If you stumble across a YouTube video shared randomly via some kind of social networking site online, and it’s not one of Manu Delago’s, or one by Dante Bucci, there’s a pretty good chance that it’s a video featuring ‘Hang Monkey A’, Daniel Waples, of the Hang Playing Hedge Monkeys. Who has, over the last few years, rapidly become one of the most recognisable faces in Hang music. With awed video phone wielders who have stumbled across him during his travels uploading clip after clip, of his amazing solo Hang performances, and inspiring collaborations with fellow street musicians.
Yet while best known for being one of the ‘faces’ of current 'Hang' music, Daniel Waples has also embraced the ‘HandPan’ revolution as a whole, performing with as he does on his new album, in addition to the PANArt Hang, a BELLArt Bells, and a Russian made SPB. A combination that has not only lead to the creation of a truly beautiful new album. But that has unfortunately also led to Daniel Waples becoming the latest victim of PANArt’s sometimes unfathomable policies. Having been informed by Felix Rohner that “we no longer cooperate with supporters of imitation hangs”. Go figure!
However, much as we’d like to discuss endlessly the tense relationship that exists between PANArt and many of those who play their 'sound sculptures', this post is about the celebration of this new (at time of writing) project from Daniel, which, while it might have cost him the cutting off of his PANArt pipe-line, should win him increased admiration within the HandPan community at large, putting in a stunning performance as he does, collaborating with ‘Alexei Levin’ (on Grand Piano, and Mouth Harp), to produce the delicate, and calming ‘Crystal Waves’, a twelve track offering that can (and should be) listened to in its entirety, (and downloaded), over at BandCamp.com: HERE
Yet while best known for being one of the ‘faces’ of current 'Hang' music, Daniel Waples has also embraced the ‘HandPan’ revolution as a whole, performing with as he does on his new album, in addition to the PANArt Hang, a BELLArt Bells, and a Russian made SPB. A combination that has not only lead to the creation of a truly beautiful new album. But that has unfortunately also led to Daniel Waples becoming the latest victim of PANArt’s sometimes unfathomable policies. Having been informed by Felix Rohner that “we no longer cooperate with supporters of imitation hangs”. Go figure!
However, much as we’d like to discuss endlessly the tense relationship that exists between PANArt and many of those who play their 'sound sculptures', this post is about the celebration of this new (at time of writing) project from Daniel, which, while it might have cost him the cutting off of his PANArt pipe-line, should win him increased admiration within the HandPan community at large, putting in a stunning performance as he does, collaborating with ‘Alexei Levin’ (on Grand Piano, and Mouth Harp), to produce the delicate, and calming ‘Crystal Waves’, a twelve track offering that can (and should be) listened to in its entirety, (and downloaded), over at BandCamp.com: HERE
Or alternatively, you can visit the DA-Harmonics website for more information: HERE
