Tansy Davies: Dark Ground

With his previous solo release — a dreamy work by the American composer Bryce Dessner — concentrating on solo marimba, percussionist Colin Currie turns his attention to the primal, punchy side of percussion performance.

Tansy Davies’ Dark Ground is the first of two new singles exploring the realm of solo works for multi-percussion. Like many of Davies’ compositions, Dark Ground is tactile and alert, almost letting the listener settle into a rhythm before driving unapologetically onwards.

“Dark Ground has a captivating identity crisis” says Currie. “A drummer, with all the trappings of a pop-style kit, gets to work, trying to set a groove up, but conflicting material from contrasting instrumental sources constantly invades. A stark and haunting crotale fanfare intervenes (finally some melody notes!) but it too gets absorbed by the drummer’s internal dichotomy.”

Renowned for his unwavering commitment to advancing new music, Colin Currie masterfully captures the innovative essence of contemporary composition in this latest single.