:: Review ::
I’m going to start this
review with a couple paragraphs lifted from the Second Sufi’s website.
Sufis [meaning wearers of wool] conduct
their spiritual life within practical and disciplined activities such as precision
movement (dance), allegorical writing, science, alchemy, and music. Sufi philosophy
is responsible for the scientific method, the craft guilds of medieval Europe, the
notion of conscious evolution, and the development of human potential. Sufis were
among the first to believe and die for freedom of thought and speech. Most 20th
century, central Asian Sufis are gone, killed off in the midst of political and
religious upheaval. Those who call themselves Sufis are generally not. "We are not
Sufis, the band is Second Sufis. We approach music sufi-fashion."
As the well known poet and Sufi of the 20th century, Robert Graves, puts it, "The
natural Sufi may be as common in the West as in the East, and may come dressed as a
general, a merchant, a lawyer, a schoolmaster, a housewife, anything. To be 'in the
world, but not of it,' free from ambition, greed, intellectual pride, blind
obedience to custom, or awe of persons higher in rank; that is the Sufi ideal.
Second Sufis is
a duo consisting of James Mott (10-string Chapman Electric Stick, bass, acoustic
guitar, keyboard, and percussion) and Mike Gorman (electronic guitar, acoustic
guitar, and percussion).
Mott and Gorman recorded the album live—no overdubs. Quoting again from their
website:
Second Sufis is a live performance duo; all playing is done in “real
time.” Real-time samples, recorded at various points during the same performance,
are played back in order to accomplish a track-layered effect. The samples can be
looped back on themselves (regenerated), edited on-the-fly, and downloaded to
secondary samplers at any time--all while real-time playing on the “actual”
instruments continues.
Listening to the album, I must say that what they’ve been able to pull off is pretty
darn impressive.
I had to listen to this album several times. The music is unconventional, to say the
least. Writing a typical review is difficult, since it is hard to compare Second
Sufis to other progressive artists.
Mott and Gorman describe their music as,
“post-modern/neo-classical/progressive/cyber/trance.” Quite a mouthful, but I think
it describes the music accurately.
So what does the album sound like? Well, imagine various percussion instruments
playing patterns over smooth, long sustaining drone sounds. On top of this add
unconventional melody lines played on a variety of instruments.
Each composition has its own feel, which is defined by the percussion patterns and
sustained tones. The compositions don’t follow the typical verse-chorus structure.
Instead, they evolve. The result is a very organic, improvisational feel.
I enjoyed the lead electric guitar sounds on Pearl. The tone could be compared to
Carlos Santana. The use of the guitar in Second Sufi’s compositions is
unconventional though. The guitarist is careful to avoid playing standard guitar
riffs. He also avoids using standard scales or modes. Instead, he plays in a
conversational, experimental style. At times it feels like the guitar was talking.
Not actual words, but a phrasing style that feels like speech.
There are a few electronic sounds on the album that I didn’t particularly enjoy.
Some of the electronic percussion lacks harmonic complexity, especially in
comparison to the rich sounds of the acoustic instruments.
I also had some trouble digesting the poly-rhythms in a few songs, most notably
“Dusty Road.” To my ear, they just sound out of time. This may have been done for
effect—I don’t know. The effect on me is kind of jarring. Your mileage may vary.
Production quality is quite good. Considering the wide variety of acoustic
instruments used, along with the electronic instrumentation, I think they did a very
decent recording job. Listening through headphones, it’s easy to immerse oneself in
the music.
Mott and Gorman are on a quest to capture the creative moment, and in this they
succeed. If you’re in need of some trance-inducing world music, give Second Sufis a
listen.
Rating: 8 keyboards
Reviewer: Jeffrey Ryan Smoots
Visit the artist website:
Second Sufis
:: DISCOGRAPHY ::
Air Guitar - 1994
Response Surface - 1994
Slave Labor On Mars - 1995
Soft Clock - 1995
Metroplex - 1997
Seven Rays - 2000
Pearl - 2002
Infectious Substance - 2003
You can purchase this CD from
Second Sufis
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