Tag Archives: Cliff

The SIDH – Another Way To Fly (2018)



Every now and again Alex and Arjan, the founding fathers of CeltCast, like to throw a curveball at me. But when Alex pushed the Sidh‘s Another Way To Fly CD in my hands, saying he would love me to write a review on it, I felt seriously out of my comfort zone. Not that I suspected the music to be bad, 5000 plus people going nuts while watching the Sidh turn Castlefest into one big dance party can’t be wrong. No, it’s more that I’m a hardrock/metalhead at heart and when I was young, you either where ‘metal’ or ‘gabber’. The two didn’t mix that well. Only occasionally did I pick up on some dance acts, the latest ones being The KLF, Daft Punk, Dance 2 Trance and Faithless, all ’90’s Eurodance/trance acts. You can safely say the whole electronic dance scene passed by, without me paying attention to it. To get a dubstep album pushed into my hands, even if it has folk elements in it,…well…Let’s say I needed some convincing.
And boy did the Sidh convince me, did they ever!
But first I had to figure out what that was, dubstep??? So I spent a nice couple of hours on Wikipedia and YouTube doing research.
Dubstep started in London’s underground dance scene around 1998. UK Garage deejays started mixing their dance music with reggae style rhythms and percussion. First it was dub remixes that went on B-sides of singles, (versions of the songs without the vocals.), later it became a style of its own. The early UK style dubstep was relatively slow and really reggae like in feel. Just as in reggae the bass lines and percussion rhythms were inregular and broken, with the emphasis on the uneven beats, especially the third, although you almost won’t hear that on Another Way To Fly. What you will hear, is another feature of early dubstep, a real low, pumping sub-bass sound, or as a early flyer once said: ‘A bass sound to make your chest cavity shudder.’
In 2005 dubstep was getting mainstream, being picked up by two BBC DJ’s. Around that time some dubstep producers started to work less with sub-bass and more with mid-range sounds. One of them, Rusko, was influenced by Swedish and Finnish producers who had a dance style with simple synthesizer leads and basslines with funk, r&b or soul rhythms, a sound that has become known as Skweeee (yep, really, no kidding.)
American producers picked up on this new style of dubstep and added robotic vocal effects and metal-like riffs, producing a way more aggressive sort of dubstep, normally called brostep. Skrillex is one of the best known producers of this style of dance music. Listening to the music on Another Way To Fly I would say it is mostly influenced by this later UK and American style.

Getting back to the Sidh, they are an Italian band, with an interesting line up for a dance act. It starts with Federico Melato. As it is to be expected he plays the synthesizer, but also piano and percussion. Michael Subet plays the bass, also not that weird in a dance act. But then we have Salvatore Pagliaro on guitar and Iain Marr on whistles, bagpipes (?!) and guitar. That is what makes the Sidh stand out. They are as much a live band as they are a dance-act, and you can hear that in their music.
In 2012 their first CD Follow The Flow came out. A nice album where the Sidh first introduced their own unique style of dance music. You can hear the band experiment with the energetic Irish folk music on one side, and the English style dubstep beats on the other. Despite the electronics used, it has an open, in parts acoustic-, sometimes even a rock feel. It’s as if Soar patrol‘s guitarist Steve Legget and piper Chick Allen stepped in the studio with Harmony Glen‘s flutist/piper Gilian Hettinga and they would have Rusko as a producer.
The second album Nitro came out in 2014. On this album the Sidh managed to further blend the two different styles together, leaving us with eight upbeat folk/dance songs and one lovely instrumental ballad called Believe. (you have to look up that song, it is beautiful) Compared to Another Way To Fly, Nitro still sounds really open, Mostly because Iain uses the flute as his main solo instrument, just occasionally the bagpipe comes out.

Now there is the third CD, Another Way To Fly. And where Nitro sounded happy this CD really kicks you in the butt. The folk influences are just as Irish and cheerful as on previous albums, but the dubstep beats pack a real punch this time, taking the best of the heavy American brostep style and the old skool UK sub-bass beats.
Those beats are immediately apparent in the opening song Shake That Bagpipe. It starts with a pumping baseline, followed by Iain’s whistle kicking off the first Irish tune. After that the Sidh throw everything but the kitchen sink at you, flute, bagpipe, breaks, slow dubstep sections, cool percussion, fast pumping basslines, catchy hooks, and all that in just 3:48 minutes. This is a wake-up call, as strong as two litres of Italian expresso. No way you are gonna sit still on this song!

Now that we are awake The Silk Road ‘eases’ us into the album. It starts in a way that is reminiscent of the Sidh’s first CD. A calm intro with acoustic guitar and a friendly flute tune, the bassline doesn’t ‘kick in’ this time but blends in and the string section helps to make this a mellow midtempo song, getting you in the flow of the album after the mindboggling start of it. It is, aside from the beats, a really lovely Irish tune. The Sidh carefully build layer upon layer to tell a musical story, proving that electronic dance music isn’t always a bunch of beats thrown together, but can be beautiful and touching as well. It’s also one of the few songs that are only leaning on the flute. The Sidh have discovered the raw power of the bagpipe and are using it to its full potential on Another Way To Fly. It’s the leading melodic instrument in almost all of the 14 songs.

The third song, Khan, picks up on The Silk Road‘s theme with Marcin Ruminski doing some impressive, Mongolian style throat singing. Marcin is the founder, vocalist and whistler of the Polish folk band Shannon. Again it’s a catchy tune telling a story, the sound of the melody reminding me of an old Italian space synth band I used to like called Koto. It is a nice upbeat song, although I have to say, after the really strong intro with the big drums and the throat singing, I was hoping for a wee bit more adventurous middle section with more of a Mongolian feel and instruments. Now the Sidh drop back to ‘just’ bagpipe and flute. Why not go all the way? It would make the album more varied and therefore even stronger.

By the time we get to the fourth song Alba, it’s clear what the recipe for a good the Sidh composition is. It starts with nice catchy intro, mostly with flute, then the beats kick in. The intro becomes the hook where the song is built around. One or two breaks are build in to open up the music and make the beats sound stronger. And under it all there is always that powerful combination of sub low bass and bagpipe. It may sound a bit dull written out like this, but not to worry, the Sidh do this so well. The power of this this recipe is in the quality of the melodies used. They are well composed, full-on Irish folk tunes. Iain is a gifted flute and bagpipe player and he is fast, seriously fast. Quite often he equals Perkelt‘s Paya Lehane in speed. Impressive stuff. Where the American brostep style focusses on aggression, the Sidh bring something new to it, positive vibes. You hear the heritage of the old Italo-disco sound in there, and the folk tunes are the perfect way to carry that through.
Alba is a good example of how cool a dancetrack can be, played the Sidh way, a mellow upbeat Italo-disco/trance melody on flute or synth, with the low bassline and bagpipe under it to give it some oomph. One of my favourite songs on the album.

And so we come to my favourite song on Another Way To Fly. The best song of the Sidh in general I think. One of my favourite songs of the last few months actually, IRIDIUM!
It starts with an impressive synthesizer organ creating a wall of chords. When, in the second bar, the bagpipe and bass join in, this wall of chords just blow you away. The song is built around a cool bagpipe hook, catchy as anything. I just love that hook and, oh joy (!), they keep repeating it! again and again! it’s just magic! When the electric guitar kicks in, shooting off fast metal riffs I’m already gone..No stopping me getting to that dancefloor. What a song. Haven’t heard such a strong dancefloor filler since the KLF’s Last Train To Trancentral. Love it!



After this wall of sound we get our first breather. I Can’t Let Go is a ballad sung by the second guest musician Tim Chaisson. He is a Canadian folk/pop singer songwriter. I Can’t Let Go shows the sensitive side of The Sidh. Two suggestions came up while listening to this song. First I would have loved the song to be a bit longer. It stops rather unexpectedly and abrupt. Secondly, after the adrelin rush caused by Iridium, I personally would have loved to dance a bit more, before having this breather. Around song nine I would say. But i’m nitpicking now, I Can’t Let Go is a lovely song with a quality singer, no question about it.

The pace is picked up again with Sileadh and Vault. More cool bagpipe folk hooks with upbeat flute solo’s cutting through the wall of sound. The feel of folk- and trance chords cheering you up, as the dubstep bass makes sure you don’t stop dancing for a second.
I have to say, I love this album. I really do. My only wish for the next album is that the band go a bit bolder with the production. With a sound as orchestral as Another Way To Fly, I would have loved to have had more surprises in the production to keep me on my toes. The ultra heavy metal-guitar-with-low-bass-break in Vault for instance. How cool would it have been if those riffs had been shooting in my ears from left to right . I think I would have gone mental if they had done that. Don’t get me wrong. It is a heavy song as it is and on a brilliant album but treats like that would have been the icing on the cake.

Well there is nothing more to say really, besides that the Scottish piper and folk composer Ross Ainslie joins the Sidh on Heroes and that Goldie’s Goldie seems to be a homage the flute builder Colin Goldie. He makes the flutes Iain Marr plays on and is featured on this song.
Another Way To Fly is the Sidh’s strongest album till now in my opinion. The band has found the perfect blend between all the different influences, making it their own in a style I would call Sidh-step! If you are just as much at home on the dancefloor, as you are on the Castlefest fields, then this is the CD for you. The ‘Sidhstep’ dance they play will get you going time and time again. If big beats are not your thing, you might want to check their first album Follow The Flow. It’s a ‘lighter’ dance album. More flute, more folk orientated with less of the heavy powerbeats. More the old skool dubstep and therefore easier to listen to.
And what about me, the old metalhead? Well I’m converted. I’m so glad Alex put this CD in my hands and pushed me out of my comfort zone. The Sidh definitely got me hooked on the dubstep sound. Thanks guys for opening up another musical world to me.



Cliff

editor:
Diane

photo Credits:
Photographer Ruben Meuwese.
First picture taken at Keltfest 2018, other pictures taken at Castlefest 2018.
All pictures posted with kind permission of Vana Events.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WALDKAUZ!!!

Last weekend while a few of us were attentending Fantasy Fest RijswijkWaldkauz celebrated their 5th anniversary!
They threw a big party with SeeD Pagan Folk and Brisinga . Those who were there informed us that it was an amazing evening and the bands were in fine shape! Which made us, very jealous and sad that we weren’t able to make the journey.
Still, we wish Waldkauz a very happy birthday, we are sure you celebrated in style! And we wish you many more amazing music filled years!

With love,
The CeltCast Crew



Pics by Cliff de Booy Concert Photography and Marielle’s Concert and Event Photography

Monthly Marker September 2018: Paya Lehane

Cover: Paya Lehane-Oppidamus

“Pure Paganfolk, tribal, enchanting, with a moorish feel”. Just some of the words used by our own reviewer Cliff (FB) when describing PerKelt-member Paya Lehane’s solo album Oppidamus, and to be more exact, he used these words to describe one specific song: Memento. Now, there was obviously no way that we would not use one of the songs from this amazing album as a Monthly Marker, and this description was so interesting that it immediately caught our eye. The song takes the listener on a folk journey through time and geography, and therefor is very much what we at CeltCast aspire to represent!

So all through September enjoy this track five to six times a day, and if you want something to read while listening, may we suggest Cliff’s review of Oppidamus, to be found at this link.

You can find Paya Lehane here:

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A new review is online!

And yes, we do mean NEW! At Castlefest Cliff received a shiny new disc that had not officially been released yet, and he worked his butt off to get the review done in time for the premiere. We’re talking of course about Paya Lehane ‘s solo album Oppidamus!

We all know and love Paya from her work with speedfolk band PerKelt, but with this album she showed us another side to her many talents. We don’t want to give away too much in this post, but comparisons are made with Enya, The Sidh and Robert Miles, and the range of instruments and vocals on this album takes the listener on a journey that completely stands on its own and is a reward in and of itself! From day 1 Cliff has been raving about this album, so without further ado, do yourself a favour and head over to this link and read all about this gem of an album. Fair warning though. After reading this you’ll probably want to buy the album right away and start looking for tickets to a show.



Paya Lehane – Oppidamus (2018)



-‘OK, I didn’t see that one coming.’These words were the first I wrote down while listening to Paya Lehane ‘s first solo album. And I really didn’t. I did expect the CD to be different from the music Paya makes with Perkelt. What sense would there be in doing a solo album if you are gonna play exactly the same music again. I imagined it to be a lot slower, but still pagan folk, still with the flute as a main instrument. How wrong I was.
The first notes of Bohemia reveal a synthesiser combined with harp and Paya’s voice doubled into a choir. The music is calm, soothing, a real mix between Celtic pop and pagan folk. Then we hear real percussion mixed with programmed drums. As the song continues the sound becomes more and more complex, carefully build layer upon layer, a sound we know so well from Enya ‘s music. It’s grand, orchestral yet soothing. Wonderful music, and not a recorder or flute in sight! As I said, I did not expect that! But what a pleasant surprise.

In the second song, Oppidamus, Paya’s trademark instrument, the recorder, makes its entrance, but again the electronic synth sound comes to the foreground. The flute is recorded clean though and sounds Native American, electronic drums give a nice dance feel to the song and the doubled vocals glide through it all on a blanket of sythesiser. Overall Oppidamus sounds like the perfect marriage between Enya, Adiemus, acoustic pagan folk and the beats of Deep forest, and I can’t help myself but dance to it.
Another thing that I’m starting to notice is an unknown language. At first I though it to be Czech, (Paya was born in the Czech Republic), but no. It’s a fictional language that she uses in the same way that Adiemus composer Karl Jenkins does, creating a new world. In her own words: ‘You might come across a few songs with a language you are not able to place, that is because it is a unique fictional language created to evoke an ancient world which can be found only in your imagination.’ And it works. The voice becomes an instrument that carries a mood, that carries emotions. And as a listener you flow with it.
Sometimes Paya gives a small clue where to go, as she does with the title of Waiting For Dawn, the third song on the album. The sound of the ocean is the second clue she gives here and this sound pulls you into the music. In your mind you can feel yourself standing on that beach, the waiting, the anticipation, then the warmth reaching your face and your body, the wind stroking your hair. It’s all captured in the music and those enchanting vocals.



Betrothal is the first wake-up call on the CD. A strong medieval/Adiemus style choir gets you alert and then the drum and bass (!) rhythms programmed by Paya’s husband Rick Lehane get you dancing for sure. The song itself has a real Moorish/medieval feel to it, it makes me think of Irfan. The way Betrothal is recorded is really clever, the vocals and melody sound old, ancient in a way, a real contrast to the modern dance beats under it, and it works, it just works. I love it.

Memento keeps that Moorish feel going, the song is pure pagan folk, tribal, enchanting and such a contrast to the dancebeats of Betrothal just before it. The beauty of Oppidamus as an album is, that it has this perfect balance between the dreamy soundscapes that are so important for new age music and the pure raw energy of acoustic pagan folk. It can be a flute cutting through a mist of vocals and synthesiser or it can be a whole pagan folk song with a sprinkle of new age, as Memento is, but in both ways it keeps the music fresh and crisp. It makes me feel not only comforted like a new age album should, but also happy to be alive. This is happy music. And as I am writing this alinea the first English spoken song, Winter Nights, weaves its way through my ears, as a warm bath of music. Just to prove my point.

Pan’s Delirium is the next surprise. We have a genuine dance song here. The Sidh meets Robert Miles. Compared to the Sidh, Paya and Rick could even have been a bit braver with the beats maybe, creating even more contrast but hey, I’m dancing, so why am I even nitpicking?

Normally when I prepare for a review I listen to an album many times, trying to reveal all the small surprises hidden within the music to share them with you. This time I won’t. It would just spoil Oppidamus. It would also spoil the whole idea Paya had while writing this beautiful CD. It’s a musical treasure trove of emotions there to be discovered by you, the listener. A whole new world of music to be found. And with the last song, the beautiful ballad Raven’s Tale playing as I write these lines, I am going to stop talking, I will put the CD player on repeat and step into Paya’s world again to explore it even more. Don’t wait to long too get this album and join us. Oppidamus is so worth it.

– Cliff

– pictures by Paya Lehane
– editor Diane

P.S. Normally I weave the technical info into a review, but in this case the music just would not let me! It felt totally out of place, so here we go.
Paya Lehane was born in the Czech Republic and has been playing the recorder from the age of four. She graduated from the academy of music in Brno ánd the Conservatory Pardubice in wind instruments and history of music. She is a founding member and lead composer of the pagan folk band Perkelt, known for her fast yet enchanting flute solos. On Oppidamus she not only played her trusty recorder and whistle, but also harp, synth and several percussion instruments. Besides her musical career she is also a gifted Modern artist
Her husband Rick also had a big part in the realisation of Oppidamus. Not only did he play bass, mandoline, synth and percussion, he also did all the drum programming and mixed the album. The production of Oppidamus was shared between Paya and Rick. As on any solo Cd there are musical friends that are quiet willing to help out. In this case we can hear Gwendolyn Snowdon on Bouzouki in the song Bohemia.
Sophia Kinston from the Australian electro/neo folk band Tailor Birds on electric violin and Perkelt friend David Maurette on drums, both in the song Waiting For Dawn.
Last is London composer and cellist Matt Constantine who can be heard on Winter Nights.






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