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It’s somewhat paradoxical that Novi Sad’s Modern Quartet are among
the most regular participants on the Belgrade Coffee Shop compilations.
This eclectic group of artists along with their friends and collaborators,
from musicians Vanjus, Leka and Daniel (aka Mastabear) to comic
book artist Zoran Janjetov, have cemented the band’s place in the
domain of electronic music here in Serbia, at the same time breaking
into the global market. At the request of the elite Belgian label
Crammed Disc, Modern Quartet have done remixes for Suba’s “Tributo”
album and Kochani Orchestra’s “Electric Gypsyland”, alongside an
impressive list of artists (Juryman, Arto Lindsay, Shantel, Bigga
Bush, Phil Asher) while the cover artwork for these releases, along
with the new MQ album, was created by Zoran Janjetov.
MQ’s debut album “The Dark Side of the Mood” implants a cosmopolitan
sound of modern electronic music onto the scene, transcending borders
and presenting personal reflections by colliding musical styles
and singing in a variety of different languages, sometimes all within
the confines of one song.
The result is a subtle blend of various forms of downtempo, jazz,
deep house and broken beat filtered through the talents and fine
taste of these passionate consumers of modern electronic and dance
music. In addition, the already recognizable MQ sound receives a
breath of fresh air with the appearance of Mastabear, whose songwriting
and suggestive voice and lyrics dominate the vocal part of MQ’s
repertoire. With this album, MQ presents itself as a candidate for
the title of local champion in the realm of freeform creativity,
which in the end translates into a strange and exotic artistic voyage
from the first musical tone to the last tiny scribble on the album’s
inspired cover art.
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