Miniatures

Self-styled ‘musician explorer’ Axel Moon and old friend Niko Shin formed Ko Shin Moon in 2017 after the former had spent four years in India collecting folk instruments. With a credo of ‘eclecticism, cosmopolitanism and hybridity’ they’ve been creating melodies that blur the lines between traditional Oriental music, disco and psychedelia ever since.

This latest release, comprising two EPs — Miniature 1, which focuses on the Levant, and Miniature 2, which explores Greek, Turkish and Kurdish music — is the product of recordings made in Cairo during a residency with local musicians at the invitation of the French Institute of Egypt. Recorded in a cultural centre dedicated to the preservation of Egyptian folk music, the duo use traditional instruments from the Middle East and beyond — saz, buzuq, zurna, davul, darbuka (a goblet drum often considered to be a national cultural symbol of Egypt) — merged with synthesizers and drum machines. The result is an exhilarating and uplifting blend of styles, moods and decades, yielding some outstanding tracks. ‘Jamileh’ (on Miniature 1) pays respectful homage to Lebanese composer and arranger Ihsan Al-Mounzer, the ‘godfather of belly dance disco’ whose 1979 album pioneered the groundbreaking genre that melded classical Eastern melodies with modern Western dance grooves in a similar way to how Ko Shin Moon are doing today.