Presenting the  unique sounds of Steaua de Mare

Back  in December 2012 we brought you the “Sounds of the unheard” from our Romanian ambassadors Future Nuggets. The compilation gained plaudits from across the globe and was even named by Andrew Weatherall as one of his compilations of the year.

Steaua  de Mare featured heavily and the band was instantly noted for their Smokey psychedelic sound.

The whole concept of Steaua de Mare was founded on past sounds and the bygone entertainment rituals which existed before the 1989 revolution (that atmosphere extended well beyond and into the nineties).  Steaua de Mare was a sixties seaside complex in one of the now fading Black Sea resorts Eforie Nord. As people relaxed in the sun and ate good food, traditional songs were played by restaurant bands which gave Steaua de Mare the idea to pay homage to this way of life by combining the sound of that era together with the new recording techniques of today.

The band: Bogdan  Stoian (violin, synths) Andrei Dinescu (percussion, drums, violin, synths)

Ion Dumitrescu (bass, synths, drum-machines, drums)  Horațiu Ș (synths, electric piano) Eugen Imecs (drums, percussion) came together after many years of jamming and decided to pool all resources together in two different studios around Bucharest.

Their  unique sound comes from many directions. They bring elements of Prog, dub, psychedelic rock and contemporary gypsy music (Manele) mainly from Romania and Bulgaria into the mix. If you then add that they are irreversibly contaminated in analogue and early digital sounds then maybe you have a passing image of this hybrid sound.

Manele ("manea" originally meaning "Turkish song" in Romanian) is a musical genre  (already known worldwide) that has engulfed the whole Balkans in the past twenty years and is just about to produce even more new hybrids. It has already spawned mature voices and local hero’s such as (Dan Armeanca, Adrian Minune, Florin Salam, Vali Vijelie and Dan Drăghici).Manele goes under different names in countries around Romania and with delightful differences for each Balkan region, it is associated with contemporary gipsy wedding music but this is a style that has already breached the borders.
Steaua  de Mare add a unique twist on local standards with the help of Roland Juno 60, Yamaha CS-5, Elektronika EM-25, Junost-21, Poly 61 and their beloved Wurlitzer electric Piano. A wide range of influences from Can to Ork Universal, from psychedelic attitudes, kraut adventures to outer national delights like Bulgarian Chalga. We truly believe that there is no other sound like Steaua de Mare right now.