The keen reader might remember Singapore-based composer and creative Dan Webb from a recent feature. Writing about ‘Thai Basil’, we proudly declared the piece packed with “bright fusion-funk mastery and a punchy horn section”. That statement rings partly true even today, as Webb shares his latest single ‘The Self Watches Their Return’, the latest instalment from the forthcoming album ‘Lion Dance’, expected on November 13.
Featuring a stellar cast of musicians, including drummer Clive Deamer (Radiohead, Portishead), bassist Tim Lefebvre (David Bowie’s Blackstar), percussionist Nate Werth (Snarky Puppy, Ghost-Note) and saxophonist Nicole McCabe (Louis Cole, Dolphin Hyperspace), ‘The Self Watches Their Return’ feels rather otherworldly and psychedelic, all the while preserving an elegant, intellectual appearance, strongly woven into jazz influences and fusion energy. The main groove of the track is truly hypnotic, with McCabe then doing a fantastic job on the sax melodies.
Despite its musical virtues, ‘The Self Watches Their Return’ also comes from a place of deep reflection and personal philosophy, just as its overarching album ‘Lion Dance’ does. In particular, Webb draws from Buddhist and Taoist doctrines, as well as his own experience moving from Melbourne to Singapore. As we are told, “it follows the ever-turning cycle of death and rebirth: the space between lives, new beginnings, celebration, chance encounters, perseverance in unfamiliar territory, travel and new opportunity.”
Recommended! Discover ‘The Self Watches Their Return’ now: