Tur Saulite Perties Gaja - ILGI CD 2011

CD on amazon: http://ej.uz/Amazon2011
CD on iTunes: http://ej.uz/iTunes

We feel humbled and thankful our most recent CD "Tur saulite perties gaja"
is featured as No. 4 on the World Music Charts Europe in April, 2012.
This is 3rd time in the top 20 of this chart, created by world
music radio dj's from twenty three European countries. The last time was
in 2006 when our album "Ne uz vienu dienu" reached the No. 2 spot and
remained in the top ten for four months.

We are very glad you enjoy our music.

"Tur saulite perties gaja" was recently named Best Folk Album of 2011 by
the Latvian recording industry.

It is available for world-wide delivery and download on Amazon and on iTunes

Latvijas Muzikas ierakstu Gada balva 2011, nominacija "Labākais tautas mūzikas albums".

CD on amazon: http://ej.uz/Amazon2011
CD on iTunes: http://ej.uz/iTunes

A new album from Latvia - IĻĢI (ILGI).

"Tur Saulīte Pērties Gāja" was released on December 3rd, 2011, before a sold-out crowd of all ages at IĻĢI's 30th Anniversary Concert in Rīga.

IĻĢI brought Latvian postfolk to No. 2 on the World Music Charts Europe in 2006 with CD "Ne Uz Vienu Dienu", a top ten album for four months. In 2009 World Music Central called the band part of a "fresh wave of contemporary folk" and fRoots dubbed it "Latvia's leading roots band." IĻĢI has performed all over the world, most recently in Malaysia at the 2011 Rainforest World Music Festival.

The band's mature roots in Latvian folk music and the skilled musicianship of its members are apparent in profound and bold interpretations, album after album.
On CD "Tur Saulīte Pērties Gāja" IĻĢI takes kokles, violin, a cello-like ģīga, acoustic and
bass guitars, percussion, and an adopted kalimba on a tranquil journey. IĻĢI is
Ilga Reizniece, Māris Muktupāvels, Gatis Gaujenieks, Egons Kronbergs and Mārtiņš Linde. Guest vocalist Irīna Mihailovska complements Reizniece's alto on one track.

The album's central motive is the Latvian pirts, a place for cleansing the body and soul. "Spirits are tossed" and steam created by ladling water onto rocks heated by a wood fire. To pērties (gently flog) with a pirts slota (bundle of twigs) is invigorating. Whether in a private pirts in the countryside or under the direction of a modern day pirts keeper, the tradition is alive in Latvia. Nevertheless, it lacked music - until now.

In Pirts kurināšana (Lighting the Fire), Reizniece sings of a pirts near a golden oak by a silver stream, "where the Sun went pērties" (the album title).
Ceļojums (Journey) is the story of a pirts mouse.
Ceļš (The Road) is a gentle interplay of strings and kalimba.
In Pēršana Reizniece names flora used in pirts slotas, each with medicinal qualities.
Lidošana (Flying) showcases Kronbergs' guitar and Muktupāvels' kokle and accordion.
Garā pupa (The Tall Bean) is the classic story of a bean plant that grows up to the sky, but the music suggests the wonderfully languid feeling resulting from a trip to the pirts.
It also features a duet by I.Reizniece on violin and M.Muktupāvels on kokle, playing as one after collaborating for 29 years.
Finally, Paldies (Thanks) is offered to everyone who makes the pirts possible, from its builder to the water carrier. Throughout, layers of depth are created by G.Gaujenieks on ģīga and bass guitar, and M.Linde on percussion.

IĻĢI contacts on www.ilgi.lv