In the late 1990s, multi-instrumentalists Adam Burke and William Warren explored music from diverse cultures. Their journey led them to the mesmerizing world of lush organic sounds, exotic rhythms, melodic structures, and intoxicating dance routines of Middle Eastern music. The duo formed Desert Knights to compose and perform their original songs. Their sound blends traditional instruments like tablas, oud, baglama-saz, mandolin, dumbeks, karkabas, and frame drums with guitars and keyboards. In 1997, Desert Knights recorded their first and only album at Redstorm Productions in Phoenix, with Burke producing. Dedicating their self-titled release to “the belly dancers of America,” the group soon built a steady gig calendar, with their music quickly resonating with belly dancers who regularly performed to it. In 1998, they won the International Academy of Middle Eastern Dance Award for Best Music, cementing their influence on the scene. Desert Knights is now reaching new audiences through Fervor Records.