WELCOME TO SMOKED RECORDINGS

Smoked recordings is based in Wageningen, the Netherlands. It concentrates on music that would have been made with or without microphones, venues, or royalties.

We focus on high quality roots and world music, predominately acoustic but not necessarily. Our philosophy could be "small is beautiful as long as its good enough to stand the test of time". We are convinced that anything we release will indeed stand the test of time. We started life as a platform for our own bands Big Low and Parne Gadje but are always looking to expand - slowly, with feeling, based on a strong principal of only wanting to share with you what we think is worth sharing. Hence the addittion of Davie Lawson and Kamal Hors to the roster. We also hve a recording arm to our operations - for more info go to www.smokedsounds.com

AWARD WINNING AUSTRALIAN ARTIST LUCIE THORNE JOINS THE CLUB

We are proud to announce the October 2010 release of Lucie Thornes "Black Across the Field" album. The album won the Sydney Morning Herald Award for best Roots album of 2009 and was also shortlisted for the Australian Music Prize. Lucie is a captivating performer. We saw her holding audiences in the palm of her hand at festivals in Australia earlier this year and when we heard she was making the trip to Europe we knew we had to get involved. Lucie has grit, sensuality, an utterly commanding stage presence. With "Black Across the Field" she has delivered an album of beautiful intensity.

"A spellbinding dark-folk storybook, Thorne is a gifted entertainer"
(Sarah Howells, JMAG)

“Without exaggeration Black Across The Field is as good as anything I’ve heard this year. Growling with warm tube overdrive, stinging like Neil Young… this is a diverse, profound album, with nuances subtle and breathtaking” (Martin Jones, Australian Rhythms Magazine)

"This is one of the finest female vocal albums released by an Australian in years”. (Bernard Zuel, Sydney Morning Herald)

31 okt: Cactus/Hengelo | 1 Nov: Frits Phillips Centrum/Eindhoven | 2 Nov – Patronaat/Heerlen | 3 Nov: Burgerweeshuis/Deventer | 4 Nov: De Bunkr/Gemert | 7 Nov: Roepean/Ottersum

DAVIE LAWSON APRIL 2010 SHOWS ANNOUNCED!

Davie will be playing a few shows in the Netherlands with his band this April at;

7 Burgerweeshuis Deventer | 9 Winstons Amsterdam | 10 Theater de Wilde Wereld Wageningen | 11 Mezz-cafe Breda | 12 Frits Philips/Meneer Frits Eindhoven | 13 Patronaat Heerlen | 15 Paard Den Haag

NEW DAVIE LAWSON ALBUM "TREE TUMBLE WAKE MOTHER" OUT IN 15th March 2010!

Recorded live to tape in an attic studio in Glasgow and mixed by the Smoked Sounds crew here in the Netherlands, Davie's latest work "Tree Tumble Wake Mother" features a line up of pianos, organs, bass, drums and guitars - all tracked together in the tradition of The Bands "Big Pink". Davie's songwriting just keeps getting better. If you thought his debut was good you are going to love the analogue warmth of this release. Check out some of the tracks on davielawsonmusic.com or myspace.com/davielawson A tour of the Netherlands is planned for late April.

PARNE GAJDE LIVE CONCERT FOOTAGE ON NPS CULTURA INTERNET BROADCAST

Parne Gadje recently did a live to air show for Dutch National TV at the NuMoon festival in Rotterdam. Songs from the concert can be watched via digital TV on NPS/Cultura. For internet viewing go to the NPS website and run a search in Cultura and Parne Gadje.

BIG LOW CONTRACTED FOR MAJOR FESTIVALS IN AUSTRALIA

Big Low have been invited to 2 major Australian music festivals at the end of March and a bunch of club shows. The band wll be spending 2 weeks in Australia gigging, doing radio jives and interviews, and stopping the van every 250 kms to jump into the river to cool off. Check www.myspace.com/biglow101 for tour dates

BIG LOW LIVE CONCERT FOOTAGE ON NPS CULTURA INTERNET BROADCAST

Big Lows gig at the recent editon of the NuMoon Festival in Rotterdam has been filmed by Dutch broadcaster NPS for cable and internet. Footage can be viewed at http//:www.cultura.nl. Search for NuMoon then click on Numoon on Air. Ok, we know it aint that easy to fine but if you've come this far you must be a fan, so for the love of God...keep goin!

BIG LOW PLAYING OEROL FESTIVAL THIS WEEKEND!

BIG LOW are playing the sensational Oerol Festival on the island of Terschelling (NL) this weekend! They are playing two shows; Sat 13 June and Sunday 14 June.

The Oerol Festival explodes every year for a period of 10 days. Over 50,000 people visit the island festival and some 70,000 tickets are sold for the various performances organized during the Festival. The list of acts performing at the festival is exceptional.

See www.vijfpoort.nl for details.

BIG LOW - THE JUNCTION OF TWO RIVERS - GERMAN RELEASE SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER TOUR!

Big Low's album “THE JUNCTION OF THE TWO RIVERS” will be released in Germany this September! Its garnered rave reviews everywhere. A must-hear for fans of Calexico, Woven Hand or Tom Waits, but completely its own thing.

In October the Band will be touring extensively.

See more here.

NEW DAVIE LAWSON RECORD

We are pleased to annouce that Davie Lawson's new record, Tree Tumble Wake Mother, has now been mastered and awaits production.

STOP PRESS - NEW RELEASE - STOP PRESS – NEW RELEASE

Big Lows long awaited album “THE JUNCTION OF THE TWO RIVERS” was released on 13 October, 2008!! A must-hear for fans of Calexico, Woven Hand or Tom Waits, but completely its own thing. Big Low show here that there isnt much around that sounds quite like them.

Dan Tuffy (songs, acoustic & electric guitars, banjo bass, vocals) Marc Constandse (bandoneon, percussion incl darabuka, morrocan castinettes, gembir, cajon, chains and basically anything that rattles and makes a cool noise) & Michiel Hollanders(resonator guitar, velophone, singing saw and assorted textures from wherever he can get them).

BRAND NEW RELEASES FOR 2008

Parne Gadje “Mangupi” SR009

In November 2006 Parne Gadje embarked on a 12 show theater tour of Germany. Guitarist/recording engineer Michiel Hollanders not only played all of the shows, he also managed to record them all with top shelf recording equipment. The result was over 20 hours of beautifully balanced professional recordings of the band doing what they do best. As you can imagine the selection process took ages. The very best of it has been mixed and mastered and sounds amazing. 16 tracks in total – a mesmerizing document of what Parne Gadje are capable of and proof that these guys are one of the most influential and creative folk/world music groups around.

PARNE GADJE TO PLAY IN PARADISO

On Sunday 13 January Parne Gadje are taking part in the LA NUIT ZIGANE in the Paradiso in Amsterdam. This is a mini-festival based around Balkan and Rroma style music in the broadest sense and includes diversions into Balkan fanfare, Gypsy beat and punk and childrens music. Sharing the stage with Parne Gadje are the Suske Orchester (Slovakia), Mama Matrix (UK) and Eersteliefdesnacht (NDL). Showtime is 20:30 sharp and tickets are available via www.ticketservice.nl as well as at all good record stores in the Dam.

BIG LOW CONTINUES TO MAKE WAVES IN AUSTRALIA

Fitting really, in surfers terms, a ‘big low’ is an offshore cyclonic pressure system that generates waves. This is precisely what Big Low have been doing in Australia lately with tours there in 2006 and 2007, accompanied by licensing deals for the bands album “No Tears in Paradise”. Sydney based independent label Nonzero Records also released an EP in Australia which included a remix of the song Ti Tree Bush Mix plus some studio outtakes and live material. The last 2 tours attracted fantastic press and Big Low plan to head back down-under sometime in 2008.

Check the new BIG LOW website at www.biglow-online.com

PROCEEDS FROM BIZOAGOR USED FOR RROMA SCHOOL BOOKS A STORY!

The driving concept behind BIZOAGOR was to put something back into the Rroma community. Apart from documenting the marriage of Marc’s composing skills, Gjunlers writing and Parne Gadjes flair for getting it right, the whole idea of the project was to raise money for the Rroma schools in the enclave of Sjutka, Gjunlers birthplace, a satellite tin-shack city on the outskirts of the Macedonian capital.

The proceeds of BIZOAGOR have led to the publishing of the first ever school book in the Rroma language, and the book itself has now gone into its 2nd pressing with interest not only from the schools of Sjutka but also from the Macedonian education department.

We are proud of our involvement in this and overjoyed to see the influence of the Bizoagor project spreading like this. Part of the problem in the beginning was finding a suitable target for the funds and having on the ground know-how in Sjutka ready and able to make it work. Parne Gadje’s Marc Constandse made several trips to Sjutka with Gjunler to organize this. In the process he appeared on Rroma radio and on international Rroma television where he had the honor of being asked to perform the Rroma anthem Djelem Djelem live to air by community leaders.

5,000 copies of the book are now in circulation, not only in the schools of Sjutka, but in Rroma settlements all around Macdonia. The Macedonian authorities have also accepted the book as part of the education curriculum and Rroma kids are now learning at school in there mother tongue for the first time ever. We hope it keeps growing. The book was written and published by Rroma writers and educators living in Sjutka.

INTEREST FROM THE UK!
World Music distributors Sterns Music, London and several UK agents are currently concocting plans for releasing and touring Parne Gadje in Britain. More news to follow as thing this develops.