DANTCHEV:DOMAIN released the second album The Lions We Are

Photo: Maarit Kytöharju Photo edit: Ili Marttinen
Anna Dantchev (photo: Maarit Kytöharju)
DANTCHEV:DOMAIN (Photo:Maarit Kytöharju)

DANTCHEV:DOMAIN has released the second album – “The Lions We Are” . The album has eight songs about courage.
Helsinki-based international quintet's album’s stories of leaving, arriving, loneliness, and courage intertwine with cinematic rhythmic music that breaks the boundaries of musical styles. The album has been released on streaming platforms in both stereo and Dolby Atmos versions. In addition, a physical CD has been released.

The feelings of global loneliness brought up by the pandemic and the old migration stories of her own family inspired Finnish-Bulgarian singer and composer Anna Dantchev to write songs about courage for the album. Dantchev’s musical language is based on the strong musical roots of her two cultures, and especially on the Bulgarian diaspora and its diversity , but the artist’s style also strongly incorporates elements of jazz and blues, as well as strong melodies and a rhythmically rich world in particular.

“The corona time brought to the surface strongly the feelings of loneliness and also fear. I experienced a kind of paralysis on the edge of everything around me and wanted to strengthen my own courage with my songs. I imagined in my mind an old ship departing from its home port when the sea is free. The idea of ​​being able to leave without knowing where to arrive fascinated me during the composing process. I read and listened to a lot of old migration stories of my family. In the middle of the stories, however, I tried to find a single traveler; how she feels when the ship doesn’t move or is hit by a storm, what she has taken with her to a new place, how loneliness, fear and confidence feel in these songs - where to find your own courage to continue,”Dantchev says.

The third track of the album, The World has gone Mad my friend, has been chosen as one of the top tracks of the album. In a way, the restless rhythm of the song takes advantage of Bulgarian rhythms. It suggests that the world’s clock is running. Dantchev herself thinks of the song as a kind of laconic expression - not a complaint or a shout, but an expression the she tells a friend.

“The lyrics popped into my head during the corona - it felt like the whole world had gone crazy with all its limitations. The freelancers in Finland were especially annoyed by our Finnish rulers and their restrictions (... to start again needs more than just, good will and simple trust ...). In addition to the corona, the song was also affected by the news of overheating of the earth - soon a point would be passed after which the earth could no longer be saved (... time is up! Have you heard ...). Now that the album is out, there is a third form of madness near us - the war,” Dantchev opens.

Each of the eight songs on the album tells its own individual story of courage.
The album’s title song, The Lions We Are, reminds us in its own simplicity that despite everything, we just have to go on with our lives - we’re here for it.


The album was also released in Dolby Atmos

The Lions We Are is released in Dolby Atmos among the first Finnish albums, maybe even as the first Finnish album. Dolby Atmos is an audio technology that expands on existing surround sound systems found in movie theaters and home theaters by adding a height to reproduce sound in 3D. The three-dimensional reproduction of the Atmos is also possible simulated from ordinary headphones. Dantchev’s musical language characteristic with storytelling is at home in the world of Atmos - the listener is surrounded by the song and gets entangled in the songs more deeply.

The album is recorded and mixed by Mikko Raita and mastered by Svante Forsbäck - they are both thoroughly acquainted with this recording and release format. The idea for recording and releasing the album also as an Atmos version came from Mikko Raita who is accomplished and experienced in film music scene. His handwriting also includes many award-winning Finnish jazz records. The overall production of the album (production and artistic) is by Dantchev, but Raita’s vision supported the studio implementation and strongly determined the album’s Atmos recording and mixing. Among other things, Forsbäck has mastered recently Rammstein's production for Dolby Atmos. The Lions We Are can be listened in the Atmos version from Tidal, Amazon, and Apple Music streaming services with own hi-fi systems or headphones.

Anna Dantchev, also known as the Bulgarian Voice from Finland, is a charismatic and multi-faceted singer. Founded in 2019, DANTCHEV: DOMAIN is a musically strong and diverse quintet that brings Dantchev’s stories to life on both the albums and the gigs. Dantchev's deeply emotional voice and the unique sound of the international band have already attracted interest with the first album Say It (Glomama Music, 2020). In the year of its release, the record was awarded the Folk Album of the Year in Finland. It also rose to the Top 10 Roots Music Report (US) as well as the Top 20 World Music Charts Europe list.

DANTCHEV:DOMAIN
Anna Dantchev (FI/BG): vocal, tupan-drum
Erno Haukkala (FI): trombone, sousaphone
João Luís (PT): vibraphone, percussions
Kenneth Ojutkangas (FI/US): guitar, tuba
Antti-Pekka Rissanen (FI): drums

article posted by:Anna Dantchev, Anna Dantchev / Bulgarian Voice from Finland / DANTCHEV:DOMAIN

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