Taiwan Pulsation

Ten Drum is a young Taiwanese percussion group. At first you might compare the troupe to the taiko ensembles of Japan, but the reality is different. Rather than create or extend a tradition, composer and arranger Hseih Ten seems to have taken instruments and ideas from all over the world and let them sit alongside those inherited from local temple drumming traditions. For a Western audience already well exposed to the complexities of African or Indian rhythm, the drumming groups of East Asia present a wholly different sensibility. With few polyrhythmic elements to speak of, most of the compositions of this CD are colour-rich but linear.

All the music on this CD (compiled from three local releases on Wind music) is cinematic and evocative, more like a spacious movie soundtrack than a collection of muscular drum solos, with welcome flute melodies that intersperse several tracks, giving a much-needed structure to the developing sound and rhythm. Much of this music is conceived theatrically, as an engrossing live visual spectacle, and the result is surprisingly listenable – perhaps even more so than other similar groups, given its fine balance with no element overstaying its welcome.