Micro-East Collective
062099
Umbrella
The Micro-East Collective is an 18 member collective who can sound as dense as a symphony and as dexterous as a trio.
18 people means 18 different tonal colors. The Micro-East Collective use their instruments to create a veritable rainbow of colors. “Latcho Drom” is a lovely tune, with the melody carried by the accordion. The accordion gives the song the perfect feel, that lilt that makes everything work out.
The majority of 062099 is occupied by “Exploring the Metal Sphere.” It is a 35-minute work split into three parts, all of them flowing, propelled by the drone of the basses. Part two, called “Data Collection and Processing,” has a discernable melody. I commend the group for maintaining a sense of space within the music. It would have been easy to fill the room with clattering and clanging, but the Micro-East Collective goes for atmosphere. The horns slowly arc over the bass-drone, return, and reemerge. The last part of the composition, “Abandonment, Liftoff and Escape,” is a raucous as the other 40 minutes of the CD are sedate. It ends on a quiet note, with a slow cymbal glow that tapers off and closes the album.
Umbrella Recordings, http://www.umbrellarecordings.com/
