By Kerry Adams

A word of warning - this show it loud!

I guess this is to be expected when you find yourself sitting only several rows away from a stage full of nearly every drum and percussion instrument you could image; all being enthusiastically played by some of New Zealand's most talented percussionists. Welcome to Elemental, the new show from Strike.By Kerry Adams

A word of warning - this show it loud!

I guess this is to be expected when you find yourself sitting only several rows away from a stage full of nearly every drum and percussion instrument you could image; all being enthusiastically played by some of New Zealand's most talented percussionists. Welcome to Elemental, the new show from Strike.Elemental is a collection of works reflecting composer's musings on our surroundings. The group takes you on a raindrops journey deep under a hydroelectric dam, batters you with seismic activity and the eruption of a volcano and sooths you with the sounds of nature - birdcalls and rippling rapids, counter pointed with the noise of man and machinery.

Over the course of the show, the Strike team utilise a diverse collection of percussive instruments, ranging from the more traditional drum and cymbal, gongs, the vibraphone and percussion, through to the more esoteric - a truck fender, suspended metal plates and what has been coined as a 'pyrophone' - essentially a tuned flamethrower.

There is no doubt that the group of four on stage are expert percussionists. The group seem as equally comfortable playing in the more familiar rock and jazz styles as they are playing the intricate polyrhythm of Balinese Gamelan music, the driving sounds of pacific island log drums, and the elaborate triplicate timing of Japanese compound beats.

To me, the parts that stood out were where the group turned their skills to creating new instruments - everyday items manipulated in such a manner that was both rhythmic and melodic at the same time. Lengths of galvanised pipe become a complex quartet percussion piece, suspended steel plates are pitch bended by their interaction with water, and tuned glass pipes (the pyrophones) provide a light show with surprising musicality.

The show is a non-stop ride for one and a half hours, and the group pace the dynamics very well. They will lull you into a sense of calm, with minimalist sound and delicate playing, then wake you up as the stage bursts into a cacophony of sound.

- until Saturday 26 July
Monday to Wednesday at 6.30 pm and Thursday to Saturday at 7.30 pm. Afternoon matinee at 3 pm Saturday 19 July.
Tickets: Can be purchased online or at Downstage's box office or phone at (04) 801 6946.

Kerry Adams is a Wellington based DJ and Producer and runs a pro-audio blog

17/07/08