COSMIC SOUNDS : The Now Of Yesterday - Jazz In Eastern Europe

Giving an exposure to neglected jazz-funk-fusion treasures from eastern european vaults and being in parallel a vehicle for new musicians who work in jazzdance modernity, the London based english-serbian nu-jazz label COSMIC SOUNDS has been representing since 1999 one of the most remarkable efforts for bridging the gaps between local and global, east and west, past and future.

Serbian architect, dj, music collector ZELJKO KERLETA, founder of COSMIC SOUNDS, speaks for the birth of his label (2001 interview):

"Cosmic Sounds was the name of the radio program that I was running between 1996-98. I was running it from London but it was broadcast in Belgrade once a week. That was just a hobby because I am an architect and was working full time for the BBC Architectural Department. As an architect I was doing 3D animations as a presentations for my projects. I found them pretty dull being played without sound so one day I just decided to do a background music using recently discovered computer tools for it. That's how I did my "Running Fast" track. Timewarp heard it and licensed it for their compilation Warp Factor 2 in April 1999. Gilles Peterson picked it up, playlisted it in Straight No Chaser, also Ross Allen and many others. Of course that gave me a boost and I did the whole album "Space Runner". In the meantime I met one of the best trumpeters Dusko Gojkovic who generously gave me all his masters to look after them. Also I knew that some of my friends in Belgrade were doing their own stuff. As a collector I already made a bunch of compilations on CD-Rs (for my personal use) from my record collection, dedicated to each of Eastern European countries that I made because I always had a feeling that they were heavily neglected on collectors market and jazz scene in general and was hoping someday to release it throu someone. Having all that undiscovered music around me the logical choice was to start a record label and share all that with the public. Name for the label was taken from my ex-radio program. And that was it. First release came out in November 1999 and that was re-issue of Dusko Gojkovic's rare 10" record with Kenny Clarke from 1961.[...]"

The great series of rare (60's-80's) jazz/fusion gems from eastern europe:

V/A THIRD EYE, czechoslovakian vaults, 2000


V/A WIZARD, czechoslovakian vaults, 2000

V/A RED SQUARE GROOVE, russian vaults, 2000


V/A BALKAN EXPRESS, yugoslavian vaults, 2001


V/A BAZAAR. polish vaults, 2002


V/A HOLDING HANDS, polish vaults, 2004


V/A SUNSET-SUNRISE, bulgarian vaults, 2002


V/A ANTHOLOGY, hungarian vaults, 2005


V/A BLUE LIGHT, hungarian vaults, 2005



La Folie Du Jour selects cosmic sounds

ALEX RJABOV ENSEMBLE SYNTESYS - Expectation
(from Red Square Groove, 2000)

ALEX SOPCHEK - New Delhi
(from Belgrade's Burning, 2001)

CSABA DESEO ENSEMBLE - Song for my father
(from Anthology, 2005)

KRZYSTOF KOMEDA -Kattorna [kitten]
(from Bazaar, 2002)

LALA KOVACEV - Emina
(from Balkan Express, 2001)

MILAN STOJANOVIC - Bar's groove
(from Balkan Express, 2001)

MILAN SVOBODA - Wait for me
(from Wizard, 2000)

TONE JANSA - Vizija [vision]
(from Bouyancy, 2001, [rec.1976-78] )

JERZY MILIAN - Ashkhabad bazaar
(from Bazaar, 2002)

RTB BIG BAND - ne ga se provadaj
(from Balkan Express, 2001)

ZELJKO KERETA - Running fast
(from Space Runner, 1999)

VESSELIN NIKOLOV - Hallelujah
(from Sunset Sunrise, 2002)

MISHA BLAM - Memory
(from Balkan Express, 2001)

RTB BIG BAND WITH GUESTS - si zaljubiv edno mome
(from Jazz Orkestar Radio-Televizije Beograd (1948-1978), 2005)

MENSON BENSON SEXTET - Favourite tongues
(from Belgrade's Burning, 2001)

JERZY MILIAN - Rewelacyjny Luciano
(from Bazaar, 2002)

LABORATORIUM - Taniec bialego karla
(from Holding Hands, 2004)

JANKO NILOVIC - Delirium
(from Rhythmes Contemporains, 2000, [first release 1973])

JANKO NILOVIC - Diamant dans l'espace
(from Rhythmes Contemporains, 2000, [first release 1973])

ZELJKO KERLETA - Summer's gone
(from Space Runner, 1999)

COXLESS PAIR (a.k.a. DVOJAC BEZ KORMILANA) - Jive samba
(from Contemplation, 2000)

ZELJKO KERLETA - The bull is dead
(from Belgrade's Burning, 2001)

music compiled by
Koroviov + paramo

listen to Cosmic Sounds Compilation
part 1 & part 2