Indidginus – Align (Unsigned)

As the name implies, Indidginus is a look into foreign cultures where the sounds are only local to those inhabitants of the region. Michael Martin is Indidginus and he resides in Cape Town where the land of Africa meets the sea on its southern shore. South Africa is a melting pot influenced by many cultures from around the globe. So too is the work of Indidginus. Martin pulls together an expression of the world’s music, blending electronic beats amongst the sounds of his personal didgeridoo. Foreign instruments and languages work to transport his modern medium of electronic music. On Align, you will find raw beats that graduate to the school of the old world with sounds and instruments dominated by ceremonial rhythms.

Martin has been creating music for several years now. It began with a love of the didg and a personal trip to Tanzania where the idea burst to incorporate his instrument into danceable music. His journey into electronica transformed into his solo work as Indidginus. Along his musical voyage he collaborates with Matt Hillier of Ishq on a project entitled Open System. Ishq records on the international Interchill Records, a location not unsuitable for Indidginus given the overwhelming influences of organic music. The style of Indidginus and Ishq meld together beautifully and their collaborative work can be heard on several tracks of Align.

On “Doors to the Deathless” we hear Martin’s experimentation of incorporating the didg into electronic music. Initially, this track slowly starts with chants and ambient soundscapes that build to a discernible rhythm. An organ begins and makes it feel like some truly religious experience. The didg is added for complexity in subtle waves.

On “Machu”, Martin collaborates with Josh Hawks and they bring an ethnic beat of maybe some Mayan or South American culture. It is a slow beat raised with an interesting base line and occasional funky, twisted noises. Some rolling synths along with a traditional morphed flute transport this track to a distant, remote village unknown to many outsiders. You can hear the influence of another culture as the electronica carries this historic music to a new age.

Off we go to the Indian continent on “Chakrasonic.” Not unlike the Hindustani or Qawalli, “Chakrasonic” drives home the sounds of traditional Indian or Pakistani music as we hear a male vocal wash over the beats. The rhythm is upbeat with distorted sounds that carry a curious connection to some of the more traditional sounds of this regional style of music.

The incorporation of worldly music into electronica is nothing new and in fact, it has been going on for some time. But as time goes on, one occasional finds an interesting twist where the ethnic sounds are changed and modernized in an entirely new and refreshing way. For Indidginus, Align solidly falls into this category.

Track Listing:

1)  Champa
2)  Doors to the Deathless
3)  Mind Over Mantra
4)  Transgenesis
5)  Machu
6)  Cy
7)  Chakrasonic
8)  Omega 3
9)  IO3
10)  New Horizon

For Calmscape

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