Thornato – Escape Plan (Wonderwheel Recordings, 2020)
Thornato is the world music project of producer Thor Partridge. He travels the globe, collecting music rooted in tradition and describes himself as “sonic hoarder.” Escape Plan is his new album and it is a marvelous voyage across the music of various countries in the Americas.
Highlights include: ‘Mes Colours,” where Thornato transports you to the jungle in Pacific Ecuador and Colombia with the mesmerizing sounds of the marimba de chonta. He goes beyond the coastal western South America flavor by adding French-language vocals and electronic beats.
The track “Out Here” presents Jamaican dembow interweaved with Brazilian choro and percussion featuring Chicha Libre’s accordionist Joshua Camp.
“Truth” is an irresistible song that combines electronic dance beats, marimba and Afro-rooted vocals.
The brilliant marimba sounds continues with the rootsy “Mama Clo” with vocals in Spanish and heavy bass drum.
The album ends with another high point, “Timbavati,” featuring Ecuadorian singer and marimba player Benjamín Vanegas.
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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.