Tarana: After The Disquiet

After the Disquiet is a beguiling EP from Tarana, a duo consisting of drummer Ravish Momin and violinist Trina Basu. Recorded live in March 2011, After the Disquiet finds Momin laying down a variety of acoustic drum beats while adding his own real-time electronic manipulations. Over this, Basu adds Eastern-themed improvisations. The sound quality is not perfect here; there is a fair amount of room ambiance in the recording, but the absorbing music is worth diving into all the same.

Momin creates quite a din. His drum work is slyly straightforward, which makes his electronic tweaking all the more effective. There is looping, echo, chirps, and explosions. The sounds always amount to more than noise, though; this is nuanced, hypnotic music.

Brooklyn-based Basu is the ideal match for Momin. When his beats are stripped down and syncopated, her bowing is assured, melodic and ethereal. When the electronic textures ramp up, Basu plays in around the sounds, with plucks, staccato bursts and shorter runs. There is a synergy between the players. They are complementing and augmenting, not competing.

Audiophiles may have difficulty getting beyond the fidelity limitations but these four tracks, totaling less than 35 minutes, make up some very original and intriguing music.

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