Outlaw Dervish / Travis Wernet

DidgHeadradio Review

‘OutLaw Dervish’

“Since the launch of DidgHeadRadio as a pro broadcast on Live 365,
we have been sent many didgeridoo CDs to appraise for broadcast.
Like Thumper we work on the principle if you cannot say something nice (about a CD) then we don't say nothin' at all.

So when we received the ‘OutLaw Dervish’ CD from Travis Wernet ,
we were really happy that we could say a lot.

This is the best CD we have received in a very long time so much so that we did a 'special' programme which attracted almost our bandwidth limit for listeners throughout the world.

Travis displays excellent control of the didge and utilises its capabilities with ease and virtuosity. Good technique and above all a true understanding of the effective use of the instrument in the musical context......
that demands a careful and talented musical ear.

If you want to hear the best of contemporary didge playing ,
check out Travis Wernet and his CD...

‘OutLaw Dervish’ www.cdbaby.com/outlawdervish ”.

Cyberdidg, aka Gerry Priddle, DJ DidgHeadRadio. - CyberDidg - aka Gerry Priddle, DJ and Founder of DidgHeadRadio and DidgHeadFestival, UK

“The CD Outlaw Dervish by Travis Wernet and Ben Leinbach has a deep tribal feel that connects us to a different cultural realm which grows with each listening.  While the overall impact of the effort comes across as instrumental, the spoken word of Wernet's mystic poetry creates a sense of reverence for the mystery of life. Wernet’s didjeridu also contributes to this sense as does the overall soundscape. The recording is quite professional and the interlocking rhythms and unique
electronica  are par for the course for this talented team.

My faves are Shaken, Loopophonic & No Illusions.”

Alan Tower, Multi-Instrumentalist, Teacher, Recording Artist,
Green Music Network, Octave Alliance - Green Music Network

Best Bets / Bohemian Rhapsody

Outlaw Dervish is the latest “didj-hop” project of Bay Area didjeriduist/poet Travis Wernet and Producer Ben Leinbach, combining spoken word, world music and trip-hop into one groovy package. With a down-tempo backbeat complemented by the deep drone of his didj, Wernet slinks his way through such riffs as “We need each other/like time needs to get away/like a kiss needs these lips/like a hand wants another to hold/like freedom springs from chance.” Vibing on a mystic sound wave of “movement meditation,” it’s the perfect after-yoga sensual dance-party music, organically apropos for the likes of the monthly dance tribal gathering - or “Dacecstatica on the Gaian-groove tip” - GROOVE GARDEN. Live set also by DJ Dragonfly and others. 8pm March 7 at Groove Garden, Planet Fairfax, 2398 Sir Francis Drake, Fairdfax, California.”

Samantha Campos - Pacific Sun Weekly

OUTLAW DERVISH: Outlaw Dervish (CD on Outlaw Dervish Music)

This release from 2008 offers 53 minutes of downtempo groove music.

Outlaw Dervish is: Travis Wernet (on didjeridu, guitar, bass, flute, darbouka, Handsonic, vocals and effects), Ben Leinbach (on drums, percussion, guitar, bass, keyboards, programming, vocals and effects), Thea Izzi (on vocals), and Aharon Wheels Bolsta (on tabla, kanjira and frame drum).

Although present, electronics actually play a minor role in this techno tuneage, with didjeridu fronting for percussion, bass, guitar and vocals.

Didjeridu dominates most of the music with somber drones that stir the bottom of the stomach and generate a reverent tribal presence--that is then oddly abolished by the modern sentiments generated by the gritty vocals which deal with social matters like relationships and people’s public idiosyncrasies.

The rhythms are mostly meted out in a relaxed manner, establishing languid tempos that serve to mesmerize through a pleasant lassitude. Even when the beats achieve a peppier velocity, they retain a leisurely disposition. At times, a complexity enters the rhythms as additional beats are introduced into the mix.

Delicate guitar contributes a steely glisten that lingers under the sonic surface, twinkling more than searing. Basslines smolder with subliminal heat, creating a liquid sense lurking in the songs.

Vocals are found in most of the tunes, mostly of the gritty spoken word variety. A few tracks feature a lilting crooning, though, acting as a counterpoint for the lyrical recitations.

These compositions utilize a downtempo mode which produces a sluggish pace designed to soothe instead of agitate. The grooves are sultry and serpentine, embellished by soft rhythms that support the lyrical content. - Soniccuriosity/Matt Howarth

Trip Hop at its Best

“I first heard the track "we need each other" on an independent radio station. I felt I was hearing something quite different from any other trip hop track I have heard.

Overall, this album is well crafted. First it draws in a number of influences in making up the album; Rock, Spokenword,and Pop. Underneath these influences, the artist infuses primitive intruments such as the didjeridu in addition to tribal chants on most of the tracks.

I find this album emotionally satisfying and somewhat uplifting. I would recommend this album to anyone who likes to hear music that is different from the mainstream”.

Teofilo Paulissen-Dougan - Teofilo Paulissen-Dougan / CDBaby