Search - Irfan :: Irfan

Awesome Bulgarian Folk-Inspired Heavenly Voices Album

M. Mierzwa | Davis, CA USA | 12/28/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"About the Band:

Founded in 2001, Irfan is a Bulgarian heavenly voices / neo-classical band that makes extensive use of a mix of male and female vocals in addition to a host of an assortment of traditional and modern non-electronic instruments including tapan, santoor, ghaida, kaval, duduk, and zurna. Though Irfan is (and justly so) compared to Dead Can Dance, Irfan stands on its own.



The songs are inspired by local Bulgarian and medieval European influences. As one reviewer accurately described: Bulgaria itself is at the cross roads of Europe and the Middle East, and this is really best described the band as well. Irfan prides itself on exploring its own local musical heritage. Many Irfan songs are choral in nature: featuring multiple ghostly male and female vocals. The focus on the band isn't on an individual or two people or even the lyrics of the vocals, but rather the entirety of the music created by the rather large ensemble of artists.



About the Album:

Irfan is the band's first (and at present only) release, though a few songs not included on the release are available on other compilation records. Approximately 50 minutes in length, divided into an 11-minute long opening track followed by 8 tracks that range between 2 and 7 minutes, the album can be easily used to spin for a radio show or at a dance club.



I bought the album months ago after multiple times of amazon recommending it to me, and it has been on my top playlist since. It is hard for me to really suggest that there are just a few stand out tracks, as I honestly enjoy listening to the album start to finish at home, at work, and during my commute between the two. I find the tribal beats and chants to be relaxing. That said, since amazon has provided samples for you to listen to, I'm going to recommend the samples that I feel best fit the album (sometimes amazon's samples cut off interesting parts of tracks).



Recommended Tracks:

- Otkrovenie (female fronted vox)

- Santa Maria (female fronted vox)

- Return to Eden (male and female vox)



Similar Artists:

- Impressions of Winter

- Das Zeichen

- Saraband

- Love Is Colder Than Death

- Moon Far Away

- Dead Can Dance

- Vas



In closing, if you find yourself always looking for bands similar to Dead Can Dance, please hunt down some of the bands I've listed above. Though the heavenly voices genre is not as prolific as many other forms of music, there really are a number of fantastic bands waiting to be (re)discovered! I'm eagerly awaiting their next release! Enjoy! :)"

Balkan Inspired Medieval music at its Best!

John R. Harford | United States | 06/01/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"While the tendency to compare Irfan to Dead Can Dance is nearly insurmountable, I actually find these two acts to be very different.



Dead Can Dance always, to me, seemed to border on pop and adult contemporary. The influences which made DcD so popular I feel in some ways also diluted the ethnic and antique sound. This is not to say I dislike DcD. I do. Very much. But Irfan, to me, is a far more pure beast.



Rooted not only in an abstract interest in the historical, Irfan also draws heavily upon their own cultural roots to create a sonic tapestry that seems genuinely transportative. It is not only the arrangement and instrumentation of the songs - but the *quality* of the vocal style and native origin of the instruments. The training is quite obviously Eastern European (vs. an American or Anglo artist adopting the lyrics and style) and lends to the overall impression that you are listening to something quite old yet quite living.



I've followed medieval music heavily now for several years, and Irfan was a burst of light from the shadows - one of the most pleasant surprises of 2005. I wasn't expecting something *this* good when I was first granted the CD. But I now find myself listening to it quite frequently.



If you are interested in creeping, beautiful, dark and lush sounds of a land steeped in ancient tradition - pick up Irfan. If you are interested in something transportative and beautiful that will make you want to dream, and perhaps even dance - pick up Irfan."

Ifran's excellent debut

spettitt | Texas | 03/30/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ifran's first DVD contains wonderful relaxing music with a Middle-Eastern flare. Unique in their own right but as other have said very reminiscent of Dead Can Dance and Vas. If you like either of those bands then you will enjoy this. My favorite cut from the DVD is Monsalvato, a 10-minute haunting tapestry of interweaving vocals that could easily be twice that long and I still wouldn't get tired of it. Throughout the DVD I have the feeling I've entered a Persian monastery and have been spiritually stirred."