Fire is a riot of sound and culture, and may be the ultimate feel-good ethnic mashup!
The ever-disparate Art Tawanghar has created a vibrant and shape-shifting sonic canvas that recalls collaborative pieces from Sting (Desert Rose), Peter Gabriel (Signal to Noise), Enigma’s work with Gregorian chants from the 1990s and features EDM tropes as well as instruments like tablas, accordian (taking something of a leading role), talking drums… the list of influences, textures and effects and production techniques could very easily be endless!
If that sounds like a lot of information to cram into a 5 minute piece, you’d be right. When presented with the component parts, it must have been a near-dizzying experience. The disparate rhythmic elements alone are a dazzling array, but the glue of 4 on the floor beats hold them firmly to account.
The vocal lines and organic instruments (sometimes a little dissonant) are remarkably uplifting, authentic, earthy and ear-catching. Their song files sound like they have been sourced in various ways, with different levels of resolution, and their reverbs and ambience have all been treated with an extraordinary level of respect and vision.
In the accompanying notes, we learn that this piece is designed to ‘deliver the truth to where it’s needed’. Certainly, while the Persian / Iranian voices cover scales and melodic progressions less familiar to Western ears, their beauty is undeniable and they sound connected to the content and resolute enough to deliver their truth all day long!
The different movements, voices and dynamics morph and sway, like chapters of a book moving between different locales, and the overall effect is overwhelmingly positive, with virtuosic moments waltzing hand in hand with EDM rhythms.
You can’t quite believe it when you get to the sudden conclusion. In a good way!
Find other compositions on Art’s Soundcloud page.
