A year and a half has passed since Slovak-Hungarian artist Adela Mede self-released her debut album ‘Szabadság’. Its liner notes described it as “a navigation”, a search through “the personal, familial, cultural, folkloric and geographic of her past and present.” Her second album, ‘Ne Lépj a Virágra’ no longer searches; here, she puts down roots and delves deeper into the earthy reality of her home, Central Europe. Mede sings in three languages with newfound conviction and grace – this is an album of profound faith and confidence in the potential of this fertile soil.

Composed and recorded during the last 18 months in Bratislava, Slovakia – a city where three countries meet, where the East and the West collide – 'Ne Lépj a Virárga' translates to “don't step on the flower”. Its themes – budding potential, recognizing the beauty in the ordinary, solidarity, turning despair into hope – emerged through Mede's wholehearted involvement with her community, teaching singing to both children and adults, and various grassroots volunteering initiatives. It features collaborations with local artists, Mede's singing students, as well as fellow Eastern European contemporary artists Martyna Basta and Wojciech Rusin.

Adela Mede embellishes carefully crafted songs with minimalist and folklore influences, but also embraces more experimental approaches. The result is a collection of quite varied yet consistent pieces which highlight Mede's proficiency as a singer, arranger, producer and improviser. It is a grounded, confident next step for the Bratislava-based artist. Whether her vocals are naked, heavily processed, warped and reversed, or looped and layered; whether the production is sparse and minimalist or overwhelming and swampy; none of that changes the fact that the gentle tentativeness of her debut is gone. This is “Central European music”, at its most striking and meaningful: patient, determined, embracing both complexity and possibility. 





Released by mappa as (MAP046) and Warm Winters Ltd. (WW033) in 2023
warmwintersltd.bandcamp.com

Written, produced and performed by Adela Mede
adelamede.bandcamp.com

Accordion by Jakub Smiček
Vocals on track 7 by Marta Canderle

Mixed by Adela Mede & Adam Badí Donoval
Mastered by Amir Shoat

Artwork & photography by Kvet Nguyen
kvetnguyen.com
Design by Aurélia Garová
cargocollective.com/aurelia-garova

Words by Adam Badí Donoval

Special thanks to Jakub Juhás, WORM Rotterdam, NEHERA, Shimona Zdútová, Smiček family

Supported using public funding by Slovak Arts Council

What The Heart Sees Not

liquid cartography
sonic wanderings

mappa.editions@gmail.com

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MAP059 Lénok - Langue of Tongue
MAP062 Kult Masek & Petr Vrba - Fumarola
MAP060 Yoichi Kamimura & Olli Aarni - Kōri no ryokō / Jäämatkailu
MAP061 Richard Hronský - Pohreb
MAP064 Areliz Ramos - B side
MAP063 Plume Gril - Unnameable Glory
MAP057 claire rousay & Gretchen Korsmo - quilted lament
MAP058 Adam Badí Donoval - a mirror where the image and the mirror wholly coincided
MAP056 fraufraulein - greater honeyguide
MAP055 - Julek ploski - Give Up Channel

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MAP053 Michaela Antalová & Adrian Myhr - Sing Nightingale
MAP051 michaela turcerová - alene et
MAP052 E/I - explicit isolation
MAP054 Lamina - Sueños acuáticos
MAP049 - Päfgens - Aspect of What
MAP050 - Henrique Vaz - De Silenti Natura
MAP048 Alley Catss - m Helux
MAP047 adaa - …img…
MAP041 Pentu - And I Saw My Devil And I Saw My Deep Blue Sea

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MAP041 Slowfoam - Worlding With Earth
MAP045 VA - Synthetic Bird Music
MAP044 Line Gate - Trap
SKUMAP002 Action Pyramid & Jack Greenhalgh - Mardle: Daily Rhythms of a Pond
046 Adela Mede - Ne L​é​pj a Vir​á​gra
043 Plume Girl - In the End We Begin
039 Forces - Chim​æ​ras
040 Rob Winstone - sifting through heaven
SKUMAP001 Lucie Vítková - Cave Acoustics
030 Symposium Musicum - Symposium Musicum

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038 Nighte - Pin down the dust
036 Kensho Nakamura - Electric Rust
037 Andrew Oda - Back To The Body
031 Baldruin - Kleine Freuden
035 CC Sorensen - Phantom Rooms
034 Alexandra Spence - a veil, the sea
033 Manja Ristić - Him, fast sleeping, soon he found In labyrinth of many a round, self​-​rolled
Grykë Pyje - The Fantastic World of Grykë Pyje
032 Atte Elias Kantonen - POP 6 SUSURRUS

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029 Grykë Pyje - Squirlich Stroll
028 Cucina Povera - Dalmarnock tapes
027 Nick Storring - Newfoundout
025 Lucia Nimcová & Sholto Dobie - DILO
026 Cheryl E. Leonard - Schism
024 Tastin Menu - Stand closer when you have something to say
023 Infant - face first in the entangled

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022 Line Gate - Apex
021 Andrew Oda - SOTTO
020 Cristián Alvear & d'incise - Bow down thine ear, I bring you glad tidings
019 Vlad Dobrovolski - Natursymphony No​.​1 — Spring Music
018 Felicity Mangan - Creepy Crawly
017 Roman Radkovič Collective - Televize
016 Olli Aarni - Mustikoita ja kissankelloja
015 Sarah Hughes - I love this city and its outlying lands
014 Sébastien Branche - Lignes de Fuite

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013 Grykë Pyje - Collision And Coalescence
VA: UŠAMI / Sound mapping camp - Gemer Gothic Route
012 IQ+1 - Conversaphone Plus

𝟚𝟘𝟙𝟠
011 Sarah Hennies - Sisters by Lenka Novosedlíková
010 Simon Whetham - Open and Closed Circles
009 MP Hopkins - Aeroplanes & Puddles

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008 Bruno Duplant, Pedro Chambel - Autofictions
007 Catriel Nievas, Sergio Merce - Pampa
006 Diatribes - Sistere
005 Line Gate - Den

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004 Sarah Hennies: Orienting Response by Cristián Alvear
003 Daniel Lercher & Vinzenz Schwab - Decrecimiento Exponencial
002 Adam Asnan - Carriers, PA
001 Jeph Jerman - 34​°​111'3"N 111​°​95'4"W