ORIGIN, by Elise Lebec, releases worldwide today via Bay Area Films.
Artist Elise Lebec in Egypt (Photo by Yousry Mahfouz)
ORIGIN won an Akademia Award for Best Christian/Gospel song “Sufi Dance” – the album debuts 7/21/17.
ORIGIN is a vibrant New Age/World Fusion album blending Egyptian and western instrumentation; an energetic exploration of ancient instruments and modern sounds.
It’s an expression of human kindness…the intention to bring the beauty of diverse cultures together via fresh combinations of Arabic & western instruments.”
— Elise Lebec, singer, composer, producer, ORIGIN
BURBANK, CA, UNITED STATES, July 21, 2017 — Bay Area Film Company is pleased to announce the release of Elise Lebec‘s new album, ORIGIN, as well as an Akademia Award win (Best Christian/Gospel Song) for the single “Sufi Dance” and a nomination in the Hollywood Music and Media Awards. Lebec, an inspirational artist, singer and composer recalls the moment when the new age/world album was born, sharing “I looked into the eyes of the Goddess Sekhmet and felt my entire soul shift. There I was in Egypt, the Fertile Crescent of the Cradle of Civilization, the Origin of the Awakening of Humanity.”
Lebec’s first trip to Egypt was profound, introducing her to new sounds and fresh insights about the people, their culture, and our mutual misunderstandings. ORIGIN, the album, is a direct result of her ensuing visits to Egypt. It is a vibrant New Age/World Fusion album blending Egyptian and western instrumentation and vocals featuring Lebec with special guest performances by Charlie Bisharat, Sheikh Mahmoud El Tohamy and 36 other magnificent musicians; it is an energetic, spiritual exploration of combining ancient instruments and modern sounds to convey Lebec’s unique vision of the challenges facing today’s world, available at www.EliseLebec.com. Bay Area Films releases the album worldwide today.
Under the same blazing Saqqaran sun that drenched the warrior deity of antiquity 5000 years ago, this musical citizen of the world had experienced the start of what has become a spiritual illumination…an epiphany which compelled her to embark on an intuitive, cross-cultural musical journey of discovery, deep creative expression, and a calling to use it as a vehicle for bringing disparate cultures together.
The outcome, ORIGIN, is an intense, feminine and uniquely beautiful album that Lebec will enter for a Best New Age Album GRAMMY Award this Fall. Upon hearing a preview, writer Karl Stober commented, “Lebec is the Siren of the Desert Sun in 2017. An incredible quest to the past in sound and arrangements.”
ORIGIN is an amalgam of exotic Upper Egyptian traditional instruments, distinctive vocals, and contemporary production techniques, building a transcendent bridge between contrasting worlds. “It’s an expression of human kindness,” says Lebec of the release, “…the intention to bring the beauty of diverse cultures together via fresh combinations of Arabic & western instruments. We have built a harmonious narrative merging the millennia of Egyptian music with elements and forms of modern popular music to help exemplify that we are all related beings of planet Earth; one extended family turning in our respective orbits around the Sun.”
This “One World Turning” concept is woven into the fabric of the entire project and will be reflected in and represented by all the media releases, from the recorded music to promotional videos, interviews, live performances, and ORIGIN merchandise, which can be found at https://elise-lebec.myshopify.com/.
Music critic Jonathan Widran commented, “Elise shares her profound personal feeling of awakening and experiences of Egypt in music, and becomes a musical bridge builder of two prominent world cultures. Using exotic Upper Egyptian instrumentation, her distinctive vocals, and contemporary production techniques as a transcendent connection between East and West, she creates a powerful, compelling collection.”
ORIGIN was composed and executive produced by Lebec, who began recording in Cairo when she returned several times after her initial visit last August. Ancient instruments, expertly played by local traditional musicians under her direction include lute, dulcimer, oud, ancient flutes, Upper Egyptian tablas, and an assortment of handmade drums and percussion. Several Egyptian singers, including the very famous Sheikh Mamoud El Tahomy, and Arabic rappers were tapped to round out the project’s vivid authenticity. The resultant sessions were then sent back to Los Angeles to four-time GRAMMY® Award-winning Producer/Engineer Dave Way. He in turn brought in one of Prince’s programmers, Eric Anest, who applied Western song forms to the myriad tracks from Cairo resulting in musical “beds” onto which a variety of Western instruments were overdubbed. These include over 35 passionate musicians playing violin (such as Shadowfax’s GRAMMY® Award-winning violinist Charlie Bisharat), electric violins, cellos, alto sax, pedal steel guitar, Hammond organ, background vocals and, of course, Elise Lebec’s own lead vocals.
“As a composer, hearing music I have never heard before is like trying a new dish that tastes amazing, as if a whole new world is opening,” Lebec shares. “Just when I think there’s nothing else to learn or explore, I realize that I haven’t even scratched the surface of Life Experience. To me, Music is an all-encompassing form of intimate expression. And what better force is there to bring divergent peoples together? That is the essence of this ORIGIN project! I want to create a dialogue about peace and understanding.”
ORIGIN is available in both physical and digital form at all quality music retailers and online music sites. To request Radio Airplay copies, contact Ed & Stacey Bonk at LAZZ Promotions, (905) 470-1230, or
[email protected].
For radio or print interviews and review copies, contact publicist Beth Hilton at (310) 560-8390, or [email protected]
To explore more of Elise Lebec’s music, images and videos, please visit www.EliseLebec.com. Learn more about the recent Akademia Award for Best Christian/Gospel Song “Sufi Dance” at http://www.theakademia.com/music/LZT3QCRbuhUtEPG7HNz4.html
TRACK LISTING:
1. Taaly Maaya: Come With Me 4:35
2. Queen Of Light 4:38
3. Cairo Morning 4:26
4. Bolero 5:07
5. Rumi Song 6:36
6. Sekhmet: The Goddess Awakens 3:50
7. The Jam: Luxor, Egypt 4:45
8. Sufi Dance 4:53
9. Hob Elahy: God Is Within 4:52
Total playing time 43:43
Beth A. Hilton
The B Company
3105608390
email us here
ORIGIN: Bridging the Gap