Savage Beauty is an album of soundscapes. Influenced by African and Japanese drumming, Latin-American rhythms, and new-age harmonies. It can be listened to for its inner complexities, or turned down to an ambient level for atmospheric purposes. When creating Savage Beauty, I wanted to avoid “urban” sounds, such as piano, saxophones, metal guitars; instead there is harp, wood flute, taiko, acoustic bass—sounds that for me created a more natural sound environment. Even though the sounds are digitally created, they sound like real instruments. In fact, each instrumentalist has his own “personality” and style. The bass player is melodic and lyrical, while the drummers combine Japanese and popular styles. Edwin McLean