tim newman – gamelan

The debut solo CD by Tim Newman represents an exploration of traditional Indonesian Gamelan music. A Gamelan ensemble is made up entirely of percussive instruments, some melodic and some used purely for rhythm. A band called His Name Is Alive made an album of improvised music performed on Gamelan instruments kept at the Museum Of Detroit. I made this album out of interest in where the same instruments would take me.

I found a website at www.marsudiraras.org which contains samples of every note of every instrument in the Gamelan set held at the Nusantara Museum of Ethnography Nusantara in Holland. I made the tracks on this CD by playing the samples “live” from a keyboard with only one or two tracks containing sequenced parts. Mistakes in timing were left in to retain the feel of a performance. Vital weekly said of the album: “I think this is an excellent release. Ten relatively short pieces, quiet, rhythmic, introspective. Never fast, never loud. Tranquility all round.”

This CD is available as a limited edition of 50 through the prolific and artfully designed Reverb Worship label. Each cd has a unique handmade cover.

~ by vibrafuzzfamily on July 24, 2011.