Mystic Sunrise / Dark Continent (Katavi, 2009)
Drum Dynasty takes you to a world where world music, global electronica, new age and ambient music intersect. This 2-CD project is led by Seattle percussionist Bruce Burgess, along with fellow percussionists Arturo Rodriguez and Marco Zonka. They are joined by film composer Kevin Christensen who provides the first-rate musical arrangements.
The first disc is titled Mystic Sunrise. Here, the percussionists perform a wide range of multilayered instruments playing rhythms from the Caribbean, Brazil, West Africa, South Asia, North Africa and the Mediterranean.
Kevin Christensen introduces a series of colorful melodies performed by striking sampled voices and instruments from the Middle East, India, and other parts of the world together with mesmerizing ambient atmospheres.
On disc 2, titled Dark Continent, Drum Dynasty turns its attention to the rhythms of Africa. It’s still layered with ambient music, but has more a tribal nature.
Although all the percussionists are highly skilled, Drum Dynasty is about musical ambiance rather that virtuosity. The music flows effectively in a trancelike manner.
Drum Dynasty is a splendid recording of ambient electronic music with an exciting acoustic world music edge.
Buy Mystic Sunrise / Dark Continent
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.
