Ethos I - Ethos I

For all you progressive music lovers out there, have you ever wondered why we listen to such music in the first place? What is it within this music that makes us tick? It is probably not something specific to music in itself, but to the desire to discover, to explore the depths of our minds through artistic emotions. It is that feeling one gets in a sci-fi movies or novels, of facing the unknown, of tasting that which has lies over the horizon, both in sight and untouchable at the same time, that which has the power to reveal what seemed once impossible.
Before I get too pretentious about all this, let me say right off the bat: this (double!) LP by the Romanian prog band Ethos offers some serious food for though for all you music explorers out there.

For anyone who has already listened to bands such as Experimental Q, Modal Q, Experimental Q2, or Accent, it seems almost unfathomable now, after almost half of century, that the Romanian underground scene of the 1970s could have sparked such diverse and daring ensembles, which often fell apart way too soon, but nevertheless left behind musical troves to withstand the test of time (and of the times!) But that is just a part of the story, which together with the music, is being unearthed in this series.

Ethos resembles the likes of Experimental Q and Q2 in many ways. It was made up of students from the Conservatory, it won awards at the main student festivals in Romania during the 1970s, it recorded music for the national radio broadcast, and it even went as far as to put out its own EP at the end of the 1970s. Oh, and, in case you missed it the first time around, it made some of the most challenging and exploring music, even by prog rock standards of the day. Unlike the Q family of Cluj, Ethos was formed in the city of Iași, one of Romania’s foremost cultural citadels. 1974 marked the beginning, bringing together Cornel Cristei (piano and keyboards), Vasile Foica (flute, already a veteran of the scene, after his collaboration with the group Miraj), Valeriu Gâdei (vocals), Iosif Trendler (drums), Doru Sascău (bass), and Laurențiu Gheorghiu (guitar). Other prominent figures would be part of the Ethos story along the way and mark its musical destiny. Among them, Virgil Popescu (vocals), Victor Huminic and Florian Chelu (on bass), Gabriel Bedő and Felix Șipoș on guitar.

Also, unlike the Qs of Cluj, Ethos bypassed the Conservatory graduation challenge which usually ended with the break-up of the band. Enough, however, with historical details, once you get this music on your turntable, you will also have the chance to read more about the band’s mesmerizing story. For now, listen to the music snippets on this page. Try to imagine how “Sinteze polifonice” [Polyphonic Syntheses] sounds in its entirety. And what musical tropical forests Ethos might have fringed with the machetes of prog, jazz, and classical at their fingertips.

Have you ever wondered why we listen to progressive music? Ethos might provide both the answer and the questions that follow it.

Last but definitely not least, the artwork to vividly match the sonic power of such music is provided by visual artist Barna Fazakas.
The project is unearthed by Claudiu Oancea (curator, historical research, liner notes) and Remus Miron (producer, audio restoration and remastering).

(promotional text by Claudiu Oancea)

====================================
Romanian Sounds Unearthed – 5
180gr. DMM (Direct Metal Mastering)
Made in France
MSRP €29