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and another nice review for Boo Boo & ElectroBluesSociety

Boo Boo Davis and ElectroBluesSociety – Transatlantic Quarantine Sessions

The pandemic has kept Boo Boo Davis and ElectroBluesSociety from meeting up in person. But that didn’t keep the Dutch duo from working out with Davis. What had been an annual European tour for the trio became an exchange of sessions over the wire. The mix of Davis’ old school delta singing and the creative ferment of Jasper Mortier and Jan Mittendorp has been enhanced. The sound is more experimental and more primal than their earlier work. Necessity has created a set of songs that take the blues into uncharted waters. This isn’t a set of remixes or samples. It’s a full collaboration that brings out the best and most innovative sides of each musician.

While the production can’t quite erase the “assembly” feeling that this sort of recording can bring, that distance (and the strikingly different sounds of the studios) lends these songs that much more of an eternal and otherworldly quality. The blues means different things to different people, and I imagine a lot of people might wonder how some of this relates to the blues at all. The isolation between the notes that simply wails should be enough.

Many of these songs have been released over 2021 as singles. This set is a worthy document of the plague years. Let’s hope for a full concert season in 2021. Davis and the Dutchmen may never follow this exact path again, but it is surely a worthy one.

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review for Boo Boo Davis + ElectroBluesSociety

This is what BLUES IN THE SOUTH (UK) wrote about the new record of Boo Boo Davis + ElectroBluesSociety

B&T 987 – Boo Boo Davis + Electro Blues Society – Transatlantic Quarantaine Sessions

Regular BiTS readers might recognise some of the numbers on this set, as a few have seen release as digital singles and have been reviewed as such. East Saint Louis bluesman Boo Boo, a real old school blues singer, harpman and drummer, has been working with Dutch label Black & Tan since 1998.

They weren’t going to let a little thing like a nearly global lockdown get in the way, and these quarantine tracks are the result. Boo Boo tends to just do his thing—tough, no-nonsense vocals and wailing blues harp—whilst the ElectroBluesSociety (label boss Jan Mittendorp on guitar and “buttons” and Jasper Mortier on drums and bass) complements him with some raw electric guitar work, and often computer generated rhythms and effects. Having listened to and enjoyed the singles, it was something of a surprise that the album itself comes across as a balance of blues and electronica.

On the individual releases, it often seemed as though Boo Boo was the main focus, but on this set, there is a definite, very recognisable hybrid style. Purists might quibble about it, but Boo Boo himself seems quite happy about it. See it as a salient reminder that the blues isn’t just for old folks, you know.

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review for Senel Karatepe from the UK

Şenel Karatepe – Hard Times – Bone Union Records (BUR 1110)
Bone Union Records, a subsidiary of Black & Tan Records, continues the intriguing, innovative and highly interesting documentation of the Turkish blues scene that it began in 2020 with another highly entertaining release.

Şenel Karatepe is a singer and acoustic guitarist working in a solo setting on a set of tracks recorded around 2005 and 2006 in Izmir. The nine tracks are all accomplished performances and draw from a range of influences. There are four Robert Johnson numbers—the opening ‘Stones In My Passway’, which like all the performances here is not that different from the original but has its own charm, ‘Travelin’ Riverside Blues’, ‘Walkin’ Blues’, and a laid-back ‘Rambling On My Mind’. There there is a brooding cover of Muddy Waters’ ‘Louisiana Blues’, a fine version of ‘Driftin’ Blues’, and rather unexpectedly (though the album title might lead some to expect it), a reworking of Ray Charles’ ‘Hard Times’. A vibrant rendering of Big Bill Broonzy’s ‘Hey Hey’ is my favourite track of the set, and precedes the closer, Eric Clapton’s ‘Crying’, which fits in perfectly.

A very listenable and enjoyable release from a new and evolving blues location. It is worth checking out

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from SoulGuru

https://soulgurusounds.com/senel-karatepe-hard-times/

ŞENEL KARATEPE – HARD TIMES
Das vor kurzem veröffentlichte Album „Hard Times“ enthält akustische Soloaufnahmen von Şenel Karatepe aus den Jahren 2005 und 2006. Der türkische Bluesmusiker versteht es, einen seidigen und flüssigen Stil zu kreieren, während er Klassiker von legendären Namen wie Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Charles Brown, Big Bill Broonzy und Ray Charles covert.

The recently released album “Hard Times” contains acoustic solo recordings by Şenel Karatepe from 2005 and 2006. The Turkish blues musician knows how to create a silky and fluid style while covering classics by legendary names such as Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Charles Brown, Big Bill Broonzy and Ray Charles.

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nice words for Bone Union Records from Germany

Auf der Suche nach Alternativen
Izmir ist so ein Ort in der Türkei, die so manchen Blues-Liebhaber kennt. Wie Senel Karatepe. Fein, dass er „Hard Times“ (Bone Union Records) vorlegt. Aufnahmen, die etwas mehr als 15 Jahre alt und nun digital verfügbar sind. Sie zeigen, wie gewandt Senel mit den Traditionalisten umgeht. Er ruft Größen wie Robert Johnson, Muddy Water oder Ray Charles auf. Nicht allein eine Verbeugung vor prägenden Musikern. Vielmehr eine tief empfundene Nähe. Überhaupt: Wer in die türkische Blues-Szene hineinhören möchte, sollte es mit „Mama’s Bag“ vom Mama & Friends probieren – ebenfalls auf Bone Union erschienen.

Looking for alternatives
Izmir is such a place in Turkey that many a blues lover knows. Like Senel Karatepe. Fine that he presents “Hard Times” (Bone Union Records). Recordings that are just over 15 years old and are now available digitally. They show how skilfully Senel treats the traditionalists. He calls for greats like Robert Johnson, Muddy Water or Ray Charles. Not only a bow to formative musicians. Rather, a deeply felt closeness. Anyway: If you want to listen to the Turkish blues scene, you should try “Mama’s Bag” by Mama & Friends – also released on Bone Union.

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AtticRadio on Senel Karatepe

BUR 1110 – SENEL KARATEPE – HARD TIMES


When you think of “Blues” the mind usually conjures up images of dusty deserts, hot swamps, the deep south etc. But Turkish label Bone Union Records are flying the flag for proper blues with some incredible music straight from the heart of artists all over Eastern Europe.

Bone Union supports any musical efforts to improve the chances of exchange of blues and neighboring genres between Netherlands and Turkey. The label aims to document a neglected musical scene in Turkey, not just by releasing archival material from mid-90’s to this date; but also by releasing brand new material from Turkish artists. Black & Tan Records are committed to finding forgotten blues gems as well as representing brand new music. Though the scope mainly consist rare recordings of local traditional blues, urban blues and gospel acts, the material varies wildly by inclusion of folk, funk, dub, noise and experimental releases, that goes way beyond the borders of conventional blues.

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review Boo boo + ElectroBluesSociety from Germany

B&T 987 – Boo Boo Davis + ElectroBluesSociety – Transatlantic Quarantaine Sessions

Covid-19 bremst, aber verhindert nicht die Kooperation: Zwischen den Kontinenten wanderten die Sounddateien hin und her. Zwischen den Niederlanden und St. Louis. Zwischen der ElectroBluesSociety, zu der Jasper Mortier und Jan Mittendorp gehören, und Boo Boo Davis, der im Mississippi-Delta aufwuchs und sich über zwei Dekaden immer wieder in Europa auf Touren vorgestellt hatte.

„Transatlantic Quarantaine Sessions“ (Black & Tan) bezeugt ein gänzlich unvoreingenommene Zusammenarbeit: Es gibt rohen Blues und ruppigen Funk, gesungen von dem Amerikaner und eine ausgeflippte Harmonika. Aus dem schäbigen Schuppen, zu dem die Leute raus aufs Land kommen, um zu tanzen.

Doch da ist noch mehr zu haben. Zum Beispiel sphärische Übergänge zu Ambient-Dub-Blues. Genial. Eines der Stück heißt „It’s A Sad Thing“. Schade, dass wir aufs Konzert warten müssen.

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review from Hungary

Senel Karatepe a törökországi Lüleburgaz városban született, és jelenleg is ott él. Középiskolai tanulmányai alatt kezdett el érdeklődni a zene és a gitározás iránt. A Dokuz Eylül University Zenetudományi Tanszékének hallgatója volt, a diploma megszerzését követően zongoratanítást vállalt, de adatbázis-adminisztrátorként és weboldal-fejlesztőként is dolgozott. Jelenleg csakis zenéléssel foglalkozik. Bemutatkozó albuma, a Hard Times 2006-ban és 2007-ben rögzített dalokat tartalmaz, olyan előadóktól, mint Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Charles Brown, Big Bill Broonzy, Ray Charles és Eric Clapton. A lemez a holland Jan Mittendorp és a török Sarp Keskiner által alapított Bone Union Records gondozásában digitálisan jelent meg.