Waitapu is a band from my hometown Čakovec, and I personally know some of the guys from the band for many years, because we hung together and shared the stages with their previous bands which are now not important for this story. This is their new album and they are playing twisted and different music than I am used to listening. I would not like to stray into some frame for their music because it is not possible to put it in some boundaries, but the guys in the band like to describe their music as a mix of bass music, dub, guitar psychodelic parts and electronic soundscapes mixed with samples. I will do a different review this time and try to put in words the feelings and impressions that this album had on me while listening track by track. Here we go:
1.Oglas-the track I liked because it is based upon sample of a guy with drum that used to yell informations on the main village sqaures in the last century while there was no internet, newspapers and phones were scarce. It is mixed with rolling rythm, some weird electronic backgrounds and it was a pleasure to my ears. I could imagine some dirty main village fair or square filled with people listening to the informations while the wind rolls dirt and coldness through their bones.
2.Twisted Choban-nice title, but the song never got to me unfortunately until the last part when it reminded me on some dark and weird electro club in East Berlin. I felt somehow disturbed by this song, like it violently enters my body and my most intimate thoughts. A bit shorter song than the rest of the material.
3.Chrom Dioxid-a bit too psychodelic for my own good. This song passed me by like it doesnt exist.
4.Deca, moja deca-Let me tell you about the dream I used to dream. I dreamt that I was flying in the wind and passing like a ghost over Međimurje(the region that I live in), through the thick branches on the rivers Mura and Drava coast, across tha barren fields and then I flew over Hungarian steppe while night wind carresses my face. It was one of the most wonderful and intense dreams that I had. This song reminds me off that dream. The first half sounds like some atmospheric reggae and then it melodywise becomes an hommage to Teta Liza( legendary etno singer from Međimurje county) and her song whose title is also the title of this track. Nice, this track is for sure in my opinion the highlight of this album.
5.Cat Under A Helmet-I love samples. Always have, I think that they only enrich the song and make it somehow more mysterious, more interesting to listen. This track is full of samples from the same titled Croatian World War Two movie/tv series which was based upon the novel by Joža Horvat(1915.-2012.), famous writer and adventurer from Međimurje. Horvat was a very good friend of my late grandfather and used to visit my grandparents a lot when I was a kid, so I had an honour to meet him a couple of times. This track is very long and it leans on electronics heavily, I think that this is how the future of etno music will look like one day. I love it when the beat turns to the rythm similar to industrial electronic stuff. One more highlight of the album for sure.
6.Jeux-More reggae rythmic song based upon an interaction between bass lines, psycho guitar and rolling drums. I dont know, it was weird, while listening to the main theme, melody of the song I imagine some rooster showing off in the yard in front of other animals. King of the village yard, indeed!
7.Safe Zone-The beginning of this song almost somehow comforted me, lulled me into some safe place inside my head that only I know of. It brought within me a feeling that I am hidden somewhere safe from some hidden threat. Remi from Elemental performed guest vocals in this song in a very unusual and interesting way when I think of the music she normally does with her band. I dont like the spacy sound effects in the end of this song though.
8.Chapter Zero-This one has a very dark beginning mixed with some dub/reggae structure and electro stuff. I dare say that the drums have a very important role in this song and for the moment electronic parts reminded me on vocals, like doing vocal lines without the human vocalist. Probably my imagination running wild. It also has some parts that sound almost metal to me, or sludgy to put it better.
What should I say in the end? I am not a fan of such music and probably will never be but listening to this album was an interesting mental experience. For me it is not the music that I would listen to on a daily basis, because my taste lies on the other end of the spectrum, namely hardcore punk. I must congratulate the guys on their courage in exploring the sound seas and creating something different. I saw them live a couple of times and their gigs worked differently on me, depending on the mood. For all of you who like to listen such music, or simply would love to meditate and hear something interesting reach out to the guys and support them by buying their album and drop them a word or two if you liked it.
7/10
https://pdvrecords.bandcamp.com/album/hortus
https://hr-hr.facebook.com/waitapu.bassonic/
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