Irish-Cretan slip-jig. Fusion of Irish and Cretan styles, Irish slip jig form played on saz (stringed instrument like an oud or mandolin), Cretan lyra and bendir percussion lending an Eastern Mediterranean and modal Arabic sound to the uptempo dance tune. Mysterious, tense and energetic; a curious, lively dance of different cultures with a singular, hypnotic sound.
Tag Archives: Cretan lyra
Zomorud
Instrumental fusion of Greek, Turkish and Irish folk musics. Unpredictable time signatures, non-Western scales and rolling melodic phrases played on Cretan lyra and Middle Eastern saz, joined by violin and subtle percussion. Murky and intricate, growing in speed and intensity throughout. Sombre yet determined, delivered with passionate vehemence, perfect music for a global documentary or Film/TV scene representing Turkish or Middle Eastern culture.
Mantis
Folk fusion instrumental on Cretan lyra and fiddle. A cirucular melody on Cretan lyra is doubled on fiddle and joined by subtle percussive hand claps, sounding at once like Austrian mountain folk without the yodelling and like a weaving Middle Eastern melody. Thoughtful and open yet formulaic in its structure, wandering music for an epic nature walk, perfect for a travel or nature documentary.
Puddle Pondering
Hypnotic improvisational string track on Cretan lyra. Layers of overlapping Cretan lyra play drone-like modal phrases. At 3 minutes, the various lines come together along with added percussion, to form a more driving, unified, full melody, growing in intensity with hints of Irish folk music and Arabic music, to a powerful ending. Mesmerising, contemplative and experimental, singular sounds for a documentary looking at lesser-known cultures, spiritual places or undefinable combinations of cultures.
Girift
Acoustic instrumental on cretan lyra and Turkish saz. Medium-paces introductory phrases, building in texture, complexity and speed, with a central melodic idea emerging. Bowed fiddle-like instrument joins with an earthy modal melodic passage, along with light, sparse percussion. Dynamic, mysterious and hypnotic, a cyclical effect of returning to the beginning, suitable for video work focused on the Middle East or Mediterranean, or a film/drama wanting an authentic, raw acoustic sound or an Arabic feel.