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MP3 Thursday: Stellamara

I only have two grades–yes, count ‘em, two–in my design in multimedia class, so to me it’s important that I at least attempt to create above average work in my projects. The first grade in that class, which dealt with the design of a Swatch watch, is now finished; the next six weeks are dedicated to designing a flash animation “commercial” for the watch design. One of the requirements is to use only uncopyrighted music in your commercial. This is nearly impossible, as I’m sure many of you would guess. Free music is one thing; music that allows derivative works is another. However, thanks to the powers of places like Jamendo and Magnatune, I have found some decent music that I actually have the right to use. My searching is what led me to this week’s MP3 feature, Stellamara.

If you’ve listened to the United States’ local public radio stations before, you might have heard of a two-hour radio program called Echoes. This program, usually somewhat themed and occasionally consisting of short artist interviews, plays new age, world and ethnic music. Most of the time it’s pretty good and gives you a nice roundup of cultural music and innumerable styles. This is actually where I first heard Stellamara, but the name had long since slipped my mind.

Stellamara, which is a duo of vocalist Sonja Drakulich and multi-talented Gari Hegedus, produces music that has an Eastern edge to it. They often seamlessly create pieces that allow the traditional to bleed into the modern and vice-versa. As their biography on their website states, “Rooted in Turkish, Arabic, Balkan, Medieval European and Persian musical traditions, Stellamara carries a deep devotion to the music of these cultures with a unique timeless expression.”

If you enjoy the likes of Azam Ali or Lisa Gerrard of Dead Can Dance, then you may enjoy Stellamara as well.

Download Information

Through Magnatune, you can freely download Stellamara’s Star of the Sea album for noncommercial or educational use. Sound quality is low unless you actually request for a higher bitrate, in which case you’ll have to explain your personal situation. (Great deal, in my opinion!)

You can also stream the music on Magnatune at hifi or lofi speeds.

Support Stellamara

You can support Stellamara in a number of different ways, both online and off.

• Buy an album download or CD from Magnatune. (Star of the Sea album only)
• Buy Stellamara CDs on Amazon.com
• Buy Stellamara’s Star of the Sea or The Seven Valleys CDs on CD Baby (note: cheaper than Amazon.com).
• See Stellamara in Concert

MP3 Thursday Information

If you’re a musician and would like to have your music featured on MP3 Thursday, contact me at leliathomas@gmail.com with a website I can visit for more information on you or your band. Anyone, musician or not, is welcome to submit suggestions, also. Note: There must be at least one free and legal MP3 for users to download from a website for me to dedicate an MP3 Thursday feature to the musician(s).

Comments ordered from oldest to newest.

Lodge

If this band is similar to Azam Ali, then I must listen to it. i’m Azam’s fan. Im too into new age and classical music.

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