Only wilful eccentrics like the UK born Drongomala could have pulled off such a genre busting record. Made in Kerala South India, London and Frisco - it's a love letter from India like nothing before.

13 MP3 Songs
WORLD: World Fusion, FOLK: Modern Folk



Details:
Liner notes for Scale by Drongomala

My love of Indian classical music and the sheer bravery and romance of the improvisations led me to make this record. I had never studied Indian music, or any music for that matter, but the bending of the notes and the musical flourishes spoke volumes to my heart and I knew I wanted to make a more serious dive into the Indian subcontinent.

In the spirit of improvisation within a three month period I flipped into obsession and put a pin in the map at Kerala. I sent all my music gear there and was armed only with the name of a friend of a friend. The story of that year in Kerala was one of wonder, comedy, sadness and a hundred
other things but most of all it was about music.

The mobile phone was claimed by the jungle climate and I
happily drifted into the green paradise. Things seemed
magical and possible.

My sessions with the various South Indian musicians on this record were an unforgettable experience. Their ability to turn up with open heart and play straight off the bat added a freshness to the tracks that in the mega-edit would
both confuse and educate. Once airlifted out of the madness of setting up a temporary studio in a remote jungle area I found myself bouncing back to the UK. I had 'the bends' and sidestepped to Naxos island on Greece to do final overdubs and chordal skullduggery. The Greek islands have
the tendancy to collect a mixture of travellers hopping between continents and those looking to dissapear for a while. It was from this bunch that I managed to pluck a few musicians to complete the record. The sessions in the disused nunnery in the old Castro/castle were haunting and
peaceful. Timing in music is not just in the players - it's the time, space and place they are in.

. . day or night - how much heat and breeze is in the air. . .

Alot of time has passed since the first demos of this record and I've written and finished other records inside the lifespan of this one. I find myself unsure of where I live and belong and I suppose a big chunk of me lives in this record.....

I hope you enjoy 'Scale'. All our continents and peoples are like books - we need to read them all to get the story of the library and if we are lucky we can dive right in. If you haven't checked out Indian music then I humbly hope that this record can be a door in for you. All the music in the
world is world music. All music made by folk is folk music and ethnic music is the punchline to some joke that was never funny in the first place. Peace, Drongomala Oct 2005 Manchester, UK