Adela Mede & Štefan Szabó: Dalok (LP)

Adela Mede & Štefan Szabó never set out to make an album. United by their Slovak-Hungarian heritage and a deep love for folk music, they initially started meeting weekly to sing... just sing. Both coming from very different musical backgrounds, each brought distinct characteristics and elements to the table. Over the course of roughly a year, they met almost weekly, each bringing Hungarian folk songs that they found on old vinyl records, scouring internet archives or in the depths of their memories. 'Dalok' – simply, 'Songs' – is a distillation of that time spent singing together. Recorded in a cottage in Stupava over a weekend with their friends, the album captures an intimate atmosphere in which the group approached these time-tested songs with both reverence and curiosity. Mede & Szabó wanted to make sure that the melodies were preserved and the origins of these songs respected, but they also encouraged an exploratory and experimental outlook, be that in terms of instrumentation, pacing or timbre. The most special aspect of 'Dalok' is that it goes both beyond an anthropological study or any attempts to aestheticise folklore to fit into current musical trends. It's a pure attempt – whether intimately, or accompanied by a full band – to highlight the melodies of these traditional songs, melodies which writhe their way under your skin, even if you don't speak a word of Hungarian. It's a celebration of the joy of music which predates our time on this earth, and which will surely survive us all.