PEOPLE SOUND is proud to present the latest solo release from Joseph Batrouney.

Joseph Batrouney is a percussionist, drummer, and composer from Naarm/Melbourne whose music reflects his upbringing and journey across the realms of Middle Eastern, Jazz and Flamenco musics. He draws inspiration from “the ways that people form unique mosaics of self through their experiences”, and this ethos shines through in every intricate detail of ‘At Hand’.

From the very first percussion sound on opening track ‘Waterfall’, we hear a musician for whom every note is loaded with intention and purpose. Batrouney masterfully weaves several layers of percussion into an entrancing patchwork, with both an effortless sense of groove and an underlying mystery and tension.

“I didn’t want to make music that focused on impressing the listener with virtuosity, or relied upon the listener ‘understanding’ what’s going on in a theoretical way. I wanted to make something that I could share with anyone. But I do love the idea of there being something deep to it that only comes out upon request, upon the right line of questioning. Music where the complexities are kind of hidden, like what’s happening rhythmically is an easter egg for those who want to look for it.”

Batrouney is very clear in acknowledging the influence that playing percussion in Middle Eastern, Jazz and Flamenco contexts has had on his current solo output, while also embracing the search for a musical expression that remains true to everything he loves about these different experiences. As he describes it, different styles carry their own “rhythmic coding of tension and release”, and drawing inspiration from this leads to new musical outcomes that hints towards all of these styles while still sounding distinct from any one of them.

This release also marks Joseph’s first major recorded document on the nylon string acoustic guitar, an instrument with which he had already formed an intimate relationship while studying and playing Flamenco music in Spain.

“I found myself on the guitar during lockdown. It was a safe compositional space where I could create something hovering above all these styles that I had learned on the drums that felt like they had so much weight attached to them. There was no immediate outcome attached to it, it was just a process of “can I find a melody or a chord which matches what I’m feeling right now?” And then I thought “maybe I should record this, just so I don’t forget it”, and day by day things got joined together.”

As these demos became longer and more complex, a process unfolded organically where Batrouney found more and more connections between his extensive percussive history and his relatively new-found guitar songwriting practice. This unique combination gives At Hand its distinctive sound: kaleidoscopic rhythms that ebb and flow, with luscious expressive guitar melodies. Intermittent splashes of colour come from saxophonist Flora Carbo and trumpet player Niran Dasika, two fellow Naarm-based prolific and forward thinking musical voices, while Jacques Emery’s bass supports and provokes the guitar.

This is precisely the kind of release that embodies the purpose of PEOPLE SOUND as a label: a deeply thoughtful musician, having accumulated a variety of musical experiences over time, crafts a personal and idiosyncratic expression of their musical spirit.
To be shared and enjoyed with the deep listeners in your life.