ARCHIMEDES BADKAR – Badrock för barn i alla åldrar (MNW, 1975) / II (MNW, 1976)

It's hard to overrate Archimedes Badkar, probably not even possible. They understood the music they were playing, had a firm grip of the different elements they found all over the world, especially in Africa. They entwined traditions without ever sounding fake or coming off like tourists picking up mass-produced artefacts for cheap and then displaying them on a shelf to impress their friends. They were simply genuine with a sincere love for music, never out to dazzle or convince people of something they had read in a book somewhere. And that's why their albums stand up so well after such a long time, that's why they're still so exhilaratingly fresh, and that's why I count Archimedes Badkar as one of the finest bands ever to come out of the music movement.

Badrock för barn i alla åldrar (MNW, 1975)
Instrumental

International relevance: ***

After the self-financed 7” ”Rumpstek” released in one hundred now brutally rare copies in 1973 – the year after their formation – Archimedes Badkar got signed by MNW. Their first full length album was ”Badrock för barn i alla åldrar”, so rich with ideas but never pretentious or 'show-offy', not even when they jump head first into some intricate rhythms, 'foreign' but never foreign to Archimedes Badkar. Their sheer vitality and joy of musical discoveries save them from self-absorption; they always aimed their music outwards, towards the listener, inviting him or her to follow them along in the flow.

Archimedes Badkar style hadn't yet quite stabilised here; ”Badrock för barn i alla åldrar” is a bit sparser than their successive releases, but it's a brilliant album, one that make you feel a little more alive, a little more lighthearted, a little more encouraged and determined to get through whatever you need to get through. It's music in the best sense – and it's not even Archimedes Badkar's best album!

II (MNW, 1976)

Instrumental 

International relevance: ***

”II” shrinks the world down to a double album. Rarely have the continents been as close to each other as they are here. Africa, Asia, America and Europe gather in a reflective but splendurous meeting where minimalism, Eastern drones and Balkan rhythms are equal and fully compatible. As most Archimedes Badkar albums, ”II” is a genre defying achievement; Archimedes Badkar is their own genre, defined by their collective open mind and brilliant musicianship. Like all their albums, this is a must-have.

Badrock för barn i alla åldrar full album
II full album