Artist:
Pete Ardron
Title:
Unexpected Pleasures
Unexpected Pleasures
Label:
Pink Hampster
Pink Hampster
Release
Date:
4th November
4th November
Pete
Ardron the brain-child behind the band Orchid-Star has pooled
together a collection of previously unreleased tracks featuring
collaborations with artists and friends (which in many cases have
shared his home) for this album. Additionally, there is a launch
party at London’s Café Cairo this coming Friday with DJ support
from Liquid Lounge & Sean Spindrift. So if you’re in the area and enjoy a melting
pot of global, psychedelic and ambient sounds you may as well head
over as it’s free entry too.
Those
of you familiar with Orchid-Star will already be acquainted with
Samantha Ray, an Australian whose operatic background works
wonderfully when layered over dubbed acoustics on the opening piece
‘Beauty’. The following track ‘Vignette’ is an uplifting and
melodic number featuring alluring Indian vocals (which I suspect are
also provided by Samantha) and bamboo flute and appealed to me
instantly. The album changes direction somewhat with ‘Bridges’ an
ambient drum and bass hybrid featuring the spaced out electro-jazz of
Onyx Ashanti (a American who is experimenting with future music
technology who once called himself a musical cyborg) and the
vocals of Myo (another long term member of Orchid-Star and former
member of 80’s act True Life Confessions).
Next
in line is the title track a lovely ambient piece awash with birdsong, flutes and the voice of Helen Francis (the first inclusion of someone
whose not a professional artist) that would fit in well with any of
the big ambient compilations such as Café Del Mar or Buddha Bar.
Psibindi adds the vocals to ‘Mera Dil’ an exotic dub where at
times the vocal sounds like a Sufi style and at others more like an
Indian Dhrupad. The next track ‘Dhow’ begins with a sequence not
a million miles away from Pink Floyd’s ‘On The Run’ amongst the
waves it then slows down and the looped strings, flutes, synth fx and
Indian vocals take over.
The
album continues with ‘Hasya’ a collaboration with
singer/songwriter Teresa Gabriel (who has also collaborated with
Sergio Walgood and warmed up for Beth Gibbons of Portishead fame) and
flautist Harmony Yemanya. The piece itself is another ambient track
focusing on the flute and dubbed out vocals with a bit of reggae
underbelly in places. Then we come to the second track which includes
a friend rather than a professional, where Sayak Mitra provides the
vocal on a cover of a Bengali pop song ‘Ami Tar Thikana Rakhini’
and it works for me.
Teresa
Gabriel makes another appearance on ‘Blue Sky Dreams’ where her
dreamy vocals really can take your mind to the sky and drift away.
The final track on the album ‘Baniyan’ retains the flutes and
Indian vocal that are a common feature throughout this album but
there’s more of a classical feel to the piece with an operatic
vocal added to the melting pot.
The
talent Pete has brought in for these collaborations is high quality
and he continues to produce a unique fusion of world music, ambient,
psychedelic, dub and classical sounds. This album will definitely
appeal to fans of Orchid-Star and if your unfamiliar perhaps it’s
time you enlightened yourself.
Reviewed
by Woodzee
Links
Note:
Unexpected
Pleasures is now available on CD for pre-order in the
shop
for the specially discounted price of £7.50 + p&p till Nov 3rd
only (when it will go up to 9 or 10). CDs will be sent first class on
the 3rd. BUT, if you come to the Unexpected
Pleasures Album Launch Party
you
will get it even cheaper!
