'Synthesizing the Silk Roads' Compilation

A mew compliation has been released, available on digital and vinyl downloads. 'Synthesizing the Silk Roads: Uzbek Disco, Tajik Folktronica, Uyghur Rock & Tatar Jazz from 1980s Soviet Central Asia' covers huge geographical and temporal areas, unified by the Silk Road and synthseizers. It's available now on Bandcamp, here's an excerpt from Bandcamp's review: 

After the Second World War, the Tashkent Gramplastinok was established in the capital city of Uzbekistan by a group of recording technology experts who had been evacuated from the Soviet front lines. (In all, 16 million Soviets were moved East to escape the Nazi Blitzkrieg.) The plant remained in operation for almost half a century. Synthesizing the Silk Roads gathers songs recorded from the mid-1970s to early '90s that have been extracted from excess stock pressed in the plant, as well as some live performances recorded for television for good measure.

The result is a sampler of Uzbekistani music popular during the era. Synthesized rhythms are backed by flutes, guitars, and chordophones, among many other instruments; the melodies are memorable and exciting. At different points, you can detect grinding Iron Curtain electronica, Euro disco, East Asian pop, and Arabian rhythms--the spirit of the Silk Road exchange alive and well.

Read the review article here.

Get the collection here.