Branko Mataja
Today we have a guest recommendation from Nathaniel Naddaff-Hafrey, the erstwhile publisher of
, whom you can follow on Twitter.Good morning.
Today we’re listening to the legendary Yugoslavian guitarist Branko Mataja. Mataja, who died in 2000 after a life involving forced migration and a stint as a slave laborer in an Axis work camp, was self-taught and largely unknown until posthumous discovery.1 Resettled in Los Angeles, he recorded and self-published two vital albums including Traditional And Folk Songs of Yugoslavia (1974). Equally worthy is the recent issue of Over Fields and Mountains (2022). The music, recorded on a homemade guitar, is virtuosic but accessible: a shimmery, meditative swirl of guitars washed in tank reverb. Think Morricone and Dick Dale soundtracking the wedding scene from a Balkan remake of The Godfather, with acid tabs on their tongues and nostalgia for the homeland in their hearts.
Over Fields and Mountains - Branko Mataja (40m, no vocals)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Bandcamp / Tidal
Traditional And Folk Songs Of Yugoslavia - Branko Mataja (40m, no vocals)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Bandcamp / Tidal
Have a great Thursday.
Familiar sounds presented in an unfamiliar setting and texture. Fascinating textures, and at least for me, hard to tell the intentional from the artefactual. I have not heard guitar sound quite like this.