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CD Review
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Yoga lovers watch out. The music you know, love, and have ‘ohm’ed to will be shaken (not stirred) and revitalized.
Meet EarthRise SoundSystem: a.k.a. Derek Beres, known for his column in National Geographic World and DJ and certified yoga instructor David “Duke Mushroom” Schoomer — a talented percussionist and producer. Though famous enough on their own, together they form ERSS — the live team that aims to redefine yoga music with their debut, The Yoga Sessions, which is due to come out in 2010.
EarthRise SoundSystem’s “Daylight As Sunset” EP is everything I expected out of an EP: short and sweet, a tantalizing taste of what should be expected from the full length album. The track list is simply three versions of the band’s single, “Daylight As Sunset” — a combination of the tantric soothing qualities of traditional Yoga music, easy listening, and the floaty vocals of Lucy Woodward.
EarthRise SoundSystem: Derek Beres and David Schommer
As expected, first there is the album version of the single — a combination of a plucked sitar, a reverberating electric guitar, and drum beats that seem to dance hypnotically around Woodward’s airy voice, like moths around a flame. The listener gets drawn in deep into the sultry sounds — so much so that you are left feeling like you’re lounging comfortably on a couch, surrounded by dimmed lights and flickering candles.
Though the second track, the “Ramin Sakurai (Supreme Beings of Leisure) Remix” is just as soothing as the original, the prominent use of an acoustic guitar — as opposed to the Santana-worthy strumming of the electric — makes it less a song suitable for yoga practices. Instead, it’s a jam closer in tone to the contemporary acoustic trend of female folk artists — despite a dash of electro from a synthesizer.
The employment of echoing lyrics, repetitions, and the constant beat from a table give the third and last track (“ERSS Retake”) a rhythmic quality akin to the repetitive chanting found in mantra. It brings back the lounge qualities of the track that were found in its original form as an album single.
Though not exactly suitable for the meditation and concentration required by yoga, “Daylight As Sunset” in all its forms is nonetheless a highly relaxing and enjoyable track which left me wondering what the full length album The Yoga Sessions has in store.
If it’s anything like the EP, then the album — which is due to be released in 2010 — should be mesmerizing. Until then, there’s nothing to do but push play, sit back, and let the music envelop the senses.
11/25/09
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