The main body of this music originates from a remote and mountainous corner of Eastern Europe. I'm afraid I can't divulge its exact wherabouts; being unspoilt by religious and cultural orthodoxy, I think it should remain so. In this scattering of villages, it appears that an offshoot of Gnosticism took root and, protected by its obscurity, was allowed to flourish over the centuries. The people there hold to a religion in which Christianity and paganism are combined in often bizarre forms; the stern images of saints are venerated no less than certain tribal ancestors who are said to mate with village girls in the bodies of magpies.
The music itself comes from every manner of occasion and is regarded as equally sacred, be it a religious chant or a throwaway tune on the fiddle. In rehearsing and recording the music here I have attempted to adhere to the spirit of its origin, hence the deliberate attempt in the production values to make it sound like it was recorded onto an 8-track in a cellar in Hackney. (Bribus, September 2007)
