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.
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.
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.