EPTI can't seem to listen to anything but Bulgarian folk music, and this has gone on for months now, much longer than my usual little musical fads.
So I thought I'd share what I've found. Basically its lots of choirs, very few musical instruments and some of the most beautiful, ethereal sounds you can find.
They have had huge influence on Western music since the early eighties, but the sound is somewhere between traditional choral Christian music with a huge middle eastern influence and some more modern touches.
I have a playlist that's like 6 hours long but I'll put some Youtube videos up here for the highlights.
This seems to be a song that is performed by numerous groups so i would wager that its traditional, and its one of my favourites. Its got almost everything, weird changing meters, huge dynamic range, excellent outfits and that cinematic sound that really typifies this kind of music:
Cosmic Voices from Bulgaria - Mesechinko lyo, greilivka
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This is Neli Andreeva (with the Philip Koutev Choir), a folklore singer apparently of some repute. Its not surprising since her voice is amazing. There are many of her songs to choose from, and although this isn't the most well known, its my favourite. Everything about this from the backing choir to Neli's incredible voice sounds incredible. I would recommend headphones because the recording of this is really good.
I believe this was arranged by Georgi Genov, and that's a name to write down because many of his arrangements are awesome.
Philip Koutev choir - Kojilio - Кожильо писан и шерян by Georgi Genov
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This one's a bit more fun. Obviously I can't understand the lyrics but from what I've read its an expression of rural Bulgarian women teasing and mocking each other. The vocal performances are absolutely stunning, and it has a kind of proggy feel. Constantly changing tempo and it stays unpredictable throughout.
Cosmic Voices from Bulgaria - Shopska suite
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This one's a full performance, it appears to be two pieces but the second one is the one i'm wanting to share. Its chaotic and experimental in a way that's very rare for acapella music.
Cosmic voices - Дилмано, Дилберо и Мехметьо, севда голема
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The next one is Neli Andreeva again, her most famous and praised song Malka moma, which has been called the most beautiful song in the world. Maybe it is, maybe not, but it sounds really nice and her vocal performance is really, really nice.
Neli Andreeva - Malka moma
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Finally, this was one of the songs selected to be blasted into interstellar space on the Voyager record. It heavily features a Gaida, which is a type of traditional Bulgarian bagpipe.
Iziel je Delyo Hagdutin - Bulgaria
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