Complex, melodic, and image-evoking ethno-ambient fused with strong elements of downtempo, world fusion and experimental electronica.

10 MP3 Songs
ELECTRONIC: Ambient, WORLD: World Fusion



Details:
Moving between the realms of world fusion, ambient, downtempo, and experimental electronica, Rhizomorph's debut album Xenofilika takes one on a journey through imaginary geographies, strange musical hallucinations and mystical, ethereal moods. African, Middle Eastern and Asian percussion weave through and underly a tapestry of intriguing loops, synthesizer events, and sound-designed passages and textures.

The album was created after Northern California based musico-shaman Rhizomorph spent a good five years immersed in heavy listening to all of the related genres and subgenres. He states that Xenofilika is really the distillation product of all that intense listening, and the sheer amount of music he listened to across many styles is probably the reason for the diverse elements which are imaginitively tied together in the album.

Some of the artists who had the greatest influence on Rhizomorph during that vital absorption process were Loop Guru, Ma Ja Le, The Infinity Project, Robert Rich, Farfield, David Parsons, Gabrielle Roth, jhno, Kenneth Newby, Mystical Sun, O Yuki Conjugate, and Tetsu Inoue, and it is relatively safe to say that if one appreciates the music of most or all of those artists, they are very likely to enjoy this effort and Rhizomorph's finely hewed aesthetic.

Complex and beguiling, Xenofilika is a fine choice for anyone seeking an excursion into deep, world-flavored electronic music which transcends the commonly encountered limits of the genre(s). There are no static drones or pointlessly repeating weak motifs on this disc, no garden-variety empty metallic noises or glitch effects. These tracks each have something unique to say, and each takes the listener on his or her own personal cerebral trip (though the nature of that trip will vary with the individual). One could easily do far worse when searching for fresh new music than to invest in this noteworthy debut effort.

- David Waxfield