”The Free Zone” Anniversary Album

Updated: Dec 20, 2022

A special vinyl marking the 25th year since the launching of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the United States

Released on The National Day of Romania 2022, the anniversary vinyl, entitled "The Free Zone", marks the jubilee of the Romania-United States Strategic Partnership and concludes a yearlong program of cultural events dedicated to this important diplomatic landmark.

"The Free Zone" / "Zona liberă" is an album conceived by visual artist, curator, cultural promoter, and educator Mihai Zgondoiu (Zgondy) together with DJ Vasile, composer, performer, and radio host, one of the most important innovators in contemporary Romanian music. The title refers both to a consequential civic movement for democratization in Romania of the early 1990s (”The Free Zone of Neocommunism”) and to a popular radio show, created by DJ Vasile together with DJ Matze, another influential musician.

At the same time, "The Free Zone" breathes new life into an important, yet partially forgotten, part of Romanian cultural memory. The original songs on which these renditions are based belong to the massive musical output of ELECTRECORD, Romania’s only producing company during communist dictatorship, which managed to become, for many composers and singers over several decades, a space of relative free artistic expression in which American influences and ideas were ever present beyond censorship. As such, Free Zone alludes to a space of freedom and cultural exchange, which are core values of the Romanian-American transatlantic relation.

Printed in a limited anniversary edition of only 500 copies, the disc includes 8 remixed tracks and reinterpreted, in the following order:

"Bună dimineața, micuță stea" / "Good Morning, Little Star" - Aurelian Andreescu (Electric Brother remix), "De va veni la tine vântul" / "Should the Wind Come to You" - Mondial (Matze remix), "Opriți timpul" / "Stop Time" - Corina Chiriac (Nemos remix), "Totul vine de la sine" / "Everything Comes Naturally" - Muzica planetelor (NSK cu Mara remix), "Dragă-mi este dragostea" / "Endearing Love" - Aura Urziceanu (K-lu remix), "Pământul deocamdată" / "Earth, for the Time Being" - Mircea Vintilă (Dribbler a.k.a. Nave spațiale remix), "Să fim copii" / "Let’s Be Children" - Mihaela Runceanu (K-lu remix), "Unde ești" / "Where Are You" - Margareta Pâslaru (Argatu remix).

This record is produced by the Embassy of Romania to the United States of America and the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York, as part of the program celebrating the 25th anniversary since the launch of the Strategic Partnership for the 21st Century between Romania and the United States of America, with the support of Banca Transilvania / Transylvania Bank from Romania.

The songs are available online HERE .