Wonderfully percussive and relaxed, bit like a version of Nick Drake, near a river, on a Kora, building into something more positive and hopeful as it progresses. Wild but gentle, short but sweet.
Tag Archives: Exotic
The Jester
Wistful solo piano. Dramatic, comedic chordal piano descent before Amélie-style European piano. Lolloping, waltz section, turns melancholy with low, stormy piano chords. Rumbling bass clef notes before the sun comes out with a bright tinkling segment, leading to a romantic waltzing around the keys. Indecisive, dramatic, tender yet troubled, would suit a European film set in on rainy Paris street, the character’s tumultuous lives at odds with their quaint surroundings.
Byron
African jazz-style instrumental. Dynamic drum intro, bold brass enters in unison, African-style jazz guitar, Étiopiques-style keys and lively marimba before a siren-like chiming, dissonant brass build, over increasingly frenetic marimba. Returns to jazz groove with a sax solo on top and a repeated melodic motif underneath on keys. Full band to the end. Joyful and excited, reckless and strange at times, would suit an upbeat summer advert, or as evocative mood music for a travel documentary.
Haunted Music Box
Haunting simple and cinematic, with music box, angelic vocals, piano and orchestral strings, including a searching solo violin. If you are looking for a magical and macabre setting for something you’ve hit gold. This will suit pretty much anything from fantasy adverts to Brother’s Grimm fairy tales. You can almost hear someone narrating over the top. Brilliant.
Down These Roads
A strong industrial beat joined by a strident classical strings and mandolin-like synth, introduces a sampled female vocal singing “I’ll drive down these roads”. Massive, triumphant, fanfare, orchestral big beat / in your face hip hop. This has got car advert all over it.
Focus (Dharana)
A slow and unhurried build with synth strings and radiant tonal swirls. A roving bass line joins at 0:40. At 2:09 it breaks into something classy, a laid back but grooving rhythm section bears down and comes into its own at 3:33, losing the swirling synths, but adding rhythmic piano stabs. At 7:05 the swirls are back but now pulsing in time; at 7:49 our original strings and swirls are back again, finally at 9:14 the track gradually breaks down towards a faded end. Glamourous and dreamy with a killer groove. I’d imagine this working for a sophisticated branding video, for luxury products and/or spaces.
Wisdom Child
Relaxed and positive, with gentle indian instrumentation including tabla and sitar-like guitar. It doesn’t do much, just holds it’s space with a rich upright bass sound and the introduction of rhodes at 2:45, it would be almost lazy if it wasn’t for the tabla pushing things along with its crisp melodic insistence. The feeling I get with this track is like I’m drifting serenely down a river, and everything is totally ok with the world. Reassuring. Perfect for branded content with themes of travel.
Sapphire
Solo jazz piano. Romantic intro of blissful exotic jazz chords, full melody of chordal 4ths calls to mind Erik Satie or Japanese-inspired classical composition a là Madame Butterfly. Delicate waltz section, playing around with the same Eastern-inspired chords. Hopeful, loving, content, would suit a romantic Film/TV scene where a smitten character floats on a wave of love. Would also suit a soothing, peaceful advert for a beautiful object or luxurious service.
Captain Marzipan
Balkan-style instrumental. Sustained string note builds anticipation, piano motif and drums enters underneath, excitement builds. Strings become louder and earthier in tone. Balkan-style melody enters on choppy violins with double bass drums and piano accompaniment. Grows with frenetic energy, soaring, squeaking violins, melodies intersecting. Dramatic change of tone: complete slow down with drunk double bass and woozy violin swaying drowsily between notes. Shrill piano joins adding jazzy flourishes, all build back to previous upbeat, ramshackle melody. Dramatic, surprising, reckless and intriguing, suitable for a rollicking TV advert or Film/TV/Doc scene, or a strange party scene, where our character is disorientated and disconcerted by the madness happening all around, dropped unexpectedly into a quirky unknown world.
Riviera Swing
Melancholic with a playful edge, with honest acoustic guitars and a piercing violin performance that create a nice tune with a middle/southern European feeling. Will play well both in slightly over the top romantic comedies and generally in applications where a classy yet stereotypical representation of romance is needed.