“Dhumavati” is a collaborative full-length album between Turkish-Polish duo Mahlukat and Bulgarian producer Ivan Shopov. It appears in a world that tries to alienate and separate us from each with each passing day only to prove that it is through art that we can endure and resist whatever reality throws at us. In this shared world, which three musicians from three different corners of the world have managed to create there are no borders, no prejudices, no musical barriers. “Dhumavati” was created and recorded in 10 days and it perfectly conveys its impulsive, intuitive and sincere origin.
However, thanks to its outstanding production, courtesy of Ivan Shopov’s meticulous attention to sound crafting, the album has become not only a documentation of a beautiful and shared experience between him and Mahlukat but into a captivating, next-level musical experience, which will remain in your mind long after the last notes in the record have faded out.
We’ve already established that singer and violinist Güldeste Mamaç, percussionist Kasia Kadłubowska, and electronic producer Ivan Shopov are no strangers to collaboration, so it comes as no surprise that “Dhumavati” welcomes contributions from an array of guest musicians, among which Julian Maier-Hauff (trumpet), Theodosii Spassov (kaval), Evan Hatfield (sitar), Amalgamy (gaida, kaval, gadulka), Peter Hinz (vocals and tabla) and Laila Mahmoud (kanun). Together they expand the record’s musical palette and widen its already vast field of influences, thus allowing the already blurry boundaries between downtempo, world music, folktronica, and cinematic atmospheric music to fully disappear.
Credits:
Güldeste Mamaç – vocals, violin, synth
Kasia Kadłubowska – vocals, hand drum, vibraphone
Ivan Shopov – programming
Special guests:
Theodosii Spassov – kaval flute in Dost Kervanı
Evan Hatfield – sitar in Māyā
Amalgamy – gadulka and bagpipe in Maya and Oceania
Julian Maier-Hauff – trumpet in Aithra
Peter Hinz – vocals in Beyond and tabla in Devana
Laila Mahmoud – kanun in Devana
Arrangement and music by Mahlukat & Ivan Shopov
Recording by Grischa Kursawe
Mixed by Ivan Shopov
Mastering by Ivan Shopov
Artwork by Ivan Shopov
Review by Angel Simitchiev
Released by Etheraudio Records