Album Review – MOONTRIBE – MOONTRIBE LP

What they say:

Fortuna Records return with a mysterious album by the anonymous artist known only as Moontribe.  A deep-space journey between tribal percussion, hypnotizing organs and long echo ripples, all joining in for a snake-charming voodoo ritual of which Moontribe is the Shaman. Expect African drums, hints of cumbia, and distant galaxy exploration in unmeasured doses. An absolute must-have for fans of Sun Ra, Moondog and Idris Ackamoor.

Channelling a triangular pattern between traditional African, Caribbean and Middle Eastern influences the psychedelic congregation stretch their hallucinogenic message deep into the cosmos, touching the stars and offering a “lament for a moon that never had its own moon”.

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and what to expect:

A tribal trip into the deepest forests to sit at a strange ritual you’ve no place being at. The album plays out like the accompaniment to different performances that are to be staged throughout a bizarre and wonderful night. It’s music that takes the imagination to a place where fires roar and strange figures dance in an out of the shadows.

We open with ‘Moontribe‘, rhythmic tribal beats play feverishly as a spaced out organ pushes warped melodies and strange tones into the night. ‘Technology’ slows the pace to a hypnotic sway as the organ works its melodic magic taking us deeper. It feels like the nights initiation into this strange world is finally over as ‘Bottles’ lightens the mood with its playful chords and celebratory background sounds, but don’t get to comfortable as ‘Moons Moon’ drops to give you that all to familiar feeling of uncertainty. Things get spooky as a single drum beats and percussion echos as the organ plays on. ‘Osmium‘ while still one of the slower paced tracks brings in some fuller percussion as to be a perfect build up to ‘Moontone‘, another wonderful swirling, trance-inducing arrangement, the beats and percussion partner the organ melodies perfectly on this ten minute fever inducer. We end the session on ‘Mesmerized’, Jaw harps twang playfully, bouncing over each other with a light percussive shaker, acting almost as a gentle melancholy bid farewell as you walk, slighty dazed from this strange and wonderful world. This is Moontribe, so keep your wits abut you.

Track list:

1. Moontribe
2. Technology
3. Bottles
4. Moons Moon
5. Osmium
6. Moontone
7. Mesmerized

On the origin of the recording, the label explains “The two-inch tapes we were handed had no date. The album was, however, recorded by about a dozen musicians, following one spiritual leader, in one, unedited session. Whatever was played on the session ended up on the tape. The group chose to withhold mentioning their names in order to “strip a sense of self” from what they believe, becoming a vessel for a higher being, carrying signals they do not fully comprehend. All we could do is respect their wishes.”

Fortuna Records

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