Search - Lumin :: Datura

A transcendant glide

Warren Stringer | San Francisco, CA USA | 08/04/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Yes, many of the same members of Stellamara are here on this album: Sonja Drakulich, Jeffery Stott, Michael Emanau -- and joined by Palo Baldi on on tabla to create a CD full of very lush textures. Since then I've heard that Sonja has moved on to collaborate with Gary Haggerty (of Stellamara) on some gigs, which I'd love to catch. On a couple live Stellamara sets, you could see the improvisational sparks fly -- as their music takes flight. Meanwhile, the stunningly beautiful Irina Mikhailova, of Medicine Drum, comes in to lay down a very different vibe: think Bulgarian Womans Choir, and you'll have the right flavor, though that is merely one of many spices from many parts of the world. And now they have a new CD out. A bit more uptempo and danceable from the previous one. But still a gracious journey from one world to the next. Since it is self published, you may not be able to buy it from Amazon (and that would be a shame). However, check out their site -- just do a google seach on "lumin music" to get there. Or, if you're ever in Northern California, they been know to appear at DJ Dragonfly's events like thegroovegarden or the Cosmik Casbah (more googling with get you there).Enjoy!w"

Visionary

Jeremy Gallagher | rochester, mi United States | 05/02/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album consistently produces a feeling in my brain, a certain extra-sense that I hardly knew existed until I started looking for it. Seeing that this album has been with me for so long it could have first introduced me to it. Its sort of like a smell but it has a visual quality...
This feeling/album is like that of zen on the stromy mountain high's of life. Like silence but yet a great mysterious joy like sadness, that screams in soft deep tones: like train horns at great distances. Perhaps a dog barking just before you go to sleep might catch your mind in this same sort of echoing sense. That of calm intrigue, contemplating the vastness in its alien language, is the nature of this album."

Luscious environments, excellent mix of rhythms

Rick Hellman | San Francisco, CA United States | 07/11/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Thought I'd write a review of Lumin's Datura... It's hard to classify this cd into any categories, as the sounds heard on it range from drum-n-bass beats with symphonic style string pads (synth) overlaid, to Eno-esque (ambient eno) slow moving sound scapes, to Dead Can Dance (Sorry for the never ending comparisons) with the added benefit of a female vocalist on some tracks. This is the side project of one of the members of Stella Mara (sorry all names escape me at the moment) and is a damned good electronic foray into luscious sound environments. The vocals are well done in the arabic style (again sorry if I am a little general in the style) that Lisa Gerrard of DCD made semi-famous (to us westerners anyway). The only problem with this title is its lack of follow up effort! Where is the rest of your music Lumin? Still trapped inside? Let us hear some more."