Telepath | Contact: review

Listen to Telepath- toward peace off Contact
Listen to Telepath - and then it began off Contact

Telepath is a new band out of Philadelphia by way of North Carolina, which has been making waves in the live music scene with a unique blend of traditional and futuristic sounds. Telepath synthesizes eastern and western culture to create holistic, enchanting music.

This album contains a laundry list of different instruments from Asia to America, including keyboards, accordion, flute, sax, trumpet, dotar, sarangi, violin, trombone, shaker and computer generated elementals. I’m not going to Google all those instruments for you, but the exotic sounds will make you want to look them up yourself.

In this digital post-packaging age I’m glad to see attention still given to album artwork. The album cover art done by Carl Bender is a collage done with modern graphic design techniques. The design pieces together iconic imagery from India; including a sadhu, a rhino, a monkey and a small, cramped, three wheeled automobile, overflowing with about 13 people.

Telepath is starting to make themselves known at festivals and among fans of live electronica as they carve for themselves their own niche in live music. The loose knit music scene that makes up live electronica has gotten recognition from NYC to Tokyo for live performances of ambient, electronic dance music, which combines DJ equipment and traditional rock instruments. Telepath sets themselves apart from other live electronica bands by incorporating indigenous and ethnic sounds. Contact is one complete work of art, with songs that segue seamlessly into each other. There is a huge variety of sounds on this album, which serves the intent stated on the liner notes, to preserve a “spirit of unity.” The diversity of instruments on the album reinforces this broadened worldview.
This band has everything it takes to be the next big thing in electronic live music, the most important being the music itself. Telepath has a mellow, melodic level of playing together that can only be compared to some of Sound Tribe Sector Nine’s most impressive performances.

The song structures layer phrase upon phrase, with the masterful production skill of a veteran DJ. On Contact, Telepath constructs, quality compositions, drawing influences from both the best DJ’s and live bands. “Toward Peace” is one of these soothing, melodic songs that the band specializes in. The track starts off with a catchy, synth loop, tribal drums are then layered on top, followed by a unique bass line and elementals. Sequential loops of instrumentals, including soothing flutes are added, until the song takes off and then slowly cools down. The song feels like it’s breathing as it slowly rocks you.

This was an exciting year for Telepath with impressive performances at both Camp Bisco and Trinumeral. From when they first emerged on the national scale at the Echo Project, this band has rapidly won fans. Telepath gives the live music patron what they need with soothing, upbeat, danceable music. Music that fits in just as well at a club as it does at a rock oriented music festival or a spiritual retreat.