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.
Violin instrumental in waltz time. Two violins play an Irish-style repeated folk melody, intertwining, bowing with a rough and ready quality. Plaintive, melancholy and mesmeric, a fusion of Irish and Middle Eastern tonality, perfect for a documentary about either part of the world, or a hypnotic onscreen dance of cultures.
Tense drum ‘n’ bass track. Drum ‘n’ Bass breaks over woozy, neon synths. Strange modulations and cold electronics effects create an unnerving and hypnotic atmosphere. Intense, direct and single-minded with a contrasting softness from the synths, would suit a serious documentary about youth or urban issues, or a reality TV montage.
Cretan-Irish fiddle track. Droney, sustained fiddle notes, melodic rounds over the drone, becoming more Irish in flavour as the tune progresses, before taking an Arabic turn with percussion and doubled fiddles. Hynotic, meditative, earthy and lively, perfect for a documentary set in the Middle East or Eastern Mediterranean, a beautiful, fluid fusion of musical cultures.
Improvisation on loutar, an oud-like stringed instrument. Sparse improvised phrases growing to more melodic parts. Hypnotic, melancholy and raw, like the soundtrack to a western movie at first before taking on a North African feel when the melodic sections kick in. Perfect documentary soundtrack.
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.
Gentle pastoral orchestral string track with soothing male vocals. Slow, atmospheric intro of harp and percussion establishes a hypnotic plod before male ‘Aaahs’ softly wash over the instrumental bed. Subtle sustained woodwind added, along with sparkling percussion and orchestral strings, tambourine and flute. Calm, peaceful with a hint of excited anticipation. The Wicker man meets Green Man Festival, perfect for a fantastical film moment, a trippy woodland adventure, a Wicker Man-style , or nature documentaries.
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.
Dreamy multi-instrumental track. Gentle, swaying, looped piano motif, joined by bright, pealing keys, hypnotic and cyclical. Moves to a jazz keyboard sound, joined by violin and cello sharing fragments of melody. High register violin and ascending keys drive the melody to an anticipatory hight point. A new section: soft, tender Satie-like chordal piano, joined by breathy sustained strings. A soothing variation on the original motif to finish. Romantic, thoughtful and other-worldly,a sonic dream, astral wanderings with one foot in the 20th century. Would suit a reflective TV scene or a very beautiful documentary.
Orchestral string-led instrumental with harp. Melodic harp solo, bright and hopeful, joined by orchestral strings playing lush, sustained notes and rich marimba. Harp takes on a jaunty rhythm under the sturdy strings. A marimba break, before a bubbling harp and percussion duel takes place under languid violin. Warm marimba like giant water droplets breaks out into an excited rhythm. A marimba break once more, before a return to the lazy string melody. Woozy, relaxed and hypnotic, like a Joanna Newsom instrumental evoking the natural world, would suit nature documentaries or thoughtful Film/TV scenes.