Phil Thornton & Hossam Ramzy: Eternal Egypt 1996 + Immortal Egypt 1998

 

PHIL THORNTON

                                     

Phil Thornton is now closely associated with the British New Age music movement, but he is also an

accomplished guitarist and has had a long touring and recording association with Sinead O'Connor. He is a regular member of the neo-psychedelic English band Mandragora, and he has worked with Gordon Giltrap, Talking Heads, Stallion, Die Laughing, Naked Lunch, 4 B 2's, and Expandis. Thornton augments his musical talents as an accomplished studio producer.
                               

A keen sorcerer of sonic visions, Phil Thornton has written and produced over 20 solo albums - with

sales of 1,200,000+ world wide - since beginning his musical odyssey in the early '80s with the group 'Expandis' (a unique artists collective best known for their innovative use of electronic sound).

 

 

HOSSAM RAMZY

                              

Egyptian native Hossam Ramzy is the leader and chief percussionist of Pharaoh's Egyptian

Ensemble, best known to Western listeners as the backing group featured on Robert Plant and Jimmy Page's No Quarter tour and album. Ramzy began playing the darabouka (Egyptian tabla) at a young age, much to his father's dismay.
                   

He moved to Saudi Arabia as a teenager, learning his craft while supporting himself by playing trap

drums for radio and television programs. In 1975, he moved to England to study jazz drumming for a while, and eventually recorded an album called Introduction to Egyptian Dance Rhythms. Peter Gabriel heard the record and invited Ramzy to play on Passion, his soundtrack to The Last Temptation of Christ.
                               

Before embarking on the Page/Plant tour, Ramzy also worked with Joan Armatrading, Marc

Almond, Electric Light Orchestra, Debbie Harry, and Killing Joke. His Pharaoh's Egyptian Ensemble has also recorded over a dozen albums, on which Ramzy attempts to present Egyptian and Arabic music he hopes Western audiences will be able to understand and appreciate through his arrangements, rhythm choices, mixing touches, and tempos. In 2000, Ramzy released Sabla Tolo: Journeys Into Pure Egyptian Percussion and El Amar. Gypsies of the Nile-Rahhal followed in early 2001.
                      

PHIL THORNTON & HOSAM  RAMZY - ETERNAL EGYPT 1996

                       

Phil Thornton and Hossam Ramzy comprise a multi-cultural duo from Britain and Egypt respectively. Together they marry modern hi-tech sounds from the West with traditional Egyptian melodies, instruments, and rhythms.
                               

ETERNAL EGYPT is a curious blend of both the old and the new. Specifically, Thornton and Ramzy use keyboards, various electronic media, and ancient Egyptian instruments to bring to life such styles as

Zaar, Masmoudi, and Fallahi. On "Isis Unveiled," contemporary electronic loops commingle with dense hand percussion. On "Shimmers in the Sand," Ramzy's acoustic percussion floats over Thornton's thickly layered synthesizers; an electronic backbeat is also used here to give this music extra push. Other tracks such as "The Land of the Pharaohs" and "The Cobra's Dance" also surge with rich percussion, both electronic and acoustic, while authentic modal improvisations from accordionist Farouq Mohammed Hassan glide overtop. This music is both sphinx-like and passionate. Each of these six tracks contains rhythms that will surely hypnotize.
                 

During the recording of 'Eternal Egypt' there were long breaks in the process due to Hossam Ramzy

(co-writer) being on a major world tour with Page and Plant (Led Zeppelin). While that was going on the idea for this album was formulated, in the end 'Pharaoh' was released first!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Phil Thornton & Hossam Ramzy – Eternal Egypt
Label: New World Music – NWCD 416
Format: CD, Album
Country: UK
Released: 1996
Genre: Electronic, Folk, World, & Country
Style: New Age, Ambient, Ethnic

TRACKS

                                   

01. Isis Unveiled    7:46
02. The Land Of The Pharaohs (Zaar Rhythm)    9:16
03. Through The Ankh (Masmoudi Rhythm)    7:34
04. Shimmers In The Sand    11:24
05. Desert Rhythm (Fallahi Rhythm)    6:45
06. The Cobra's Dance (Fallahi Rhythm)    7:53

Accordion [Egyptian Quarter Tone] – Farouq Mohammed Hassan
Brass [Fretless Brass] – Grant Young
Engineer – Phil Thornton, Khaled Mohasseb
Flute [Kawala: Egyptian Trance Bamboo Flute] – Brahim (El Kawala) Fathy
Keyboards, Guitar [E-bow, Lead], Vocoder, Percussion, Didgeridoo, Flute [Chicken], Performer [Tibetan Singing Bowls] – Phil Thornton
Loops [Drum Kit Loop (On Temple Loop)] – Geoff Holroyde
Percussion [Egyptian: Tabla, Doholla, Duffs, Reque, Finger Cymbals; Electronic Percussion: Octapads] – Hossam Ramzy
Photography By – Robert Dowling
Producer – Hossam Ramzy, Phil Thornton
Written-By, Arranged By, Mixed By – Hossam Ramzy, Phil Thornton

Recorded at: The Expandibubble Studio, Sussex, and at Mirage Studio, Cairo, Egypt.

MP3 @ 320 Size: 117 MB
Flac  Size: 276 MB

PHIL THORNTON & HOSSAM RAMZY - IMMORTAL EGYPT 1998

                                  

A thoroughly groovable collection of dub work, with Egyptian musicians providing the overdubs. This follows in the series by the duo of artists after Pharaoh and Eternal Egypt. The basic concept is to make some small recordings of various Egyptian musicians playing short parts, then mixing them into a cohesive whole in the studio, with the addition of some synthesizer work courtesy of Phil Thornton.
                                   

The final product is a loosely bound set of recordings with an unbreakable beat and some slowly

cooking basslines, along with various bits of ney, oud, and the like. For your standard world beat-type album, this is pretty good (much better than most). If it's authenticity one is looking for, don't let the title fool you. Still, this is quite an enjoyable album for listeners of all levels.
                        

The exotic world of ancient Egypt is evoked in an extraordinary, visionary music. Sustained chords with the delight of eastern fragrances conjure up shimmering images of a regal culture before the sultry rhythms of a mesmeric percussion provide a more earthly sensuality. Middle Eastern instrumentation and rhythms are joined by the superb electronic mastery of Phil Thornton's keyboards, allowing you to relax into a trance like vision of an ancient civilisation that was unsurpassed in its dedication to a spiritual interpretation of life.

Phil Thornton & Hossam Ramzy – Immortal Egypt
Label: New World Music – NWCD 455
Format: CD, Album
Country: UK
Released: Oct 20, 1998
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Ethnic

TRACKS

                                  

01. At The Gates Of The Citadel    5:32
02. Cairo Blues    8:47
03. Last Words By The Temple    7:48
04. Morocco Dance    6:20
05. Derwood Green    6:07
06. El Moulid    6:46
07. Praying For Rain    7:02
08. Emerald Minarets In A Sea Of Stars    5:40
09. Sunrise Over Giza    6:12
10. Immortal Egypt    6:17

Accordion [Quarter Tone] – Ahmed Abdel Fattah
Bass [Fretless Bass, Slap Bass] – Grant Young
Composed By, Arranged By, Mixed By – Hossam Ramzy, Phil Thornton
Didgeridoo – Darren Green
Flute [Kawala : Bamboo Flute Used For Religious Music] – Abdalla Helmy
Keyboards, Synthesizer [Vocoder, E-bow, Electric Guitars], Didgeridoo, Drum Programming [Percussion] – Phil Thornton
Mizmar [Egyptian Oboe \ Shawm] – Mohamed Baher
Ney [Egyptian Bamboo Flute] – Mohamed Ali
Oud [Egyptian Fretless Lute] – Mamdouh El Gebaly
Oud [Morrocan], Keyboards – Chalf Hassan
Percussion [Egyptian, World], Drums – Hossam Ramzy
Rebab [Rebaba : Egyptian Two String Violin] – Shaker Abdullatif, Sayed El Sha-Er
Recorded By – Phil Thornton, Khaled Muhasseb
Recorded By [Hossam's Drums] – Andy Reilly, Paul Stoney
Synthesizer [Analog], Programmed By, Performer [Performance] – Jan Thornton
Violin – Majmoud Serour
Vocals – Mohamed Abo El Khair

All tracks are composed, arranged and produced by Phil Thornton and Hossam Ramzy.
Recorded at The Expandibubble studio, Sussex, England, by Phil Thornton and Coronette studios, Cairo, Egypt, by Khaled Mohasseb.
Hossam's drums recorded at Azylum Studios, London, England, by Andy Reilly and Paul Stoney.
Mixed at The Expandibubble studio, Sussex England, by Phil Thornton and Hossam Ramzy during February and March 1998.

MP3 @ 320 Size: 151 MB
Flac  Size: 421 MB