rvss.eel
Three beautiful instruments and ten beautiful compositions with dynamics that keep the listener (this one at least, and I suspect more!) engaged both in moments of high energy and speed, and in slow, developing passages.
Favorite track: The Secret (Sampurna Kanada).
Smekermann
What an incredible album. Each song features a different facet of the music found along the Silk Road - The Secret is based on a Hindustani classical raga, 3000 Feet is an energetic Carnatic composition, Qazzaz features a lovely instrumental interpretation of Lahen Tayyah, an arabic song, before veering off into some amazing oud and tabla improvisations, finally dissipating like a mirage in the desert sun.
Favorite track: Qazzaz (Lahen Tayyah).
Worlds Within Worlds is proud to announce the release of 3,14’s Bombyx Mori - a seamlessly crafted musical love letter addressed to the instruments of the Middle East and India, and the legacy of the Silk Road.
As the passion project of Efren López, Ciro Montanari and Jordi Prats, 3,14 draws inspiration from music across the globe – ranging from the Eastern Mediterranean through to the Middle East, North India through to Central Asia and beyond. Using sarod, tabla and rubab, this recording comes as the result of two live sessions between three masters of their respective crafts: the final product being as close as you can get to a live performance without sharing the same air.
“Conceptually, Bombyx Mori is an attempt to elevate the figure of the silk worm, a small creature that is not very much considered,” begins López. “On the other hand, the Silk Road has been a crucible of many cultures and a lot of music has been created using this concept. All the different songs in the album come from different modal music traditions - Egypt, Turkey, India, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan - and some are original creations of Jordi and myself that respects the rules and the language of the specific modal tradition in which the song is made.”
Serving as both the introductory song and the record’s first single, The Secret (Sampurna Kanada) is as cleverly crafted as it is pleasurable to listen to. At first glance, the song is neatly sliced into segments, each of which flow into each other as naturally as rain down a mountainside. Only upon repeated listening does the true joy of the music reveal itself – the deep, clear rhythms of the tabla, the heady cyclical strumming of the strings and the subtle echoes rounding out the record’s production. For something so rich in ambience and atmosphere, it often catches one off guard with the intensity of some of its segments.
“This album brings together the journey of three European musicians that fell in love with Asian and Middle Eastern music traditions before journeying to learn from the specialists of these genres in their home countries,” says López. “What I particularly like about this album is our touch on it, our personalities are there coexisting and expressing the traditional melodies. When we sat and played together we realized there was a good mood and good sound. Personally I've been listening to a lot of music since I was a child but when I came across Indian music… something clicked inside me and I knew I had to go for it.”
Bombyx Mori is a record of satisfying paradoxes. The interplay between instruments creates something both deeply meditative, yet fast paced at the same time. Every song grants enough breathing room for each instrumentalist to display the full range of their talents within their own light. Yet, these encapsulating displays never overshadow one another – rather they lock into the juxtaposed elements in a perfect fit.
Make no mistake, López, Prats and Montanari will be recognised once again for their exceptional compositional and instrumental talents come the release of Bombyx Mori – do not miss a near-certain pick for your end of year ‘best of’ list.
Recorded in March 16/18 and November 19/20, 2019 at Rockaway studio (Castelló de la Plana) by Raül Artana and Efrén López. Additional recordings, mixing and mastering in January/April, 2020 at To Katehon studio (Mas de Flors) by Efrén López.
Cover & artwork by Güngur Arts. Original Spanish texts by Elma Sambeat. English translation by kirsti abernethy. Band photos by Laura Soriano.
The band wants to make special dedication to all our mentors, friends and family who made this project and album possible, without you this wouldn’t have been possible. Thank you very much to all of you.
3,14 was born in Spain in September 2018 with Efrén López, Ciro Montanari and Jordi Prats - three musicians who decided to
blend different kinds of modal music languages, and also keeping the tradition by covering some old compositions learned from their teachers.
This is a unique chance to listen the magic connexion between few of the most valued instruments of the Middle East and India....more
Hashshashin's music is a bold fusion of sound and style, excitingly blending power with finesse to create sounds from another world. Urgent compositions possessing thunderous speed are swiftly countered by moody passages where darkness lies – each track attracts with unique attributes. Michael Reilly
I absolutely love the highly energetic mix of rock middle-eastern traditional music. This one is especially good. it instantly sucks you into it's story and tells you a wonderful and exhilarating tale. heraldofennui
This is fantastic,new band to me,Painkiller comparisons,but this just feels effortless and innovative at the same time.Brilliant from beginning to end.Dead Neanderthals on anti-depressants,in a good way! Michael Carter