Sedef first burst onto the vibrant live Balkan music scene in autumn 2004. Based in Ljubljana, Slovenia, their roots draw firmly from the unique musical heritage of the region, utilizing the band's mastery of both traditional and classical instruments and the haunting vocal intonations of Balkan folk culture.
The three peace band are two thirds Bosnian and established a reputation for capturing a mixture of traditional Balkan themes and styles with a firmly contemporary flavor, however their primary stylistic influences have continued to be drawn from the Sevdalinka tradition of Bosnian music.
This in itself is fashioned from the rich traditions accompanying the long Turkish Ottoman occupation and has often been compared with similar Mediterranean folk traditions such as Portuguese Fado and Flamenco in Spain.
In particular, the unique melancholic yearning of this rich stream of musical tradition and its vibrant and beautiful fusion with more contemporary styles carry the tragedy and pain of the everyday lives and loves of the Balkan people to a whole new generation.
The long awaited (among the Sedef's many aficionados), first album was released in Autumn 2007 to co-inside with the third anniversary of the band's formation.
Sedef's second album Sewda was released in Autumn 2010.
They also continue to play to critical acclaim, not only in the band's home in Slovenia, but also at concerts and festivals across Europe, bringing their unique sound to audiences in Switzerland, Italy, Austria and France where they have the distinction of having played twice at the FIMU Festival in Belfort in both 2005 and 2008.
Sedef's continued ability to fuse styles and genres has enabled them to form wide ranging relationships both with other bands and with a range of talented guest musicians and is exemplified in the intense and hypnotic energy the band convey onstage. The energy and vibrancy of this mix as well as the use of both contemporary acoustic and Spanish guitar with more traditional instruments such as the saz and classical cello, mix with stunning vocals to produce a sound haunts, inspires and literally winds you at the same time
Od jeseni leta 2004, ko je skupina nastala, je z razlicnimi glasbeniki raziskovala nove razseznosti etno glasbe s podrocja bivse Jugoslavije. Sele pred kratkim se je preoblikovala v sedanjo triclansko zasedbo in se postopoma usmerila predvsem v bosansko glasbeno tradicjo sevdalink. S tem so spontano ubrali nov, svojevrsten slog, kjer pride do izraza sama melodija skladb. Pri tem ne zanemarjajo vplivov drugih glasbenih zvrsti, ki so korenito zaznamovali njihovo ustvarjanje.
Sevdalinka je ljubezenska pesem (izhaja iz turske besede »sevdah«, ki pomeni ljubezen) in najveckrat opeva neuslisano ljubezen, hrepenenje, kar pa se najbolje pride do izraza ob prepletanju zvoka sestih (dvanajstih!) strun z melanholicno barvo vokala.
Skupina je izdala dva studijska albuma, Sedef (2007) in Sewda (2010).
RECENZIJA ALBUMA SEDEF (2007)
.Sedef sevdalink ne igra na tradicionalen nacin, marvec se je pogumno lotil predrugacenja obcutljive tradicije. Sedef to pocnejo nadvse izvirno, saj so v svoje razlicice sevdalink zelo posreceno vkljucili prvine komorne glasbe in flamenka. Predvsem slednjega doslej nismo slisali v spregi s sevdalinkami in treba je takoj povedati, da je zasedba ubrala pravo mero in nacin medsebojnega prepletanja in oplajanja dveh raznorodnih tradicij, ki pa si vendarle, kot to pokazejo Sedefovci, niso tako narazen, kot bi se zdelo na prvi pogled. Ob flamenku, ki se je izjemno fino zlil s sevdahom, krasijo skoraj vse skladbe manj ali bolj opazni zvoki godal, ki pricarajo tako romanticnost kot skrivnostnost. Za to sta poskrbela gosta na albumu: violinist Milos Simic in violoncelistka Barbara Zorz, nekatere skladbe pa je ritmicno pospesil tolkalec Agim Brizani. Kajpak tvorijo gonilno silo albuma dva v uvodu besedila omenjena kitarista, Dzopa in Stepisnik, ki se imenitno dopolnjujeta in izmenjujeta solisticne in ritmicne dele, oba pa sta prebiranje strun prilagodila predanemu vokalu Mase Pasovic. Slednja je odlicno zapopadla "spleen" sevdaha in v glasbo prenesla razlicne obcutke od nagajivega do veselega ter najbolj prisotnega, otoznega.
Mario Batelic
