Daniel Biro 'The Next 3 Albums' Download
A special collection of Daniel's next three solo albums.
Newly re-mastered audio versions of the original CDs
Includes CD-quality Aiffs + 256 kbps mp3s + digital booklet + pics
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Daniel Biro & Rob Palmer 'The Long Journey Home'
1. The Long Journey Home – Part 1 [5:23]
2. The Long Journey Home – Part 2 [11:12]
3. The Long Journey Home – Part 3 [7:22]
4. The Long Journey Home – Part 4 [6:08]
5. The Long Journey Home – Part 5 [10:04]
6. The Long Journey Home – Part 6 [9:06]
Daniel Biro: Rhodes electric piano, (all instruments on ‘Going to Find the Brontës’)
Rob Plamer: electric guitar
All music written, recorded and produced by Daniel Biro & Rob Palmer
Except ‘Going to Find the Brontës’: music by Daniel Biro
Recorded in London in 2003
Images by Jac Depczyk
It all started with the idea of two musicians, who had never played together before, meeting up and immediately recording their first session. And so, Rob arrived at my home one afternoon with his three suitcases of guitar/pedals/effects and off we went.
We ended up with three hours of improvisations which we felt might have some ‘moments’. That was Stage 1. Stage 2 involved a lengthy process of listening, editing, re-ordering and mixing finally arriving at the 50 minutes of music on this album. No other musical material or treatments were added to the original first-take recordings.
Be it a geographical location, a group of people, a childhood memory, or a spiritual ideal, ‘home’ is that special place we all long for. While making music with Rob I certainly felt very much at home.
Original album released in 2004
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Daniel Biro 'A Still, Thin Sound'
A Still, Thin Sound – Sinai [18:51]
A Still, Thin Sound – Elijah [29:21]
Daniel Biro: electronics, shofar
Gareth Davis: bass clarinet on ‘Elijah’
Written, recorded and produced by Daniel Biro.
Recorded at Camac (France) and at home (London) during 2007- 2008.
Special thanks to Daniel Finfer and David Breuer-Weil for extra shofar blowing.
Huge thanks to Gareth Davis for his enthusiasm, time and inspired playing.
‘A Still, Thin Sound’ is an attempt to create sonic impressions of two very different kinds of spiritual experiences: collective and individual. The ideas are sourced from two Biblical passages: the first describing the giving of the Ten Commandments and the Torah to the Hebrew nation at Mount Sinai, shortly after the Exodus from Egypt, the second being the prophet Elijah’s one-to-one encounter with the Divine spirit.
Original album released in 2009
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Daniel Biro 'Shir Hadash'
1. Kol Ha Aretz [2:35]
2. Azamra Be Odi [5:43]
3. Shir Hadash 1 [6:28]
4. Zamru, Rannu [6:08]
5. Naggen Bitrua [7:03]
6. Shir Hadash 2 [10:25]
7. Chayos [9:26]
Written, recorded and produced by Daniel Biro
Jacek Ludwig Scarso, Russell Matthews, Danny Standing: voices
Daniel Biro: electronics, electric piano, percussion
Photo by Daniel Biro
I was inspired to write a purely a-cappella male voice piece after hearing Jacek Ludwig Scarso’s Elastic Theatre Ensemble performing a collection of gospel songs. The pure beauty of simple harmonies in repetitive patterns was such an emotionally powerful musical vehicle, I felt I wanted to explore it in my own way.
’Shir Hadash’ (‘A New Song’ in Hebrew) combines these timeless voice harmonies with contemporary electronic sound processing. The piece was first performed at Kings Place, London in November 2009 with all the electronic processing performed live.
Repetitive chanting has always been associated with mystical, trance-inducing states. All spiritual traditions employ some version of circular/spiral voice-based rituals to help detach from the physical world and attain higher levels of perception. Ancient Hebrew prayers, especially the Psalms, are full of expressions of singing ‘new songs’ as exhortations to awake and celebrate the spirit through music. Each piece of ‘Shir Hadash’ uses a selection of these expressions as lyrics.
The electronic processing on the voices suggests the transition from material world to mystical spheres. The more earthy ‘Kol Ha Aretz’ has very little processing, whereas the final
‘Chayos’ (name of a class of angelic being, carrier of the divine throne) is pure electronics. Some percussion and Rhodes electric piano are also present in the baroque-flavoured Naggen Bitrua and the jazzier Shir Hadash 2.
In some ways, ‘Shir Hadash’ links back to my 1996 female-only a-cappella piece The Comparative Anatomy of Angels (Sargasso SCD28022).
‘Shir Hadash’ is dedicated to my three beautiful children. They are my ‘new songs’.
Original album released in 2014