VA

The title may suggest something cheesy and reminiscent of bands like Deep Forest or Enigma, but it's not. In fact, this is a very interesting and diverse compilation of remixes on authentic folklore songs of the Udmurt Republic in Russia. New Song from an Ancient Land is actually part of a series of several CDs released in the city of Izhevsk by Kama Records, with the assistance of ethnographers and local government, and representing unprocessed field recordings of Udmurt family choirs. Nicely packaged in a stylish cardboard sleeve, the REMIX CD is the fourth release in the series, this time the folk material has been brought into the electronic domain by a team of talented artists of Izhevsk. The music varies from dark ambient to pumping electro-disco, and remixes of Cocoa Tunez and D-Pulse could also work well on the dance floor. IRR's remix is great, opening with a heavy use of vocal samples and gradually moving into a rhythmic piece, similar to Banco De Gaia and The Orb. The closing track by Klax brings some fun into folklore with a funky retro feeling and analogue bleeps. While in some of the tracks the folk samples are strongly present, in others they are nicely incorporated as part of the general sound palette, but in all forms, these remixes give new life to the somehow forgotten folklore material, proving that it can still sound contemporary and fresh.

Buy cd at electrosputnik.com