To say the Desert Dwellers are musically innovative would be an understatement. It is hard to put into words the emotions that flow when listening to ‘Breath’ the fourth elemental entry in the electro-mystical odyssey that is Desert Dwellers’ iconic Down tempo Dub collection. It has been three years in the making to complete an album that grabs your ears and whispers softly… “This
Desert Dwellers is the convergence of music producers Amani Friend and Treavor Moontribe, who honed their individual crafts in the mystical deserts of California and New Mexico, long before electronic music reached mainstream. Amani and Treavor combine the raw sounds of the natural world, wrapped in dance-floor and chill-out productions; blending deep bass, earthy percussion, etheric voices, and cross-cultural instrumentation into sonic incense for the mind and body. Desert Dwellers’ unique global sounds are a bridge between worlds, and their label Desert Trax has become a platform to spotlight similar alchemical artists.
Rooted in sounds that are drawn from all over the world ‘Breath’ captures the ears and mind in a way that only the Desert Dwellers can. Their sound has been described as everything from world bass to house to downtempo. One thing is for certain Desert Dwellers and ‘Breath’ are bridging the gap between the ambient serenity of deep meditation with the indulgent motion of ecstatic dance.
‘Breath‘ begins with a mesmerizing inhale. “Praise Her, The Fire Keeper” features multi linguist singer Meagan Chandler as she so smoothly graces your ears with traditional Gaelic vocals, while Lynda Arnold hypnotizes with the flute and the ever amazing HÄANA says hello on violin.
Exhale as the tempo jumps. The deep and chuggy ten-minute “Dreams Within a Dream” is a Gaelic Folksong that gives just a taste of where the journey is going to go. Highlighted by an impressive Joaquin Gallegos on Flamenco Guitar, Afshin Sghedi on SANTUR the tune also features Lynda Arnold on Flute and Meagan Chandler on singing a sweet Spanish lullaby.
Inhale as Ney Drumspyder‘s Mid East Percussion guides “Traversing the Endless Road.” A beautiful slow house groove featuring Ricardins‘ beautiful Persian vocals along with Meagan Chandler and MAH-ZE-TAR blesses the tune with the sounds of the OUD and Dilruba.
Exhale as “Closed Eyes in a Dust Storm” consumes your being. A beautiful downtempo, slow house tune featuring Nicolle Jensen’s hypnotizing vocals with Paul Livingstone on Sitar, Rara Avis on Guitar, and Si Mullumby on Flute.
Inhale and take a moment to feel “One that Shows the Way.” Another beautiful track featuring Meagan Chandler and Pandit Birju Maharaj , and Jesse Hendrix on Flute.
Hold your breath and close your eyes as “At Last, Our Refuge” resets your breathing. An ambient and airy down tempo house groove. Meagan Chandler flexes her chops with Arabic vocals, Lynda Arnold on the flute, and Si Mullumby on guitar.
Exhale and let the upswing in tempo take over. “To Be The Air” drives with Gayan on percussion. Once again Meagan Chandler amazes with Spanish vocals while Linda Arnold touches the feels with her Piano skills and kisses the tune on flute
Inhale and smile as “Longing for Home” as Madi Sato entrances in Japanese with Dan Root on the flute. Shakuhachi Koji Nakamura drives rhythm on
Before we go, one last Exhale…“Realms of Splendor” takes you on a 9-minute journey with Meagan Chandler on Welsh vocals, Simon Posford chanting, and Haana on violin.
The album wraps symbiotically with “Breathing the Mysteries.” Just listen… I won’t give this one away.
“Breath” is a breathtaking album, no pun intended. It connects deeply on so many levels and the music world has recognized the beauty of the album. Accolades are coming hard and fast. This last week, ‘Breath’ made it to the number one spot on Beatport and is number 9 on Billboard’s dance music chart. Bravo!
Desert Dwellers’ production
If you haven’t had the pleasure of seeing the Desert Dwellers live, you might want to check their tour dates for a show near you.
