Flocks: s/t LP

Flocks is a new duo, formed by drone specialist Werner Durand and Uli Hohmann. Musical landscapes that move between traditional as well as experimental sounds with influences from Krautrock and Jon Hassel's "fourth world" aesthetics. Werner Durand has made himself a name with various projects with Dhrupad singer Amelia Cuni, playing with Urban Sax, Arnold Dreyblatt, Henning Christiansen, David Behrman, Ellen Fullman, Catherine Christer Hennix, as the co-founder of The 13th Tribe, Armchair Traveller and Tonaliens (with Robin Ayward and Hilary Jeffery) plus numerous solo albums, released on labels like Black Truffle, Unseen Worlds, or Edition Telemark. Having studied saxophone as well as Indian/Persian flutes, the Berlin based Durand is a highly reputable protagonist in the drone scene, famous for his self-built wind instruments like buzz-clarinets or his PVC neys and horns. His partner in Flocks (and longtime personal friend) is Uli Hohmann whose early encounters with music from Asia, India and Africa led to studies with the Ghanaian master drummer Mustapha Tettey Addy and later Tombak and Daf with Nemad Darman (Iran). Hohmann played in a couple of projects that explored the language of classical Persian music, and started building his own stringed instruments (being an educated carpenter). In 2014, he joined Durand and Amelia Cuni for the album Clearing, and 2018 Duran and Hohmann decided to continue as a duo: Flocks was born. On their self-titled debut, they shape drone-y soundscapes based on their self-built wind- and stringed-instruments, Persian percussion and subtle electronics, drawing additional inspiration from krautrock (listen to the irresistible, hypnotic groove of "Quicksand") as well as Jon Hassel's "fourth world" aesthetics, placing the duo nicely between tradition and experiment.