Magesh Releases Unique Beats
Australian drumming virtuoso Magesh has released Unique Beats, a self-produced DVD featuring his dynamic grooves and lessons learned as a session player. Magesh is featured playing drums in a studio setting utilizing electronics, tabla and effects. The playing is tight and funky, especially the Drum ‘n’ Bass riffs, and the various camera angles keep the visuals interesting. However, the DVD comes up wanting because it tries to be too many things.
Is it an interview DVD? A sample DVD? An educational DVD? Well, it’s a little of all the above, but doesn’t emerge as a category killer in any. The interviews are interesting, but go on a tad too long without dishing out real takeaways that you can apply to your own jams. I loved how Magesh incorporated the Tabla into his kit, and those grooves were the most memorable on the DVD, but he really didn’t explain his own playing philosophy behind the convergence of Indian and Western rhythms, and more importantly, how the viewer could do the same.
There are great jams to sample on this DVD, but no easy way to do so unless you employ WireTap, All Sound Recorder or any other program that can grab the computer’s digital audio output. So as a sample “CD” the DVD fails to deliver the goods.
What you’re left with is a fancy biography or press kit and not much else. We were impressed with Magesh’s chops, but as a cohesive and rewarding DVD experience, we can’t recommend this release. Magesh – Unique Beats
