Snip Records is a new record label which focuses on high resolution digital music and this is the debut album from the group “ti-an-guis” an international group which play folk music from all over the world. The band’s name is derived from the Mexican word “tianguis” which is an open air market and reflects the band’s melting pot of influences and sounds, though I initially assumed the name was of Breton origin for some reason.

The group consists of a female vocalist, a bass player, two guitarists and a percussionist who met in the Netherlands but come originally from Mexico, Brazil, Portugal and Croatia.

Let’s get one thing straight from the off – this is not my normal listening fodder but, that said, I enjoyed listening to this album a great deal. Vocalist Lovorka Holjevac has an absolutely tremendous voice – I can’t understand a word of what she’s singing about but it’s really enjoyable. The musicianship on this record is absolutely first rate and this isn’t surprising when you read the CVs of the various members of the band. 

There are 11 tracks on the album and all are superbly recorded and this is certainly a record I’ll be hawking round the various hifi shows we’ll be attending over the next year. The band were recorded live in a small studio in the Hague and the recording captures the energy of the group brilliantly – if this was recorded with individual musicians overdubbing tracks I don’t think you’d have got the same feeling from the record!

If you like world folk music or not I think you’ll take something away from listening to this record. The original tunes come from such diverse countries as Senegal, Mexico, Croatia and Brazil…amongst others and so you’re not locked into just one country’s heritage. You really feel the origins of the music and the band’s interpretation of the music is very sympathetic – there is a definite jazz feel whilst retaining the folk roots of the original music.

Would I recommend this album? Yes I would. I get a lot of music sent to listen to but, like our hifi reviews, we only publish the reviews of the stuff that stands out for us and this record certainly stands out. It’s a little different to the norm and will appeal to people who enjoy world music, jazz and folk. Even if you don’t think you like this kind of music do yourself a favour and listen to this record if only for the great recoding of some wonderful musicians. 

Out now.