VIDEOGRAM 123
Circassian Traditional Music: A Tool for Communication, Protest, and Sound Design
Using the example of one of the peoples of the North Caucasus, we will examine how the role of traditional music has changed based on social, historical, and political contexts. It has served as a means of transmitting knowledge and communication within society during pre-colonial times, a voice for independence during the Caucasian War, part of an exotic image for tourists in Soviet times, and finally, a tool for protest and defending identity under current conditions. The lecture will be illustrated with expedition and concert videos.
4.5.2023, 19:00 CET, online (click for the Zoom link)
ORED RECORDINGS
Founded in 2013 by Bulat Khalilov and Timur Kodzokov, Ored Recordings is an independent ethnographic project from Kabardino-Balkaria. The platform travels to towns, villages and mountain settlements in the regions of Kabardino-Balkaria, Adygea, Southern Dagestan and Azerbaijan in search of folk musicians. The initiative's guiding principle is articulated around field recordings. Indeed, Ored exclusively uses live recordings and avoids studio recordings of traditional and local music. Celebrating the artistic potential of traditional music, the label strives to discover sounds which capture specific moments, their atmosphere and potential imperfections. In this context, Ored’s research includes Circassian epic sagas, Cossack songs, and the Sufi rituals of Chechnya, collected during field recordings, dinner parties, services of worship and festivals. With multiple connections to the Circassian diaspora in Turkey, the label works extensively with the country, its traditions and artists. Beyond, also interested in important social and political issues related to notions of identity and authenticity, the platform accompanies its concerts and interventions with lectures and conferences discussing the role of traditions and the emerging global and digital space.
Circassian Music, There and Now (2020)