Hands In Motion – Dawn (Zephyrus Records, 2022)
“Dawn” is the title of the new album from percussion ensemble Hands In Motion. The trio includes three of the top percussionists in Belgium. Indeed, these are musicians who perform with well-known world music and folk acts in the region.
All three musicians play a wide range of musical instruments from across the globe. Accordingly, their music is a rich world of stimulating transglobal rhythms and transfixing sounds with influences ranging from Senegal in West Africa to Eastern Europe, Brazil, India and beyond.
Hands In Motion includes Simon Leleux on darbuka, doholla, bendir; Robbe on bendir, riqq, cajon, congas, tombak, darbuka, udu, calabash, jembe and dununs; and Falk on berimbau, congas, drum, and effects.
Simon Leleux
Simon Leleux is a Belgium-based percussionist specializing in doholla, darbuka and other Arab and Middle Eastern percussion instruments and styles.
Leleux trained with masters such as Ahmet Misirli, Zohar Fresco, Pedram Khavarzamini, Madjid Khaladj, Niti Ranjan Biswas and Azzedine Jazouli. He has focused on studying the doholla (bass darbuka) since 2014 with the musician who broke new ground with this instrument, Levent Yildirim. Following Yildirim’s philosophy, Simon’s work with doholla has led him to a soloistic and melodic approach to the instrument.
He released his first solo album “Letter to Levent” in 2021 and is a founding member of two other projects, Hands in Motion and Auster Loo. Simon has performed with Fabrizio Cassol, Kudsi Erguner, Ross Daly, Ibrahim Maalouf, Khaled Alhafez, Tcha Limberger, Claron McFadden, Ugur Önür and Ghalia Benali.
Robbe Kieckens
Trained in the rhythms of Ottoman classical music (usul) with Fahrettin Yarkin, Robbe Kieckens has also studied various instruments and cultures that that define his style of playing, from flamenco to Arabic and Persian percussion, including West African music.
e masters a very wide range of instruments including frame drums, cajón, congas, tombak, darbuka, udu, riq, calabash, jembe and dununs. Robbe is a founding member of the Lamekan Ensemble and has performed with Compro Oro and Myrdinn De Cauter. He teaches bendir, riqq and darbuka in Brussels and Ghent.
Falk Schrauwen
Falk Schrauwen is a young Brussels percussionist. The Belgian city is an urban melting pot that provided a solid foundation for his understanding of diverse musical traditions. During his studies at CODARTS Rotterdam, Falk fell under the spell of Latin percussion.
In Brazil, Benin and Indonesia he was able to deepen and refine his understanding of different styles. As a multi-percussionist, it is his goal to give a specific color to the music. Falk played in projects as diverse as Trance Plantations, Vansina Quintet, Echoes of Zoo and Compro Oro.
Buy Dawn
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.