eno.006
crystal sound project - in the willow dream
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DEEZER
ITUNES
TIDAL
share : 
A1. the screen
A2. meeting point
A3. nära
A4. hope is forbidden for the loving
A5. rain
B1. profetia B
B2. nocturnal mood
B3. abborredansen
B4. dark wheel
A2. meeting point
A3. nära
A4. hope is forbidden for the loving
A5. rain
B1. profetia B
B2. nocturnal mood
B3. abborredansen
B4. dark wheel
4" 49'
3" 28'
4" 08'
2" 44'
3" 17'
7" 22'
3" 20'
5" 14'
3" 37'
3" 28'
4" 08'
2" 44'
3" 17'
7" 22'
3" 20'
5" 14'
3" 37'
12' LP / 33 RPM
ltd deluxe edition black / transparent yellow vinyl + dl
30 €
DIGITAL
download code through bandcamp / wav, flac, mp3
10 €
in 2020, during her artist residency in bkn björkö konstnod, bilyana furnadzhieva met åsa öhrn for the first time. a joint afinity for music was immediately evident and the idea of collaborating in crystal sound project, put on the table. bilyana recalls :
"i've heard åsa singing for the first time in a lost wooden house in the swedish forests and what really amazed me was her inner joy and the vital energy of her voice. it was not only the visual arts that connected us anymore - music came naturally, we talked about rock and jazz, the freedom of spirit, of improvising with lyrics and sound. what i do love in our common work are the moments when åsa plays the songs in a theatrical, yet personal way - she draws images, landscapes or colors with her own expressions and melodical research."
– bilyana furnadzhieva
– bilyana furnadzhieva
in four separate periods of residencies, firstly in bkn björkö konstnod and the nearby church björkö arholma kyrka, generously offered by the local community, bilyana furnadzhieva and viktor benev met with åsa öhrn and laid the skeleton of in the willow dream.
the initial sketches were free improvisations, which gave birth to abborredansen, a live session recorded on the first day in the church. the rest of the material was elaborated in time through experimentations and joint experiences in contemplation of the swedish nature and culture.
around the same period, viktor and bilyana heard of the passing of the bulgarian poet maria aglikina and after according with her heirs, the unanimous decision to pay her a tribute by adapting two of her poems was quickly taken.
with öhrn working on original lyrics for the album, the final choice of songs create a mixture of swedish, english and bulgarian in the typical crystal sound project fashion, reuniting multiple cultures in an amalgamate of sonic properties, characteristic of each of the utilized languages.
the initial sketches were free improvisations, which gave birth to abborredansen, a live session recorded on the first day in the church. the rest of the material was elaborated in time through experimentations and joint experiences in contemplation of the swedish nature and culture.
around the same period, viktor and bilyana heard of the passing of the bulgarian poet maria aglikina and after according with her heirs, the unanimous decision to pay her a tribute by adapting two of her poems was quickly taken.
with öhrn working on original lyrics for the album, the final choice of songs create a mixture of swedish, english and bulgarian in the typical crystal sound project fashion, reuniting multiple cultures in an amalgamate of sonic properties, characteristic of each of the utilized languages.
thematically delving into topics such as war, isolation, loss, love and resurrection with occasional reference to greek mythology, in the willow dream doesn't leave the listener indifferent.
the instrumentals meeting point and profetia B featuring the project's long-term russian collaborator artëm naumenko on the flute, were taken from a collection of free improvisations carried out during another residency period, this time in la générale nord-est in paris.
conceptually and in its entirety a studio album, it's worth noting that the only song recorded in a real studio environment (in enovae records studio) is the final one - dark wheel.
the instrumentals meeting point and profetia B featuring the project's long-term russian collaborator artëm naumenko on the flute, were taken from a collection of free improvisations carried out during another residency period, this time in la générale nord-est in paris.
conceptually and in its entirety a studio album, it's worth noting that the only song recorded in a real studio environment (in enovae records studio) is the final one - dark wheel.
"it was an old-school rock band experience really. åsa didn't study classical music as i did. she had the musicality in her and was self-taught, but didn't read music. i was already used to working with abstract terms, musical references and what not, that's what we do with bilyana all the time. it's enriching and fresh.
so, we were arranging things on the go and composing from scratch, talking, playing music and singing to each other. it was friendly and creativity was flowing, but inevitably one experiences moments of artistic blockage and finding a solution was one of the most rewarding things about this album.
i remember we were working on åsa's lyrics and arranging nära and all three of us were evoking rock band influences, only we were in the swedish countryside with almost no instruments, but two differently tuned pianos, an old harmonium, a bit of percussion and a few of our porcelain sculptures. so, i opened my sample library and had a go making the song sound as rock as possible. gladly both bilyana and åsa liked it and that was the final arrangement, which made the album.
these moments, so dear and precious, are totally reflected in the LP. it was a wonderful journey, as human as it gets, marked by friendship and shared love for music."
— viktor benev
so, we were arranging things on the go and composing from scratch, talking, playing music and singing to each other. it was friendly and creativity was flowing, but inevitably one experiences moments of artistic blockage and finding a solution was one of the most rewarding things about this album.
i remember we were working on åsa's lyrics and arranging nära and all three of us were evoking rock band influences, only we were in the swedish countryside with almost no instruments, but two differently tuned pianos, an old harmonium, a bit of percussion and a few of our porcelain sculptures. so, i opened my sample library and had a go making the song sound as rock as possible. gladly both bilyana and åsa liked it and that was the final arrangement, which made the album.
these moments, so dear and precious, are totally reflected in the LP. it was a wonderful journey, as human as it gets, marked by friendship and shared love for music."
— viktor benev
CREDITS
releases 24/09/2024åsa öhrn – vocal
artem naumenko – flute (A2,B1)
bilyana furnadzhieva – spoken words, singing bowls, prepared guitar, prepared piano
viktor benev – vocal, singing drums, piano, guitar, synthesizers, vibraphone, drums, field recordings
lyrics written :
in english and swedish by åsa öhrn (A1,A3,B3,B4)
in bulgarian by bilyana furnadzhieva (A1)
in bulgarian by maria aglikina :
(A5 - english translation by benev and furnadzhieva)
(B2 - english translation by marta savova)
artistic direction, visual conception by bilyana furnadzhieva
produced, recorded and mixed by viktor benev at björkö arholma kyrka and bkn björkö konstnod (sweden), la générale nord-est and ers (france)
mastered by konstantin katsarski at blubabox studio, bulgaria
cut by benjamin savignoni at translab studios, france
pressed by optimal media, germany
supported by the national culture fund of bulgaria
