Buzz' Ayaz - Buzz' Ayaz
Glitterbeat Records – 2024
Psych, Traditional Folk, Electronics
Rated: ****1/2
We all know there's an ongoing tension on Cyprus between the Turkish and Greek populations on the island. A long history I won't dig into. It's better to narrate the positive initiatives and endeavours that bring people together instead of maintaining the status quo or separating them even further. Enter Buzz' Ayaz, a band from Nicosia that consists of musicians from both sides of coin and focuses on combining 70's psych with eastern mediterranean traditional music rooted deep in Greek and Turkish culture. To reach that goal they use electric tzouras, synths, bass clarinet and drums as the basic setting, while also using electronics and winds. Not the usual setting for a rock band, but it works really well and is way heavier than you might expect.
The bass clarinet produces a low-end rumble that a traditional bass guitar is unable to generate, at least not in this way, while the electric tzouras (a traditional instrument related to the bouzouki) at the exact same time channels traditional music as well as acid rock, thus being the perfect instrument for what they're trying to achieve. Take for example the song 'Efdji' where both shine in all their rocking glory. Or the more laidback groove of 'Fysa' with its highly subtle, creative drumming and swaying synths that provide a nice blanket - an added layer of genius that enhances the psychedelic vibes. It's characteristic for both drums and synths during the entire album, albeit with an ever-changing dynamic and various amounts of intensity. Talking about intensity, 'Arkos' is the heaviest track and one of sheer rocking beauty, while 'Zali' on the other hand is a clarinet and percussion driven tune that during the first verse makes way for a full-on traditional Greek and Turkish atmosphere while adding more layers and density later on before coming back down again and closing things out with another forceful climax.
No need to mention this isn't your run of the mill psych album (and therefore probably not everyone's taste), but it oozes creativity and quality from the opening wah wah tzouras tones of 'Buzzi Ayazi' to the closing moments of the album when feed-back style clarinet and wind sounds fade away into silence. The strong vocal harmonies and poetic lyrics of observation and introspection are an added bonus that makes this self-titled debut album even more mesmerising than it already is.
(Written by Ronny Dijksterhuis)
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