One of the corner stones of the Eastern Europe underground community, Half in Belgrade is a constant fixture in the world tour calendar. Regularly playing host to a raft of visiting dignitaries and local stars their place on the map has been cemented for some time. Through the work and tireless dedication to their craft, sisters Tijana and Tamara Ristic and Half founders have formed Tijamara, a live production duo which has evolved as an extension of the club but has a view to extend its wings much further than the doors of the iconic venue. They now present their first release on their new label Pola / Пола and it speaks directly to their contrasting personalities and family roots in Serbia and Romania.
We lift off with the hypnotic ‘Rakila’ on B1 and the undulating bassline acts as a counterweight to the synth washes and urgent delayed synth stabs. With the track being a private ode to their Romanian roots and great grandmother Rakila after whom the track is named it is a proud and quite personal production that bursts with pride and musical character. The unique tonality of Tamara’s vocal style really sets this track off on a different level but even without the vocal we feel this track would be an absolute hit with a variety of big name artists.
Completing the record in the reverse order is a fantastic remix of ‘Rakila’ from none other than Alexis Cabrera. We can’t say enough good things about both Alexis and his remix for Pola’s first release. Grabbing a hold of that bold bassline he works in the previous synth pad section as a slowly evolving pad and the apreggiating vocal hook. Taking cues from the ordinal’s nod to the Banat region which includes a cross section of both Belgrade and Western Romania the images of a sunrise session on the Half dancefloor are effortlessly conjured up.
A1 track ‘Sisters’ is dedicated to the sisters who made the magic happen and the bass heavy bomb manages to add in even more personal traits. Characterised by the obvious Eastern European ties the chord structure, vocal clips and punchy drums ensure that the intimacy with the Half brand and regional ties is laid bare throughout the release. Completing the EP is ‘Owl Dance’ and mystic properties of Tijamara’s birth place of Kikanda and coincidentally the world’s biggest roost of Long Eared Owls. Who knew that owls liked emotive minimal so much but we are sure that the owls that inhabit this small town in north Serbia will approve.
The ‘Owl Dance’ EP from Tijamara is now available via deejay.de.
More info on Tijamara
Facebook | Instagram
More info on Pola / Пола
Facebook | Instagram
