Not sure why folks are rating this low – just because its Bulgarian folk music and they don’t like Bulgarian folk music? As far as Bulgarian folk music goes – its great. Is it something I want to hear at the club? Nope, but I can’t review this on any other terms other than it being Bulgarian folk and for that it gets 5 stars. I dunno, maybe I’m biased being a Humanities teacher, but any chance I get for free music that’s beyond the norm, I grab and enjoy.
Rating: 5 / 5
I downloaded this collection on a whim, having remembered a track from Don Ellis called “Bulgarian Bulge” – it was in 33/16 (that’s 3 beats to a measure) with a bridge in 36, based on Bulgarian folk tunes.
This collection is indeed the same kind of thing – off-kilter, uneven rhythms, going by so fast that they’re (for me) impossible to count. They definitely betray their folk-tune tradition in that they *feel* very danceable, even if the dancing would be in pretty uneven steps. Think of Russian folk music with little bits chopped out and spliced back in again every once in a while – but these folks are playing it live!
If you’re looking for something a little different and definitely unlike any other musical tradition, give this one a shot.
Rating: 4 / 5
I found songs 2 and 4 to be pleasant; the rest seemed frenetic, insistent, or whiny, whether instrumental or not. Worth trying, especially since it’s a free sampler!
Rating: 3 / 5
Bulgarian folk music, I would guess. Lots of instrumental.
None of it was particularly catching. I kept maybe 5 songs out of the album, but for the album as a whole my overall impression is that it’s kind of annoying to listen to. And I love world music.
Free downloads are great to try music out and get a few songs from here and there — that’s what I recommend with this album if you can still get it for free. If not, I advise looking elsewhere.
Rating: 2 / 5
Not sure why folks are rating this low – just because its Bulgarian folk music and they don’t like Bulgarian folk music? As far as Bulgarian folk music goes – its great. Is it something I want to hear at the club? Nope, but I can’t review this on any other terms other than it being Bulgarian folk and for that it gets 5 stars. I dunno, maybe I’m biased being a Humanities teacher, but any chance I get for free music that’s beyond the norm, I grab and enjoy.
Rating: 5 / 5
I downloaded this collection on a whim, having remembered a track from Don Ellis called “Bulgarian Bulge” – it was in 33/16 (that’s 3 beats to a measure) with a bridge in 36, based on Bulgarian folk tunes.
This collection is indeed the same kind of thing – off-kilter, uneven rhythms, going by so fast that they’re (for me) impossible to count. They definitely betray their folk-tune tradition in that they *feel* very danceable, even if the dancing would be in pretty uneven steps. Think of Russian folk music with little bits chopped out and spliced back in again every once in a while – but these folks are playing it live!
If you’re looking for something a little different and definitely unlike any other musical tradition, give this one a shot.
Rating: 4 / 5
I found songs 2 and 4 to be pleasant; the rest seemed frenetic, insistent, or whiny, whether instrumental or not. Worth trying, especially since it’s a free sampler!
Rating: 3 / 5
Bulgarian folk music, I would guess. Lots of instrumental.
None of it was particularly catching. I kept maybe 5 songs out of the album, but for the album as a whole my overall impression is that it’s kind of annoying to listen to. And I love world music.
Free downloads are great to try music out and get a few songs from here and there — that’s what I recommend with this album if you can still get it for free. If not, I advise looking elsewhere.
Rating: 2 / 5