MUSIC: The Kilimanjaro Dark Jazz Ensemble

as this blog as progressed, have touched base on a lot of new music acts that have not NECESSARILY been directly associated with Tiki, however they fuel my dark corner where my bar sits. When guests arrive and I'm making drinks, I plan my playlists very well. This is a new release by a 'collective' called the Kilimanjaro Dark Jazz Ensemble.

From their site: "The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble (TKDE) formed in 2000 as a project to compose new music for existing silent movies. Jason Köhnen and Gideon Kiers, both graduates of the Utrecht School of Arts, combined their audio and visual skills to reinterpret classic movies by F.W. Murnau (Nosferatu) and F. Langs (Metropolis)." With this in mind, you will see that this group creates some amazing atmospheres that are definitely along the lines of early Exotica, whereas the sounds and background noises create a haunting atmosphere. Hey, remember.. This is DARK&TIKI talking..


I've been following this group for only 2 years and their releases have been in constant rotation & on various mixes I've made for friends. Creating a more 'Lynch-ian' type of feel but definitely dabbling into primitive percusions, giving it that Arthur Lyman vibe. In some cases adding vocals like on this new release ''From the Stairwell", the track "All is One'' gives a bit of a lounge feel as the song progresses into it's murky feel. Others give a more sultry, lounge feeling, but always coming back to what I completely love about this band.

Again from their site: :"Live TKDE  fuse analog and digital as much as possible. Combining traditional instrumentations (comprising cello, trombone, violin, beats, guitar, bass and vocals) with existing and/or self-developed software, continuously blending and mutating, creating an organic and electronic performance, supported by visuals which add to and interact with the frequencies of said instruments."

The sounds created on this record are purely organic fused with modern technology and ultimately giving it a modern feel.

If you're interested in purchasing, I'm sure it's on iTunes, or otherwise go visit the band's site: http://www.tkde.net/tkdenet/tkde.html where I'm sure there will be plenty of more information. Thanks for listening & enjoy the music!