Yadayn - Elders

$8.00

Release date: 11/13/2020

Genre: Folk

Sub-Genre: Guitar

Elders is the fifth album from London-based guitarist Gowaart Van Den Bossche, working under the moniker yadayn. Out November 13th, 2020 the record also serves as yadayn’s first release for Lost Tribe Sound.

Elders translates to "elsewhere" in Dutch. As that title suggests, this album is a meditation on groundedness and the possibilities of other lives in other places. Recorded after having moved from Belgium to London, Elders is a meditation on the experiences yadayn had and the personal relationships he built during, in between, and after three trips to Iran, especially its provinces of East and West Azerbaijan between 2016 and 2018. While these trips ended up resulting in a personal failure, this album is one effort to make sense of the events in the form of a highly personal engagement with Iranian musical and literary traditions.

While many of yadayn’s previous albums have mainly consisted of solo guitar recordings, Elders marks a small but important shift in approach. A pronounced use of overdubs can be heard throughout the album, along with meaningful selections of field recordings from his time in Iran, Persian poetry written by one of many random acquaintances made while traveling in Iran, and loose interpretations of traditional songs. All have embedded their charms and taken on new meaning for Van Den Bossche.

It feels right to leave many of the personal experiences behind Elders untold, at least in a written language. In its place, yadayn’s musical transcription has provided something much more powerful. Sorrow, anger, joy, and calm all make time for each other during the course of the album. Its emotions are worn on the sleeve, weary yet wiser, and ultimately grateful for the experience.

1. Hier

2. Ginder

3. Verder

4. Elders I

5. Elders II

6. Ergens