Over the past decade Mythos has produced a series of best-selling recordings featuring their unique fusion of classical music, jazz, pop, electronic, ambient, and musical influences from around the world.
Written and performed by pianist Bob D’Eith and guitarist Paul Schmidt with contributions from some of Canada’s most outstanding musicians, the music Mythos makes is hauntingly beautiful and otherworldly.
Purity is the Vancouver-based duo’s latest CD release, and it continues D’Eith and Schmidt’s unique musical fusion. Veteran jazz bassist Rene Worst teams-up with world beat percussionist Pepe Danza to ground Mythos’s seductive melodies with sensuous, juicy rhythms. Another Vancouver-based jazz stalwart, vocalist Jennifer Scott contributes ethereal, soaring vocals to the evocative mix, and violinist Cameron Wilson and cellist Finn Manniche add hypnotic string embellishment to this edition of the band’s singular sound. At the heart of the richly textured soundscape are Bob D’Eith’s piano and keyboards and Paul Schmidt’s guitar. There is a confidence and maturity in their playing that gives the music on Purity room to breathe.
D’Eith studied Toronto Conservatory and jazz piano and Schmidt studied classical guitar at the University of British Columbia’s School of Music. Both musicians demonstrate flawless technique on their instruments, but the most outstanding musical gift on Purity is the consistency and mastery of their compositions and arrangements. The eleven pieces of original music on the new recording have a subtle, flowing, cinematic quality. Alten Mara, Mythos’s marriage of a Wagnerian motif to a Bulgarian folk song is an inspired fusion of musical forms. Such adventurous, thoughtful combinations have been central to Mythos’s sound since the group’s founding in 1996 and their surprise ambient new age radio hit, November.
“The mid-90’s were the peak years for ambient music in the mainstream,†explains D’Eith. “Enja, B-Tribe, Enigma and other new age musicians were all getting radio airplay, and Robert Miles’ piano melody, Children, was a huge hit. Our tune, November, was one of our early songs, and it really defined Mythos. It got lots of radio play,†D’Eith continues, “and we were on the Billboard new age charts for ten years. Mythos, the compilation of our first four years of work includes November. It was released in 1998, and it’s still selling lots of recordings.â€
Mythos has sold over 100,000 recordings over the course of three previously released albums. Mythos, Reality of a Dreamer, and Eternity share a similar artistic focus with the recently released Purity. Each features Gil Bruvel’s surrealist, dream-like illustrations in the cover artwork, underlining the recordings’ singular sound and vision.
Mythos makes beautiful, otherworldly music, and Purity continues that tradition while showcasing the duo’s growth as instrumentalists, composers, and arrangers. The product of four years’ musical exploration, Purity is an engaging, thoughtful work that is ripe with eclectic influences. It’s a beauty.
Now available on Alula/Allegro Records USA and Pacific Music Marketing/Warner Canada.
- PJ Birosik - New Age Retailer
"Most impressive is how the album moves so smoothly through the differing styles. The first few songs are very lush and dark, the central songs influenced by Jennifer Scott's vocals, and as it winds down the only sounds to be heard are Paul Schmidt's classical guitar, barren and alone."
- Miss Hell - Music Reviews, Music Reviews, Music Reviews.
"The shadows cast by the web of life fall under scrutiny in this collaboration by two of the Western world's favorite instruments, guitar and piano. Aptly titled, this release could help clarify the meaning of "gothic" as a category. Pieces such as "Wind", "November" and "Clockwork" touch on themes of the soul through the routine of a dutiful mind."
NAPRA Review Â
"Hard to describe yet easy to fall in love with. The combination of rhythm and space is a total success in utilizing hypnotic dance grooves that churn beneath elegant melodies, all instantly familiar sounding. ... it keeps sounding better with each listen .."
- Heartbeats Preview
"Mythos combines a variety of styles and tempos all of which are refreshingly original. Fans of Deep Forest and Enigma may find themselves really enjoying this one."
- Hear's Music World Music In Review Â
"Call it Delirious, call it Enigmatic, but Mythos' ambient debut album, Introspection is more than background fluff. Although the album is predominantly derived from classical styles, Mythos draws on everything from jazz and flamenco to monkish chants to create a dense cross-section of melodies and rhythms. Unlike many other ambient albums that rely heavily on synthesized music, this one commands the listener's attention because of its predominantly acoustic instrumentation."
Jennifer Van Evra - The Vancover Courier.
