Oi Va Voi verbinden Dance-Grooves, Singer/Songwriter-SensibilitĂ€ten und kosmopolitische Rhythmen aus Osteuropa und Nahost. Trotz (oder gerade wegen) der zerrissenen Zeiten strahlt ihr neues Album "The Water's Edge" Optimismus aus und weckt Erinnerungen an ihr bahnbrechendes DebĂŒt "Laughter Through Tears" (BBC World Music Award, NYT Top 10 Alben 2003). Oi Va Voi sind bekannt fĂŒr prominente Kollaborationen wie mit KT Tunstall, Bridgette Amofah (Rudimental) oder der Violinistin Anna Phoebe. "The Water's Edge" wurde zum Teil von Mike Spencer (Rudimental, Tom Walker, Ellie Goulding) produziert und erscheint auf dem eigenen Label Parallel Skies. Es ignoriert Kategorisierungen zugunsten dauerhafter musikalischer und sozialer Werte und ist ein Ausdruck der Notwendigkeit, Spaltungen hinter sich zu lassen und eine gemeinsame Menschlichkeit zu finden.
Oi Va Voi fuse dance grooves, singer-songwriter sensitivity and a rockânâroll sensibility with the groupâs Jewish cultural heritage and a cosmopolitan rhythmic inspiration drawn from Eastern Europe, the Middle East and beyond. Despite the fractured times we are living in, a theme of optimism through pain is there throughout Oi Va Voiâs new album âThe Waters Edgeâ.
Weâre reminded of the title of the breakthrough first album, Laughter Through Tears. The Bacon & Quarmby-produced debut won a BBC World Music Award, was listed as a New York Times Top Ten Album Of The Year, and launched the career of a young KT Tunstall. The tradition of world-class musicianship continued with Bridgette Amofah (Rudimental) as the featured vocalist on Travelling the Face of The Globe, and noted violinist Anna Phoebe, who recorded and performed with the band for over a decade.
Every member evolves the Oi Va Voi sound; but through each change, the core themes and vision have remained constant. 2018âs album, Memory Drop, introduced the unique voice of Zohara Niddam, and itâs Zohara who returns here on The Waterâs Edge, featuring on âShine A Lightâ, âLay Your Headâ and âWaveâ. Also featuring across the new album is composer, violinist and singer Sarah Anderson, who co-wrote seven tracks on the album, with her emotionally poignant lyrics, evocative layered vocals and uplifting violin parts. Guitarist John Matts and Trumpeter David Orchant also return, with Orchant bringing deep colour and expression to the stirring waltz âOceansâ.
The album opener âSad Danceâ was written after the devastating earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria in early 2023 impacting many of the bandâs friends, fans and colleagues. Finding themselves in the studio the day after the tragedy, the band searched for ways to respond. Sarahââs mournful, pulsating violins create an ever evolving soundscape on top of which her own vocal, and Steveâs earthy clarinet express sorrow and hope. Says Sarah - âItâs about human connection - a metaphorical hand held through trauma, and the preservation of âold worldsâ through relics, reminding us of where we came fromâ.
âShine a Lightâ was also a chance to welcome back producer Mike Spencer (Rudimental, Tom Walker, Ellie Goulding), who produced their second album. Here his Pop experience can be felt in the hooky dance loop, which you can hear becoming one of Oi Va Voiâs trademark live encores. Along with the melodic pop sheen of âLay Your Headâ, this song shows the band in an uplifting mood, pointing at the years of high-energy tours which have become their signature. These tracks, and the poignant âJosephineâ, offer a release - a more escapist mood and a sign of the hope underneath everything.
Oi Va Voi have never been easy to categorise, and theyâve made a point of ignoring genre in favour of more enduring musical and social values. The Waterâs Edge is the first album to be released on the bandâs own Parallel Skies label, which will sign artists from a diversity of cultures, nations and musics in the coming years. The album title refers to an old custom from the Jewish New Year of going down to the waterside - casting off the baggage of the past, and letting it wash away on the tide. As the first release on this label itâs an expression of the need to put divisions behind us, and find a shared humanity.