Red Axes - Trips #2: Vietnam [!K7]

A year after Red Axes' musical adventures took them across the sounds and scenes of Africa, they return with a second EP in the *Trips* series, exploring the rich rhythms of Vietnam.

This project is a multimedia initiative that combines music, film, and travel in search of extraordinary collaborations. The esteemed duo, made up of Niv Arzi and Dori Sadovnik, explores local cultures and traditions, connects with local musicians and records them playing indigenous instruments, as well as presenting workshops for youth music schools. This comes after the Garzen Records bosses have established their unique blend of synthesizers, guitars and genres as diverse as house, acid and avant-garde experimentalism on key labels such as Phantasy and Dark Entries.

The opening track, *Ho Chi Minh*, is a vibrant number with funky bass loops and the hustle and bustle of a market square that infuses the organic house grooves. Local percussion, jazzy keys, and vocal whispers further enrich this uplifting beat. *Hanoi* is even more exotic thanks to the enchanting lead vocal, jungle bird calls, and a deep bass, while *Phu Quoc* goes more rave, with a phased bass rising and falling in the sale, a hypnotic melodic line that sounds somewhat like a didgeridoo and a maniacal synth sliding through the mix with disorienting effects. The closing track, *Hue Giao*, is a sublime and almost Balearic beat with a brilliant melodic line and layer upon layer of wind instruments, claps and impacts that speak directly to your soul.