One of my favourite aspects of the Age Of Empires soundtrack is the fusion of different folk music – in this composition I aimed to do just this by fusing the Latin/African bossa nova with Eastern and Western influences. The bossa nova (‘new wave’ in Portuguese) is a style of Brazilian music derived from samba, which is in turn a style developed from a complex mix of West African and Portuguese influences. Utilising other instruments of African origin (Banjo, Kalimba, Congas), I also took influence from Eastern folk music using the Indian Tanpura and Middle-Eastern style percussion solos, and Western folk music, using the Celtic harp, the Dorian mode (a scale particularly associated with folk music of the British Isles), the fiddle, and some other more contemporary Western instruments (like the Clarinet and Saxophone).
Taking inspiration from the Christian music of Medieval Europe and the then-popular ‘church modes’, this piece features a mixolydian pipe organ riff supported by a sampled choir; the following section contrasting with improvised percussion on a fire poker and some tasty Sitar improvisation, all whilst the bass and banjo play on the tritone between the 3rd and 7th degrees of the scale. The sections then fuse together to make that AOEII style folk fusion we all love! Featuring @maheshsitarist on the Sitar, again payed through donations kindly received towards this musical project!
Living in the Bronze Age, the ancient Phrygian people once ruled an area of western Anatolia (now part of modern-day Turkey). It was said that their greatest king, Midas, was the biological son of Zeus, and that everything he touched turned to gold. The Phrygian scale, considered to be the warlike mode in ancient Greek music, takes it’s name from the ancient kingdom. This composition explores various interpretations of the Phrygian scale in a ‘warlike’ musical setting, along with two guest percussionists kindly paid through your donations; Arpit Manaktala on Tabla and @JamieParksDrums on Kit.