Aranos: "Making Love in small spaces" CD contains 10 songs of startling originality. Echoes of Kurt Weill and Bertold Brecht are evident as well as East European Gypsy influences, with some visits to Republica Electronica and Music Concrete scrapyard. Album powers on for over 60 minutes with relentless energy through some unusual sounds and rhythms. Themes ranging from Russian invasion, in "Russian Tanks", religious scepticism in "Confessions", cruel laugh at conformity in "Steady Job" complete with bizarre oscillating feedback, wah wah squeaking violin and bleating flock of sheep and lambs evidently on the way to an abattoir. "Never so Good" celebrates life on dole or "Welfare Disneyland" with orgasmic moans. Story of a suicidal depressive "Nervous Breakdown" - Bulgarian style harmonies and wild rhythms embellished by heavy metal style distorted violin solos unexpectedly dissolve into a jazz meandering piano. "Likes Me Too" young idealistic love floats in trippy clicks, clangs and hoots with a repetitive dreamy bamboo flute motive. Vampirical lust and submission reverberates in "Black Eyes", while "Beams of Sunshine" exhales boundless optimism carried on a stream of gongs and oriental percussion.
All instruments played and noises sang and produced by Aranos / except for bleating of sheep on "Steady Job".
Note: tha address on cd is no longer valid. to contact aranos: www.brainwashed.com/aranos
Aranos (pronounced aranyosh) was born in Bohemia (now a part of Czech Republic). He has performed as a singer and instrumentalist since the age of 8 in folk ensembles, jazz bands, rock groups, gypsy bands, ceilidh bands and as a solo artist. Written and composed in various styles from classical music to rock.
He has performed and composed in dissident theatres in former Czechoslovakia. Aranos sings and plays violin, viola, cello, bass, guitar, mandolin, piano, keyboards, banjo, Chinese and Japanese flutes, santoor, drums, percussion, etc.
Aranos has recorded Traditional Irish, East European, gypsy and folk albums and CDs. Recently concentrating on experimental electro acoustic music mostly recorded in his own 24 track recording studio and released in Great Britain and France.
Aranos has written soundtracks to videos and fllms as well as theatre e.g. Spell of the Megamall: a multimedia production with Theatre Omnibus and Disabled People of Clare and Spirit: an experimental electro acoustic tone poem mini opera in collaboration with a renown writer and poet Max Hafler.
In live shows Aranos plays violin and sings with a backing he recorded himself, performing East European gypsy music and song and compositions from his recent CDs. For a video of a live performance along with a personal interview, see the visuals section on www.brainwashed.com
Aranos collaborates on a regular basis with Steven Stapleton of Nurse With Wound, David Tibet and Current 93, and has recorded albums with Jon Mueller and Chris Rosenau of Pele/Collections of Colonies of Bees and Crouton and El Monte (Nick Mott of Volcano the Bear).
Pieros is his own small record label, however, he has releases on Soleilmoon, Beta-Lactam Ring Records, Brainwashed, Crouton, Klanggalerie, Noise Museum, and United Dairies.
Read more...