Music Design In Review

The spirit and passion of Gypsy music is a driving force in compositions of multi-instrumentalist Ashik. Schooled at Oxford and tutored in nuances of world music through his travels, Ashik sought a music career that would blend all of the threads of his experience, offering a cross-cultural tapestry that is married to the vibrant, sometimes frenetic rhythms of European gypsy culture. On GYPSY HEART, his nimble violin dances its way through a series of different dance songs with roots in a variety of traditions, including Russian folk music, Bolivian charango, Hungarian dances and Middle Eastern melodies. Strings are front and center, while Irish whistle, various drums, guitar and other instruments dance together in festive arrangements. The music is exotic and infectious, often beginning slow and subtle before rising into a frenzy of strings and beats.