KATARINA II - "KATARINA II" (1984)

This is Ekatarina Velika's debut album, released when the band was still called Katarina II.
It is a transitional work, that sounds a bit like Šarlo Akrobata (but without their experimental tension), and a bit like Ekatarina Velika's atmospheric efforts (but without their epicness). Still, it contains some great post-punk songs and Milan's voice is majestic.

Milan Mladenović - lead vocals, guitar
Dragomir Mihajlović - guitar
Bojan Pečar - bass guitar

Margita Stefanović - keyboards, vocals

Ivan Vdović - drums, percussion

DOWNLOAD (kbps: 320)

DAMIR IMAMOVIĆ'S SEVDAH TAKHT - "DVOJKA" (2016)

Damir Imamović - vocals, tambur
Ivana Đurić - violin
Nenad Kovačić - percussion
Ivan Mihajlović - electric bass 

Damir Imamović is a Bosnian folk singer and part of the sevdalinka current. Sevdalinka is considered by some the Balkan equivalent of blues, which is obviously a simplification, given the complexity and diversity of this musical phenomenon.

Produced by Chris Eckman, from American slowcore band Walkabouts, this is the new album of Imamović's project Sevdah Takht. 
Imamović is changing the face of sevdalinka, by removing its most important instrument (the accordion) and adding alien elements (a jazzy electric bass, Africa-influenced percussion, dark sounding violin melodies, and Western indie music atmospheres).
It is indeed one of the most beautiful, important, and better played folk albums of the last few years.

P.S. Damir's grandfather, Zaim, was already one of the biggest names in the history of sevdalinka (he contributed to its popularisation in the postwar period).

DOWNLOAD (kbps: 320)