Raindrops and Elephants: Piranha Re: Interpretations (Piranha, 2009)
German DJ and remixer Dunkelbunt (Ulf Lindemann) was asked by Berlin-based Piranha Records to remix some of the material in its extensive world music catalog. The result is a fascinating collage of global sounds titled Raindrops and Elephants. The album mixes international musical traditions with electronica, rap, ragga, jazz and sampling. Lindemann is a passionate blender of spices in his spare time and his Dunkelbunt project sees composing and cooking as related arts: both concern the mixing of different ingredients, both are about making a harmonic whole for body and soul.
The album begins with one of my favorite cuts, ‘The Rain,’ an ambient piece featuring animals sounds, sounds of nature and sitar. The piece drifts into ‘After the Rain,’ a laid back cut with Jimi D & Cape Verde’s Simentera. Ragga meets the middle East in ‘Mia Kwa Mia’ with Cloud Tissa, Ihsan Al-Mounzer & Ruth Yaakov.
The sounds of the Balkans and ragga meet in ‘Balkan Qoulou’ featuring Cloud Tissa & MC Killo Killo. The mood and overall ambience changes with the solo piano piece ‘Tales Of The Chocolate Butterfly.’ With ‘Cinnamon Girl’ Dunkelbunt takes the music into a retro Charleston-era meets Balkan brass band featuring Boban I Marko Markovic Orkestar.
Ragga, Balkan and Klezmer music are weaved into ‘Nowadays,’ a dance piece featuring Cloud Tissa, Milkman, Don Maxito & Frank London. ‘The Chocolate Butterfly’ brings back the spectacular Balkan brass sound of Fanfare Ciocarlia and introduces Raf MC.
The last piece on the album is a different mix of ‘Cinnamon Girl,’ which is a funkier, more contemporary vision of the piece that adds, funk, dub and jazz.
The promo version includes a bonus piece with Watcha Clan and a fabulous music video of The Chocolate Butterfly’. Other variations on the Raindrops and Elephants theme are available as high-quality 180 gram vinyl for turntable connoisseurs and as 15 track digital download
Raindrops and Elephants: Piranha Re: Interpretationswill give you an idea of the exciting music European global music hipsters are listening to.
Buy the recording: Raindrops and Elephants: Piranha Re: Interpretations
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
