Aug 14: Donn/Dubh

New from Real World Records and playing as I write this.

Donn/Dubh (Brown/Black) is a bold reimagining of Hebridean musical heritage, rooted in Arun Sood and Angeline Morrison’s shared connection to the islands. 

Inspired by 10th-century Celtic texts linking wind directions to colours, the album transforms traditional Gaelic melodies into expansive new compositions. 

Drones of Scottish folk instruments intertwine with bass-heavy rhythms, lush synths, abrasive guitars and immersive soundscapes, exploring questions of tradition, landscape, identity and belonging.

As this review in the Guardian says:

Morrison, co-founder of the Black British Folk Collective, has brilliantly brought forgotten Black histories into the folk canon for years, including on 2022’s The Sorrow Songs. That same year, Sood’s Searching Erskine used sonic collage and old recordings to conjure the lives of residents on his grandmother’s abandoned home island of Vallay. Their talents converge around Alastair Smith’s startling production: Morrison’s deep voice, ghostly one moment, lullaby-warm the next, inhabiting soundworlds recalling the shuddering shadows of late-90s Boards of Canada and Unkle.

In Gaelic, Donn means brown / dark, while Dubh is black.

Some elements remind me of Martyn Bennett's work.

Here's a sample track...