Manu Delago & Max ZT – ‘Deuce’ Review

What does Manu Delago & Max ZT sound like?

Handpan and hammered dulcimer, evolved.

The review of ‘Deuce’ by Manu Delago & Max ZT

The genesis of ‘Deuce’ comes from Manu Delago visiting a monastery in his home country of Austria. Inspired by its calming properties and being housed in the valley of the Austrian Alps, Manu was drawn to recreating that feeling of deep calm and inner peace. Max ZT, known for his hammered dulcimer work and incorporating different cultures and influences into his music, joined Manu Delago. The songs grew out of improvisation sessions, and by jamming together in such an impactful space, a respectful union of handpan and hammered dulcimer was born. When you hear the music play, it sounds like they support each other to stay calm and centred.

This largely quiet and meditative album starts with the gentle pitter-patter of ‘Draw’. A few tracks fall under the banner of uplifting, regenerative music, and this track is one of them. I hesitate to say it’s medicine music, but there are parallels between the two disciplines. ‘Draw’ feels like a cleansing pool to bathe in. Simple. Clean. A little skip in its step. Both instruments are gently jamming, and neither takes charge. There’s an innocence to it that paints the rest of the album’s tone with love. Speaking of love, ‘Love All’ basks in the softest of Max ZT’s hammer strikes. The opening section leads with effortless waterfall cascades of dulcimer notes that later vibrate closer to an oud or balalaika. The handpan keeps the base melody like an ancient tune passed over generations. At times, the handpan sounds more like a clay udu pot as it takes on a metallic slap, allowing Max ZT’s nuanced hammer work to ricochet beautifully around the dulcimer.

Keeping the Persian and Arabian flair, the curious inflexions of ’40/40′ are perfect. The hammered dulcimer takes the lead whilst the handpan takes on a percussive tone akin to a darabuka at times. Since both instruments are so percussive, it allows for bluesy jams with inherent swing to come and go like waves. The track gains pace and momentum when intricate motifs spawn, and the use of volume to sneak into spatial shadows is cleverly done. It’s a personal highlight, with an excellent string muting section.

‘Break’ takes the percussive nature of Manu Delago’s instruments further, bringing different mallets and brushes to create a drum machine out of the handpan. Manu has long worked with unusual percussive sounds (splashing water for Björk is one example), so hearing the handpan wear another instrument’s clothes is impressive. The track shines as a pensive moment of stealth tension. The sole negative I have as an overarching comment is that the album is recorded and mixed noticeably quietly. Whenever I play songs from ‘Deuce’ among other work, I have to crank the volume up a few notches. For ‘Break’, this oddly works in its favour as the cinematic percussion sound playfully devious. The curious approach is overtaken by the open joy and church bell-like celebration of ‘Inhale’. With both Manu Delago and Max ZT letting their performances ring out fresh like morning dew, the piece brings quiet inner peace. There is something innately devotional about it, and for me, I am reminded of Ayurvedic medicinal music from India and Nepal.

‘Rally’ is a sumptuous gallop of hands, slaps, and taps. Both artists sound like they have four hands, taking turns leading each other with fun motifs. It is a quiet virtuoso performance that you’ll return to repeatedly. Having listened to the album many times since its release, there is a quiet confidence throughout. Neither musican showboat. Instead, they co-create, and many of the intricate, technical parts of the songs are hidden in plain sight. ‘Rally’ is the exception, and it stands out as a joyous moment of musical celebration.

‘Sweetspot’ is tinged with warm romance from start to end. It carries on the galloping runs from ‘Rally’, but turns them into a reflective embrace through clever melodic chord progressions and a lot of zither-like dulcimer shimmers. Where the hammered dulcimer shines brightest there, ‘Pace’ on the flipside is all about the handpan first. Here, the handpan is put through its paces at different strike pressures. As the track evolves, Manu’s handpan becomes ever more bombastic and dynamic, twisting into a bulbous steel-drum sound at times. It’s a unique way to showcase the instrument’s dynamic range with a repetitive musical phrase. This leads to the closer, ‘Exhale’. The longest track on the album is also the most subdued and relaxed. If ever there were meditation music created as a hammered dulcimer and handpan duo, ‘Exhale’ would be the perfect template to create it from.

A beautiful, largely understated album from start to finish, this is one of those albums that quietly finds itself back on repeat without you knowing. The melodies constantly evolve. The performances feel alive and live in, and each strike feels powered by musical passion. It’s so hard to do a collaborative album without it feeling a bit like a grandstand showdown. ‘Deuce’ never falls for that trap, because each song feels earnest and connected to an emotional core. On a personal note, these are two of my three favourite musical instruments (piano completing the trio), so this collaboration was always pushing at an open door into my heart. Even still, I’m happier than a pig in the proverbial.

Recommended track: Inhale

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