‘Release’ Afro Celt Sound System

Afro Celt Sound System Fuse African and Irish Music Afro Celt Sound System was formed in 1995 by three producers (Simon Emmerson, James McNally and Martin Russell) and vocalist Larla O’Lionaird. The band has a number of African and Irish musicians, as well as guest musicians, such as Sinead O’Connor, who helped write ‘Release’. They wanted to explore the connections between African and Irish music. The band combines the following elements: 1. Traditional Irish and African musical styles (e.g. an Irish air with an African drumbeat) 2. A mixture of Irish and African instruments (e.g. tin whistle and a djembe drum) 3. An electronic dance beat to tie the music together

Afro Celt Sound System Fuse African and Irish Music ‘Release’ was written to help the band cope with the tragic death of their keyboard player, Jo Bruce, who died in 1997. The lyrics (written by Sinead O’Connor) reflect this. ‘Release’ has a simple, mournful melody sung above a driving rhythm played on a combination of African and Irish percussion.

The Band Use African, Irish and Electric Instruments https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeNU600stLA&list=PLebyjMvXIbXpMcj3TArVWofJmtjU- vcxy&index=7 ‘Release’ uses a combination of the following instruments: Irish/Celtic Instruments Celtic harp https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTe6t6eyUQ4 Uillean pipes (Irish bagpipes) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P40YOU8ggJk Hurdy-gurdy (a string instrument with a keyboard) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHmML7bu-iM Bodhran (a framed drum) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QDFbYt7ZZY Tin whistle and flute https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ACtll_t6go Electric Instruments Electric guitar Bass guitar Keyboard

The Band Use African, Irish and Electric Instruments African Instruments Djembe (a type of drum) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=- sKctPHvwmk Talking drum https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4oQJZ2TEVI Kora (a string instrument) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oToZfPGMMBY Balafon (a wooden xylophone) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXXhp_bZvck Vocalists Female vocalist (Sinead O’Connor who sings in English) Male vocalist (Larla O’Lionaird who sings in Gaelic) African chanting

Structure of ‘Release’ Overall Structure of the Song Intro Verse 1 Verse 2 Solos/Instrumental Verse 3 Drum Break and Build Outro Introduction [0.00-1.38] The song opens with a synth drone and various effects before a solo on the talking drum. Loops played on bodhran, shaker and drums. Vocal comes in. The intro is quite long.

Structure of ‘Release’ Verse 1 [1.38-2.55] The female vocalist sings the main melody – narrow range, descending, repetitive Then, bass guitar begins to play a riff. Then, you hear a flourish on the flute is heard. The music gets a bit louder. Verse 2 [2.55-3.51] The male vocalist sings a similar melody in Gaelic, accompanied by loops. He repeats the final line three times, extending the notes (holding them longer). Solos/Instrumental [3.51-4.55] The uilleann pipes take a solo and improvise around the melody. The tin whistle and flute are added to the pipes. The djembe and bodhran accompany with rhythmic loops.

Structure of ‘Release’ Verse 3 [4.55-5.51] The female vocalist sings the last part of the verse in English, above the Uillean pipes. The male vocalist repeats the last line three times in Gaelic, as he did before. Drum Break and Build [5.51-6.59] The melody is played on the hurdy gurdy. The female vocalist sings open vowel sounds above it. Outro [6.59-7.28] The female vocalist sings the last four lines of the verse again. The ostinato pattern is played on the Celtic harp and balafon as the music fades out.

Key Features of ‘Release’ Melody The melody is based on a C minor pentatonic scale (C - E flat – F – G – B flat) The vocal melodies are quite simple and repetitive. Most of the melody repeats the same two-bar phrase. The melody is conjunct (moves by step) and has a fairly small range of notes. Rhythm The underlying pulse uses djembe drums (African) and a bodhran (Irish). They play the same repeated rhythm throughout most of the piece. The other percussion instruments add to building the rhythmic texture. Most of the drum parts are syncopated (off-beat feel).

Key Features of ‘Release’ Texture The texture is mostly homophonic (melody + chords) There is a drone (two notes repeated) played throughout most of the piece. Some countermelodies come in during the instrumentals, making the texture richer and polyphonic (interweaving melodies). Timbre A variety of different timbres (instrumental sounds) are used in the piece. These are created by instruments from the Celtic and African musical traditions, as well as electronic instruments. The background drone also changes timbre.

Key Features of ‘Release’ Time Signature and Tempo ‘Release’ is in a steady 4/4 all the way through. Although it is dance music, the piece moves at a moderate speed of 100bpm. Dynamics The piece begins quietly with a long introduction. When the female vocalist comes in, she sings softly. Gradually more instruments are added (creating a natural crescendo) and the vocals get louder.