Cretan lute player George Xylouris and Australian drummer Jim White of Dirty Three have been collaborating together now since 2013 in which time they’ve undertaken a world tour and released two albums: Goats (2014) and Black Peak (2016). Since then the duo’s exploratory instincts drove them further onwards still on their third album, Mother, due for release 19th January on Bella Union, and named to denote “new life”. As Xylouris puts it, “Mother is the extension of Goats and Black Peak. Three things, all part of a whole. Goats are mothers, Zeus was raised on Amaltheia’s milk, Black Peak is Mother Earth… Mother Earth is the mother of everything.”
I wouldn’t even attempt to stick this music in a genre – to do would be to do them a disservice. There is a beautiful freedom at play which is often likened to free-jazz, avant-rock and ages-old Greek folk traditions but in essence, this transcends all of that.
All of the albums to date have been produced by Fugazi’s Guy Picciotto and collaborating with them on their latest is Anna Roberts-Gevalt of old-time folk duo Anna & Elizabeth, whose earthy violin/viola lines and exquisitely sighing vocals can be heard on the track “Lullaby”.
Our Song of the Day is Forging, which features on Black Peak. This was filmed live in 2016 in Guerrilla Sounds, North Strand Dublin; prior to the band’s now-legendary show in Bello Bar on 27th October 2016.
https://www.xylouriswhite.com/