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Branko Mataja

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Branko Mataja

Apr 6, 2023
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Today we have a guest recommendation from Nathaniel Naddaff-Hafrey, the erstwhile publisher of

Trillium
, whom you can follow on Twitter.

Good morning.

Today we’re listening to the legendary Yugoslavian guitarist Branko Mataja. Mataja, who died in 2000 after a life involving forced migration and a stint as a slave laborer in an Axis work camp, was self-taught and largely unknown until posthumous discovery.

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Resettled in Los Angeles, he recorded and self-published two vital albums including Traditional And Folk Songs of Yugoslavia (1974). Equally worthy is the recent issue of Over Fields and Mountains (2022). The music, recorded on a homemade guitar, is virtuosic but accessible: a shimmery, meditative swirl of guitars washed in tank reverb. Think Morricone and Dick Dale soundtracking the wedding scene from a Balkan remake of The Godfather, with acid tabs on their tongues and nostalgia for the homeland in their hearts.

Over Fields and Mountains - Branko Mataja (40m, no vocals)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Bandcamp / Tidal

Traditional And Folk Songs Of Yugoslavia - Branko Mataja (40m, no vocals)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Bandcamp / Tidal

Have a great Thursday.

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The Guardian

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1 Comment
Ilsa Jerome
Apr 6Liked by Flow State

Familiar sounds presented in an unfamiliar setting and texture. Fascinating textures, and at least for me, hard to tell the intentional from the artefactual. I have not heard guitar sound quite like this.

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