Beats Antique is a group unlike any other that blends uniquely sounds into musical fusions that transcend the genre itself. Their new album, “A Thousand Faces-Act 1” is a fusion of Celtic, gypsy, electronic, rock and hip-hop, with an adventurous progression that pays homage to the late American mythologist Joseph Campbell.
The new album mostly draws on influences from the Middle East but never fails to drop into the electronically rhythmic world fusion for which the San Francisco group is known for. Like all of past music, a live strings ensemble is combined with electronic music to create their rich sound.
The first track, titled “Kismat”, creates a softly mythical, snake-charming sound and features musician Alam Khan, son of legendary classical Indian musician Ali Akbar Khan. The album climaxes with “Veil of Tears,” an orchestral Middle-Eastern jam with powerful theatrical elements that evoke the image of running through the winding alleyways of a Bazaar.
Other songs in the album cross ethnic borders, as well as feature a variety of artists. In “Beezlebub,” Les Claypool of PRIMUS growls lyrics in a song influenced by a unique fusion of gypsy, dubstep and rock.
Other songs in the album are titled “Doors of Destiny” and “Pandora’s Box.” While each song sounds as if it could be from its own album, the mythical and religious undertones weave throughout and make it the most cohesive collaboration since the group formed in 2007.
However, the imagery that Beats Antique brings with their musical performance is the best part. Zoe Jakes, the Venus of the trio, performs American Tribal style belly dance while Tommy Cappell and David Satori, both producers and musicians, mix or even play live instruments in the background.
Set construction for the new album’s upcoming release show is the biggest undertaking as the group attempts to materialize the music’s sensational storytelling, according to the Kickstarter campaign for the show.
The album was released Oct. 15 and will be performed in Santa Ana on Nov. 13 and Los Angeles on Nov. 15.