Terma
Percussionist Martin Franklin from Tuu teams up with flautist Nick Parkin for  this intriguing recording, which gives the now-familiar old-instruments-and-new- electronics combination a new twist. It's not so much that the combination of instruments  is unusual--synthesizers and samplers, an arsenal of percussion that includes water drums  and clay pots, and Parkin's various flutes--but how they're used. Layered over  atmospheric, often spooky (without delving into horror-movie-soundtrack schtick)  sounds, percussion, and flute take the forefront. The electronic processing done on these  instruments doesn't make them sound artificial; instead, it reinforces what makes the  instruments unique, so that the sustained bell sounds on "Djinn" and the layered flute  sounds on "Water Memory" sound natural even though the listener can tell they've been  altered. There's an east Asian feel to this recording, particularly on "Magus" (which  reminds one of the music for an Akira Kurosawa film;Rashomon, perhaps) and  on "Serpent Fire," which is reminiscent of nothing so much as field recordings of Tibetan  Buddhist ceremonies. --Genevieve Williams