Minuit vs. Gamelan Taniwha Jaya - New Zealand/Aotearoa

After a wowing reception on their stage at HomeGrown festival we're very much looking forward to what this curious collaboration will unleash for WOMAD.

One of NZ's most popular electro trios are joining forces with composer Gareth Farr’s 12-piece traditional Balinese Gamelan – Gamelan Taniwha Jaya – bringing the Bali fire to an already energetic and enigmatic Minuit set.

Bali has some seriously heavy metal, literally. Gamelans are a powerfully ornate and heavy array of bronze percussion instruments and large gongs with enticing names like the Kantilan and Gangsa, Calung and Reyong; the mere mention of which evoke feelings of far-off lands.

Minuit have toured the world from Haiti to Helsinki, and are quoted by the CMU website.com as being “the closest to emotional fulfilment an (electronic) dance band has ever gotten.”

About the collaboration the Minuit says: "It has definitely been a challenge adding twelve more players to the band, but the result is incredibly dynamic. Why didn't we do it before?? Oh that's right, we need a small truck to move everyone."

Balinese gamelan music enjoyed a resurgence in the early 20th century with the design of a new kind of ensemble and musical style called Gamelan Gong Kebyar, which means 'gamelan that bursts forth'.

And there will definitely be some bursting forth as onstage twelve players, plus the Minuit trio, arrange themselves amongst the intricately crafted instruments, creating unique music that is at one moment delicate and shimmering; the next, frantic, rhythmic and mesmerising – some parts so rapid that two players are needed to play overlapping parts, all providing an incredible range of resonance and emotion. And of course there's the big gongs!

These two groups will be recreating the live tunes of Minuit, under the eye of Wellington composer Jason Erskine.

So hold onto your Reyongs – this curious and furious, frenetic and elegant showcase is not to be missed. And it's LOUD!

www.myspace.com/minuittheband