This is Jazzcore, Avant-garde and experimental, genres merging and envelope pusher music, weird for any average, comfortable and conservative listener, but definitively something intriguing and exciting for the people with open mind and open ears, bored of comformities and cliches.
While the album starts quite furiously with a grinding and contorted Tango followed by a genuine Punk classic in the vein of Dead Kennedys twisted into modern contortions and fueled by wildly improvising saxophone solos; the album rides in and out of genres from Post-Rock to Jazz and from Dubstep to Industrial only to quieting down to a Coltrane feel-like Jazzy smooth ballad as a closing act. Anyway, almost like a ballad. With Byzant At Sunset you never can be sure of anything.
An extended play (or EP) is a musical recording that contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full studio album or LP.
This is the second EP by Byzant At Sunset, a double EP actually, but this is really-really an ultra-mega-super extended play while the band delivered 9 original tracks (more then 44 minutes) and 10 plus 1 (hidden bonus) remixes – which are pounding more then 46 minutes.
Totally 95 minutes of music, it’s definitively hell of an extended play!!
The three members of this project are living on different continents, they never been in the same room, not even in the same country ever, but they are playing together. This is an exclusively “via internet” (on-line) collaborative-creative project. One proof of the positive effect and impact of Globalization and technology over humanity. Although they never had the opportunity and pleasure to playing together in the rehearsal room, this music sounds very alive, very fresh, raw and impossible to fit into any genre.
With hundreds of different roots back to classic music, Rock, Punk, Hardcore, Metal, Blues, Jazz, electronic music, and drawing inspiration from thousands of different bands and the flavors of world music, Byzant At Sunset break down walls and boundaries. This is a great blend of class and crass, fragrant aromas and putrid stench, rainbows and razor-blades.
“Of Of” it’s a typical exclamation expressing generally heart-ache, suffering, “blue-heart”, in the Romanian folk music. This was the foundation of another typical Byzant At Sunset flavoured song with in and out twist of elements and vibes and the result it’s a tumultuous, tango flavored ride. FL Byzant plays some heart-ripping-out saxophone lines, while RP Byzant it’s on an improvising rampage. Tango till they’re sore (while the boys all go to hell)!
OSPIND – in other words “Old School Punk Is Not Dead”. Written originally by RP Byzant as a birthday song and surprise gift to AB Byzant, this version takes a different path by the involvement of AB Byzant and FL Byzant. Introducing some modern sounds and electronic, even a few Dubstep flavored breakdowns, this became another burning bridge with solid roots back to the 80′s Hardcore Punk, but boldly looking into the future. Noisy and raw, this is Punk motherf?ckers!
“Bang Ur Head” was subsequently rebuild and re-arranged since 2006 when it was originally written. Its current form keep the gloomy Gothic vibe of the original concept with some heavy contorted wobbling basses and an extremely loud and vivid chorus with blowing saxophone and smartly layered guitars on a very upbeat rhythmic build-up. The powerful contrast it’s one of the Byzant’s favorite games!
“(Car Bombs for) Carlos” it’s a colorful, fusion flavored blast with roots back to Patton’s Mr. Bungle and Zorn’s Moonchild Trio. Still, this is so bizarre and Byzant simultaneously! Impossible to label or forced it into a strict genre, this is a blow-you-away type of ride through different styles and vibes while its groove remains fluid throughout. 7 minutes where Jazz meets Industrial, Punk meets Dubstep, Hardcore meets 60′s mystery movie score. But who the f?ck it’s Carlos??! A committed Marxist-Leninist, Ramírez Sánchez (born October 12, 1949), also known as Carlos the Jackal, is widely regarded as one of the most famous political terrorists of his era.
“Emo Number Five [Bitches And Bruises]” was a full electronic dance track. This band version changed its vibe and groove and electronic layers are merged smoothly with live instruments, programmed drums and samplers are smoothly balanced by guitars and saxophone. This is not a club banger anymore and not a Jazz standard yet, but another Byzant flavored joyride into future Cyber-Punk-Jazz.
“Morpheus” led us into the world of poly-rhythms with vivid Jazz and African spices. A song written and arranged by RP Byzant with an extremely intense tension pounding throughout. World Music got a totally different meaning with this one.
“In Dub We’re Lost (The Anti[-Punk] Song)” was build upon a left-over saxophone track recorded initially for RP Byzant’s Punk song. AB Byzant re-edited the saxophone, add some odd guitar effects on and write a brand new song around it. What’s starting as an almost chill, modern slow song (but not a ballad!) turns into a classy Punk gallop then ends into a contorted, grinding Dubstep breakdown. No restrictions, no limits, and never surrender!
“Bang Ur Head[ache] (alternative take)” have an almost similar story as “In Dub We’re Lost”. This is not a remix although, but a reiteration of the original on a different bit rate and pushing the vibe in a more adventurous direction.
“Byzant At Christmas [2012]” it’s a beautiful, chilling, Jazzy wandering. Almost can feel the snowflakes slipping on your cheeks. This one it’s dedicated to Tibor Blaga (9/6/1941-16/11/2012). Rest In Peace!
And well, if this wasn’t enough, we’ve still got 11 banger, grinding into the floor remixes delivered by ALBM, Carda, DaveDaG, JohnnySix, Meecrob, mSelv, Prafu, Richard Walker, Ultraglow, The ?uestion Mark, all outstanding members and artists/producers from the Indaba Music community.
Not at least, if you consider 4$ it’s too much to support the artists, still can grab for free one by one the remixes!
Marry X-Mass f*ckers! Bang Ur Head!!
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