Customer Reviews

All Our Ancestors

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Put your headphones on, adjust the levels to achieve maximum results, close your eyes, open your heart, breathe deeply and take in all the sensations this disc will provide you. Light a stick of incense while you're at it; it'll enhance the experience. When you listen to this disc you embark on a transcendental journey from within. This is music with an Eastern flair, complete with water drums, clay pots, flutes(Chinese and Bansuri) , chants and various percussion instruments that are blended with samples, synths and loops for an otherworldly experience. Although it is heavy on the Eastern vibe, like meditative monks dancing through your head, the universal appeal of this ambient world music goes beyond religions into the realm of spirituality. This is a good disc to listen to focus your attention within and reach out to the world around you. It is extremely peaceful, relaxing and not in the least bit boring since the exotic nature of the instruments holds your attention quite well. This music shadows the distant past, the unknown future and the mystery of life. Recommended as a backdrop for those meditative moments in life. Good quite music from the Waveform catalogue that grew out of the internet radio show Musical Starstreams.

Tuu sought assistance - they got a flutist now: commendable. They developed their concept: very good. You get more information about the instruments: aaaah. Well, what kind of music is this? Weer I to compare, I woulds say `Stephan Micus meets Brian Eno'. The base is droned electronics from synmth and sampler again. Trademark of Tuu, however, is percussion and flutes, played live. Compliments to Rebecca Lublinski performing excellently on Indian Bansuri (microtonally!), european concert flute, and chinese flutes (probably ti-tzu), catching the original art of play as far as I can judge). Even Tuu's first CD `One thousand years' featured this hypnotic percussion and flute. The electronics are unobtrusive, even inconspiuous, but really neceassary. This is not different with `All our ancestors' - just the compositions are much more advanced. `One tousand years' was comparably straight forward, `all our ancestors' is more complex, mor subtle. The reason probably is that the band had the chance to develop together. They write, that they are more and more away from their roots - a process coming out of their method of composition. It is improvisation, and hence it is no wonder that `All our ancestors' sounds more mature. The instruments are used in a more flexible way, the palette of sound colours is wider. However, the arrangement is sparse and leaves enough room for the listener's imagination. All songs have a distinct character: `Shiva descending' has a long and ascending structure, 'Illumination' features descending chords with a mysterious flute, 'Triple gem of wisdom' has a deeply blubbering bass... A second album which is better than the first - not heard very often lately. I have hopes for the future! Moreover, the cover is really great. A must for fans of Peter Gabriel's labels Real World, for others strongly recommended.

Comparatively speaking, this first album by Tuu features a bit more ambience and spacey mood than its successors, and a bit less percussive resonance, contrasts, and dark colors. Still, it's easily recognizable as being by the same folks. The electronics is very subtle, never getting in the way, and the overall result works very well as headphones-oriented mind food. On the negative side, the length of the cd, barely 40 minutes, is something of an annoyance--to reap the full benefits of this kind of trancy material, one needs a rather longer uninterrupted period.

I've put this on right as I go to sleep. I'm out like a light in just a few, while "focusing" my sleep on the way.

I like this in part because, to me, it sounds the most "Tibetan" of their albums and the least drifting toward a more generic new age/ambient music sound.

ethno-trance music ( as Martin Frankin describes it in site) hypnotic and beautiful. A record to have, to listen and enjoy how far creativity and wits can lead.

This Cd is very, very good.... It is meditative, yet not airy-fairy. Otherwords it has guts... I try not to play it too ofter to maintain the great effect this CD has... Very otherworldly to say the very least......You can't go wrong on this CD.

So sensual the image of a dancing slave girl just detracts from it. Forget the images, skip the concepts. Just float.

Either that or I'm just getting old.