By Nick Mee
Discovered via Musosoup
Newly released, Dhumavati is an album born of a collaboration between prolific Bulgarian producer/composer Ivan Shopov and Germany-based Turkish/Polish duo Mahlukat. Their music is a fascinating and many-layered fusion, as you might expect from such a cultural mashup. Employing a multitude of styles loosely focused around percussive downtempo, folktronica, Turkish psych and Eastern harmony, this album also unites several talented instrumentalists – sitar, tabla, saxophone and kaval flute players among them.
So many disparate influences could be a recipe for a racket but, at the skilled hands of Ivan Shopov, this mix of digital and traditional sounds logical and contemporary. It’s tough to pick specific highlights, but the singles have been well chosen: the emotive ‘Leyla’ sets the tone with a stirring violin refrain and fluid percussion from Mahlukat’s Kasia Kadlubowska; while the jazzy beats of ‘Maya’ are enveloped in vibraphone, Evan Hathfield’s probing sitar, and the haunting tones of a Bulgarian stringed instrument called a gadulka, before Güldeste Mamac’s vocal elevates proceedings further.
I fired off a few questions to Ivan and Mahlukat’s Güldeste about what brought them together, their experiences on the road and what their dream gigs would be.
LITM: Congratulations on releasing ‘Dhumavati’. It’s a lovely fusion of so many styles and has been superbly played and produced. How did this collaboration come about?
Güldeste Mamac: In the summer of 2020, I was travelling from island to island. One day by chance, I came across Ivan’s music at a friend’s house. At that moment, I felt a strong wish to make music with him. The following winter, in the city we live in, Mannheim, Germany, the Planet Ears Festival online residency programme was published, where Kasia and I could create music with an artist living in another country for a week – I immediately found Ivan’s number and called. He responded very amiably and with great sincerity. We realised from the first moment that our aesthetic and what we understand from music fitted perfectly.
During our residency week, me and Kasia were recording in Mannheim. We had a couple of songs. One was traditional, the other we’d composed – our first single, ‘Leyla’. While we were recording those tracks, we improvised other things. Sometimes we recorded the melodies and harmonies over the beats given by Ivan, and sometimes we were freely improvising and sending him what we had.
Ivan Shopov: It was really nice meeting these talented and passionate musicians. Despite the distance, we managed to develop a special bond that helped us create all this music. I was happy to hear from Güldeste about the ideas she had for a collaboration and to start creating our music together. I love working with musicians who use their imagination to build ideas without fear, while improvising and moving freely between genres. I have a lot of experience working with performing artists, but it was the first time I worked with the sound of a violin, hand drum and vibraphone. I loved the way those sounds blended with each other, and it was really inspiring to merge them into the electronic beats and atmospheres.
Where did you record the album? Given the number of musicians involved, it must have been a demanding process.
Güldeste: Definitely! Ivan worked meticulously on the production. We were able to deal with everything calmly because of the value we give to each other and our art, despite the narrow time factor. Ivan loves to connect people burning for music, he brought us all together with great openness and the result was an album full of light.
Ivan: The recordings for the album took place in Mannheim, Germany, while I was in the countryside in Bulgaria (my Covid safe place). I was sending demos and loops to Güldeste and Kasia and they were recording lots of different takes and ideas on top. Then I was adding the recorded material to the demos and developing the songs from there. Some of the tracks changed completely from demo to released version, but this is a standard procedure when you have to complete the whole vision for the album.
After all the recordings with Mahlukat were done, I wanted to extend the sound palette of the record by adding more instruments. That’s how we came to the idea of inviting guest musicians and we got in touch with some long-time collaborators and also new people we’d never worked with before. When all the recordings were in place, we sat down with the girls and made a huge list of notes on what had to be done and changed. After all the details were cleared, it was a nice feeling to have it right on all levels.
One for Mahlukat: when did you first start making music together?
Güldeste: In summer 2015. I had just returned from India with my violin and Kasia from Israel with her frame drum. We were living together in Stuttgart. After a spring when I didn’t leave my room for months, studied the violin and internalised classical Indian music, I composed ‘Zula’. It’s a composition with amazing rhythms. I asked Kasia to join me and play the frame drum on ‘Zula’. From that day, we’ve been on the road together.
What’s the music scene like in Mannheim/Sofia at the moment? Any artists we should be aware of?
Güldeste: Ah, definitely! The first name that comes to mind is Dominik Fürstberger, who is a close friend. He is an excellent producer and drummer with a very sharp mind and a big heart. I strongly recommend you listen to all the projects he’s involved in.
Ivan: Sofia is really boiling with new talents and new music projects are emerging on a regular basis. You should check out the Bulgarian label Stereo Fox, which is providing some of the highest-quality downtempo music these days. Also the Bulgarian ambient label Amek – on which I have several releases – and artists like Boyan, Evitceles, Cyberian, Nocktern, Niandraz and many more.
You’ve both toured across Europe and elsewhere in the world. What was your favourite venue or gig
Güldeste: Every concert is special, to be honest, but my favourites were in Klil, Israel and Freiburg’s Tamburi Mundi Festival in Germany.
Ivan: There are too many good places, but I can’t forget playing in San Diego with Avigeya at the amazing Kuker Festival during our US tour back in 2019. Also, my show in Mexico City at a huge church that was turned into a venue, fully mapped with visuals.
And what’s the strangest gig you’ve ever done?
Güldeste: I have a bad memory when it comes to the strangest things!
Ivan: Too many of those, too, but once I played in an old prison turned into a venue in Tallin, Estonia. That was a pretty weird experience.
Finally, what would be your dream venue to play and who else would be on the bill?
Güldeste: Festivals, especially Womex and Fusion, and the North Sea and Montreux jazz festivals. Bimhuis in Amsterdam is one of the places I definitely want to have a show one day. Petter Eldh and Ibrahim Maalouf would be on my bill at the moment.
Ivan: I’d love to play Exit again, Lollapalooza, Electric Forest, Red Rocks, Supersonic Airwaves, Sonar and many more. It would be a dream come true to play alongside Jon Hopkins, Tycho, Olafur Arnalds, Nils Frahm, Flume, Tipper…
Dhumavati is out now [https://etheraudiorecords.bandcamp.com/album/dhumavati]