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Izukaitz - Otsoa Dantzan  CD (album) cover

OTSOA DANTZAN

Izukaitz

 

Prog Folk

3.12 | 10 ratings

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Eetu Pellonpaa
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
4 stars This album was my first introduction to the Basque folk music genre, which is yet mostly a mystery to me. I'm not sure how representative album "Otsoa Dantzan" is in the style of this genre, but after some cautious tasting I must admit that I like this record quite much! Judging with non-professional understanding on just basis of this album, it seems that the Basque traditional music elements have interacted with other European traditional musical styles, as the themes run on familiar sounding scales and the thematic structures don't sound very foreign when compared. There only very little connections to any kind of "rock music" here, maybe only occasional amplified electric basses and acoustic guitars. I have not heard their first album, but I have understood that their first "Izukaitz" titled record has more rock elements in it. In addition of joyful medieval sounding tunes there are also some ethereal passages, little resembling the moody floating of some ECM label jazz records. The album is opened by "Ingurutxu"; A happy flute and guitar interplay conjured by bright sounding percussion. A male voice announces the changes of the song parts which bring interesting rhythmic content to the composition. The melodic themes are quite comprehensive with many details. "Katu Beltza. Txalopin Txalo" introduces the lovely female voice bringing forth delightful melodic passage along with violin and flute following the guitar chord progressions' rhythms. Later male voice enter, and in the end all singers present and final chorus, preceded by a faster guitar/violin/flute theme. "Ni Hiltzen naizenean" builds up from vocal chorus, and I think the theme is some kind of "battle song". This theme is varied with violin backed up with guitar, later joined by the fiddle, and these sequences are repeated three times. "Karrakan Trakatan" is one of my favorites here with the second track, having a nice raw amplified acoustic guitar running aggressive scales. Later percussion, pipes (some of the Basque instruments?) and singing join the song.

"Prakamanen Itsasoan" is enriched with sounds of distant waves, and the fragile composition builds up from beautiful piano and flute notes, creating a dreamy landscape, pleasing me highly. "Ilhun-Nabarrez" has a nice melody by a fiddle. A medieval European sounding flute melody introduces the singers and an acoustic guitar and violin. This number is more based on repeating pretty melodies than many other more detailed numbers on this record, and this is a very pretty song too, having a nice saxophone solo in it. "Ariniketan Arin" is a fast violin driven number with percussion, male vocals and neat fast acoustic guitar playing. The last song "Hilbehera" is the longest track of the album, running seven and a half minutes. It starts with bagpipe sounding fine melody (the mysterious for me Basque invention?), slowly gaining more layers of different instruments. Later the song transforms to resemble very much the softer parts of the first track of the album, bringing front fabulous flute passages. Then there are some great amplified acoustic guitar solo pickings. In the end there are the only rock/jazz drumming of the whole album, making the music sound like more conventional 1970's flute driven folk prog. In addition of the authentic Basque instruments used here (with exotic sounding names in the musician list, goxoak & xirula for example), I don't know the Basque language either. But still I'm able to enjoy the aesthetical qualities and feelings which this album creates, and I would recommend it warmly to anybody interested of European traditional artistic folk music! I also predict that this won't be the only and last Basque folk album I'm going to check out.

Eetu Pellonpaa | 4/5 |

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