Blato Zlato’s second album, In The Wake, was released on November 22, 2019. The album pays homage to the band’s dual musical homes of New Orleans and Bulgaria, featuring modern interpretations of Balkan folk traditions as well as new, original compositions written in Bulgarian about our lives in New Orleans: the omnipresence of water, the intense-yet-magical stormy periods of light and darkness, and about having one’s heart torn between two places.
In The Wake was funded by a successful Kickstarter campaign, and recorded by acclaimed engineers Mark Bingham and Chris Bloch (Piety Street Recording Studios, Henderson, LA) and Mike Harvey (NOLA Recording Studio, New Orleans, LA). The album was mixed and mastered by Dave Cook (Area 52 Studios, Kingston, NY), who mixed and mastered Blato Zlato’s previous releases and has worked with an impressive array of musical acts ranging from Laurie Anderson and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds to The B-52s and Buckwheat Zydeco. The album artwork was done by celebrated New Orleans artist Magda Boreysza, and album photography was taken by Sarrah Danziger. Logo design by John Rushing. Liner notes watercolor by Lou Carrig. Album and liner notes graphic design by Annalisa Kelly. Lyrics translation by Boyanna Trayanova and Demetre Qitria. Produced by Blato Zlato.
Blato Zlato’s debut full-length album features traditional Bulgarian and Eastern European melodies interpreted through languid, dark continuous arrangements and three-part vocal harmonies. The album draws inspiration from polyphonic vocal traditions and village-style dance tunes of Bulgaria and the Balkans, infusing tradition with a full, dreamy sound and elements of the Louisiana swamp.
Recorded by Tim Stambaugh at Word of Mouth Studios in New Orleans, LA, June 2016. Mixed and mastered by Dave Cook, Area 52 Studios in Saugerties, NY. Cover artwork by Pippin Frisbie-Calder. Graphic design by John Rushing. Photography by Hunter King. Hand-pressed cover lettering by John Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald Letterpress.
Blato Zlato’s second release of 2017: a limited edition golden 10″ record to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the launch of the NASA Voyager golden record in 1977. VOYAGE (EP) was released at Blato Zlato’s galactic performance at the Music Box Village, “The Discovery of Voyager.” The record features the group’s original arrangement of the iconic Bulgarian song on the Voyager record, Izlel e Delyo Haidutin, as well as their original composition, Doncho I Stenata (Donald and the Wall).
Recorded April 2017 at Word of Mouth Studios in New Orleans, LA, and mixed by Dave Cook, Area 52 Studios. Jacket design by Annalisa Kelly and Lou Carrig. Label design by John Rushing. All photography courtesy of NASA.
