Albums

Rooted in Horror is a product of Darkest Heart

Darkest Heart's is proud to present the release of it's most recent album "Rooted in Horror" Probably the scariest Halloween CD ever, sometimes ambient, sometimes heavy, always scary. No keyboards, none of that cheesy made for the masses fluff, ancient Sumerian and Egyptian lyrics mark this album as sure to chill you to the bone.

Rooted in Horror began as a plan for a marketing tool for the 13th Gate Haunted House in Baton Rouge, LA; consistently one of the best in the nation (2009 made its 2nd number 1 ranking.) However, people have budgets, and plans fall through. After sponsors fell through, I decided to continue on my own and make the album a showcase of different styles and skills that could translate to horror movie soundtracks and video games.

Some of the songs are more of an ambient dark wave style, some definitely heavy and some tribal drum based. Lyrical content came from lots of Zombie movies and H.P. Lovecraft stories and even personal experiences.

This whole CD was done at my home studio over about a year. It’s not easy to come up with spooky music when it’s 100 degrees and very bright and sunny outside. I ended up putting black plastic over my studio windows and using very low lights so I could pretend it was dark and scary in the middle of a summer day.

All songs on this CD were written, arranged, performed and engineered by Shelly A. Plaisance, Jr. Except for track 7 which was performed by Mother Nature.

Beyond the Levee is a product of Darkest Heart

Beyond the Levee:

I started on "Beyond the Levee" in the summer of 2005, the first three songs
happened spontaneously and rapidly. I had them finished, mixedand mastered
in less than two months. And then Hurricane Katrina happened.

Hit Apocalypse reset button: October 2005.

Everything just looks different now and a lot of priorities have changed. Edge of
Fear (a progressive metal project I had been working with out of New Orleans)
took a serious blow with members scattered for a while. It finally ended with
Roddy (our drummer and recording master and vocal harmony genius and
mastermind) moving to Oklahoma City. He is not an easily replaceable guy.
After this, when there was no more Edge of Fear, all my focus went back into
Darkest Heart. Using one earlier recording for a dance contest in Dallas and
new compositions taking another year, I finally finished the album in the
summer of 2006; after much wailing and gnashing of teeth.

“Beyond the Levee” is the first official Darkest Heart Project. I was intending
for it to be an organic sounding percussion experience. I wanted you to be able
to put on your headphones, close your eyes and feel like you were surrounded
by a live performance. For the most part I don’t like doing punch-ins; so almost
everything is one take all the way through; you’ve just got to leave yourself
some breathing space now and then.

Check out new music on our MySpace page

Gulf Coast Bellydance is a product of Blue Lotus Society album cover art

an affiliate of Darkest Heart

This project started as a question to several gulf south bellydance teachers and performers.

“What do you need for a teaching/practicing album?”

The answer is the 11 songs on Gulf Coast Bellydance.

Shamsi compiled all of the feedback into an outline of rhythms, instruments, tempos and times. Then I disappeared into the studio for about 3 months.

What follows is a breakdown of each song and its intended purpose; along with some of the original notes and some info about the sessions and instruments used.

I tried to mix the album with the feeling of being in the room with a live group. Very little effects were used so it would be clear in noisy environments with open spaces for dancers to fill with zils, etc. There are no loops or punch-ins on thisalbum. Every track is one take all the way through. It does get a little brutal sometimes on a 10 minute song with a hypnotic rhythm. I didn’t dare screw up because I just didn’t have enough juice left to do it again!

Song 1 – Breathe it in (up)

Slow warm up song for grounding & breathing.

Rhythm used: 8/8 Bolero

Track length: 11:24

Tempo: Slow for the first half then speed up to moderate (58bpm – 76bpm)

Instruments Used: Ocean drum, Bendirs, Rain Stick, Udu, Tar

About the recording:

They asked for a slow long warm up song; something to ground, breathe and stretch at the
beginning of class and then get into the movements of the class. I thought of morning on a flat sandy beach (yoga, tai chi, slow movement); so that’s why I went with the ocean drum for rolling waves and the airy frame drums and rain stick for a shaker.
The typically “Flamenco” rhythm sounded very different when played slowly like this.

Song 2 – The eye opens (up)

Fast warm up song.

Rhythm used: 6/8 Chaka

Track length: 8:34

Tempo: Starts with moderate tempo – builds to upbeat, increase to fast at end (80bpm – 112bpm – 144bpm)

Instruments Used: Djembe, Asonge, Casaba, Triangle, Tar and electric guitar

About the recording:

This was another warm up song; just a little faster. Love this Chaka 12 with the electric guitar swells. I tried to be earthy and dark with clear cues as to speed/tempo changes. It’s a shorter warm-up song that starts off faster and ultimately ends up blazing.

Shamsi gave me an awesome new guitar for Christmas ’06, right before I started recording this. I was goofing around on the new guitar, using some organ/keyboard sounding volume swells that sounded really cool, so it ended up on this track.

I really-really like playing Chaka on the drums

I also got a hay rake triangle for Christmas too. Did I mention I got a hay rake triangle?

Song 3 – Two by Two (up)

Technique song 1; sparse song for technique practice.

Rhythms used: 2/4 beat combo of Malfuf/Karatchi/Saudi

Track length: 3:59

Tempo: Start with slow tempo and build up speed near end and end with quick tempo. (66bpm – 86bpm)

Instruments Used: Klong Yaw, Triangle, Riq

About the recording:

Teachers/Dancers also wanted some sparse drum rhythm ‘songs’ with clear accents on the beats to help beginners understand the rhythms better.

Here, the Triangle is on the down beat to keep it clear with the Riq playing the main rhythm.

Song 4 – Shake the Sands (up)

Technique song 2; Sparse mix for technique practice.

Rhythm used: 4/4 Maqsum

Track length: 4:11

Tempo: Start moderate speed and build up to quick finish. (84bpm – 112bpm)

Instruments Used: Doumbek, Tar, Riq

About the recording:

This is another sparse song with simple, clear accents. The doumbek and tar are on the main rhythm with the riq playing upbeats.

This can be used either as a teaching tool or a great trance piece because of the overtones created by using the 3 ‘simple’ instruments together.

The visual I got while I experienced this song was of a bunch of little birds running in the sand.

Song 5 – Stomp & Wave (up)

Technique song 3; this is a drum song with lots of accents to practice locks and isolations.

Rhythms used: 4/4 Gawazi & Saidi

Track length: 5:06

Tempo: Start with moderate tempo/ slow down for middle / build up speed at end. (100bpm – 84bpm - 108bpm)

Instruments Used: Hand claps, Djembe, Ashiko, Clave, Triangle

About the recording:

This is more of a ‘filled’ technique practice song with lots of different accents and stops all repeating in patterns of 4 (3 times then an ending accent.)

This song changes back & forth between Gawazi and Saidi with a varying tempo in order to show the same moves at different speeds.

We like the lots of ups and downs

Song 6 – Rest from Flight (up)

Open feeling taqsim

Rhythm used: well…mostly arrhythmic….since it’s supposed to be a taqsim you know…

Track length: 4:58

Tempo: Begins with moderate tempo building speed and intensity in the middle. (60bpm – 110bpm)

Instruments Used: Steel String Acoustic Guitar, Nylon String Acoustic Guitar, Udu, Spoons, Ocean Drum, Flock of Birds on loan from the creator.

About the recording:

This one begins with a taqsim to practice long curvy moves, arms & undulations. It picks up toward the end and becomes more rhythmic for shimmies.

When I first started recording this song, a huge flock of black birds landed in the big pecan tree outside my studio window. They were so loud I couldn’t record quiet guitar tracks, so I recorded them until they flew away. That’s the sound you will hear at the beginning of the song.

And yes, I can play spoons.

Song 7 – Burning Wings Sunken City       (up)

Application Song 1

The application songs are more filled in and orchestrated than the earlier songs. This application song has BIG drums, breaks and changes in the tempo with lots of accents.

Rhythms used: 4/4’s - Farsee 4, Saidi, Farsee 4, Beledi

Track length: 10:03

Tempo: Starts with and upbeat/quick tempo / transitions into slow tempo – little more sparse / back to upbeat with full sound – finish upbeat with Beledi. (120bpm - 60bpm – 120bpm)

Instruments Used: Klong Yaw, Ashiko, Asonge, Clave, 350 Chevy Oil Pan, Djun Djun, Riq, Tar, Doumbek, Nylon string guitar, Electronic drums, Ocean Drum, Shaker.

About the recording:

This one’s for the Tribal Girls. It’s got more fills, changes, starts, stops, slow downs, speed-ups, and plenty of room for a dancer to add her own zils.

My ‘wings’ were burnin’ by the time I finished all these drum parts. The ‘sunken’ feeling guitar along with some low bass and drums are of course for all those low bottom hip moves.

This song goes out to all the little birdies who had to fly away from their Sunken City; some are still wings on fire trying to find a place to land.

Song 8 – Shady Landing     (up)

Application Song 2

The FuNky Song

Rhythms used: First Thukile (Hambone), Saidi

Track length: 5:49

Tempo: Starts moderately / build to upbeat / slow to end. (92bpm - 108bpm – 54bpm)

Instruments Used: Goblet drum, Shakers, Bendir, Djembe, Copper doumbek, Aluminum doumbek, Electric guitar, Bass guitar

About the recording:

Did someone say Funky? No, I cannot play bass like Bootsy, but I can program a sound like his! And I can play the Bo Diddly beat and some very slippery electric guitar.

Bounce baby bounce

You did know this was a World Fusion Album right?

Then a screwed-down Saidi to end.

Song 9 – Gathering Ground     (up)

Application Song 3 – with changes in rhythm & tempo

Rhythms used: Taqsim, Beledi, Ayoub

Track length: 5:19

Tempo: Slow taqsim/arrhythmic / into big Beledi with slow tempo / build to moderate / end with quick Ayoub. (arrhythmic - 120bpm - 112bpm – 224bpm)

Instruments Used: Guitar, Shakers, Bendir, Tar, Triangle, Copper doumbek, Aluminum Doumbek

About the recording:

This is a more complete soloist piece from slow taqsim through moderate tempo Beledi with clear fills & accents in patterns of 4 ending with a quick Ayoub upbeat finale.

Lots of drum solo trade offs between different drums.

Song 10 – Changing Weather (up)

Application Song 4 – with lots of changes and fills.

Rhythms used: Chiftatelli, Ayoub, Taqsim, Chiftatelli, Ayoub

Track length: 7:20

Tempo: Begins moderately / upbeat / stop / taqsim / slow build to fast / back to rhythm upbeat / end with quick tempo. (88bpm - 104bpm –stop- taqsim slow – 104bpm– 112bpm)

Instruments Used: Doumbek, Bendir, Guitar, Riq, Triangle, Shakes, Ocean drum

About the recording:

This is an extended group or soloist piece with several solo instrument and rhythm changes.

From low and earthy to high and bright drop down to electric taqsim & ocean drum back to low and earth to finish with quick and upbeat.

Song 11 – Sunset on Folded Wings (up)

Cool down song

Rhythm used: 12/8 – African 3 beat

Track length: 6:08

Tempo: Start moderate and slow to end (120bpm - 104bpm)

Instruments Used: Klong Yaw, Djembe, Triangle, Nylon string guitar

About the recording:

Something low and earthy to cool down.

This guitar part comes from listening to Cheik Lo and other African guitarists too much. They have this thumb piano feel to their playing and that’s what I was really reaching for.

I hope you don’t trance out and fall into Delta Waves on your cool down