DURDEVAN, DURDEVAN / ABRE BABI SOKERDŽAN by ESMA REDZEPOVA

A unique collaboration between Asphalt Tango, Vlax Records, and Paradise Bangkok, this super-limited 7" presents two gorgeously restored vintage tracks by the legendary Queen of the Gypsies, Esma Redžepova - unmissable eastward-leaning grooves from Europe's Deep South. TIP!!

Drawn from the astonishing and critically acclaimed compilation Stand Up, People: Gypsy Pop Songs from Tito's Yugoslavia, 1964-1980 (Vlax /Asphalt Tango), this single captures Esma and her ensemble at their red-hot best. The A-side, "Durdevan, Durdevan", is a grooving, synth-driven celebration of Roma culture in socialist Yugoslavia - a must-listen hypnotic dancefloor-filler. The B-side, "Abre Babi Sokerdžan" is a rare recording of one of Esma's earliest releases, with a punchy, driving enermble that provides the perfect backing for Esma's youthful but amazingly passionate voice as she experiments with eastern styles and wild vocal ornaments.

This 7" captures Esma's importance for the unique Roma gypsy music scene in 1960s Yugoslavia, showcasing her hugely influential early experiments with synthesisers, western pop aesthetics, and their growing sense of identity with their ancestral homeland, India. Unmissable.