John Kameel Farah - Unfolding

Title:Unfolding
Artist:John Kameel Farah
Release:Winter 2009
Label:Dross:tik Records

Unfolding… this simple title of John Kameel Farah’s new album owns more poetry than a million words. Unfolding is the perfect description of the musical and poetic content of this outstanding album. John Kameel Farah is a Toronto–based composer, pianist, electronic musician and visual artist. He studied composition and piano performance at the University of Toronto, where he received the Glenn Gould Composition Award twice during his studies. In 1999 he studied privately with Terry Riley in California, and later at the Arabic Music Retreat in Hartford. In 1998, he performed the complete solo piano works of Arnold Schoenberg in Toronto. Toronto’s NOW Magazine named his as Best Pianist 2006.
In the last year Jon focused his musical work and creation process on a redefine electronic music. His first electronic album “Creation” was an outstanding composition building a bridge between classic music and electronica. Now with the release of “Unfolding” John created a breathtaking piece of music. The mixture of breakcore beats, jazzy fragments and his classical piano improvisations fit perfectly together and create an emotional thunderstorm.
This music of this album is light as a feather and weights a ton at once. Inspiring and demanding music, which lifts your mind up to new heights. Even if you hate classic piano music you will fall I guarantee that you will fall in love with John’s wonderful and emotional music. And besides this outstanding connection of classic and electronic musical, John also builds a bridge between Arabic and Western music and art. In “Jinju Dervish” and “Sama’i Farah” he merges music together that you never expected to work together. And with his intelligent mixture he doesn’t create stupid world music with these two pieces. I can approve this album 100% to you – a perfect ten! One of the most exceptional and surprising albums I listened to for years.