Hot Blood

Argirov, Yasko
Dunya
World | Jul 2002

Reviews

Fo
Reviewed 2002-07-24
YASKO ARGIROV – Hot Blood

Dunya, 2002

BULGARIA – Crazy Bulgarian folk music from a quintet led by Yasko’s clarinet and Slavko Argirov’s accordion (no, they’re not brothers!) Fans of this style, with its hyperspeed tempos, staccato rhythms, bouncy basslines, and sense of gleeful abandon will not be disappointed. Yasko doesn’t have the insane chops of an Ivo Papasov, but this is pretty good stuff nonetheless. Fun let-your-hair-down music.

RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 2, 6, 8, 11

01. 2:47 – medley: fast percolation, then a sort of beerhall thing, then back again
02. 3:46 – squirrelly Turkish-style melody; nice clarinet solo over stuck-groove vamps
03. 8:11 – improvisation on a folksong: long intro leads into a sinuous dance, then intensifies
04. 4:16 – a slightly drunken and very catchy/silly dance tune, with an almost Latin feel to it
05. 4:26 – Turkish dance for sax/keyboard/drums; has a rigid beat and a sort of swagger
06. 4:13 – accordion intro, then perky Thracian melody; wacky round of breathless solos
07. 2:44 – extra-bouncy; reminds me just a little bit of Mexican music (must be the bassline)
08. 2:45 – middle-eastern style warbling vocals and a propulsive, flowing rhythm
09. 5:02 – melancholy clarinet over synth drone, then relatively mellow bouncy stuff
10. 2:16 – just like #9, only it’s the accordion’s turn (and it’s more medium-tempo)
11. 4:37 – quiet clarinet/accordion duet jumps into a very happy Serbian drinking tune

[Fo] - 7/24/02

Recent airplay

Smeseno Horo
Mais non peut-etreMar 06, 2003
Smeseno Horo
At the Cafe BohemianOct 29, 2002
Smeseno Horo
At the Cafe BohemianOct 08, 2002
Trakiska Raceniza
No Cover, No MinimumOct 01, 2002
Trakiska Raceniza
At the Cafe BohemianSep 24, 2002
Turkish Dance
the jewish alternativeSep 24, 2002

Charting

2002-08-26 — 2002-10-28 Reggae/World
Week EndingAirplays
Oct 13 1
Oct 6 1
Sep 29 2
Sep 22 1
Sep 15 3

Track listing

1. Smeseno Horo
2. Turkish Dance
3. Tamba
4. Pazargisko Horo
5. Khiocek
6. Trakiska Raceniza
7. Shopsko Horo
8. Gorbet
9. Maicina Taga
10. Kasapsko
11. Srapsko Kolo