written & recorded by Maxim Mokdad.
performed by Maxim Mokdad - vocals, backing vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, synthesizer (Juno 60), drum machine (TR-626)

Definitely Me, But Mostly You (Rough Demo)

Two short introductory notes, although there are many more detailed things to add:

The name Chalga is derived from the Turkish word Çalgı, which means "musical instrument", or simply Instrumentist / Musician.

It is essentially a folk-inspired dance music genre, with a blend of primary influences from Greek Laika, Serbian Turbo Folk, Turkish Arabesque and Arabic, American hip-hop, RnB, and Bulgarian music (Bulgarian ethno-pop genre) that belongs to the wide category of Balkan Turbo Folk.

I composed the mix with hard to find cassettes, mostly including Roma Chalga from the 90s ( some of the singers sing in Romani Language, others in Bulgarian Language ~ all are Roma except for Kamelia ).

I purposely decided to compile a Roma Chalga Selection because accordingly to my observations and researches, at his core, has been largely developed in the ghettos by referring to the "Chalgija", a musical genre that were played under the Ottoman Emperor, inserting Electronics Drum Beats, Sinths, Groovy Bass and rythmes that various to unequal Bulgarian Rhythmic System and a sort of Reggaeton Beat. ( Nowadays it is mainstream ).

Similar in a way to the Southern Italian Neo-Melodics, not for its harmonic - melodic elements, but because of its unique presence on a particular Region, of a certain common aesthetics, because of being an emarginated and blamed "sub-culture" and because of the lyrics that various from dramatic struggling of love, diaspora abroad, alcohol and drugs ( This is more common in Neo-Melodics genre ).

It belongs more specifically to the genre of urban sub-proletariat music expression, and is an harbinger of various contradictions, on one hand because it is linked, at his root, to the Roma ethnic group, against whom it suffers profound racism and because, among other things , being oriental music, reveals the conflict between that part of Bulgaria that has adhered to the "values" of Western Europe and that part that still recognizes itself in a culture outside of this ( The problem of the Orientalism ).

Since often comes with a provocative hip-shaking dance and at times lewd sexual lyrics, it is considered inappropriate from a moral standpoint, degenerate and low level music.

It is also linked to an extreme hedonism while Bulgaria was in the Transition period between the fall of socialism and the failed democracy and most of the people were on their knees struggling against wild criminality that replaced the institutions and problems of money and daily life. It is an extremely controversial genre at the center of an hot debate even today in contemporary Bulgaria.

Andrea Cirio / Radio Alhara / 14.01.2025 ~ Retro Chalga Special !

A mixtape drawing together contributions from friends around the world, including folks running independent record labels, record producers, poets, community radio producers, musicians and others. 

All these tracks were recorded directly, drawn from community radio producers and collected directly from the artists, or through direct communication with some independent record labels. All the works were pulled together with the intention of sharing a mix that can point in a tiny way to the depth of different artistic and activist voices from around the world who have Palestine in their hearts. 

This mix was originally broadcast on Radio AlHara on Sunday, Feb. 16, 7am-11am eastern time, 2-6pm Palestine time, live on radioalhara.net

Thank you for listening. - Stefan Christoff

01. Saadet Türköz & Beat Keller @beat_keller - Yarkent
02. Shalabi Quintet - Artists Against Apartheid (Montréal Session) - 01 Artists Against Apartheid, Montr​é​al Session – Part I, excerpt (released by @aosmosis)
03. 2/5BZ - MENi TENKS (2002)
03. Ana Quiroga @ana_quiroga - We Exist, We Resist [fabric Originals]
04. Notnef Greco - Sirens Off the Clock
05. Pelada @pelada420 - Cerdo
06. Pelada - Pilas
07. Badawi - A Better Place (reprise)
08. Midland @midland  - Drift In The Algorithm
09. Adriaan de Roover - Nudge forward
10. Aidan Baker & Stefan Christoff - Januar Part I (released by @time-released-sound)
11. Amirali @amirali_ofc - Nemesis
12. Andy Aquarius @andyaquarius - Kyrie
13. anthéne @anthene - Lightbox
14. ate & NOWA ZIEMIA @nowa-ziemia - Substrate A
15. Bernadette Devlin McAliskey - Speaking at a National Demonstration For Palestine (English language, recorded in Ireland) - 13.01.24
16. Sana Moussa and Naseem Alatrash - duet clip
17. Sabr from Gaza (Arabic language, thank you to Ewa Jasiewicz for the audio)
18. Charbel Haber @charbel-haber - We Spend Our Days In The Fog Of Your Nightmares
19. Zoë Mc Pherson @zoemcpherson - Chaos
20. Bauer + Katharina Schmidt - Engines
21. DC BLOB - Untitled (practice recording excerpt)
22. Evitceles @evitceles - Ethereal Force
23. Dali de Saint Paul + Maxwell Sterling - 2
24. Demetrio Cecchitelli @cecchitellidemetrio - Oxygen
25. Budapest Blacklights - Forma Nera (via @moonvillain)
26. Fifths - Long gone
27. Grim Beverage - A Point in Space
28. Leon Louder @leonlouder - Mockingbird
29. Leo singing in Mexico City at ObreraCentro
30. Lighter - Acid Release
31. Lucille Cornelius & Michel Banabila @michel-banabila - The People United Will Never Be Defeated
32. M01E - So Many, So Little- - DOWNER - why we hide behind a screen 叹 (excerpt)
33. Matteo Uggeri - ...for Mother and Father
34. Melodies In My Head - I World
35. Mireya Bayancela Ordonez (poetry reading in Spanish and French)
36. Badawi - Al-Aziz (Dhikr Wave Mix)
37. Enrico Coniglio @enricoconiglio - Waterfront (excerpt)

The accompanying image is a film photo snap taken by Rickie Leach at a Palestine solidarity protest in London.

Palestine at the heart of it all

"Та нали ти рекох, Фатме"

"I told you, Fatme" ( Text not complete  ) / 2 voices singing among the Muslims community

Repertoire: Wedding Songs.

Elements: Fear of the separation, fear of the loss.

this is a 2-voice song even if 4 women are singing / basically two couple of voices sing in unison)
Singers:
First Voice: -->> "Vody"
A. Belcheva / R. Nalbantova

Second Voice: -->> "kara or Slaga"
A. Hisimova / A. Taianjieva

Та нали ти рекох, Фатме

Та нали ти рекох, Фатме, та нали ти рекох,

И севдо, Фатме, не ходи по село, 

не ходи по село, Фатмe, не слушай душмани,
 
и севдо, Фатме, не слушай дущмане, 

Душмани разделят, Фатме, душмани разделят, 

и севдо, Фатме, и нас ще разделят, 

и севдо, Фатме, и нас ще разделят,

Който ни раздели, Фатме, който ни раздели, 

и севдо, Фатме, *аир да не види, 

и сeвдо, Фатме, аир да не види

*аир да не види = air da ne vidi ==>> curse / blasphemy ( Turkish word mixed with rodospki dialect )


**************************************

Latin Alphabet Transliteration:

Ta nali ti rekoh, Fatme


Ta nali ti rekoh, Fatme , ta nali ti rekoh

I sevdo , Fatme , ne hodi po selo,

ne hodi po selo, Fatme , ne slushai dushmani, (from Persia / some people that are torturing you )

i sevdo , Fatme, ne slushai dushmane,

Dushmani razdeliat, Fatme, dushmani razdeliat,

i sevdo, Fatme, i nas shte razdeliat,

i sevdo, Fatme, i nas shte razdeliat,

Koito ni razdeli, Fatme, koito ni razdeli,

i sevdo, Fatme, air da ne vidi,

i sevdo, Fatme, air da ne vi- hajde- (di)

*****************************************

English Translation:


"I told you, Fatme"


I told you, Fatme, I told you,

my love, Fatme, don't go trough the Village,

don` t walk trough the Village, Fatme, don`t listen to enemies,

my love, Fatme, don't listen to the enemies,

The enemies will bring you a part , Fatme, The enemies will (separate you) bring you a part,

and my love , Fatme, they will separate us, 

and my love , Fatme, they will separate us, 

who will separate us , Fatme, who will separate us

oh my love , Fatme, I don't wish them anything good

oh my love , Fatme, I don't wish them anything good

( Благодаря на Марио, Симоне и Мария )

'Та нали ти рекох, Фатме

Изгражадане на солидарност отвъд границите
Building solidarity across borders
Среща и разговор със Стефан Христов в автономно читалище коприва.
A gathering at коприва (kopriva) 
space with Stefan Christoff in downtown Sofia

Recordings voices from Sofia expressing solidarity with Palestine for broadcast on Radio AlHara, Palestine.

This conversation features:

Maxim Mokdad, musician and architect based in Sofia who also supported the broadcast technically.

Оgnian Kassabov, writer and professor of philosophy at Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski.

Irina Borova, a Bulgarian community activist supporting Palestinian human rights. 

Rima Dogmush, a Palestinian-Bulgarian community organizer living in Sofia.

Pepel, from коприва space.

Andrea Cirio, Radio AlHara resident.

Originally broadcast on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024 at коприва. Thank you to Eero Turka for participating in the broadcast also.

Building solidarity across borders, from Bulgaria to Palestine (Live in Sofia), راديو الحارة

Regular mix contributor Stefan Christoff is joined by Scott Alexander Howard for our first new mix of 2025, A sonic window. We're pleased to announce that the duo will be releasing a joint album called  Transit Assemblies on the Moon Villain label on May 30, with pre-orders beginning on May 2.

Stefan writes:

This mix reflects a recent collaborative process that I have been working on with Scott, author, researcher and a friend from childhood. I first played music with Scott in a series of rolling punk bands when we went to the same highschool in British Columbia, eventually we moved toward an art rock project that we shaped with love in our late teenage years. A set of circumstances, mostly due to the fact there was little music infrastructure or support for the efforts we were making at the time, our lives took different paths. 

In the past year we have reconnected and are working on our first joint album to be released in 2025. This mix I feel represents both some musical explorations that shape our duet but also the sense of long term dialogue that is at the basis of our collaboration. It is excellent and inspiring to reconnect with a friend from many years ago to work on music and to exchange sonic worlds, the choices in this mix reflect that journey through a series of small windows of our musical interests, connections and community. Thank you for listening. 

www.acloserlisten.com

Scott Alexander Howard and Stefan Christoff present A sonic window [mix]

Palestinian online radio Alhara aired PSYCH WARD ep. 16, “Winners & Losers” on Wednesday 28 May at 5pm Bethlehem time (3pm in the UK, 4pm in most of Europe) with fantastic music, lots of noise (literally!) and a fresh dive into the twists and turns of history from your fish out of water, host Agent X. More new inmates were admitted to the WARD - debut appearances from Dela Savelli, Arty Morty and RÉGIMEN QUIRÚRGICO-DISCIPLINARIO, joining SPC ECO, Debazzer, Thurston Moore and, of course, the European Space Agency.

Music on the episode:
‘The Great Distiller (MEI remix)’ by Debazzer
‘Amalek’ by European Space Agency
‘a distance to my own’by Dela Savelli
‘Overlay’ by SPC ECO
‘è la vita’ by Dela Savelli
‘Arsonspitter’ by RÉGIMEN QUIRÚRGICO-DISCIPLINARIO 
‘The Serpentine’ by Thurston Moore
(excerpt from ‘Върви, народе възродени!’, a popular patriotic Bulgarian song)
‘Freedom Ltd.’ by Arty Morty
‘Trust What You Love’ by SPC ECO
‘u better call me wolf’ by Dela Savelli
‘Dream for Me’ by SPC ECO
‘Palestine (Fires of Gaza), Radio Alhara Version’ by European Space Agency

'PSYCH WARD 16, WINNERS & LOSERS'

A joint mixtape with the Alfonso with the Mexico City based cassette label SilencioEPI. Airing on Radio AlHara in Palestine on Sunday, June 22, below is the track listing, artist name / track name. Thanks for listening!

Artwork is by Saiyare Refaei, from a portfolio via Justseeds.org

01. thruoutin - The Two Cypress Trees -《两棵柏树》(SilencioEPI)
02. DIAN - effluvia (Anterior Insula)
03. Scott Alexander Howard and Stefan Christoff - Equatorial Radius (Moon Villain)
04. Alfonso Lievano  (A L) - St.
05. DUNCAN PINHAS -  No Country for Old Sounds (Requiem) (SilencioEPI)
06. Coeden - Ayleids (Entangled Visions)
07. Alfonso Lievano (AL) - 50 millones de años (SilencioEPI)
08. DIAN - vein
09. Disgleirio - todas las noches todas las cosas (SilencioEPI)
10. espect - XLQ (Entangled Visions)
11. JOHANNES MALFATTI - Fragments I-III (LINE)
12. Lush Worker - I (Cruel Nature Recordings)

Spirodon + SilencioEPI mixtape for Radio AlHara

The 18th PSYCH WARD episode aired on Wednesday 23 July. Apart from the typically great music, it featured a live report from a gig/fundraiser in Sofia, Bulgaria, called “Punks for Palestine”, plus interviews with one of the headliners and with the organisers, Armed with a Heart Booking. We also admitted legendary new inmates Prolapse and Bob Vylan.

In the midst of all this, and in the backdrop of the “interesting times” we all live in, as the Chinese might call them, what with the free media discussing who can say what at a music festival and “liberal” Western governments arresting elderly people, proscribing protest movements and imposing sanctions on prominent truthsayers, and as that “humanitarian” entity in Gaza continued its dirty work in cahoots with the local criminal contingent and the IDF, angry host Agent X managed to squeeze in a SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: a new European Space Agency single (to be released on 1 August), without pulling any punches.

Music on the episode:

‘Love in the Time of Plague’ by Debazzer
‘Gaza’ by Bleeding Rake (segment)
unknown title by Silver Touch (segment)
‘Killing the Bland’ by Prolapse
‘Аз нося светлина’ by Feedbacker
‘Slash/Oblique’ by Prolapse
‘I’m Still Here’ by Bob Vylan
‘Deanshanger’ by Prolapse
‘Amalek II’ by European Space Agency
‘Palestine (Fires of Gaza) PSYCH WARD version by European Space Agency

'PSYCH WARD 18, INTERESTING TIMES'

This program features 4 voices of cultural workers, organizers and international solidarity activists who are involved directly in initiatives in Montreal that focus on lifting up the Palestinian struggle for freedom. The voices that you hear are outlined below:

Feroz Mehdi, a longtime international solidarity worker at Alternatives in Montreal speaking about their ongoing support and collaboration with the Teachers Creativity Centre in occupied Palestine, a project which is currently involved in frontline educational initiatives in Gaza. http://alternatives.ca

Aylin Gökmen, a filmmaker, graduate student and organizer with Cinema Politica in Montreal at Concordia University. http://cinemapolitica.org

Malcolm Guy, a filmmaker and international solidarity activist. Malcolm co-founded Productions Multi-Monde (https://multi-monde.ca) and works with the International League of Peoples Struggles (ILPS) https://peoplesstruggle.org.

Nashwa Lina Khan, a media maker and community activist, Nashwa works on the Habibiti Please project and works on the Artists for Palestine project in Montreal.

The accompanying music on this piece is by Anarchist Mountains, To Sophia (Redux) and an excerpt of One Oud performed by Sam Shalabi.

Voices on Gaza solidarity organizing in Montreal

Както и да го слушаме, това е трудна музика, която изисква време и внимание, но като ти влезе под кожата няма измъкване. Лесните парчета вън.

Born Erased е най-новата музикална трансформация на Ангел Симитчиев, ембиънт музикант с корени в българската хардкор-пънк сцена, ½ от лейбъла Amek Collective и тотален Monokom ултрас. Има докторска степен по музикология, с други думи, може да му се вярва (горе-долу).

https://z-dimension.org/born-erased-muzichka-020/

Tracklist:
1. Cloistral - մեկ
2. Tim Hecker - Masquerade
3. Sara Persico - Kairos
4. w u s o 命 - Lost in Translation
5. Hüma Utku - A House Within A House
6. Sumac, Moor Mother, Sovie - Scene 4
7. Drew McDowall - This Is What It's Like
8. The Body - A Premonition
9. Foudre! - Liberation Of The Mystics II
10. Cyberian - Devour The Worlds
11. HEALTH - Salvia
12. The Soft Moon - ILL 
13. Enxin/Onyx - Din Dian Redux
14. Exploited Body - After All (In The Ruins Of Limerence)
15. Sequences - Momentum (Inner Cycles)