Astarta/Edwin - "Outages"

 

As is often the case, the Astarta/Edwin album, released in 2016, had a number of tracks which didn't make the final cut, as well as some reinterpretations and remixes which also never came out at the time and which I've subsequently decided to actually finish and expand on. 

I've gathered these out-takes into a companion release entitled "Outages", which I hope will offer a new perspective on the original material, or perhaps even serve as a mini album in it's own right.

The experiences I had while making the album and the (sadly) few subsequent performances we managed together were all extremely memorable. Happily the connection has carried on with Inna Kovtun and I eventually going on to make the Edwin/Durant/Kovtun album with guitarist Jon Durant as a full third collaborator, I certainly hope there will be more to come.

Here's a few notes about the tracks included on "Outages":

1. Still - Anyone familiar with my solo album "Infinite Regress" will recognise the bones of this track, as the bass and drum parts are lifted completely from "Almost Still". Originally, I thought it might be interesting to offer "Almost Still" to Inna, in the hope it might interest her to do a Ukrainian language version. Instead, and surprisingly, she used the backing to sing a completely different song. Eduard Prystupa joins on backing vocals, and although both he and Inna guested on "Infinite Regress", this track didn't make either album. Jon Durant plays some fine guitar, as always.

2. Kalina (Unpainted Canvas Mix) - "Kalina" was the first track we ever worked on together and set the modus operandi of our collaboration from the start, building musical arrangements around the bare twin vocals of Inna Kovtun and Yulia Malyarenko from the ground up. This interpretation removes, almost completely, the original vocal parts, so it's a form of reverse engineering to focus on the elements that were added around the main centre of attention, the twin voices and their beguiling Eastern harmonies. Pat Mastelotto and Jon Durant play drums and guitar respectively.

3. Ves Dub - Not understanding any of the words or lyrics I was working with, I reached out for a few translations and I was fascinated by Inna's explanation of the song "Vesyanochka", which is really an ancient invocation sung in a high pitch to summon the Spring to come and nurture the crops and rejuvenate the natural world after a harsh winter. In a rural society, the importance of the cycle of seasonal rebirth and can't be understated. I wanted to underscore the almost pagan, earthy atmosphere of the original song with an even more Arcadian impression.

4. Cascade (Post Soviet Radio Mix) - A new remix, and a completely different take on the instrumental parts of the original, with a small amount of the vocals treated in a textural manner. There were so many good performances from Jon, Steve and Eduard that remodelling was both an easy process and a real pleasure.

5. Chornomoretc - For running order and space reasons, another track left off the Astarta/Edwin album. Inna Kovtun on lead vocals with Yulia Malyarenko and Jon Durant on multiple guitar overdubs and topping it al off with a splendid solo. For me it's a mysterious tune, the vocal lines have an intriguing rhythmic phrasing and the atmosphere is celebratory, but with an edge of nostalgic yearning, but I could be totally wrong about that of course.

6. Skripka (Twisted Jig Mix) - "Skripka" translates as violin, and the original folk song is apparently a traditional wedding favourite, the Astarta/Edwin version became an ideal showcase for the talents of  Steve Bingham (No Man) who contributed a fantastic set of performances. This remix is basically an extended version of an instrumental coda that never made the album cut. 

7. Kolisanka (Dreamless Sleep Mix)  - The version of Kolisanka (Lullaby) that made the Astarta/Edwin album is more or less a straightforward acoustic ballad with some intense vocal harmonies, upright bass, piano and acoustic guitar. Given that I am unable to understand the lyrics and words, re-presenting the song as an almost wordless mood piece with a more electronic edge seemed a good avenue to explore. Hopefully the subtle and delicate nature of the original remains.

8. Cascade (Allusion Mix) "Cascade" was the exception to the all the other pieces on the album, as instead of building around existing vocal arrangements, and out of a desire to give Inna and Yulia a new context to "do their thing", I created an instrumental piece for them to improvise over and to build an original vocal arrangement over. This was then complemented by the contributions of the others involved; Eduard Prystupa, Jon Durant and Steve Bingham. Consequently, this remix is another reverse engineering exercise which strips away the rhythmic elements and most of the original instrumental parts to bring the vocals completely to the fore.

Pre-Orders - Edwin/Durant/Kovtun

Inna Kovtun

Below is the first full length track available as a preview from my forthcoming album with Jon Durant and Inna Kovtun.

license

Entitled "Harvest", (Жнивна)  this tune is based on an old Ukrainian folk melody, and also features a great performance from Robert Gualdi on drums and Ukrainian wind instruments courtesy of Levgen Zharinov

Please follow the link in the player above to pre-order the digital version via Bandcamp, alternatively......click here.

There is a pre-order option for CD's on the links below.

The artist friendly Burning Shed:

https://burningshed.com/colin-edwin_jon-durant_inna-kovtun_cd

If you prefer, the less artist friendly option:

https://www.amazon.com/Edwin-Durant-Kovtun-Colin/dp/B07X7D1XMB/

Best,

Colin

Astarta/Edwin Album Audio Trailer + Interview.

Here is a recent interview talking with journalist Anna Brovchenko from Kiev, (.. see below also for text in Ukrainian…)

Finally the full Astarta/Edwin album is out now on digital release and can be found here:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/astarta-edwin/id1081026284.

For the physical CD click here: https://www.burningshed.com/store/hardworld/product/195/7403/

An interview with Colin Edwin
(українською, будь ласка, читайте це інтерв’ю в наступному пості)

– Colin, what did you know about Ukrainian music before you came to Kiev in 2012?
– Although I consider myself an adventurous listener, I had only heard a little Eastern European folk music on various compilation albums and a few random things I had heard or been given, but really I hadn't yet had any particular incentive to delve deeper.

– Were you surprised when Dilya suggested to try working together? Did you search for a collaboration with folk band at that time?
– Dilya approached me just after I had played a live show with Ex-Wise Heads, he doesn't speak much English so he was actually asking me through someone else. I am always open to things, so I was curious to hear what he might have in mind, but I really wasn't searching for anything. I gave him my email address, and to be honest I didn't really expect it would be something that would interest me, it was more out of curiosity really.

– What impressed you when you heard songs of Astarta for the first time? In one of your interview you said you were amazed. What amazed you the most?
– Dilya sent me audio files for the vocal arrangements of Kalina and Vesnyanochka, but with no other information, so the first thing I heard was just the raw vocals. It's a moment I recall clearly, as although of course I couldn't connect with the lyrics, the sound grabbed me instantly, extremely vibrant and stirring but also very atmospheric, and a little alien to me too, as the harmonies are of a type you don't readily hear in the UK. I was reminded a little of the Bulgarian Choir "Le Mystere Des Voix Bulgares", I had one of the cassette tapes way back, but hadn't listened to it in years. In any case there was a clear "quality" to what I was hearing, I could tell immediately these two women could really sing, and what a great combination, they seemed to complement each other perfectly. I was just as impressed with Inna and Yulia when we first started to rehearse, hearing them sing in the real world was even better than listening to the recordings I had been working with.

– Speaking of Astarta/Edwin songs. Could you say anything about Ukrainian people just listening to the music, melodies, voices?
– In places to me, it is evocative of open spaces and it has a naturalness that reflects it's rural origins. The vocals of Inna and Yulia are very soulful, and there is a real range of expression across the material we've worked on. There's a raw, and earthy ethnic quality to the vocals. Pat Mastelotto also described their sound as "uplifting", which I agree with totally. I have always had a bit of a fascination with folk music, on one level music can be just entertainment, but there is something about the way music was and still is used in folk ceremonies, annual festivities or to mark important life events, like weddings, that reminds me of the way that music is really a powerful binding force and becomes part of the fabric of a culture. Inna Kovtun took the time to explain to me how "Vesnyanochka" for example was meant to summon the Spring, hence it was sung in a high pitch so as to be heard clearly. The importance of better weather after a long, hard winter to an agricultural community can't be stressed enough, it might mean the difference between survival and starvation. This explanation gave the song a whole new level of meaning.

– How can you describe Ukrainian folk music in three words?
– Only three? Ok then: Bold, vivid and atmospheric. 

– What Astarta/Edwin project means to you?
– It has been very special to me to create something with people with from vastly different backgrounds and with whom I can barely communicate in words, but the results far exceeded my expectations. It was also a big step into the unknown, we proceeded with no clear plan or intent, but we have made something special and unique I think.

– Some projects invite famous musicians to collaborate with and due to them attracting attention to themselves. But in case of Astarta/Edwin it seems that here seen a mutual interest. Is that right?
– All the musicians were happy to get involved on the basis that they really liked the music and voices, I am really grateful for their contributions, as they each brought something great to the mix. Jon Durant was really enthusiastic as soon as he heard "Kalina", at the time I had no thought of getting anyone else involved, but he contributed some truly marvellous guitar work, from his low key atmospherics in "Troica", to full on abstract solos, like he does in 'Orel'. Of course I work with Jon as Burnt Belief, but he still managed to surprise me in really good way with all the ideas he threw at me.

– It’s said that you used at a studio in Kyiv the EBS TD650 amp which was the same one which you had previously taken as a spare on the Incident tour with Porcupine Tree. Is that true?
– It was actually quite funny, EBS isn't always an easy brand to get hold of in some places, so the studio owner was quite pleased he had found me my first choice. When he told me who the previous owner was, I knew it could only be the same one I had borrowed and had returned to a little rehearsal studio in London at the end of the Incident Tour. Not only did he find my first choice, but the exact amplifier I had used previously...

– Which of your numerous projects is the most priority for you? Or are they all equal?
– On a creative level, everything I get involved in has equal importance to me, especially as one thing always leads to another and lots of things can be great learning experiences. It's sometimes necessary to prioritise things only because certain opportunities might present themselves and I also have to make living.

– How do you make a decision to collaborate with other musicians? What is a main motivation?
– I usually get involved with something or someone if there's either a possibility of doing something that's different and new for me, as I like to surprise myself, or because I already know that the other parties are doing or have done some thing I really like. 

– Could you name certain musicians who have inspired and influenced you?
– Geoff Leigh has actually been a major influence. As a musical partner with Ex-Wise Heads, over the years he has really encouraged me to try new things all the time, so the concept of having a comfort zone is something I no longer care about. Geoff is a seriously creative person, and certainly a hugely under-rated soloist. As for influences, I prefer to think in terms of interaction with whom ever I work with, rather than referencing my own influences.

– It’s written in Wikipedia that you are “a jazz fan”. Who are your favourite jazz musicians?
– Jazz is a broad term really but I enjoy a lot of the 50's -70's stuff: Roland Kirk, Charles Mingus, Miles Davis, Ahmad Jamal, Oscar Peterson, Grant Green, Wes Montgomery and my taste for the more modern type leans towards the Nordic/Scandinavian countries, Esbjorn Svensson, Nils Petter Molvaer, Tord Gustavsen, and also the Swiss minimalists; Nik Bartsch, the band Sonar and I have just discovered Don Li.

– In what music genre you would never agreed to work in and why?
– Fortunately, I get asked to do things that appeal to me, so I have yet to have that problem.

– Колін, чи ви щось знали про українську музику до того, як приїхали до Києва з концертом у 2012 році?
– Взагалі-то, я дуже люблю відкривати для себе будь-яку нову музику, але про фолк зі Східної Європи я знав небагато. Щось чув на збірках, якісь платівки мені дарували, але насправді в мене не було приводу заглибитися у цей музичний матеріал.

– Ви здивувалися, коли Діля запропонував співпрацю? Ви не шукали тоді фолк-проект, з яким можна було б щось разом створити?
– Діля підійшов до мене після мого київського виступу з Ex-Wise Heads. Він не дуже добре говорив англійською, тому його слова мені перекладали. Насправді, я завжди відкритий для співпраці чи пропозицій, тому я з цікавістю поставився до його слів. Хоча тоді я нічого подібного і не шукав. Я дав йому свій імейл. Але, чесно кажучи, не очікував на щось, що мене зацікавить по-справжньому. 

– В одному інтерв’ю ви сказали, що були вражені, коли вперше почули пісні “Астарти”. А що саме вас вразило?
– Діля надіслав мені для аранжування аудіофайли “Калини” і “Весняночки”. Це були лише вокальні партії. Я дуже чітко пам’ятаю цю мить – незважаючи на те, що я не розумів, про що у тих піснях йдеться, звучання голосів захопило мене миттєво. Голоси були настільки тремтливими і хвилюючими... Але у той же час дуже легкими. Звичайно, було одразу зрозуміло, що співають представниці зовсім іншої культури, тому що такі гармонії у Великій Британії не почуєш щодня. Вони злегка нагадали мені болгарський народний хор Le Mystere Des Voix Bulgares – в мене давно була їхня касета, яку я не слухав багато років. Так чи інакше, все звучало настільки якісно, що я одразу зрозумів, що ці дівчини не тільки можуть професійно співати, але й доповнюють одна одну просто ідеально. Ще більше я був вражений, коли ми зустрілися з Інною Ковтун та Юлією Маляренко на першій репетиції у Києві. Наживо вони звучали ще краще, аніж на записах, з якими я працював.

– Що ви можете розказати про українців, лише слухаючи українську народну музику, голоси, мелодії?
– Українська народна музика в мене асоціюється з відкритим простором, природою, здебільшого сільським колоритом. Голоси Інни та Юлії сповнені емоцій. І діапазон цих емоцій надзвичайно широкий. Але водночас вони можуть звучати і дуже просто. Пет Мастелотто вважає, що їхні голоси викликають душевне піднесення і надають сили. І я з цим цілком згоден. Фолк завжди мене заворожував. Одна музика існує для розваги, але є й інша. Ця музика була і є частиною щорічних народних свят чи важливих життєвих подій, наприклад, весілля… І це мені нагадує, що вона насправді є тією силою, що єднає. Музика є невід’ємною частиною культури. Одного разу Інна витратила час, аби пояснити мені це на прикладі пісні “Весняночка”. Вона розповіла, що її співали, коли потрібно було “викликати Весну”, саме тому і співається вона на високих нотах. Вирогідно, щоб було краще чутно. Необхідно було призвати тепло, яке приходить на зміну довгій і важкій зимі. І найбільше цього потребують селяни, бо від цього залежить чи буде людям що їсти. Завдяки цьому поясненню пісня набула для мене зовсім іншого значення.

– Як би ви охарактеризували українську народну музику у трьох словах?
– Тільки три? Добре. Сильна, яскрава, атмосферна.

– Що для вас означає проект Astarta/Edwin?
– Вважаю його особливим для себе, тому що мені довелося створити щось з людьми, за плечима яких дуже різний досвід, і з якими я ледь міг спілкуватися однією мовою, але результат перевершив усі мої сподівання. В нас не було чіткого плану або мети, це був стрибок у невідоме. Але, сподіваюсь, ми зробили щось надзвичайне і унікальне.

– Деякі проекти запрошують до співпраці відомих музикантів, аби привернути увагу до себе. Але у Astarta/Edwin ситуація інша – відчувається спільна зацікавленість. Це так?
– Всі запрошені музиканти долучилися до проекту тому, що їм насправді дуже сподобалася музика і голоси. І я дуже вдячний їм за це, бо кожен додав музиці щось неймовірне. Джон Дюран виявив неабияку цікавість до матеріалу, як тільки вперше почув трек “Калина”. Тоді я ще взагалі не думав, що треба запросити когось з музикантів… Але він заграв фантастичні гітарні партії – ледь чутну на атмосферній “Тройці” та дещо абстрактне на треці “Орел”. Звичайно, я співпрацюю з Джоном у нашому проекті Burnt Belief, але він постійно дивує мене своїми ідеями.

– Чи правда, що під час репетиції на одній з київських студій ви використовували той самий підсилювач (EBS TD650), який був у вас під час Incident Tour з гуртом Porcupine Tree?
– Так! Це доволі весела історія. Справа в тому, що такий підсилювач не так вже й легко знайти. Тож, коли хазяїн студії знайшов мені підсилювач саме цієї фірми, він був страшенно задоволений. Але потім він мені розповів, хто був його попереднім власником… І я зрозумів, що це могла бути тільки одна людина з невеличкої студії у Лондоні – та, у якої я свого часу його і позичив, а потім повернув після завершення туру. Отже, у Києві я використовував саме його…

– Серед ваших проектів є ті, що для вас важливіші за інші?
– Всі однаково важливі. Найкраще ж, коли один проект згодом приводить до іншого. Завдяки цьому я вчусь новому. Часом доводиться встановлювати пріорітети. Але тільки тому, що для презентації якогось проекту з’являється більш слушна нагода. І, окрім того, маю все ж таки лишати час просто на життя. 

– Як ви приймаєте рішення про співправцю з іншими музикантами?
– Я завжди погоджуюся, якщо відчуваю, що робитиму те, чого не робив раніше, щось абсолютно нове. Я люблю себе дивувати. Або погоджуюсь тоді, коли мені подобається музикант і все, що він створює. 

– Назвіть, будь ласка, імена музикантів, які надіхнули і вплинули на вас?
– Джефф Лі, безумовно, сильно вплинув на мене. Коли ми працювали над проектом Ex-Wise Heads, він постійно заохочував мене пробувати нове. Тому для мене таке поняття як “зона комфорту” вже взагалі не існує. Джефф – надзвичайно творча людина і дуже недооцінений виконавець. Взагалі, я надихаюся тими, з ким я вже співпрацював.

– У “Вікіпедії” написано, що ви є прихильником джазу. Хто ваші улюблені джазові музиканти?
– Джаз – широке поняття, але я насолоджуюсь музикою 50-70-х років. Роланд Кірк, Чарльз Мінгус, Майлз Девіс, Ахмад Джамал, Оскар Пітерсон, Грант Грін, Уес Монтгомері. А серед сучасних назву музикантів зі скандинавських країн: Есбйорн Свенссон, Нільс Петтер Молвер, Торд Густавсен, а також представників шведської школи мінімалізму – Нік Бартч, гурт Sonar і моє нещодавнє відкриття – композитор Дон Лі. 

– У якому музичному жанрі ви не погодилися б працювати і чому?
– Нащастя, мені пропонують тільки те, що мені подобається, тому допоки не було нагоди стикнутися з цією проблемою.

Live in Kiev with Astarta

I've never seen my name written in Cyrillic before, but if you're able to read it, then you'll hopefully see from the poster above that I'll be guesting with Ukrainian Folk Duo "Astarta" at Bochka in Kiev, Ukraine on 8th of April 2013. Doors open at 19.30.

I've been steadily working towards making a full length album with Astarta, things have been progressing, and we're well on the way.

There's some great contributions from some fantastic musicians on the material we've been recording, I'll hopefully be sharing all the details before too long, but for now, you can read my previous blog entry about the collaboration, and hear some of the music by clicking here.

Best,

Colin