Muse Melodic – songs commissioned by FatChanceBellyDance.
In 2009, Kristine Adams wrote me and asked if I would be interested in contributing to a project she was working on: an album of new, exclusive tracks made for ATS dancers. I was in the process of purchasing recording equipment and learning how to record on my computer, handle microphones, and editing. These were some of the first songs I recorded, and I am grateful to Kristine and FCBD for giving me the opportunity to release this work to their audience.
Lacul by August Hoerr.
Lyrics and translation. North African rhythm + Balinese Gamelan scale and rabab + Romanian poem = PARTY TIME! (Or something like that. I forget the exact formula for party time.) Fun fact: this was recorded while I was quarantined in the studio recovering from swine flu– you can kind-of hear it in the vocals.
Stamena (Што имала к’смет Стамена) by August Hoerr.
Lyrics and translation. This is a traditional Macedonian folk song; I listened to a lot of different recorded versions, cherry-picked what I liked about them and made an arrangement, then sped up the song into a sort of club/folk/metal combination. Stamena was later remixed and released in a collaboration with Deft Key from Columbia, SC.