Sentient Machines Project

This EP is some of my compositions and some collaboration between myself and my friend Simon Webster, who is a master percussionist from the UK and his partner Mouna Eddrou, a Moroccan Sufi singer.  It is some of the most interesting and original music I have made so far in my life as a musician and in my opinion exemplifies cross cultural collaboration. 

This recording also features my guitar playing and occasional vocal, and of course my classic fretless Fender jazz bass. 

 “The Blue Door”  is inspired by North African and Gnawa (Gnaoua) music combined with some blues and folk elements.  It is about getting lost in the medina in Essaouria , Morocco. All of the doors were painted blue, and I spent quite some time trying to find my door where I was staying wandering around in what seemed like a maze or a labyrinth trying to find my “blue door.” I came to realize that I had past by it several times unknowingly.  

 “People Of Beauty”(Funky Rai ) was inspired by Simon’s drum and percussion loop called Funky Rai , which brought out  some of my funk and latin rock influences on bass as well as some dirty, fusion guitar amidst Simon’s funky drumming and layers of percussion. The title “People Of Beauty” is inspired by a translation of Mouna’s vocals, which alludes to the beauty of the human spirit in Sufism. 

This EP also features a tribal house remix version of song, remixed by my friend and Ableton Live wizard Sam Ryan for SOS music. 

{Pic of sunset (POB Tribal House Remix)}

 “Road to Mandalay” is based on some riffs that I wrote years ago on a Turkish mandolin that I bought in a music shop in Istanbul during my travels in 2012. From there I traveled to the Cappadocia region of Turkey and came up with the original riff while jamming on the mandolin inside an ancient chapel carved into the rock.

My journey carried on from Turkey and to the mountains of Myanmar, where I ended up taking a journey on an old train that had one of the highest elevations in the world, and then one of the hairiest bus rides I’ve ever had back down to the northern city of Mandalay.  This tune was finally brought to life and realized by Simon’s layers of percussion and Mouna’s ethereal vocals, resulting in a fusion of Arabic, African and Pan- Asian influences. 

 “Moving Forward In Reverse“ is a first for me in terms of performing all the instruments on a recording, and is a tribute to home- the west coast of Canada where I grew up. This piece evokes the cycle of life, the shifting of the tides and the changing of the seasons. 

This recording is a journey to the Far East and back home to my place of birth.  

A Canada, UK, Morocco and France joint effort.  

 Last but not least , this recording was made possible in part by the excellent engineering of Arthur Decosette at Sans Reserve Studios, Perigueux, France. 

I am happy to announce that a full length album is coming this year. Stay tuned ! 

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