Oh, What A WorldFolk Europa FECD 030

What if Jimi Hendrix had heard the playing of a Transylvanian village primás? What if Béla Bartók were to have heard Jimi Hendrix?’ These are questions asked in the liner notes to this disc. Which is why this sounds like no other recording of Hungarian folk music. The first track – a dark song about visiting a lover’s grave – is heavy with distorted electric guitar, electric bass and staccato accordion. Vocals and guitar are by Miklós Both. It’s quite a shock at first, but then becomes rather compelling – the basic tune and lyrics about clouds over the cemetery are presumably traditional. Keeping a toe in more traditional waters there’s Maté Hegedüs on violin and the ubiquitous Kálmán Balogh on cimbalom. ‘Bánat, Bánat’ is another folksong, a much gentler, sorrowful lament, sung by Kinga Krámli, accompanied just by piano and delicate, spider-web cimbalom. The idea is to take traditional songs, but arrange and perform them in a new way – with electric instruments, drums and some rock’n’roll attitude. The British duo of Ben Mandelson and Rob Keyloch were brought in to produce it – and probably helped it win the Best World Music Album Award in Hungary. The reason it works is that most of the musicians are well-versed in traditional music, so while it sounds unusual, it doesn’t sound contrived. I like it a lot.