References:
Dead can Dance, Azam Ali, Le mystères des voix bulgares...
October 2007 - 9 Titles (digipack)
The most authentic album of the Bulgarian band. 5 years after their first
album, discover a powerful mystic sound from Bulgaria. The exceptional
voice of Denitza Seraphimova is amazing, reminding Lisa Gerrard or Azam
Ali's oriental songs. Between Bulgarian ancient folklore, oriental mystic
sing, Balkan choirs and sacred music, Irfan astonishes with brilliant
and melodic compositions. A new great band borns!
9 Tracks: 1.Simurgh - 2.Invocatio - 3.Hagia Sophia - 4.Vernal Garden -
5. Fei - 6.Los Ojos de la Mora - 7. Star of the winds - 8.Invocatio II
- 9. Return to Outremer
References:
Dead can Dance, Arcana, Le mystères des voix bulgares...
December 2003 - 9 Titles (digipack)
IRFAN has been discovered and acclaimed on Fairy World vol 1. This bulgarian
band is our great revelation for 2003. The music blends balkanic intruments,
percussions, strong male voices/chorus and a wonderful female voice. The
music is reminiscent of DEAD CAN DANCE/LISA GERRARD, SARBAND, SOEUR MARIE
KEIROUZ, LE MYSTERE DES VOIX BULGARES. 9 tracks for a masterpiece.
"During
the autumn 2001, Ivailo, Kalin and Kiril met together around a same idea,
a musical and video project. In 2002, the female singer Denitza joined
the band, and that was the begining of the 'Irfan' band (in Arabic "gnosis""mystical
knowledge". Our interest for arts, philosophy, theology, history
and ethnology binds us in Irfan music. Our music became a message, a trip
through and out of time, out of words and letters that one could uncerstand
with his heart."
Irfan
is a Bulgarian Ethereal wave, World and Medieval music band that was founded
in 2001. The band's name is borrowed from the Sufi terminology and can
be translated from Persian and Arabic as “gnosis”, “mystic
knowledge” or “revelation”. Irfan’s music is an invitation
for a mystical trip in and beyond time, a message, poetically extended
in the language of the heart.
World reviews are hesitant about the genre categorization of Irfan’s
music, determining it as Neoclassical / World Music / Sacred Music / Ethereal
Music / Heavenly voices. Irfan’s music is strongly influenced by
the sacred and folk music traditions of Bulgaria, the Balkans, Persia,
Caucasus, the Middle East and North Africa, as well as by the musical
and spiritual heritage of Byzantium and Medieval Europe, yet it retains
its own original sound. The musicians use traditional (Bulgarian, Balkan,
Oriental, Persian, Indian) and medieval European instruments and vocal
techniques from the same regions and historical periods, skilfully woven
into a delicate electronic sound. Irfan is also known for its extensive
use of a choir of strong male vocals in addition to the ethereal and mystic
female vocals of the talented singer Denitza Seraphimova in combination
with an assortment of traditional and medieval string, wind and percussive
instruments including the oud, saz, santoor, viola da gamba, tambura,
duduk, darbouka, daf, bendir, zarb and riq.
Irfan was founded as a side project of musicians from Bulgarian bands
like “Isihia”, “Om” and “Zarathustra”, but
soon it became a new, independent and promising music team. The band was
first signed by the French label “Prikosnovénie” and
made its debut appearance on “Prikosnovénie”'s Fairy
World compilation of various medieval and heavenly voices bands in 2003.
“Prikosnovénie” declared the Bulgarians as the “discovery
and revelation for 2004”. Ifran's debute (self-titled) album was
also released in Europe that same year by "Prikosnovénie",
and released in North America by “Noir Records” in 2005. Several
recently released compilations include new and unreleased songs by Irfan,
which appeared along with tracks by artists like Loreena Mckennitt, Stellamara,
Qntal and Estampie.
Recently the band finished its second album ("Seraphim") for
the French label “Prikosnovenie” that is going to be released
simultaneously in Europe and in North America (through the US label “Noir
Records”) in October 2007. In the summer of 2006 the singer Denitza
Seraphimova gave birth to her child and is currently devoted to motherhood.
Since then Irfan is working with a new vocalist - the Bulgarian traditional
(folklore) singer Vladislava Todorova (http://myspace.com/vladislavavlada)
with whom the band performed in its recent concerts. In 2003-2006 Irfan
toured and performed live in Switzerland, France and Bulgaria.
Would you like to introduce us the band with your
history?
In the very beginning Irfan was planed to be a side project of Ivaylo
Petrov(solo artist at that moment), Kiril Bakardjiev(from the band “Zaratustra”
at that moment) and Kalin Yordanov (from the band “Isihia” at
that moment).It was ment to be an experimental audio and video project,
but when we met with Denitza Seraphimova ( from the band “Om”
at that time) and started to record the song “Monsalvato” with
her in February 2002, the real Irfan band was to be born. Soon each one
of us left his previous projects and bands and we began to create our
music in this very new project.
Can you tell us about the songs of the new album?
Our second album will be quite different. A lot of oriental moods and
flavours from one side, and lot’s of medieval sensibility on the
other, but in a new and quite different way.
How do you manage the compositive process?
The four of us are equally involved in it.
What kind of music you are shooting for?
We collect and listen to a lot of world music, early music, jazz, industrial,
new and dark wave, ambient and electronic music and even hardcore.
In the album there are a lot of folk/traditional
influences, can you tell us more about your interest in folk music?
We’re quite connected to the Bulgarian folklore traditions, but also
have a deep interest to those of the Balkans, Asia Minor, Caucasus , Near
East, Central Asia , North Africa , Northern Europe, Central and North
America. We believe that those disappearing traditional cultures are the
last surviving elements the spirit of the old sensibility and view of
life, of the old, archaic models of thinking, ethics and behaviour. That
is why we’re so much interested in exploring it.
Listening to your music I've found also a lot of
spirituality and I believe that this is an important key to understand
your musical project,can you tell me more about?
We believe that the composing and performing music is a spiritual act.
In the medieval art of the eastern Christianity, every act of the artist
was thought to be a spiritual action in which the artist/composer was
just a vehicle and a mediator of the supernatural message. That is why
most of the authors were anonymous.
How important is for you the spiritual aspect of life? Would you like
to tell us more about your beliefs?
For us, life without it’s spiritual aspect is quite senseless. It’s
like an empty form without a content…
Do you have a philosophy?
Your vision of the world is...…that it is an interesting place to
live in…
What kind of response are you experiencing from
the audience to your music?
We hope that the wordless message of our music will reach the hearts of
the people that are going to listen to our album.
How have you get in touch with the label Prikosnovenie?
We like the style and the line of this label, that is why we’ve sent
them a demo with our first songs. They liked it and invited us to participate
in their label compilation “Fairy world Vol. I “. And after
that came the contract.
Which artists have inspired you most?
There are lot’s of different artists from the Antiquity to the present
days that have inspired us. But you probably are asking about the music
composers and performers Here’s just some of them(past and contemporary):
Ioan Kukuzel, Hildegard von Bingen, Kassia , Jaufre Rudel de Blaye, Walther
von der Vogelweide, Alfonso X El Sabio, Luis del Mila, Alonso Mudarra
, John Dawland etc.; Luis Delgado, Soeur Marie Keyrouz, Jordi Savall,
Jan Garbarek, Mari Boine, Brendan Pery and Lisa Gerrard, Susan Deyhim,
Anouar Brahem, Hector Zazou , Vas, Denez Prigent, Madredeus, Massive Attack,
Depeche mode , Ministry, Faith no more, Coil , Swans , Bill Laswell etc.
What is the music scene like in your country today?
The Bulgarian music scene is a pure reflection of a post-communist Balkan
society in a hard period of passage and transition…
What we can expect from Irfan for the future?
A second album from the label Prikosnovenie, and let’s hope a little
European tour.
.
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