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albums

BEAUTY (2007 Neurodisc Records)

     BEAUTY track list:

 1. Sublunar (Sweet Angel) / Sleepthief feat. Kristy Thirsk
 2. Autumn Interlude / Amethystium
 3. Breathe / Blue Stone
 4. Edelweiss / Deviations Project
 5. Warm Embrace / Bella Sonus
 6. Angel Wings / DaKsha
 7. Fable / Amethystium
 8. Dear Old Swanney / Deviations Project
 9. You Did a Good Thing / Sleepthief feat. Nicola Hitchcock
10. Substitute for Love / Blue Stone feat. Sheyenne Rivers
11. Spirit Dance / Kopas
12. Hymnody / Amethystium
13. Eurydice / Sleepthief feat. Jody Quine
14. Break of Dawn / Amethystium
15. Medication / Deviations Project
16. New Beginning / Blue Stone
 

ASCENDENT (2006 Neurodisc Records)

ascendentDaKsha - Ascendent
(US & Canada version)
 “Ascendent” is a lush journey with a myriad of geographical influences from the far reaches of the earth paired with ambient / electronic music that is both spellbinding and captivating.
 Electronic music allows DaKsha to develop their unique and innovative sound – creating mind altering soundscapes as each song globe-trots around various ethno-electronic lounge sounds. “The Jade Stem” is a deep, meditative song featuring weeping strings & synths over a diligent percussive beat. “Nuevo Tango” is a light-hearted jaunt featuring the Bandoneon (small accordion), while “Nights of Serampur” is a heady excursion down the great Hoogli River (India) where the music permeates a tribalistic and mysterious vibe accompanied by haunting vocals. Title track “Ascendent” breaks down from the synthetic, yet emmotive background music to raw, stripped down percussion and didgerdoo. “Angel Wings” draws the sonic journey to a close with a light, airy release that would leave any listener yearning for more. (Neurodisc Records)

"Though categorized as ambient and electronic, this album has warmth and soul, and a longing that reaches beyond the stereotype. Ambitious titles such as “Awakening,”“16 Steps to Infinity,” and “Condensed Light” might set one up for disappointment, but not so with DaKsha. There is an epic quality to some of the cuts and lightheartedness to others."                                                     ( Mark Maxwell Abushady Creations Magazine February/March 2007 )

"The really groovy thing about DaKsha's "Ascendent" is how it gives you the classic pillow of gorgeous chillout softness but finds ways to subtley bring in new textures, creating a personality that distinguishes it and prevents it from being just some discount bin disc of cranked out chillage. DaKsha's music is warm and cool at the same time and both comforting and stimulating. It's comforting in that one could easily slip into a meditative repose while listening to this but stimulating in that it's almost impossible to leave the music in a bad mood if you started out in that way. Lush (an overused word but well-deserved here) and alive, "Ascendent" blooms into delectable melodies and enveloping ambience, wrapping the listener up in its warm arms, catching the next breeze and taking said listener on a vacation to nonexistent places. Beautiful."                            ( Kristofer Upjohn - DJFIX and Raves.com Review December 2006 )

"Romantic electronic instrumentals with strong melodies and world elements. DaKsha's music has a synthetic foundation with colourful keyboard work built into harmonious themes embellished with warm strings, twinkling peripherals, and the added mystique of various bright effects. Each track has a clear tune carried by pianos, programmed voices or wordless female vocalising. The instrumentation is quite varied - accordion, didgeridoo and flute threaded through the synthesiser work, world sounds appearing periodically both as tonal flavours and among the percussion tracks - castanets, tablas, tribal drumming contributing to what are for most part vibrant drum arrangements. DaKsha have a vivid , theatrical sound that suggests flamboyant masked performers, bright lights at night and rich painted colour. There is a European flavour to a number of pieces, but that said we also have touches of Asia, South America and various other geographical references from track to track. The sound is quite heady and emotive, drawing the various stylistic references together into one clear vision of dramatic artifice."                                     ( Paul Jury - Morpheus Music Review November 2006 )

     

ASCENDENT (2005)

ascendent
(Romanian version)

     
Ascendent is the title of the DaKsha's debut album. The music speaks in a modern language about the human journey in search of perfection, perennial beauty and immortality, a timeless quest of man for his own spiritual archetype. Ascendent achieves a rare balance between classical form and ambient aesthetics, highlighted by stunning elements of world music. Passionate, elegant, deep and always ascending to an ecstatic conclusion, this music is the heartfelt gift of the most promising New Age/Ambient name from Romania. (Marius-Christian Burcea - Journeys to the Infinite - RFI Romania)

ASCENDENT track list:
 
 1. Awakening 4:35
 2. 16 Footsteps to Infinite 5:39
 3. The Trunk of Jade 5:09
 4. Prelude 6:10
 5. Nuevo Tango 6:24 (mp3 preview)
 6. Nights in Serampore 8:33 (mp3 preview)
 7. Drops of Grace 7:37
 8. Condensed Light 5:38 (mp3 preview)
 9. Ascendent 4:27 (mp3 preview)
10. Angel Wings 3:59
 
Instruments and devices used on Ascendent:
Kurzweil K2VX, Yamaha CS2X,
Korg Wavestation,
Korg X3,
Korg Karma,
Roland XP50,
Akai 2800i,
Saxophone,
Sitar,
Digeridoo.
Microphone Neumann TLM103
Mixer Mackie VLZ 14 channel
Sequencer Steinberg Cubase
Soundcard Creamware LunaII.

NOUA ROMANIE (2001 Earthtone Records)

noua romanieis on hard rotation at FUN Radio Bucharest. This is a special collection of superlative artists in exciting performances. With the recent changes in Eastern Europe, the opening of the West to Romania has enforced not only the exchange of artistic ideas, but a new cultural expansion and an opportunity for incredible musical innovations. At the forefront of these changes are the artists of NOUA ROMANIE which marks the revival of Romanian Spirit in the 21th musical century. This new Earthtone compilation captures the beauty and mystery of Romania, blending authentic folk instruments, traditional vocals and revolutionary                                              sound technology to die for.
NOUA ROMANIE is the unique way to experience the Spirit of this land without a passport. Expect to be amazed! (Marius-Christian Burcea "Journeys to the Infinite" FUN Radio Romania).

     "The music in this unique collection comes from a revolutionary generation of new artists whose work celebrates the diverse culture of this proud Balkan nation. Twenty-first century sound technology and ambient grooves combine with traditional Romanian vocals and folk instruments for a musical experience unlike anything you have heard." (Earthtone Records)

     "DaKsha (literally "God's Country"), the creation of Alexandru Nuca and George Constantinescu, takes its name from Nicolae Miulescu's 1978 book about life in the rural villages of Romania. Pianist Constantinescu is a prolific composer for television commercials and guiarist/engineer Nuca has been an often requested session musician on pop and folk recordings for more than fifteen years. The piece included here is taken from a stage play inspired by the life of renowned sculptor Constantin Brancusi" (Earthtone Records)

     "AN EXTRAORDINARY COMPILATION! From over the seas and countries, more precisely from the United States, California, Hollywood, we received this extraordinary compilation of Electronic-Ambient-New Age-World Music and traditional songs which unites finally the creme de la creme of this musical genre! Issued by Earthtone Records, a division of the Sonic Images label. This compilation includes 12 pieces from Adrian Enescu, Stefan Elefteriu, Indra, Digital Art, Katalin, DaKsha, Gheorghe Iovu, Revival, Levente and Suie Paparude; and what a great selection! Principally responsible are Sonic Images producer Christopher Landry and Romanian co-producers Marius Cristian Burcea, Cristian Muresanu and Sergiu Rusu. The CD that contains also a short portrait of the musicians that appear on the album.
     About NOUA ROMANIE - REBIRTH OF A NATION, words are insufficient to describe the quality of the album, of which the compositions cannot be set apart as they are all super! When you think that even someone from thousands of kilometers away from Romania had the desire to issue such a disc, while the Romanian market is invaded daily by the releases of such mediocre music, it is most embarrassing. The argument for "commercial music" does not stand on its feet with the present album which I recommend to you without reservation as it can be, and deserves to be, an indisputable best-seller. It doesnt have a certain target audience, because it is addressed to all of the admirers of pleasant sounds that we used to call quality music! Hence, accord yourselves an hour to absorb my words and this music, and after this "sonic detoxification" you will see how pitiful are the sounds that are served to us in industrial quantities on all audio and video channels. Congratulations, once again, to the entire team that appears on this compilation and I hope that it will not stop here! I feel that REBIRTH OF A NATION represents in truth a new beginning for our music. The official launch of the album is scheduled for March 13, 2001." (Marian Minculescu Music Box Magazine (Romania) March 2001 )

     "An invisible island of Latin heritage surrounded by Slavic Eastern Europe, the new Romania is becoming a hotbed of creative expression thanks, in part, to unique talents like Adrian Enescu (the "father" of electronic music in Romania, thanks to his solos with Enigma). A successful composer working throughout Europe for 30 years, Enescu here turns in a two-part stunner called "Invisible Movies" that features the seductive rhythms, ear-candy vocals and spicy string accents for which the movement is famed. Taking a more overt electronic turn is Stephan Elefteriu's "Balkan Spirits", notable for its dramatic drums and gongs offset by dazzling Transylvanian fiddle solos and macho choir. The fragile beauty of Indra's "Strange Incantation" is no less intoxicating; drifting, dreamy vocals by Michaela Dasicomis weave through meditative electric guitar musings, even as Indra (a.k.a. Dan Bozaru, veteran of over 20 solo recordings) deliberately drags his fingertips up the strings to heighten the frigidly cool ambience." ( P.J.B. NAV Review April 2001 )

     "An unusual, but very interesting compilation, released by an American label, that unites a number of the best-known names in Romanian electronic music (Adrian Enescu, Stefan Elefteriu, Suie Paparude, Revival, Indra, etc.). This album promotes Romania and its traditional music, a sort of Romanian Deep Forest with a nice sound and great packaging." ( Edward Tone FHM Magazine July 2001 )