Medicine Man Orchestra

An unlikely sonic collision, Medicine Man Orchestra brings together the divergent universes of electronic sound design (Alissa Syllah), West African griot incantation (Seidou Barassounon), and the Impressionist piano movement in this debut release. Joined by instrumentalists, Mélissa Hie, Wura Samba, and Justin Adams, the project blends tradition with a modern approach, aiming to emphasise the medicinal healing powers of music.

But be warned, the speaker on your phone simply won't cut it. One for the audiophiles and hi-fi enthusiasts, the tracks, produced by Mathieu Insa, have been binaurally mixed. A sensory experience, the title-track shows this off best by overlaying Debussy samples that pan gently between the ears with offbeat percussion that seems to reverberate in your chest, and vocals that drift over as if the singer were sitting right next to you – each voice manages to emanate from its own distinct realm. Listening with the right gear, the effect is impressive. Living up to their role of ‘travelling therapy troupe’, the music has a transportive, meditative effect. From the pulsating ‘Hallucinations’ to the soothing ASMR of ‘Serenite’ venturing further into soundscape territory, the sound quality, textures and timbres of this album make it utterly immersive.