Andreas Dopp - Taiga Taxi, Vol. 2 (2017) [Hi-Res]

Taiga Taxi: warm, earthy, melancholic music, beautifully timeless like the taiga, the world’s largest biome, apart from the oceans. This lifeblood project by Hamburg guitarist Andreas Dopp displays influences from Pop, Jazz, Musette and, above all, Eastern European folk music. Is the Taiga Taxi sound World Music? Yes, you could say that, because it spreads through the world, but in its place of origin it is local music.

Why does this Russian-Balkan sounding music come from Hamburg? Andreas can’t explain it, except to say that as a child, at home, over an old vacuum tube radio, he sat up and listened whenever Eastern European music came on. Whether it was the sound or the rhythm with its many changes, the 3 and 6 beats, all can be found in his Taiga Taxi. The debut album was released in 2014 and its successor, Taiga Taxi Vol. 2 has just been released.

This time around the recordings took place at the Fattoria Musica in Osnabrück. Like on the first album, Andreas Grünewald on guitar and Christian Hake on drums are in the lineup. The highly acclaimed jazz bassist Thomas Biller is new to the ensemble, with Jakob Neubauer, well-known in theater circles, playing a decisive role in the overall sound with his Bayan, the colorful connection to Eastern Europe. Lovingly arranged details complete the sound, inviting you to discover even more.

Andreas Dopp is an accomplished guitarist and composer, studio, live and theater musician. Tours and concerts in the bands of Ina Müller, Annett Louisan and Reinhold Beckmann are among his best known credits. Repeated collaborations with Dominique Horwitz highlight his numerous stints as a theater musician. At the time, Andreas is recording with a Tango quartet, whose repertoire – albeit highly virtuosic – spans an arc to his own project.

Solo virtuosity is not the focus of Taiga Taxi: it’s the compositions with their memorable melodies and sometimes surprising chord changes which determine expression. These charming melancholy sound paintings come across as a perfect soundtrack for a film journey through Eastern Europe. Ride in the Taiga Taxi. Relax. Dream. Listening brings bliss and serenity.

Tracklist:
01. Andreas Dopp - Am Anfang (3:49)
02. Andreas Dopp - Die Welt steht still (3:45)
03. Andreas Dopp - Maschine (4:10)
04. Andreas Dopp - Ein Tag mit Piroschka (2:49)
05. Andreas Dopp - November Sonne (4:44)
06. Andreas Dopp - Jasmina (3:25)
07. Andreas Dopp - Letzte Bahn (3:00)
08. Andreas Dopp - Die Reise ins Glück (4:12)
09. Andreas Dopp - Der verlorene Mann (3:11)
10. Andreas Dopp - Die Zeit (2:57)
11. Andreas Dopp - Der Berg (2:48)
12. Andreas Dopp - Das Ende (2:36)