Stephen Kent - Oil & Water

  

Although English by birth, Stephen Kent is best known as a master of the didjeridu (or didj, for short), an instrument of the Aborigines of Australia. Kent moved to Australia in 1981 to become the Musical Director of Australia's Circus Oz. After having come into contact with Aborigines, he took up the didjeridu. Since then, he has taken his didj on the road and called London and Barcelona home although he now resides in the San Francisco Bay area. In addition to working solo, he is also a member of Trance Mission and Beasts of Paradise and promotes music from around the globe on his weekly radio show.

His transient nature is reflected in the eclectic sounds of Oil & Water. The didj is teamed with such unlikely partners as the Scottish bagpipes, Rajasthani flutes, and Arabic pipes. In addition, there are the familiar guitar, bass, and drums of rock'n'roll. And, straying further, there are a host of samples and drum loops courtesy of producer Simon Tassano. "Oil" begins the album and is a slow, moody piece that showcases the didjeridu's drone. It immediately launches into "Water" which has something resembling a funky beat and swirling synths a la Ozric Tentacles. However, the mix doesn't work well as the contrasts are too stark and never find a way to blend in with one another. Plus the didj is buried somewhere in the mix. Fortunately, the album improves from here.

"Khoomei Song" follows and features Igor Koshkendey's throat singing. Whereas "Water" threw in a bit of everything and sounds ostentatious, "Khoomei Song" sounds a bit busier than it really is, at times. The music isn't obtrusive and allows the singing to take center stage. The two are never in competition with one another and blend perfectly. The more successful songs on the album are those that keep the pop/trance influences at bay and allow the didj to meld with the other folk instruments from around the globe. The didj sounds positively roaring compared to the delicate sounds of Steev Kindwald's Rajasthani flutes but the two wind instruments manage to give each other space on "Thel Kupa" and "Edge of Three." "Elders Lament" has Jimi McRae on bagpipes and they sound like kindred spirits to Kent's didj on this song, which is best described as a world beat pibroch. Proving that techno beats are unnecessary, Kent trucks along on "Lookout" with abandon just fine without them, thank you.

Oil & Water comes across a bit like an experiment to contemporize the didjeridu and it is mostly successful. Kent is able to combine folk traditions very well but his attempts at putting pop music into the mix doesn't work nearly as well. They sound trite; like a pop song with didj as accoutrement. When he sticks to his guns, though, Kent can produce some beautiful, enchanting music.

(This was originally published at The Green Man Review back in 2003-08.)