OFFICIAL DBR NEWSLETTER - JANUARY 2007

DBR & DJ Scientific will perform the Canadian Premiere of Sonata for Violin and Turntables tonight, following the Austrailian Premiere last October. The Canadian and Australian press have recently published articles on the concerts (see below for details). Also this month, DBR & THE MISSION: SQ Unit and DJ Scientific head out on a national A Civil Rights Reader Tour, coming soon to a city near you.

[Vancouver, BC] January 11, 2007: DBR & DJ Scientific at the PuSh Festival DBR & DJ Scientific are heading North, and already people are talking. Thursday, January 11, 2006 at 8 pm PuSh Festival presents: Sonata for Violin and Turntables: Canadian Premiere Featuring DBR & DJ Scientific Chan Centre 6265 Crescent Road UBC, Vancouver BC, V6T 1Z1 Phone: 604.822.9197 Tickets: $34-$38, available online through Ticketmaster. Student discount tickets also available. Globeandmail.com says: Buzz: Daniel Bernard Roumain's musical collaboration with DJ Scientific solders funk, rock, hip-hop and classical styles into hybrid compositions that have New York audiences shouting (Roumain has a tendency to shout too -- onstage). Never mind genre-bending; this event promises to bend your ideas about the nature of music and performance. More info

[Jan-Feb 2007] DBR & THE MISSION: SQ Unit + DJ Scientific, A Civil Rights Reader National Tour A Civil Rights Reader is a collection of DBR’s string quartets (numbers 1-4), that serve as musical portraits of iconic figures from the civil rights era: Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr., Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. and Maya Angelou. The pieces are performed by DBR & THE MISSION’s own SQ UNIT with electronic soundscapes provided by DBR and DJ Scientific. The five-city tour starts later this month in Oklahoma City and will conclude with a Black History Month performance in Washington, D.C. Tour Dates: Wednesday, January 24, 2007 at 9:30am Douglass High School (Oklahoma City, OK) Friday, January 26, 2007 at 8:00pm Edison Theatre (St. Louis, MO) Friday, February 2, 2007 at 7:30pm KU: Lied Center of Kansas (Lawrence, KS) Tuesday, February 6, 2007 at 7:00pm Walton Arts Center (Fayetteville, AR) Friday, February 9, 2007 at 8:00pm The Library of Congress (Washington, DC) Download the tour press release More tour dates

The Australian reviews DBR's & DJ's Sceintific's Australian Premiere performance of Sonata for Violin and Turntables "DJ Scientific’s impressive beatboxing notwithstanding, DBR was the star attraction. With styling reminiscent of Terence Trent d’Arby and Lenny Kravitz, DBR combines a rock-star persona with a musical approach that does for amplified violin what Jimi Hendrix did for electric guitar." Read more...

Washington University Press publishes an overview of the Civil Rights Reader Tour "Dedicated to creating socially and politically conscious music, DBR blends funk, hip-hop and classical music to create a personal sonic vision that critics have described as revolutionary. Rich with cultural references, his works range from classical scores and energetic chamber works to rock songs and electronica. A Civil Rights Reader collects four of DBR's string quartets celebrating four iconic figures from the American Civil Rights Movement: Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., Adam Clayton Powell Jr. and Maya Angelou. Performers include DBR as bandleader and violinist as well as special guest DJ Scientific on turntables and laptop. The SQ Unit is comprised of Earl Maneein (violin), Jessie Reagen (cello), Matthew Szemela (violin) and Jon Weber (viola)." Read more...

The New York Times reviews DBR & The Lark String Quartet at Merkin Hall, NYC "Daniel Bernard Roumain had audience members clap in rhythm to convey the spirit of his String Quartet No. 5, “Rosa Parks.” The Lark Quartet reordered the movements, opening with the charged centerpiece, “I Made Up My Mind Not to Move.” The hushed, austere finale, “Isorhythmiclationistic,” was followed by “Klap Ur Handz,” the buoyant introductory movement, which was augmented by the percussionist Yousif Sheronick’s improvised accompaniment." Read more...

Pulsing available on iTunes ***** [5 stars] - Amazon.com review Got a glimpse of his music on the national news and ordered a cd rather spontaneously - certainly no regret there - this music is original and the range is from soothing to "pulsing". I'm glad I found this artist. ***** [5 stars] - CDBaby.com review Roumain's new disk, "pulsing" merges the exploration of pure sound with rich cultural references. It has its roots in the minimalism of the New York School, and the evolving history of black popular music. It unfolds abstract sound, and wraps it onto a rich musical tradition; a stunning package materializes. The violin performance of Filter is riveting. Pulsing is for sale at all of DBR's live concerts, as well as these online retailers: CD Baby.com Amazon.com iTunes Pulsing on iTunes

Klap Ur Handz: DBR's 5th String Quartet now available Lark Quartet has released a new CD "Klap Ur Handz" on Endeavor Records. The CD is titled after one of the movements from DBR's newly commissioned string quartet "Parks" (named after Rosa Parks). In this work, the players have to clap, a feature he says was inspired by hip-hop rhythms but dates back to Cro-Magnon man. "There's something really communal about that," he says. Buy Klap Ur Handz

Are you a friend? Find DBR & THE MISSION on myspace

Photo of DBR by Leslie Lyons.

DBR is managed and published by:
DBR Music Productions, LLC
Rika Iino
+1 917.421.5552
music@dbrmusic.com

DBR live concerts are booked by:
ICM Artists, Ltd
Nicole Borrelli
+1 212.556.5778
nborrelli@icmtalent.com

Publicity by:
AMT Public Relations, Inc.
April Thibeault
+1 212.861.0990
april@amtpublicrelations.com