The album was conceived for the "Retracing Bartók" series, a cultural archeology multidisciplinary project, part of Timișoara 2021 European Capital of Culture. It was co-produced by Jazz Updates and TM2021, and curated by the NY based Romanian pianist Lucian Ban, together with Jazz Updates.
The live act sees Silent Strike and Makunouchi Bento together on stage, with special live visuals by Dan Basu.
The album cover is made by Sorina Vazelina.
"Ghostophonia is a tribute to Romanian music, a mix of classic and modern styles, simultaneously nostalgic and forward-looking. The heart of the release is a series of wax cylinders recorded by Béla Bartók a century ago, capturing the folk music of Banat, Romania. Romanian iconoclasts Makunouchi Bento and Silent Strike set this music in new frames, highlighting its otherworldly tone while drawing attention to its enduring appeal." (Richard Allen / A Closer Listen)
"Listening to this music, I had the feeling there's a strange communion right there, because the songs collected by Bartók and the dense sound design laid on top by Silent Strike and Makunouchi Bento seem to have been made for one another, so we could assume the three of them have just discovered this, by pure chance." (Lucian Ștefănescu / Radio Europa Liberă Moldova)
Setup
Behringer Xenyx 1202
3 laptops
Novation Launch Control
Shure SM57
Glockenspiel
Kalimba
Crystal glass and various percussion instruments
Otamatone
Stylophone
Ekdahl Moisturizer
MicroGranny2
Kastle Synth
iPad
Eurorack modular synth
Kaoss Pad
Teenage Engineering OP-1
Audio / Video
https://makunouchibento.org/ghostophonia
https://makunouchibento.bandcamp.com/album/ghostophonia
http://hyperurl.co/Ghostophonia