Xavi Reija feat. Tony Levin, Markus Reuter, Dusan Jevtovic "The Sound Of The Earth"

Country: Spain
Genre(s): Instrumental Progressive Rock, Fusion
Label: Moonjune Records
Format: CD, digital
Release date: June 15, 2018
Tracklist: 
1. Deep Ocean (6:42)
2. The Sound Of The Earth I (9:54)
3. From Darkness (7:33)
4. The Sound Of The Earth II (12:14)
5. Serenity (5:50)
6. The Sound Of The Earth III (9:14)
7. Lovely Place (4:41)
8. The Sound Of The Earth IV (16:36)
9. Take A Walk (4:11)

Total Time 76:55

Line-up: 
Xavi Reija - drums
   With
Tony Levin - bass guitar, upright bass, stick
Markus Reuter - touch guitar
Dusan Jevtovic - guitar

Description/Reviews: 

...“Deep Ocean” starts things off with a fanfare of muscular guitar and cymbals crashing like waves on the rocky coast, carving out the beach and unearthing a primal groove with growling bass and jittering spectral figures. “The Sound of the Earth I” brings to mind David Sylvian’s post-Japan near ambient instrumental excursions where space and pause became as integral to the “composition as place” as his trusty Prophet 5. Once this world is created, and with a decidedly Beckian vibe (Jeff, that is), Dusan wrings from the neck of his guitar, some of the most emotive broken phrases and edited soulful voicings. 

Read the full review by Dan Burke and stream the album at Bandcamp

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XaDu "Random Abstract"

Country: Spain
Genre(s): Fusion
Label: MoonJune Records
Format: CD, digital
Release date: April 20, 2015
Tracklist: 
1. Secrets (6:38)
2. Random Abstract (6:02)
3. Decaying Sky (7:58)
4. New Pop (7:10)
5. Something In Between (7:51)
6. Deep Ocean (6:53)
7. Place With A View (4:56)
8. Workplace (4:06)
9. No Hope (4:44)

Line-up: 
Xavi Reija - drums
Dusan Jevtovic - guitar

Description/Reviews: 

Now in choosing to work as a two-man configuration called XaDu, Xavi and Dusan must first establish each composition with its intrinsic melodic and rhythmic components, then allow it to partially deconstruct as they explore the vast sonic palette of guitar and drumkit. Dusan’s guitar and pedalwork conjure a soundscape that can range from the introspective and almost ambient/atmospheric to the urgency of careening snow-blind through a maelstrom of sound. Xavi is right in the vortex, coaxing riffs into life, laying chase to Dusan’s frenetic runs with his supremely musical tom work, or just falling away in a wash of cymbals when the wave of energy has crashed on the shore. The reductionist “connect-the-dots” approach to this playing serves to really pull the listener into the mix; whereas Dusan first lays down a “Feelies”-era strummed guitar chord structure on “New Pop”, the responsibility to maintain that sunny day disposition is left to Xavi’s rhythmic interpretation as Dusan ventures into a world of darkening skies through a series of elongated bursts and pedal colorations. Two musicians work together to economically craft a very filmic piece where every sustained and slightly vibrato’d note or chord play to maximum effect with the deep toms and choked cymbals. Math metal jazz and fuzzy fusion at the highest level, and the overall takeaway here is the great joy of listening to these two very talented players and witnessing their abilities to coax only the very best from each other in XaDu. It is most successful musical pairing indeed.

Media/Samples 
Bandcamp

Links:
Web page (Dusan Jevtovic)
Facebook  (Dusan Jevtovic)
Facebook (Xavi Reija)
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Xavi Reija "Resolution"

Country: Spain
Sub Genre: Post Rock, Avant Prog, Jazz
Label: Moonjune Records
Release date: March 21, 2014
Tracklist: 
1. Flying to Nowhere (7:38)
2. Macroscope (5:56)
3. Shadow Dance (5:21)
4. Dreamer (9:54)
5. Abyss (4:28)
6. The Land of the Sirenians (4:55)
7. Resolution (7:00)
8. Pop Song for You (4:44)
9. The John´s Song (6:24)
10. Gravity (11:38)
11. Welcome to the End (8:51)

Line-up: 
Xavi Reija: drums
Dusan Jevtovic: guitar
Bernat Hernandez: fretless bass guitar

Description/Reviews: 

The Catalan drummer from Barcelona has produced some of the finest post-rock avant jazz out there today. Muscular polyrhythmic grooves of propulsive drumming and Bernat Hernandez’ funk bass riffing lay the solid foundation for innovative guitar phrasings by the Serbian axeman Dusan Jevtovic, which consider the space between the notes as significant as the notes themselves. And the notes? Elegantly played melodic jazz riffing and subtle volume pedalwork may ultimately yield to feedback and dis- sonance if the track calls for it. But the drum also waltzes. Delicate and thoughtful kit-work with deft guitar loops add texture and ambience to the sonic pallet making this trio feel more akin to a small orchestra scoring for some incredible film. There is an intelligence at work here – a painterly approach that enthusiastically seeks to redefine the sonic possibilities that the trio format can bring to the table.

Media/Samples 
Bandcamp

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