For the meeting of
these two master percussionists, one could be forgiven for expecting an
album composed equally of competitive drum solos or hippie rhythm
circle music. What Wydler and Dammit do instead is create a varied
album of exotic pop instrumentals that neatly defies any easy
categorization. While Morphosa Harmonia is undoubtedly and
unashamedly heavy on the percussive side of things, Thomas and Toby
also tackle Buchla synthesizers, vibraphones, electric piano and bass.
Contributions from guest players Jochen Arbeit (of Einsturzende
Neubauten), Chris Hahn (of Angels of Light, Martin Peter (of Die Haut)
and Beate Bartel (of Liaisons Dangereuses) add further layers of
compositional complexity to the album. The album's title gives a
substantial clue as to the sort of sound Wydler and Dammit are aiming
for; the krautrock of Musik Von Harmonia and the Cluster &
Eno albums is clearly evoked in the album's floating, psychedelic
atmospheres. In fact, the pair even recruited Ingo Krauss, the engineer
from Conny Plank's legendary studio, to mix this album. Perhaps because
drummers are often the most maligned member of any given band and
frequently the most ignored element of rock music, Toby Dammit opts to
place the percussion of utmost primacy in his music, forcing the rest
of the elements to follow the lead of the drums, cymbals, gongs and
bells. As a listener, I was placed right next to the drum set, a unique
perspective from which to experience this collection of chugging
psychedelic pop songs. Most of the tracks on the album are eclectic and
whimsical, combining Martin Denny's high-fidelity exotica with Ennio
Morricone's kitchen sink compositional style. Each track is built from
the rhythm down, with eerie birdcalls, chants and synthesized choirs
weaving in and out of the beats. Canny use of echo, reverb and phasing
keep the album in a constant state of dreamy psychedelia, adding bong
hits to bongos, as it were. The packaging is an intriguing mystery,
filled with watercolors of cats and nude females. (Kitties and titties?
Pussies and pussycats?) Whatever the intention was, its a suitably odd
juxtaposition for a fun and goofy little album that quietly pushes the
boundaries of percussion-based music.
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