By Ben Nicholson
It appears from this album that drum’n’bass and Buddism can make easy bedfellows. This release by German born, NZ based devotee Peter Haeder (Phaeder) places his religion and musical tastes side by side with interesting results (and according to his press release, the amusement of the Buddhist lamas.) Any novelty factor aside, this is a well produced and sonically challenging record. The tasties ttrack is Swift Tara, where chants fuse naturally into an intense jungle beat. Haeder has already established himself as a guitarist and composer for film and television music in NZ Ð if picked up by the mainstream, he could fit as well into our dance scene. With an organic mix of Asian drumming and Tibetan rhythms fused together by chant-based deep throat singing, he has produced a collection of drum’n’bass, techno and downbeat (in a WOMAD kinda way) which would mix effortlessly onto any dance floor.
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NZ Musician
December/January 2003