Project Zlust Live and DNO's Tishina

The end of 2004 proved to be a busy and fruitful period for Project Zlust. During a period of two weeks, besides releasing the soundtrack for How I Killed A Saint , they released a live recording Project Zlust Live , and since the same people work as by the name of DNO they have another album published under the same name. Project Zlust Live was recorded at the Kumanovo Jazz Festival four years ago and it captures the band's magic at an early stage of their existence. Totally different than the work they did for How I Killed A Saint , Project Zlust Live consists of material previously known as the Margina EP plus other material. Project Zlust are fairly eclectic and diverse musicians and the music here can be described as seductive rather than assertive and its rich, dense soundworlds portray a full array of styles and tastes.

Credit must be given to Bojan Ugrinovski for capturing the band's essence and unique sound, and he handles the task tastefully and tactfully. The atmospheres are subtle and mysterious and the soundscapes waver from new age to ambient to minimalism to world music. The tunes move at a pretty, slow place, and the opening "Sad Sparrow" is mysterious, melodic, dense, and colourful tune with slow percussion and the emotional violin solo further enhances the tune's moody emotion. "Unfinished Dream" features the late Goce Dimitrovski who adds a subtle Milles-que tone with his trumpet and his sensitive solo beautifully expresses the song's melancholy mood as does Dzijan Emin's keyboard playing. "Medo's Tune" is based upon a traditional tune "Kir Yana" also present on "How I Killed A Saint" which is completely different compared to this version. Medo Chun is another guest and master musician of Ensemble Teodosievski fame as well as the work he did with Vlatko Stefanovski for the "Gypsy Magic" soundtrack. He provides fantastic clarinet solos on this track and from a slow ballad it turns into jungle music with high density of electronic sounds. "Welcome To Reality" is a melodic solo piano piece by Emin. Personal favourite is "My Mother's Lullaby" which follows a simple melody where the guitar and the voice are gradually building into something special. The closing track "Gazmendovacha" is an obvious reference to Gazmend Berisha a brilliant violinist and this track portrays his skilfulness and virtuosity on the violin. There is a haunting quality to this record and the playing is exciting and expert. It can best be described as a spontaneous outpouring of music, uninterrupted by convention or form. It certainly grows on you with each successive listening.

DNO
Tishina
Chicken Madness
2004

DNO is an acronym of Drustvo so Neogranicena Odgovornost, which can be translated as "Company with Unlimited Responsibilities." It consists of Zlust members (plus others) and this long awaited debut album titled Tishina ("Silence") portrays different aspects of what these musicians can do. It seems that producer Malcolm Burn (Daniel Lanois, Peter Gabriel) has brought out the best of these musicians and the result is a classic of the genre.

Tishina is a very consistent album, with the musicians' excitement and energy easily being felt on such tracks as "Tishina," "Borba," and "Sweet Love." The album opens with a dramatic psychedelic riff "Ogledalo" (Mirror) and is followed by majestic "Ideme Do Kraj." "Tishina" and "Chija Li Si" are beautiful ballads that open ominously with jazzy fringes movingly expressed by Pop-Hristov's smoky recitation. "Jas i Ti" is dynamic tune with an impressive drum and bass riff. All these tracks create aural portraits of love, lust, brokenness, and devotion. Anyway this music successfully avoids some of the clichés that usually follows this type of music (both lyrically and musically) and it gives the listener a pleasant listening experience. I think that there is little more to be said of this album, as the music speaks for itself.

Visit ZLUST and DNO on the web.

Related reviews at AAJ:
Reveries Of The Solitary Walker

How I Killed A Saint

Project Zlust Live

Personnel: Ivan Bejkov (bass, double bass, sounds and programming); Dzijan Emin (Keyboards, French Horn); Gazmend Berisha (Violin); Mihail Parushev (Drums and Percussion); Vladimir Pop-Hristov (Vocals and Violoncello); Gjoko Grujoski (Guitar)
Guests: Vladimir Krstev (Violin); Valjon Ademi (Violin); Goce Dimitrovski (Trumpet); Medo Chun (Clarinet)

Track Listing: Sad Sparrow; Unfinished Dream; Medo's Tune; Opium Express; Welcome to Reality; My Mother's Lullaby; Gazmendovacha

Tishina

Personnel: Vladimir Pop-Hristov (lead vocal, backing vocals, guitar); Emin Dzijan (keyboards, backing vocals, french horn, guitar); Ivan Bejkov (bass, double bass, percussion, keyboards); Sasho Spasovski (guitar, backing vocals); Kire Najdovski (guitar); Goce Stefkovski (drums, percussion)
Guests: Malclom Burn (guitar, backing vocals, keyboards, percussion); Aleksandar Pop-Hristov (guitar); Vladan Drobicki (trombone); Nikola Kodjobashia (keyboards and sampler); Luthea Salom (backing vocals)

Track Listing: Ogledalo; Ideme Do Kraj; Tishina; Ljubov; Chija Li Si; Neverstvo; Jas i Ti; Marijanz; Borba; Sweet Love; Koga-Togash; Tatko

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