Search - Earth Trybe :: Rhythm of the Earth

In Quest Of......Earth Rhythms

Douglas J. Hultsman | Corinth, Texas United States | 10/04/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"15 years after his landmark recording VALLEY IN THE CLOUDS, and the ubiquitous Mr. Arkenstone pops up on yet another outing along with wife and partner Diane Arkenstone under the moniker of "Earth Trybe". Given the recent steady stream of collaborations such as "Ah-Nee-Mah", "Troika"(and their solo releases as well), it is any one's guess as to how they find the time, let alone keep from getting tapped out! But find it they do, and the results are quite nice.
David and Diane surround themselves with a strong cast of fellow musicians on flute, sax and marimbas as well as various percussion to keep things interesting. While similar in parts to their previous Earth Trybe release "Tranceworld", this one is more percussive in nature, with infectious rhythms and plenty of hand drums, marimbas, gongs, bells and triangles to augment the mostly "chant-like" vocals that are sprinkled throughout. Since this was the 1st review, I'll give a brief overview so you'll know what to expect.RIVER OF LIFE, flows along with an infectious triangle and bamboo flute playing over a nice repetitive guitar riff until joined by an array of world percussion and a nicely done Indo-Asian style vocal.
A haunting flute signals the BIRTH OF AN ISLAND, which then opens up with plenty of various hand drums & percussion. A lively vocal chant joins in with a simple marimba pattern.Things slow down a bit on QUIET DESERT. Starting off with a dreamy ambient synth vector, an assortment of bells chime in regularly, joined by a distant sax & various synth washes. And of course, even a "quiet" desert has to have the obligatory crickets chirping every once and a while.
SPIRIT OF THE EARTH yields yet more of the Native American sound. Drums, chants and flutes.
RHYTHM OF THE NIGHT starts out with polyrhythmic marimbas, a huge grand piano sound and flute, sounding similar to some of the songs on "Tranceworld" or earlier David Arkensone albums. A haunting drone sets the tone for THE ROOF OF THE WORLD. I just don't think that this one really evokes images of Tibet, other than the nicely done subdued vocal treatments(Lhasa!)in the middle part. Dianne's vocal on this seems out of place on this one, and it's a tad bit long at 7:37.
HEART OF THE FOREST-a bell tree and a small gong take you into the trees. Nice vocal chants and a slow assortment of hand drums and polyrhythmic marimbas are joined by a lovely echo flute and a trademark David Arkensone bass line. Another long one at 7:47, and the repetitive nature starts to wear a little thin towards the end.
CELEBRATION starts out with vibrant marimba fest and various shakers & percussion. Nice guitar work and flute complement the vocal chants, at times sounding like DO'AH or Ancient Future.

Overall, not a fabulous collection, but still quite enjoyable. If you like James Asher and that type of upbeat world music with lots of percussion, this one might just fit the bill."

Rhythms Of The Earth

Clarissa | Ontario, California | 10/19/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've kind of been on a standstill when it comes to buying music like this lately because I find that most world artists nowadays are all sounding the same but I truly love listening to 'Rhythm Of The Earth'. David and his wife Diane Arkenstone have teamed up to create Earth Trybe, released under their own successful label, Neo Pacifica, that mostly consists of new age music (some of the best, in fact) and I'm so enamored with the magic they're able to brew together. I've been a fan of both their works for a while now but was not prepared to enjoy this as much as I do. There's a lighthearted nature to many of the songs, especially on "River Of Life" and "Celebration" with all that whimsical flute playing, while others are a tad bit darker. There are many different instruments heard here - ones you'd expect to find on a world album - but they seem to heavily rely on percussion this time around. The formula Earth Trybe follows is nothing new really but it somehow sounds fresh and rejuvenating, and without depending on the use of heavy dance beats, although there are some native drum loops to enhance the flow of the chant-like tribal singing and hypnotic ambient rhythms. If anything, their sound reminds me of the more mellow songs found on Buddha Bar's lifestyle compilations. These kindred spirits not only married each other but have also merged their remarkable talents together and I definitely do not regret investing my money in this.[A similar artist/cd is Chorus Of Tribe's 'Myth']"