Drum Dynasty
Drum Dynasty LP
Monday 24th of August 2009
By Steve
Drum Dynasty fits beautifully into the World-music genre, with two albums full of diverse international sounds.
As the title suggests, there's a heavy focus on the rhythms on this record, but every song has a ton of exotic instrumentation that swirls over the top of the beats.
The first record in this two-disc set is Mystic Sunrise, and has a Persian flavour, complete with beautifully sung melodies.
The wait for a total-wig-out are in vain, although things do heat up from time to time, such as in 'Nectar of Rasa'. On the whole though, this is an easy listen with music at the fore rather than show-boating. Nowhere is this more evident than in the final composition on the first disc, 'Masalama', which is all about the atmosphere and melody.
Other songs on the Mystic Sunrise are almost film-scores in their own right, such as the epic 'Karma'.
The second disk is aptly titled Dark Continent and has brooding atmospherics and more tribal rhythms. The percussive sounds are more earthy and natural with many layers. 'Middle Passage' is a great example and really delivers a cavernous sound if you crank up the bass. I also enjoyed the mainly drum-based 'Dance Of The Flies', which is one of the songs where the drums get to do their thing.
This double album is a deeply artistic offering and really puts the miles into its World music roots. This is as beautiful as it is exotic.
Official Rating
We rated this record 3.5 out of 5.
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