Artist: Aritmija
Label: Celinka
Release: 2010
Duration: 40:23
Rating: 4/5
Aritmija, who put out the excellent studio debut »Gonilna sila« in 2007, recorded a live set as a sextet at Celinka’s Godi Bodi festival on April 16, 2009, and released it as »Live«! Whatever the title says, it’s almost more fitting to call this the band’s second proper album. Why? Even though it was played live, it has five tracks that appear on neither the debut »Gonilna sila« nor the follow-up album »Ulica« (2012).
Aritmija, now a duo built around guitarists Tilen Stepišnik and Šemsudin Đopa – the original pairing from when Aritmija was born in 2002 – delivered a truly masterful performance at Godi Bodi. »Live« continues the musical direction of »Gonila sila«, while also fascinating with the sharpness of some entirely new ideas that were only realized on this album. From the opener Za Aritmijo, which instantly and aptly sums up the band’s unified creative point, all the way to the closing, ferociously energetic and furiously white-hot Gonilna sila, this is an album that will captivate everyone open to the musical thrill of shocking otherness.
Aritmija stay on course, blending ethno elements of Balkan traditional music and rhythms with jazz-bent passages (e.g. the Macedonian-flavored Piperkovo oro). The jazz side flares up especially in the solo improvisation spots, while quite a few moments stay open on the album to a gritty rock guitar approach (Gonilna sila). The lead melodies, floating above the playfulness of the rhythm section, are often doubled in the lines of Vasilij Centrih’s violin and Tilen Stepišnik’s electric guitar (Ckonje, Gonilna sila, Frustracija).
This album is also special in that the structure of the tracks is beefed up with extra percussion, which effectively enriches the basic rhythmic textures of the drums. The opener Za Aritmijo pulls you into that experience right away, with only percussion carrying the basic rhythm of this light, playful yet exuberantly sunny number. Percussion is present everywhere on the album, but it lends special weight to tracks like Lepa Vida in the middle of the album.
Some moments on the album carry a larger dose of experimental mischief that can’t be squeezed into any pigeonhole at all. A perfect example is Frustracija (originally released already on »Gonilna sila«), where the doubled melody of violin and electric guitar whips up a true rondo of Gypsy-Irish circus antics (The Dubliners would prick up their ears)!
Trča djeva stands out from the rest of the material thanks to its female vocal. The track lacks nothing in terms of the vocal performance, it’s just that the instrumental section bows so deeply to the lead role of the vocal that the essence of Aritmija is literally smothered at this point. Let’s hope that in the future Aritmija steer clear of vocal numbers. The language of Aritmija is the language of music, spoken first and foremost by instruments. And in that sphere Aritmija have already managed to carve out their own one-of-a-kind musical expression, one in which vocals are absolutely superfluous.
The sound production is genuine and authentic. Standing out across this whole landscape is also the warm, soft and dynamic figure of Janez Moder’s bass playing, which, just like in his main band Moonlight Sky, deftly fills the available space with extra movement in the lines, hitting an excellent balance of playful complexity and melodic appeal, and adding that special jazz-fusion touch to the performance of the tracks.
»Live« is an album that demanding listeners must have at home. At the same time, it’s worth stressing that Aritmija aren’t demanding to listen to. Despite the complex playing, the upper hand goes to compact, clearly crafted lead motifs, which the whole band deftly grabs hold of every time they come back from a solo breakaway in the middle of a track. That’s why »Live« never picks up any »fragmenting« quality, instead flowing through the ear smoothly and instantly receptive. Exuberant, light, spirited and bouncy. Aritmija’s strength is that alongside the thrilling complex playing, they keep an exceptional level of listenability, which means the guys killed two birds with one stone. If you pull that off, you’re primed to be embraced by a wider audience. And since you’ve got both these aces in your pocket, it means you’ve kept your eclectic face. And Arimtija is exactly that. Yet another one-of-a-kind phenomenon from the sunny side of the Alps.
Lineup
Tilen Stepišnik – electric, acoustic guitar
Šemsudin Džopa – acoustic guitar
Janez Moder – electric and fretless bass guitar
Goran Radovanović – tarabuka, cajon
Vasilij Centrih – violin
Bor Zakonjšek – drums, classical guitar on track no. 1
GUEST MUSICIAN:
Maša Pašović – vocals on track no. 7
Production
Gregor Zemljič & Aritmija
Tracklist
1. Za Aritmijo
2. Devetka
3. Piperkovo oro
4. Ckonje
5. Lepa Vida
6. Frustracija
7. Trča djeva
8. Gonilna sila
