|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
review by Bill Binkelman Michael Mage's The New Tribes EP reveals that the ethno-tribal-ambient subgenre, popular back in the heyday of releases like Rich and Roach's Soma, Tuu's All Our Ancestors and the recordings of o yuki conjugate, is nowhere near played out yet. Moody, evocative, sensual, and visual, the thirty-six minute recording is creative and well-done on every level. On headphones, the mix is wide and spacious, almost immersive, and the technical quality of the assorted percussion/drums and synthesizers is admirable. The opening song, "Fester," is a dark drifting soundscape. Shadowy clouds of whistling drones commingle with echoed cavernous washes that may send a shiver or two up the spine of more impressionable listeners. The shapeless sonic textures are eventually joined with a muted slow tempo bass-like drumming (shades of the mines of Moria!) as the seven-plus minute song comes to a close. "Revenge" brings in assorted rapid percussion and a forlorn lower register horn-like refrain. High-pitched semi-atonal squealings (like the cries of pain of a subterranean cyber-beast) meld into the music, and the drumming soon explodes into pure tribal frenzy. This is powerful stuff, folks! The track builds to a fever pitch, somewhere between sensual ecstasy and blind terror. "Seeing the Unseen" keeps the energy ramped up, this time courtesy of assorted rhythmic textures on hand drums, didgeridoo-like growling tonalities, melancholic synths, and lots of background indecipherable spoken-word vocalizings. The effect is like watching a sacred tribal ceremony while in hiding. Other tracks include the dark ambient ringing ebbs and flows of "Processions," which combines its dark washes of reverberating tones with a slow cadence deep drum beat, very evocative of (what else?) a funeral procession, and the mysterious "Distant Rains" which shrouds falling rain and sparse thunderclaps in assorted layers of undulating synth washes. The EP closes with another rhythmic piece, "The Shaman's Tale," offering up multi-tracked Native-tribal drum beats and a sensual wavy synth undercurrent (and later some background spoken word vocals). Packaged in a DVD case (the album also includes a small booklet of poetry, entitled "A Celebration of Ceremonies Past"), The New Tribes EP, like all good ethno-tribal music, is best appreciated when listened to in a dark room, as opposed to being played as background music. Candles and incense (I suggest mesquite or pinon) would, I imagine, heighten the experience even further. Many of the tribal rhythms are reminiscent of Native American drumming (as opposed to the more exotic rhythms of some of the artists mentioned in the first paragraph). However, the absence of flutes and Mage's expert application of his assorted synths results in music that, while elements may mirror other cultures and times, the overall product is solidly of his own creation and inspiration. The darkness of the music is never oppressive and there are enough musical elements on most tracks that the accessibility factor is rather high. Mostly, what The New Tribes EP does so well is transport the listener deep into a world of mystery, primal emotions, and the unknown spirituality of the neo-primitive. The EP is highly recommended to fans of the genre and those who like their dark ambient laced with ethnic drum percussion. |
|
