Open dusty prairies, grand rock canyonlands, dense forests - though Trance Spirits has no words and no distinct melodies, it still paints such a vivid picture of exotic natural landscapes that you can practically see every detail in your mind. Steve Roach has apparently been working with ambient and native North American sounds for quite a while now, and if Trance Spirits is any indication, he's got talent and imagination to spare. That's not to single him out - amid the cloudy soundscapes, co-collaborator Jeffrey Fayman provides a rhythmic base solid and earthy enough to ground us in pure terrafirma. The worlds of tribal percussion and hazy ambience don't seem like natural partners at first glance, but the blending turns out to be a sonic marriage of the finest order. It's a stirringly organic work that's equally suited to drifting into peaceful sleep or a high-speed cruise down some deserted highway.I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the two other contributors; Robert Fripp is capable of mesmerizing soundscapes like few others (which is why I know about this album in the first place), and Momodou Kah's percussive work is a richly colorful complement to Fayman. The four are matched up in different lineups, almost never repeating from track to track. The rhythm is always constant and always mutating; however subdued it gets at points, there's no mistaking the beat and the pulse underlying everything else you hear. While the percussion often loops through the same pattern for several minutes at a stretch, the dreamy atmospherics are constantly shifting above it. There's always something going on, although it's never really meant to occupy all your attention.
I have no idea how it may compare to anything else by Roach (or any other musician working with these elements), but Trance Spirits is a beautiful yet simple work on its own terms. If you've read this far and are still curious after reading the descriptions, I doubt you'd be disappointed.
Driven by the frenetic and polyrhtymic percussion mastery of Jeff Fayman and Mahmoud Kah, this Roach release also features the guitar synthscapes of the legendary Robert Fripp. Roach and Fripp on the same record! A soundscape enthusiasts dream come to life!The synth textures of Roach and Fripp blend and weave a flowing sonic tapestry and sometimes you wonder which artist is providing which texture, but in the end it doesnt matter as the results are outstanding.
The central focus of this disc remains the percussion. The rhythmic structures here are much more intense and complex than Roach's "Serpent's Lair" (which carried a tribal shaman theme whereas this disc feels more rooted in African polyrhythms) and at times they are mindbending and mesmerizing as you try to follow the flow and patterns.
The contrast between such drum fury are the swaying and lush synth textures, moving slowly overtop a firestorm of intense, almost voodoo ritual sounding beats.
Not for the faint of heart, the beats and rhythms found on this disc will quicken your pulse and make you want don tribal facepaint to dance about the fire with reckless abandon. Also makes for a wonderful road trip disc.
With his newest release, "Trance Spirits", Steve Roach presents tribal percussion in yet another manner. Somehow, he can approach the same concept in a myriad of ways. And how he can do it without wearing his sources thin simply baffles me. "Trance Spirits" is a driving, forceful array of stunning tribal soundworlds. With authentic African percussion delivered expertly by Jeffrey Fayman and Momodou Kah, and the gorgeous guitar atmospheres of Robert Fripp, this album stands as one of Roach's most successful collaborative efforts. Quite honestly, you must hear this work to behold how clean it all comes off.
The convergence of Fripp's guitar and the onslaught of trance percussion arise in the opener, "Taking Flight". With heavenly soundworlds and earthly beats, the listener will notice the contrast quite easily. Amazingly, the two entities blend entirely too well.
At over 16 minutes, the title track, "Trance Spirits", is a long-form brooding work. The drums in the first three minutes are quite energetic, but they slow down to entwine the mind with the music. Roach's serene, yet imposing, atmospherics are present throughout the entire piece and they serve to close it in the last seven minutes or so.
"Off Spring" is a calmer piece, again with Roach's soundworlds, but with Fayman going solo with a frame drum. The beat is ever-present, but the guitar and synth atmospheres take the stand in this track.
The next track, "Seekers", picks up the pace with Roach contributing the lone solo work on the entire album. Utilizing guitar atmospherics, he also employs a "hybrid groove", i.e. a mix of electronic and acoustic sources. This hybrid groove is rapid, yet not so striking, making this piece the most "ambient" on the album as well.
Fayman and Kah pick up the drums again for "The Calling". In this piece, the only atmosphere present is from Roach's guitar. (This is his "weapon of choice" for this album, if you hadn't guessed.) With such a soothing soundworld amidst trance-inducing percussion, this track sounds like "Streams and Currents" and "The Serpent's Lair" put together. Needless to say, it's cool. But at 5:47, it's also the shortest cut on the album.
"Year of the Horse" is the one track that really struck a chord with me. The percussion consists of another one of Roach's hybrid grooves, only way more forceful (compared to Seekers). If nothing else puts you in a trance, this will. Listen hard, and you shall see. Fripp contributes another beautiful soundworld here, personifying the earth crying in a distant voice as the "horses" stampede along. With interlocking, dynamic percussion patterns (which are fairly reminiscent of speeding horses, thus making the connection with the title) and dazzling atmospherics, this is my favorite cut on the album.
On the brilliant closing track, "In The Same Deep Water", Roach and Fripp pool their talent into an incredibly vast guitar soundworld that propels the piece to great heights. At that great height, Fayman and Kah put a fair bit of energy in rendering a powerful percussion force, thus creating a near-perfect marriage of tribal trance and blissful atmosphere.
All in all, this is a must have for any fan of Steve Roach or anyone with an affinity for tribal soundworlds. Truly, a stunning work.
