Here Be Dragons The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble

• 1 Lead Squid 09:03
• 2 Caravan 06:32
• 3 Embers 04:24
• 4 Scirocco 05:33
• 5 Mists of Krakatoa 04:57
• 6 Sharbat Gula 05:47
• 7 Samhain Labs 05:24
• 8 Seneca 05:45
• 9 The MacGuffin 07:34
• Total Runtime 54:59

Info for Here Be Dragons

The successful 3rd output of groundbreaking collective The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble from 2009 finally repressed on Vinyl with a new extensive packaging and equipped with several bonus tracks. Here Be Dragons’ is a musical journey into unchartered territories. A medieval phrase denoting dangerous and unexplored areas on maps, mostly depicted by a sea serpent or mythological creature, the title summarizes a two year period spent on the album and the paths taken and not taken to get to the final result. Here Be Dragons’ is a further study to perfect the symbiosis of mechanical and organic sounds, a recurring theme in TKDEs musical philosophy. Blending traditional instruments with modern electronica to create distinguishable yet familiar sounds. As visual inspiration is as important, if not more important, to our way of composing. Creating our own journey into dark exotica and misty abstract landscapes warped somewhere in between worlds passed and worlds to come. The vocal journey is one of loss and despair. Losing what is close to you, its realisation, and dealing with the pain that follows.

„The sophomore record from Germany’s Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble did not receive much press stateside on its release, but its ominously toned, slow-burning post-jazz indelibly burrowed itself into the psyche of the few brave North Americans willing to venture its uncertain shores. The title of Here Be Dragons literally means dangerous or unexplored territories, in reference to the placing of mythological creatures in blank areas of medieval maps. Certainly, the record captures that sense of taking bold chances in the name of progress and discovery, albeit in the realm of music. From its roots as the duo of electronic manipulator Jason “Bong-Ra” Köhnen and drummer Gideon Kiers, TKDE has since expanded to a seven-piece collective. Naturally, their recordings have come to reflect this, as the comparatively obvious sound of their 2005 debut has developed into a supremely textured, vividly cinematic tour de force. Here Be Dragons is an intelligent and nuanced record, full of swells and sighs, utterly epic yet incalculably subtle, existing somewhere between keen, intuitive live improvisation and the best-laid plans of mad scientists. Experimental music is rarely this consistently captivating.“ (Pop matters)

Jason Köhnen, programming, bass
Gideon Kiers, programming
Hilary Jeffery, trumpet
Nina Hitz, cello
Charlotte Cegarra, vocals
Eelco Bosman, guitar
Sadie Anderson, violin

The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble (TKDE)
formed in 2000 as a project to compose new music for existing silent movies. Jason Köhnen (aka Bong-Ra) and Gideon Kiers (Telcosystems), both graduates of the Utrecht School of Arts, combined their audio and visual skills to reinterpret classic movies by F.W. Murnau (Nosferatu) and F. Lang (Metropolis).

In 2004 UK trombonist Hilary Jeffery and Swiss cellist Nina Hitz joined TKDE to record the self-titled debut album which was released on Planet Mu Records in May 2006. The ensuing tour saw Eelco Bosman and Paris based vocalist Charlotte Cegarra join, forming the Ensemble into a sextet. London based violinist Sadie Anderson joined in 2008 to supply the group with extra power on stage.

The Netherlands has been TKDE’s homebase since 2007, while members have moved closer to each other to make composing and producing easier.

Apart from the mothership which is TKDE, there is another entity; The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation is a live improv jazz / drone / doom side project consisting of TKDE members and a host of interchanging guest musicians.

Due to the vast possibilities within the band, the sound spectrum of TKDE is hard to capture within one specific composition. Moreover, the project will lean towards various styles depending on the respective members working together at a given time. A good mix between atmosphere and technique is always the strong basis for a TKDE composition.

This album contains no booklet.