Groundrush (2001)

Buy album at: Spotted Peccary

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Green Isac is a Norwegian duo working ethno-techno strategies with a sly humor and grace worthy of Brian Eno from his Another Green World days. As they have on previous albums, Green Isac mixes ethnic instruments like the Chinese yang ch'in, African djembe and Indian Bansuri flute. These are spun into kinetic rhythms, sometimes electronically powered, but more often acoustic, with accents from manipulated guitars, and quirky synths, setting them in alien landscapes. Green Isac takes the simplest melodies, from the repeated flute line of "Sufi Too" to the electric piano theme that emerges out of the echoed rhythms of "Mifune," and turns them into Pachebel-like canons. Groundrush has an air of mystery and intrigue, but Green Isac renders it with a twinkle in their eyes. - John Diliberto/Echoes