Portico Quartet - Ruins

 

Portico Quartet are a band from London. Their sound is made partially distinctive by the use of the Hang* (see below), a 21st Century percussion instrument. The group is composed of Jack Wyllie (soprano and tenor saxophone), Duncan Bellamy (drums), Milo Fitzpatrick (double bass), and Keir Vine (Hang and percussion). Nick Mulvey, former Hang player and percussionist, left in early 2011 to pursue his career as singer-songwriter. He is replaced by Keir Vine.

 After nearly two years of playing mainly small gigs and busking regularly outside the National Theatre in London, they signed to Babel Label in 2007. Their first album, Knee-deep in the North Sea was released on 5 November 2007.

They are now signed to Real World Records. The name portico comes from when one of their gigs was rained off in Italy, and they ended up playing under a portico.

Their third, most recent, eponymously titled album was released on January 30, 2012.

All tracks composed, arranged and performed by Portico Quartet (except 'Steepless' written by Cornelia Dahlgren and Portico Quartet).

Todays tune "Ruins" is taken from Portico Quartet's third, self-titled, album, coming January 2012 on Real World Records.



Download "Ruins" for free here.

(*) Hang means "hand" in the Bernese language, and is pronounced "hung or hong". The Hang was developed in Switzerland. It was the result of many years of research on the steelpan and the study of the diverse collection of instruments from around the world, such as Gongs, Gamelan, Ghatam, drums, bells, etc. The instrument is played with the hands. Udu-like sounds are produced with the air resonance, the sounds of the clamped shallow shells sound like bells or harmonically tuned steelpans. The inner note on the bottom dome is the bass note, and when played in a dampened way allows change in pitch like a talking drum. Seven to nine notes are tuned harmonically around a central deep note. The hemispheres are hardened by a process known as gas-nitriding. This is a thermal treatment process in which nascient hydrogen atoms diffuse into the steel and form nitride compounds with many of the alloys in the steel.

More info @

Official Portico Quartet Web
Portico Quartet at Real World Web
Hang Wiki

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