"This album constitutes one of our longest recording projects to date, incubating and changing shape over two years before eventually emerging in its final form. During this time travels in unfamiliar lands, meetings with new people and intense experiences previously unknown to us, all contributed to the shifting dimensions of what exile means and how it might be expressed in these songs.
And to truly comprehend in some small measure the devastation of those exiled from the piece of earth that is home, by land clearances and conflict, by poverty and powerlessness, in Tibet and Africa, the Middle East and within our own countries, in past centuries and during present chaos, we kept returning to the nearest point on the horizon: how would it feel to us to be compelled to leave these wild hills to which we have committed our hearts and promised our bones?"
"We wanted to reflect the breadth of the exile experience in the range of ancient, traditional and contemporary instruments used in these recordings: you will hear flutes, whistles, smallpipes, fujara, and koncovka; darabuka, riq, djembe, cahon, rattles, and frame drums crafted from reindeer, stag and horse; dulcimer, piano and singing bowls.
In addition we were joined in the making of this music by a warm and highly talented collective of musicians, who passed through the studio periodically to offer their individual contributions to the project. You will hear the voice of Shelok Tsering and the violin of Paul Sax, the didge of Shaun Farrenden and drums of Scott Jasper, and the various guitars of Brian Abbott, Adrian Utley, Tim Gill and Pat Orchard."
The tracks on EXILE move between the simplicity of delicate laments with voice and flute to complex arrangements and full-bodied, multi-instrumental, drum-driven, tribal chants. Here are songs that dance and songs that mourn. Here are songs that cause us to be glad for the very soil that lies beneath our feet.
