This 2000 release is the culmination of 6 years of drumming and exploring ecstatic Trance Dance Rhythms from many cultures. The frame drum has been used for thousands of years in religious and ecstatic rituals and is the oldest known drum, and is also the oldest means for altering consciousness through sound for healing and spiritual purposes. This drum forms the basis for all the rhythms heard here, and many different types of the drum were used along with the djembe, conga, doumbek, and other hand percussion instruments. Layne and Tommy are working to create a distinct North American style of hand drumming by collecting, creating, and synthesizing new rhythms. Recommended especially for ecstatic dance and ritual work.
Some tracks also welcome movement and dance, while others suggest deep reflection.
In the round Open My Heart , the voices build and soar, acompanied by the watery rhythms of world percussion instruments. Featuring Woman Chant, Circle of Power, Grandmother, Midnight Moonlight , it's a great source of new material for circles everywhere. To live and love in peace is all. Side I traces the seasonal changes of a year, while Side II marks the facets and cadences of a ritual gathering. Opening with an invocation to the elements and the casting of a circle, it proceeds to honor the spirit and spirituality of women.