‘The Hang Drum Track’

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‘The Hang Drum Track’

24 August, 2008 | 7.53PM

Written by: BerwickStreet
Filed under: Music News: berwick street records, hang drum, timo garcia feat manu delago

With its holistic and euphoric sound, the Hang Drum (pronounced ‘Hung Drum’) is often referred to as a “gift from heaven.”

This melodic Swiss percussion instrument has captured the interest of artists and listeners alike around the world.

How the Hang received its name, meaning “Hand” in the local Bernese language, is evident as you watch talented artists play by hand some of the most impressive and diverse music on Earth.

One such talented artist is Austrian musician and composer Manu Delago.

When London-based dance producer Timo Garcia teamed up with Manu they created a unique sounding track encapsulating the sublime melodies and subtle rhythms of the Hang Drum and complimenting them with some serious house beats!

We caught up with the pair of them to find out more…

So then Timo / Manu.. how’s your summer been?

Timo: Summer? What summer?! Actually I’ve been lucky so far this year and have been away in some lovely hot places but the UK seems to have missed summer again!

Can I get a refund?

Manu: I’ve been travelling a lot as well and really enjoyed some great places in Europe. I’ve been in London four times this summer but every time only for one day.

Basically I went to London to wash my clothes!

You’ve just released a very unique record in The Hang Drum Track.. This must be the first ever Hang Drum vs House Music collaboration. So how did that come about?

Timo: I stumbled across Manu whilst trawling the internet in search of new sounds and couldn’t believe what I found.

The guy is incredible and the instrument totally blew me away with it’s unique sound.

So I looked him up on myspace and asked him to come to the studio to work on this collaboration.

So Manu…you’ve been described as one of the world’s best Hang Drum players and have had over half a million hits on You-Tube. How does that make you feel?

Manu: I’m very lucky to play this amazing instrument.

For me as a drummer and piano player, the Hang was the perfect instrument because it’s a fusion of melody and rhythm.

And of course I’m glad that so many people on You-Tube watch my videos.

We understand that these instruments are very hard to come by and that not just anyone can buy one. Can you explain why and how you managed to get hold of two?!

Manu: The instruments are handmade by only two people in Switzerland.

They can’t build hundreds of instruments every day. I got my Hangs in 2003 when it was quite easy to get them.

They had only been in existence for two years back then and hardly anyone knew about it.

This release is quite a package already and has been licensed to the next Global Underground compilation, why did you pick the remixers and have you got any more coming?

Timo: I picked these guys specifically as I knew their sound would compliment this track perfectly.

I wanted a deep and almost hypnotic remix which is why I asked Matt Masters from Freerange Records as I knew he had that deeper touch.

Then Jafar and Max from Poussez fitted perfectly to get that groovy ‘real house’ sound while Angel Anx has that tougher techy edge to give a more underground club feel.

We have a ‘part two’ for this release coming up in a few months, which I’m really excited about.

This time we’ve got remixes coming from the legendary Eric Kupper (New York), from Italo Disco Don Serge Santiago and from Mark Maitland.

Are you a big house music fan, Manu? What do you think when you listen to the remixes of this track?

Manu: I wouldn’t say I’m a big house fan but I love music in general.

One of the most important elements in music for me is groove. When I first heard The Hang Drum Track, I was impressed how creatively the original material was used in the track.

And also, there is a good amount of groove going on.

Are either of you working on any other collaborations at the moment?

Timo: I have another project on the boil right now called Le Crunch with Leo Elstob aka Leo Trax (Ex Chicane / A Mountain of One / Dab Hands / Faith) who also hails from my hometown of Chesham!

We have just put out a double sided single called ‘Hot Drum’ / ‘Release’ and have a couple of cheeky booties doing the rounds.

One is a remake of ‘Blue Monday’ by New Order and the other is Peter Gabriel’s ‘Sledgehammer’.

Also we’re just completing a remake of The Cure’s ‘Close To Me’.

We’re working on a live outfit which we will be able to tour with next year consisting of drummer Dave Barbarossa (Adam & The Ants / Bow Wow Wow), guitarist Dave Nobel (A Mountain Of One) and vocalists Amber Jolene and Marcel (Peace Division, ATFC, Junior Boy’s Own).

So watch this space.

Manu: That’s a little bit different for a live musician.

I hardly ever play on my own. Most of the time I play with my duo ‘Living Room’ or with my band ‘Manu Delago Handmade’.

An interesting new collaboration is the project ‘Living Room in London’.

This quintet is a fusion of the bass clarinet – hang – duo ‘Living Room’ and a string trio with musicians from the London Symphony Orchestra.

Will you be performing live with each other?

Timo: Unfortunately performing the Hang Drum live in clubs wouldn’t really work unless you can get complete separation of the instrument like being in a studio vocal booth.

Otherwise the microphones would pick up all of the music in the room.

Unlike bongos which are hit hard and can be rigged up live these are much more subtle and it’s the tone that is important.

Manu: That’s true but never say never!

Where will your fans be able to catch you for your solo gigs in that case?

Timo: Well this Saturday (23rd Aug) I’ll be playing at PTD down at Platinum in Shoreditch with Serge Santiago and then the weekend after, on the 29th August I’m playing the Aquarium for Prologue with Jim Masters.

Then the next Berwick Street Sessions with The Gallery will be on Friday 26th September at Ministry of Sound with Ricky Stone flying in from Hong Kong and Eric Kupper over from New York.

Outside of London I’ve got some gigs coming up in Egypt, Dubai, Lithuania and Russia (assuming they stop fighting soon!)

Manu: Next week (27th, 28th and 30th) I play concerts in the UK with the project ‘Living Room in London’.

After that there are concerts in Austria and Spain coming up. Please visit www.manudelago.com for details!

What has been the most unusual place you’ve both played in the world?

Manu: I’ve played in some unusual places in my home country Austria.

One concert was in a salt mine, which was about one mile deep into a mountain.

Another concert was an open-air gig in a valley where the open-air stage was almost one mile wide.

We played a piece that lasted more than an hour and we had to walk around during the performance.

Timo: I’ve played in Kazakhstan a couple of times now and most people seem to think that’s unusual but in fact it’s an amazingly cosmopolitan place.. well the big cities are at least.

I’ve also played in Siberia a couple of times - that was pretty far out!

Where are you living at the moment and how does it compare to your hometown and do your surroundings influence your music?

Timo: I’ve been living and working on Brick Lane in Shoreditch (East London) for over three years now and have seen a lot of changes.

It’s been a very positive influence on my music… although I do have to keep myself in check and make sure I don’t swap the latest musical trend (whatever it might be) for good old-fashioned solid production!

Manu: I moved to Southeast London one year ago and I enjoy living in London.

It’s a great place to get inspired but also a flexible city to travel from.

You can fly to any place in the world whenever you want.

But I admit that I enjoyed the summer back home in Austria. I sometimes need a calm place where I can relax and do outdoor sports like beach volleyball or hiking.

Timo, you have been credited by many of the top global producers such as Claude Von Stroke, Tom Middleton, Louis Vega and Steve Lawler to name a few – whose seal of approval in the industry means the most to you and why?

Timo: It was a buzz to hear that Louis Vega was asking a DJ friend of mine in Miami what tracks he was playing twice in one set and to find out that both were mine!

Also it was cool to have Claude von Stroke use my Dune Walker song on his cover mount CD mix, but the biggest buzz was at Space in Ibiza on opening night in 2005.

This was the first time I’d ever heard another DJ playing one of my own productions out in a club.

So for it to be one of Steve Lawler’s first tracks to a capacity crowd going nuts on the Space Terrace on opening night was an amazing feeling. I even managed to film it on my mobile although I couldn’t hold very still!

Aside from music, what are your other passions?

Manu: I really like sports, especially football. Unfortunately I can’t play anymore because of a football injury but I still love watching it.

Timo: I swim a mile a week.

Can you tell us a good joke?

Timo: Two guys walk into a bar, the third one ducks.

Manu: A drummer walks past a bar.

Comic genius as well the pair of you! Well, thank you both so much for your time. We wish you all the best on this project together.

Timo Garcia feat. Manu Delago – The Hang Drum Track
Inc remixes by Matt Masters, Poussez & Angel Anx
(Berwick Street Records)