Zlatko Oridjanski: Zlatko Oridjanski: Razbudi Se

One of the most striking albums you are ever likely to hear is Razbudi Se ("Wake Up") by Anastasia's Zlatko Oridjanski, a composer and sonic sculptor. One of Anastasia's greatest attributes is their ability to take a contemporary form of music and add their own unique perspective through their recordings. Both with Anastasia and in his solo output, Oridjanski has always challenged and reinvented the face of modern Mac. music. The genius of Razbudi Se lies in the way he fuses the compositional sophistication of traditional music with contemporary cut and paste techniques. Oridjanski's imagination knows no limits in its ability to approach, stretch, and reinvent forms which he does with great taste and subtlety. His approach shows that he is well versed in using the studio as an instrument and what pulls all of these "strands" together is a strong sense of melody and song-craft.

Opening with "Ti Zlatno Sonce," (Golden Sun) a slow chalgia—type of tune with emotional lyrics and Byzantine type of vocals provided by his Anastasia band mates Goran Trajkoski and Petar Georgievski. Their presence has the curious effect of deepening the sound and thus reaching an intimacy typical of his work with Lola V Stein. This is followed by the mournful, sombre, but beautiful "Alexandra and Dimitri." "Slava Tebe Zivote" (Glory To You Life) features master drummers from Berovo who play on tapan, the traditional drum, and it also incorporates samples that resemble Peter Gabriel's soundtrack work on Scorsese's "The Last Temptation." The result of that is a jungle-like instrumental with fiery intensity and almost unbearable tension heightened by the choral voices on top. This song is typical of the multifaceted use of the vocals which, whetheare featured as a backdrop canvas to or as the centerpiece of the song, are always an important instrument of Oridjanski's sound design. The fourth track "Topla Zemja" (Warm Soil) is a leftover from Anastasia's Nocturnal sessions and it follows the musical path established by the track he contributed to Vanja Lazarova's "Rythmistica" project. It features sampled instruments such as kemane and canon flowing over a brook of electronica sounds. "Ergenska Balada" (Bachelor's Ballad) is a mournful and sad tune sang by the great Macedonian folk singer Vanja Lazarova, where the music is all the while intensifying the hushed emotions brimming in that fragile, yet epic voice. "Tatko I Dete" (Father and Child) blends darker and lighter moments into sombre-like melodies. "Razbudi Se" (Wake Up) is similar to Vangelis' opening track for "Conquest Of Paradise 1492" with its opening rhythm and grandiose melodies. The next track "Pesna Nad Pesnite" (Song Of The Songs) is nothing short of brilliant and it follows in the vein of the grandiose atmosphere of "Razbudi Se."

The last track "Prsten" (Ring) is a slow, contemplative work of minimalism adorned by orthodox chant like voices. The ambience captured on the final track invokes the sacredness and warmth which surround when first entering medieval Macedonian churches. Somehow it intensifies the most subtle and indescribable emotions, which can also be said for the whole record, a rich and full musical experience that leaves the listener with a sense of longing. Razbudi se could have easily been another Anastasia record and just like the rest of the works of Anastasia (as well as Lola V. Stein) this is a challenging work that can be enjoyed on a variety of different levels. For Oridjanski this is a bold step into the world of musical innovation and the record is both haunting and mysterious, leaving the listener with the feeling that he or she is in the midst of a story being told. The only way to unravel this mystery is to play the record again.

Track listing:1. Ti Zlatno Sonce; 2. Aleksandra i Dimitri; 3. Slava Tebe Zivote; 4. Topla Zemja; 5. Ergenska Balada.6.Tatko i Dete 7. Razbudi Se 8.Pesna nad Pesnite 9. Prsten

Comments