KAVKASIA Minco Eggersman

• Feat. Macedonian Radio Symphonic Orchestra, Svante Henryson:
• 1 Hidden In Clouds 01:08
• Feat. Macedonian Radio Symphonic Orchestra, Oene van Geel, Jonas Pap, Hanna Ekström:
• 2 The Crossing Place 02:53
• Feat. Macedonian Radio Symphonic Orchestra, Svante Henryson:
• 3 Dance 03:55
• Feat. Lincoln Ho, Jonas Nyström:
• 4 The Black Sea 03:02
• Feat. Paul van der Feen, Jonas Nyström:
• 5 Holy Ground 05:04
• Feat. Macedonian Radio Symphonic Orchestra, Jonas Pap, Hanna Ekström:
• 6 The Other Side Of Dawn 02:38
• Feat. Jonas Nyström:
• 7 Stepantsminda 02:33
• Feat. The Iberi Choir:
• 8 Melisma & Gurian 02:02
• Feat. Audun Erlien, Jonas Nyström, Oene van Geel, The Iberi Choir:
• 9 Deda Ena 03:48
• Feat. Audun Erlien, Macedonian Radio Symphonic Orchestra, Oene van Geel, Jonas Nyström, Paul van der Feen:
• 10 Tbilisi Calls 11:51
• Feat. Audun Erlien, Svante Henryson, Oene van Geel, Jonas Pap:
• 11 Mount Ararat 03:35
• Feat. Lincoln Ho, Jonas Nyström:
• 12 Home Of The Brave 03:25
• Total Runtime 45:54

Info for KAVKASIA

Minco Eggersman tells us more and more, using fewer words in doing so. After three years during which Minco Eggersman mainly devoted his energies to creating soundtracks for films (Jaap van Heusden’s In Blue for the better part of 2016) and documentaries (Sinan Can and Thomas Blom’s Onze missie in Afghanistan for Dutch national TV), he now delights us with solo work under his own moniker again: KAVKASIA.

KAVKASIA was born from a four-wheel drive trip Minco and his wife took into Georgia (‘KAVKASIA’ is Georgian for ‘Caucasus’). It reflects the search for beauty, fortitude and rest, that took Minco deep into the Caucasian mountains. The rugged, broken landscape, in which each sound and every impression pervades one’s very pores, landed him a mixture of humility and comfort.

From the mountains you look down on Tbilisi in the valley below – a babel of languages, cultures and interests, a clamor for attention (‘Tbilisi calls’). Looking up, you will meet three monks who will go a day’s walk just to buy a bread. You taste the ambiance of orthodoxy, the threat of neighbors around, and the steadfast desire for tomorrow’s beauty. In silence you honor the fallen (‘Home of the Brave’), and at the same time hope is never fully gone (‘Mount Ararat’, the mountain where Noah’s ark supposedly stranded).

Minco’s development from singer-songwriter at the crossroads of Americana and alternative into a soundtrack composer has provided a new twist and sharpness to the character of his storytelling. His stories are incisive and picturesque, but he uses even fewer words in telling them. What he does voice, is simple, striking and more finely defined than ever. An impression is enough, just like the entire record is exemplified by the little cross from Gergeti Trinity Church that Minco carries in his purse as a living memory.

The evolution of Minco’s musical idiom is equally remarkable. Known for lo-fi in his early career, you will now hear crystal clear recording by i.a. Jan Borger that together with the open arrangements sometimes flows towards jazz. The mixture of neo-classical, a bit of post-rock and avant-garde bring to mind the last works of Talk Talk and Jan Garbarek (‘Holy Ground’).

Much of the material on KAVKASIA has been based on field recordings in Georgia by Minco and director Yaron Cohen; recordings that actually bring Georgia into the listener’s living room as if the listener is really part of the songs. A farmer working his ground, a whistling river flowing, bells from afar, the soft ticking of the rain and the birds that flee when the mist quietly unwraps the mountains provide an outstanding space and depth in the mix (with the help of again Jan Borger and René de Vries), as in Minco’s earlier sound experiment on RESERVOIRS.

To provide this extraordinary project with the nuance it deserves, Minco again cooperates with a host of guest musicians. Cellos are played by Svante Henryson (known from his work with Elvis Costello and Ryan Adams), and Jonas Nyström – who worked with Minco on In Blue earlier, just like Svante – took care of the intense organ recordings in one of the most beautiful churches in the north of Sweden. The fantastic bass parts are added by Audun Erlien (known for being part of many ECM albums of Nils Petter Molvaer, Mathias Eick and Silje Nergaard). Vocals on ‘Melisma & Gurian’ and ‘Deda Ena’, in two local languages, are provided by Buba of the Iberi Choir. Besides Oene van Geel on violin, and the strings that are contributed by the famous Macedonian Symphony Orchestra from Skopje, Paul van der Feen of the Metropole Orchestra adds the saxophone.

When Minco met Yaron Cohen (known for his beautiful documentary Until the Quiet Comes that has been shot in the mountains of Georgia), this soundtrack to Georgia actually came full circle. For ‘Hidden in Clouds’ and ‘The Other Side of Dawn’ he delivered the breath-taking videos that together with the beautiful photography by Jolke Balt and Minco himself, plus fine artwork by Robert-Jan van Noort of Pankra, made KAVKASIA complete.

Minco, a drummer by original trade, consciously chose to omit the drums altogether so the music would serenely evaporate into silence like a mist on the mountains.

„Whatever inhospitable path Eggersman travels, his faith and hope are never far away. Often remote from nowadays pop-music, this is probably his most impressive musical adventure as of yet.“ (OOR)

„A stunning album that resounds the impressive nature and beautiful nature of a country. High end sounds for the advanced, nothing less... 9/10“ (HiFi.nl)

„Eggersman’s “Kavkasia” breathes with its very own life and passion, evocatively filling the heart with gentle contemplation, whilst refreshing the soul with a joyous, ethereal sense of belonging. The resulting music on this album is stunningly beautiful and perfectly reflects the search for beauty, fortitude and rest, deep into the Caucasian mountains. How often does an album come along that is just so different…in such a good way? Very rarely.  5/5“ (UKVIBE)

Minco Eggersman, vocals, guitars, harmonica, accordion, synthesizers, samples, field recordings, additional bass
Svante Henryson, cello
Jonas Nystrom, Church organ,trumpet and horn
Audon Erlien, bass
Buba, vocals
Macedonian Symphony Orchestra
Paul van der Feen, saxophone
Oene Van Geel, violin
Hanna Ekstöm, add. violin
Jonas Pap, add. cello
Lincoln Ho, trombone
Eljakim Okkerse, add. guitar
Joost van't Hoff, piano, synthesizer
Rene de Vries, add. piano
Jason Cohen, add. field recordings

Mixed, mastered, recorded by Minco Eggersman, Jan Borger and friends

Minco Eggersman
born 27 May 1977 is a Dutch musician and producer. Besides singer and drummer of at the close of every day and drummer with The Spirit That Guides Us Minco is also active as a solo artist under the name ME.

He is also a founder and co-owner of the record labels Sally Forth Records and Volkoren. Minco has also worked as a producer with Anderson, Ponoka, Susanna Fields and Psalmen voor Nu.

In the past Minco Eggersman was drummer in the band The Crutch, Kryptonite Garden and Rollercoaster 23.

Booklet for KAVKASIA