Seven Sisters

The Mediterranean Sea occupies a unique place geographically, historically and culturally. Currently it is an arena for some of the world's saddest stories and it is with this in mind that Don Kipper present their album Seven Sisters: a record of the ‘traditional music of East London’. Although somewhat tongue-in-cheek, this claim challenges notions of ‘indigenous versus immigrant’ in the traditional music debate; the East End is such a cultural melting pot that surely the blend of sonic ethnicities that the band explore here can be described as part of a new tradition of music making.

Oud and double bass open the album and are joined by Dunja Botic's evocative vocals. ‘Welcome’ contains influences from all around the Med: Middle Eastern scales collide with North African-style call-and-response singing, hand clapping and snippets of jazz to create a soundworld that covers a lot of ground. This track sets the tone for the rest of the album: rich in instrumentation (accordion, oud, clarinet, violin, bass, drums and vocals) and varied in scope. Macedonian folk songs, Jewish sirbas and Gypsy rhythms abound with furious intensity, driven by a great rhythm section and transcendental soloing.