Dead Can Dance are pleased to share with us the details of their brand-new album Dionysus, set for release on November 2nd through [PIAS] Recordings.
ACT I : Sea Borne - Liberator of Minds - Dance of the Bacchantes
ACT II : The Mountain - The Invocation - The Forest – Psychopomp
From their inception in 1981, Australian duo Dead Can Dance have long been intrigued by European folk traditions, not solely in musical terms but also by secular, religious and spiritual practices. Taking its inspiration from this backdrop 'Dionysus' was shaped as Brendan Perry explored the long and established spring and harvested festivals that originated from religious practices, a journey that brings to the fore, the rites and rituals that are still practised to the present day.
Two years in the making, Perry has amassed an array of folk instrumentation and as often heard on previous albums takes inspiration from across the world, tracks evolve less like songs but more akin to fragments of the cohesive whole. Dionysus follows a familiar path, witness to field recordings, that includes chanting, beehives from New Zealand, bird calls from Latin America and a Swiss goatherd. The aim in Perry's mind is to not just invoke the atmosphere and symbolic reference points but to highlight that music can be found everywhere in some form or other.
The album consists of two acts across seven movements that represent the different facets of the Dionysus myth and his cult and takes the musical form of an oratorio, which has informed both spiritual and secular pieces of music as far back in history as the early 16th century. Retaining a prevalent hold on contemporary paganism in Europe, the voices used on these movements are imagined as communities celebrating, in communion with each other at times, chanting and call and response – the various voices are present to convey emotion beyond the boundaries of language itself.
Although taking its main inspiration from the Dionysus story, the album's artwork resonates with links to rituals depicting a mask made by the Huichol of the Sierra Madre Mountains in Mexico – famed for their beadwork and yarn paintings, whilst also partaking in peyote as a sacred rite and ritual for the purposes of healing and mind expansion – this is at the heart of Dionysus, a celebration of not just humanity but humanity working hand in hand with nature with respect and appreciation.
Dead Can Dance will embark on an extensive European tour throughout May and June 2019, celebrating their life and works from 1980 to present day.
May 02: Le Liberte, Rennes, France
May 04 / 05: Hammersmith Apollo, London, UK
May 07 / 08: Cirque Royale, Brussels, Belgium
May 10 / 11: Grand Rex, Paris, France
May 13 / 14: Tivoli Vredenburg, Utrecht, Netherlands
May 16 / 17: Tempodrom, Berlin, Germany
May 20 / 21: Barts, Barcelona, Spain
May 23 / 24: Aula Magna, Lisbon, Portugal
May 26 / 27: Teatro Degli Arcimboldi, Milan, Italy
June 16: Alte Oper, Frankfurt, Germany
June 18 / 19: Ruhrcongress, Bochum, Germany
June 21 / 22: Torwar Hall, Warsaw, Poland
June 24: Kongresove Centrum Praha, Prague, Czech Republic
June 26: Papp Laszlo Budapest Sportarena, Budapest, Hungary
June 28: Sava Centar, Belgrade, Serbia
June 30: Roman Theatre Of Philippopolis, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
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