Karma

"Black String are a quartet named after the Asian zither, the silk-stringed geomungo, with percussion, flute, guitar and electronica also in a mix that swings comfortably between east and west, Korean folk and jazz. This second album alternates contemplative numbers such as the minimalist title track with pieces of shamanic abandon like Exhale-Puri, with its crashing drums and fevered vocals ... Elegant and accomplished".

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"Top of the world" - "This is a band happy to explore new influences. Two years ago they collaborated in London with Northumbrian piper and fiddler Kathryn Tickell. Sadly she doesn't appear here, but they match an impressively varied set of influences against their traditional roots. Karma starts with the gently rhythmic and compelling 'Sureña' and then develops into a selection of tracks that has the fluidity of a jazz set. No surprise that Ornette Coleman was an inspiration for the final track, 'Blue Shade'. Elsewhere, on 'Elevation of Light' twanging geomungo lines from bandleader Heo Yoon-Jeong give way to a solo work from the Paris-based Vietnamese guitarist Nguyên Lê, while on the gently drifting 'Exit Music - For a Film', the Radiohead song is re-worked for geomungo and guitar. And the title-track is a gently compelling blend of ancient instruments and electronica".