About the Band

 Atalyja (“The rain is coming”) is a Lithuanian folk-rock music band. It seeks to popularize archaic Lithuanian folklore and bring the ancient songs closer to the contemporary listener. The band's creations boast a big variety of musical styles, rich tonal palette and unique and ingenious arrangements. The ancient melodies are enriched with elements of rock, jazz, funk, blues rock, metal and Indian music. Atalyja regularly participates in music festivals and fests. The band has released 4 CD albums and gave performances in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Germany, Turkey and Czech Republic.
atalyja

Over more than ten years of its existence Atalyja has earned love of listeners of different age groups. The main part of the repertoire consists of sutartinės (polyphonic archaic songs - glees), calendar, war-historical, and wedding songs. Musical expression ranges from meditative improvisation to hard compositional art rock. Experimentation is not unfamiliar to the band musicians – the melodies of traditional songs are mixed with elements of classic rock, metal rock, blues rock, funk, and progressive rock, as well as classical music.

The bands’s composing manner is marked by professional, dainty artistical arrangements, rich tonal palette, diverse rhythms, and unique polyphony. Traditional Lithuanian instruments (kanklės, panpipes, violin, bagpipe, Jew’s harp) are ingeniously combined with electric and bass guitars, rock percussion. Some songs are coloured with oriental shades of North Indian instruments: the bansuri (transverse Indian bamboo flute) as well as tabla (Indian pair drum).

Lithuanian folkrock band Atalyja formed in the autumn of 1998, and in the spring of 1999 they made their debut in Kaunas, in postfolk festival “Suklegos”. A year later, the debut album “atalyja” (2000 MC, 2001 Kukū records CD) was released. It received international attention, and was appreciated in folk and world music magazines. The second album „Močia“ (The Mother) which saw daylight in 2004 (CD, Dangus records) is marked by vivid, warm sound. It was recognized as one of the most solid modern folk music releases in Lithuanian discography. In the third album “Saula riduolėla” – “Sun the Roller” (2009, Dangus records) “strict” composition blends with improvisation and experiments in an original way. Not only is the solar theme emphasized by the titles of some songs or the album itself, but is also further strengthened by the album's colourful and sunny sound.

Currently there are three female vocalists in the band - Gedimina Statulevičienė, Audronė Daraškevičienė and Darutė Pilibavičienė (who also plays kanklės) as well as one male vocalist and kanklės player Rytis Ambrazevičius. Group’s multiinstrumentalist Ernest Jepifanov plays the bansuri (Indian flute), viola, bagpipe, and panpipes; Eirimas Velička plays the violin, kanklės, Jew’s harp. Bass guitar and kanklės are played by Gediminas Žilys, electric and acoustic guitars are played by Ugnius Keturka, and the percussion is handled by Salvijus Žeimys. The band gave concerts in Poland (2000, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2008), Estonia (2002), Latvia (2002, 2009), Germany (2006), Turkey (2008), Czech Republic (2009), took part in Lithuanian radio and television programs. It is a common participant in Lithuanian folk, postfolk and neofolk festivals and city and town feasts. “Atalyja” continually plays at the festivals “Mėnuo Juodaragis”, “Baltic sound”, “Suklegos”, “Gyvosios archeologijos dienos”, “Skamba skamba kankliai”. The band’s music is used in numerous art projects, films, and theater performances.

Official website:  
http://www.atalyja.com/

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ATALYJA - Žemaitiu ruoks ("Samogitian rock") - EP - 2008; Lossless (FLAC) + Working CUEsheet + HQ album art

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Lithuanian folk-rock at its best. An extended play pre-release, unveiling three album songs from a forthcoming third ATALYJA CD "Saula riduolėla" (Riding Sun), plus three electronic remixes and one special instrumental track. Fresh solar sound of the songs brings sparkling Yule moods, masterful ATALYJA compositions uniquely combine ‘hard’ composition, improvisation and experiments, while the multicoloured instrumentation is adorned by Indian bansuri and tabla. The charming title song "Samogitian rock" is presented with two different electronic remixes, together with nice bonus creations making this release very special. 7 tracks. Limited edition of 333 copies only.

Tracklist:

ATALYJA "Samogitian rock"

01. Samogitian rock
02. Behind the great woods (Yule moods)
03. EglÄ—'s Curse
04. Samogitian rock - Donis mix
05. Little oak - Ugnius mix
06. Samogitian rock - Nadaprem mix
07. Moon sparkles in snow... 

origin: Lithuania
genre: folk-rock
recorded / released: 2008, Dangus
format: jewel case CD, limited to 333 copies.

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Music / compositions: Ernest Jepifanov (1,6,7); Gediminas Žilys (3*,7);
Eirimas Velička (2). *arrangements by: G.Žilys & E.Velička.
remixes by: (4) Donatas Bielkauskas, 2008; (5) Ugnius Keturka, 2006;
(6) Nadaprem, 2008;
lyrics: Lithuanian folk songs

performers:
Gedimina Statulevičienė – vocal
Audronė Daraškevičienė – vocal
Darutė Pilibavičienė – vocal, kanklės
Ernest Jepifanov – viola (1, 3, 7), bansuri (7), violin (7), vocal (2),
bagpipe (2), jew’s harp (3)
Rytis Ambrazevičius – vocal (2)
Eirimas Velička – violin (1, 3), kanklės (2), vocal (2)
Ugnius Keturka – acoustic guitar, electric guitar
Gediminas Žilys – bass guitar, kanklės (3, 7), vocal (2)
Salvijus Žeimys – drums
guest musician: Bernardas Janauskas – tabla (1)

recording & mixing: Meinardas Brazaitis
mastering: Kristijonas Lučinskas *Soundprovocation studio
photos: Gedimina Statulevičienė, Paulius Mazūras
designs: Ugnius LiogÄ—

[c] 2008 Atalyja / Dangus
[p] 2008 Dangus

Keywords: Atalyja, folklore, folk, postfolk, neofolk, folk-rock, Lithuania, Baltic, Lithuanian folk music, world music, Samogitia, Samogitian rock.