Born out of a studio tucked away in the forests of a mountain near Vancouver during the isolating days of lockdown, The Beatroot Road is not your average music project. Helmed by Mark Russell and Hazel Fairbairn, this evolving series of releases resists categorization and celebrates a deeply human sound shaped by decades of experience and a wide network of international collaborators.
At the heart of the project is rhythm—rooted in tradition but unshackled from convention. Drawing on influences as diverse as Celtic fiddling, Caribbean grooves, African percussion, and electronic experimentation, each track from The Beatroot Road is a patchwork of styles and textures. There’s an intentional clash of “wrong instruments” and “wrong styles” that, paradoxically, often lands with purpose and cohesion.
The latest release, “Confusion Inland,” marks the final single before the anticipated 2025 album Humanimal. Written by the late Demmy James and composed by Russell, the song is both abstract and emotionally resonant. It explores grief without dictating emotion, using impressionistic lyrics and a lush soundscape that includes a samba band sample, violin effects, and a tuned cranial bone saw—elements that might seem discordant on paper but blend surprisingly well in context. Vocal performances by Maddie Session and Ramy Zhang add an expressive, soulful layer to the piece, supported by a deft rhythm section and a haunting piano solo by Stuart Atkins.
Fairbairn’s sonic fingerprints are all over the track, from her fiddling to the atmospheric textures that lend the song its otherworldly quality. Together with Russell’s layered percussion and instrumental versatility, they craft an experience that feels both global and deeply personal.
This is music made for the joy of creation, not for chart placement. That ethos is apparent not only in the project’s structure—new songs released every six weeks leading up to a full album—but also in its refusal to conform to any one scene or genre. It’s described, perhaps most aptly, as “music for dancing,” though listeners may just as easily find themselves pausing to absorb its intricacies.
While The Beatroot Road might not be for every listener—particularly those seeking conventional song structures or clear stylistic labels—it offers something increasingly rare: a genuine curiosity and openness. With collaborators spanning continents and cultures, the project reflects a modern, multicultural reality, all while sounding like a musical time capsule from the future.
In an age of algorithm-driven sameness, The Beatroot Road is a reminder of what music can be when it’s allowed to wander.
Nadia Elkharadly
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