Cory Beers - Percussion
John Wash IV - Percussion
Mike Robbins - Percussion

It’s not news that some of the most creative music on the planet happens under the radar of public awareness. To a select audience in the percussion world and the Los Angeles Creative crew, the name BoorBaar perks the ears and excites the imagination. Orenda Records is proud to share the latest audio-visual recording of this brilliant and inventive ensemble: Swong. 

BoorBaar is a remarkable percussion trio featuring Cory Beers (Falsetto Teeth, Cory Beers Cimbalom Band), John Wash IV (Cetus), and Mike Robbins (Eighteen Squared). Circling a formidable combined percussion setup, they perform epic, memorized compositions that draw inspiration from a wide range of influences, from minimalism to metal to percussive traditions from cultures all over the globe. The ensemble formed in 2005 while the trio attended California Institute of the Arts, and over the years they have performed in a variety of settings from underground art shows to collegiate percussion symposiums. But Cory Beers sums up their approach concisely and directly: “we just play the most insane rhythms we can think of, so most folks just ignore us while we’re freaking out in some practice room.”

Swong is a composition by Beers written in 2015, and was conceived as both an audio and video release. It’s hard to imagine the full impact of a BoorBaar performance from the sound alone. The group’s dynamism and synchronized movements are visually astounding as well, and the setup mentioned above is a sight to behold. Beers describes the rig:

“Currently, there are tom-toms, some other drums that resemble tom-toms (such as dun-duns), some very tiny tom-toms that are cranked up to near their structural limits (spocks), some very thick and loud Chinese cymbals and bells.  These are all arranged in 3 separate setups that all include part of a device constructed by us that consists of a very large propane tank, upon which is mounted the former interior of a machine clothes-washer, upon which are further mounted six plates of a very hard metal (of unknown type) that have distinct but not very specific pitches, and atop all that are mounted several pieces of sheet metal.  This device is often played by several or all of us at once, and we get two of the plates that face each of our individual setups and they are arranged low to high, despite not having very specific pitches.” 

Swong dances around this incredible array of instruments with Reich-like moments, surprising and recurring themes, and complex rhythmic overlays. The result is something that sounds simultaneously at home in avant-garde classical settings, underground metal warehouses, and tribal rituals, and calls to the most primal elements of our shared humanity. And BoorBaar emerges from the shadows to blow your mind!

Members of BoorBaar Also Appear On: