Review: Eje Eje - Primordial Soup (Batov Records)

Talking about going back to your roots, Batov Records find the 'Primordial Soup' with their latest release, the latest album by Eje Eje (aka Itamar Kluger).

The album follows 'Five Seasons' from a couple of years ago (see review HERE) and it's more high quality Middle Eastern pysch funk pysch folky global grooves

Crossing some Door goth into their psych rock funk with some Turkish trad folk, this is incredible as Kluger plays most to the instruments himself.

We're told the album was "Inspired by the scientific theory of life's origins, the album is a 'primal fusion' of contrasting elements -traditional instrumentation meets beat-driven textures in an imaginative and emotionally charged soundscape" and I don't doubt it.

WOMAD is back next year, let's keep the campaign for a whole Batov Records Stage; wouldn't that be great!

Artist: Eje Eje

Title: Primordial Soup

Release date: 3rd October, 2025

Label: Batov Records 

Cat. No: BTR127

Format: Vinyl / Digital / Bandcamp

Review: Eje Eje - Five Seasons (Batov Records)

Batov Records continue to make a huge contribution to world music with their latest release, the debut album by Eje Eje (aka Itamar Kluger).

The album, 'Five Seasons' is spread over 12 tracks; two each for winter, spring, summer and autumn with another two for late summer, plus a couple of bonus tracks.

Fans of the single, 'That Rainy Dawn' / 'Coral Sex' (see review HERE) plus one of the highlights the compilation on Middle Eastern Grooves (see review HERE - all on Batov Records) will have a very good idea of what to expect.

They've seemed to have squeezed in some Desert Blues into their psych rock funk with some Turkish trad folk, Levantine dabke and Persian bandari. This might seem a bit of a stretch but from 'New Roots' to 'Mountain Disco' (featuring Yuli Shafriri) it's an real joy; current favourite is 'Black Sea Majic' with it's mixed in dub, spiritual jazz acid excesses.  But 'current favourite' has possibly been one or more of all the tracks on repeated listens including 'That Rainy Dawn (Autumn)', 'Saved From The Jazz (Spring)' and 'Mountain Disco (Bonus)'.

Perhaps a bit of a stretch to translate into the tracks to the five seasons of traditional Chinese medicine but it's a special album that will raise your spirits.

As good as the line-up is for WOMAD this year, let's start the campaign for a whole Batov Records Stage for next year; wouldn't that be great!

Artist: Eje Eje

Title: Five Seasons

Release date: 28th July, 2023

Label: Batov Records 

Cat. No: BTR073

Format: Vinyl / Digital / Bandcamp

Review: Eje Eje - That Rainy Dawn / Coral Sex (Single) (Batov Records)

You may recall that on the Batov Records' Middle Eastern Grooves compilation, one of the many stand out tracks was 'Saved From The Jazz' by Eje Eje (see review HERE).

Well, such was the response to that track, they've now got a 7" single with the 'traditional' funk of 'That Rainy Dawn' and the even more fantastic 'Coral Sex' - that strangely has the organ vibe of The Doors' 'Riders On The Storm' (a pretty rainy track itself!)

As part of Batov's 7" singles series, it's not one to miss out on.

Artist: EJE EJe

Title: That Rainy Dawn / Coral Sex

Release date: 9th June, 2023

Label: Batov Records 

Cat. No: BTR079

Format: 7" / Digital / Bandcamp