Curaçao

A 21-minute instrumental journey across the island of Curaçao in one continuous arc — six towns, from raw to celebration, from the Afro-Curaçaoan tambú of Westpunt's far-west cliffs to the carnival tumba of Otrobanda. No vocals; pure instrumental storytelling.

Each track is composed from the music of its place: the defiant tambú drumming of Westpunt, all barí, chapi and wiri over the kuarta's modal blues; the harvest seú of Sint Willibrordus, kachu cow-horn calling across Jan Kok salt-flats and pink flamingos; the eerie muzik di zumbi of Soto, the benta mouth-bow as nocturnal voice; the hand-cranked kaha di òrgel of Barber, the island's iconic mechanical street-organ whose pinned cylinder plays melody and harmony itself; the Creole-elegant salon dansa and waltz of Jan Gerard Palm at Punda's UNESCO-listed Handelskade waterfront; and the brass-led carnival tumba of Otrobanda, sending the island out on a road-march celebration.