacherous ocean. Though the group doesn't sound like an angry thunderstorm dissipating into still winds and humid temperatures, it does sound like gangbusters, giving the feeling that something fresh is happening. Always inspired, Foltin brings its concepts and music to a new plateau with Ovaa Translplatirana Mashina za Chukanje Dosega ne Chukala Ljubovno Pismo (This Transplanted Typewriter Hasn't Typed a Love Letter Yet).

Typewriter is nothing less than a masterpiece. All tracks are highlights and it represents a new level of groove, atmosphere, and accessibility for the band. This playful modern group uses all the sonic cues of classic lounge, disco and jazz music. But what's best about this CD is that it transcends almost every genre of music. It's lounge. It's trip- hop. It's dance. It's ambient. It's exotica. It's lush and mellow and full of delicious sounds. Simply put, Foltin crafts infectiously upbeat songs that stand on their own, and the veteran band from Bitola is always pushing the musical limits of its sound. Jazz, by nature, is a genre founded on experimentation and embracement of the unfamiliar. But is not strictly jazz per se, as Foltin frequently blur genre lines, experimenting with a variety of styles and sounds. The group has changed its sound from album to album, while always retaining a sense of familiarity.

On Typewriter, Foltin continues its quest for funky beats and intriguing soundscapes. While the album is only 23 minutes long, it's not the quantity that matters, but the quality; each track is crafted with excellence and an attention to creating a unique sound. Foltin stands out among its peers because of its attention to detail; its grooves are contagious, and the group infuses its music with a personal sense of humor. The band uses atmospheric sound effects to swirl around the melodies, generating strange yet familiar noises. There is such a definite sound to this whole album, yet each track has its own distinct flavor.

Foltin creates subtle and charming music that melds the mood of gypsy street music with late night jazz club improvisation. Nevertheless, Ovaa Translplatirana Mashina za Chukanje Dosega ne Chukala Ljubovno Pismo evokes intense emotions and profound feelings.

Track Listing: 120; 110; 128; 131; 87.

Personnel: Pece Nikolovski: Clarinet, Kaoss Pad; Branislav Nikolov: Voice, Guitar; Pece Trajkovski: Digital Accordion via Microkorg; Goce Jovanoski: Bass; Slavco Jovev: Drums; Marjan Stanic: Percussion. - All about Jazz


"Foltin: Lo-Lee-Taa-Too"

The music of Foltin and its band memebers including, truly defy gravity. This makes it difficult, but fun to try to describe what they are doing. Somehow they seem to follow Brian Eno's maxim "Honour Thy Mistake as a Hidden Intention as they are turning each situation into their own advantage. They certainly imply guerrilla tactics when it comes to music making, always coming at you from unexpected places. As a result of that their music is dynamic, full of surprises, and humorous—and they blend all sorts of influences together: jazz, improv music, funk, bossa nova, chalgia, klezmer, ambient, and film music. This approach makes their music sound unpredictable and challenging, thus making them one of the leading groups on the macedonian scene.

However, their rumbunctious, madcap, eclectic, yet subtle style germinated, evolved, and blossomed through the live performances which earned the band its reputation. The band's breathtaking and often theatrical (cabaret-like) performances have provided great moments for their audience and have cemented their image as a great live act.

Unforunately, the objective inability of the medium to present the visual aspect, which is a vital and integral part of their live act, plus the lack of proper producers and sound engeneers, has really hindered the quality of their recordings, as they sometimes sounded unfinished. But with Lo-Lee-Taa-Too Foltin made a huge step forward in terms of production and they are returning with their best effort ever. As was their practice in the past, the material was created and tested in various live settings before it was recorded in the studio.

What they began on their previous record Donkey Hot, a sort of pseudo-cabaret music, has been broadened to break new grounds, at moments resembling Tom Waits but with much more groove and dynamics. In the past the band usually based its music around a weird concept or a story. Donkey Hot told the story of a donkey that wanted to be a horse, while Archimed was an attempt to imitate electronic music but with acoustic instruments. Lo-Lee-Taa-Too is a portrait of an artist who makes love to his instrument while playing it.

The album opens up with "Financial Times," a combination of bossa nova and funk. A nice rhythm guitar injects nice funky elements. This is followed by "Lolita," which is one of the album's funkiest tracks. It has great guitar riffs and pumping rhythms, but the clarinet is a killer, providing nice melodies that at the same time resemble both klezmer and chalgia melodies. The "Tip Of The Tongue" has a great opening accordion riff and a whistful clarinet, which, combined with a light groove, truly add a different color to the overall picture. "Ding Dong" is the most dynamic track on the album, with romping and stomping rhythms, steamy and grooving basslines, funky keyboards, and processed vocals. Actually, it's a reworked old classic of theirs, "Topka" ("Sphere"), recorded for the Archimed album which seamlessly finds its place in the new material, a ringing testament to these players' growth and constant evolution as musicians.

"Dali znaes Pametish li Milice" ("Do You Remember, Milica") is an old popular traditional classic which can be heard in its original folk form on the Kaldrma project CD, but here it is infused with a nice bossa nova feel (sang by guest actor Senko Velinov), feeding into the carnival atmosphere that echoes throughout the whole album

What makes Lo-Lee-Taa-Too so great is Foltin's tasteful mastery over the myriad of influences present in its work and the fearless voyages into uncharted teritories. It's a delightful album made with great honesty, consisting of songs that transcend and defy any and all categories, resulting delightfully in music which is uniquely Foltin's own.


Personnel:Pierre Capitan, Pece Nikolovski: clarinet; Voice and lyrics: Wordman Rexpen, Branislav Nikolov: voice and lyrics; Pero de La Noche, Petar Dimitrovski: organ; Peter Helmsman, Pece Trajkovski: accordion, electric guitar; G. J. Mastman, Goce Jovanoski: bass; S. J. Oarsman, Dr. anestesiologista do Batteria, Slave Jovev: drums.

Track Listing:Financial Times; Lolita 2; The Tip Of The Tongue; If You Touch Me I'll Die; Ding Dong; Psst!; Garneta; Prsti Prsti; Milica. - All about Jazz


Discography


SJF RECORDS
Out Re-Mer [1997]

MAG
Archimed [2000]

KUKUZEL MUSIC
Donkey Hot [2003]

DING DONG RECORDS
Lo-Lee-Ta-Too [2005]

KIC
Ovaa transplantirana mashina… [2008]

LITHIUM RECORDS
Penelope X With Nikola Kodjabashija [2011]

Photos

Bio


Foltin in short, is an unusual cast, whose music is hard to define, and every attempt to insert it into a musical genre would not be very successful (ethno-punk, disco, klezmer etc.). Their music is surreal, passionate and witty, characterized with a frantic dance atmosphere, which is achieved with the fast Macedonian rhythm. Even though they use standard musical elements, their approach in creating the atmosphere is unpredictable and above all, original. In their musical identity, the Anglo - Macedonian hybrid, there is a collision between the East and West. Their language is an imaginary mixture or phonetic imitation of the world languages like: Spanish, French, Romanian, Portuguese.. their “spontaneous Esperanto”.

Foltin are describing themselves as pseudo - emigrant cabaret, and often their concerts are turning into real performances. It is not a strange thing to imagine all that when you consider the fact that they have worked on a music for theatre performances, in which they are famous for using the readymade “instruments” or creating ambient sound with objects from unmusical primer function, construction of some kind sculptures and installations. Foltin exist since 1995 and so far released four albums. They took part in many musical and theatre festivals in Macedonia, Croatia, Italy, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Slovenia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, France and they have been awarded for their work many times.