When you close your eyes, music emanating from speakers takes on its full 3D form. Physical vibrations reach your muscles in invisible waves, aiding in relaxation. The laser arc of a new sound being introduced pierces your mind’s eye and opens visions; it is possible to recreate an entire scene, part imaginary, part from memory. An isolated ocean in a desert, palm trees swaying against an open horizon. Circuits producing not only the sound of wind, but the feel of it brushing up against your skin, the filling of a vast expanse of sky…
Above: A teaser from this episode’s live set by special guest ARP (aka Alexis Georgopoulos), who recently released his LP The Soft Wave on Norway’s Smalltown Supersound. Order it in the US here.
Join me, Arthur Vaultkeeper Daniel “Chambo” Chamberlin, this Sunday 5 December 2010 on KRTS Marfa, 93.5 FM for a fresh edition of “Inter-Dimensional Music.”
Listen for cosmic vibes from Dylan Ettinger, Atlas Sound, Michael Hoenig and Dolphins Into The Future, as well as other radiant jams perhaps best exemplified visually by the above image from the Bottomless Lakes outside of Roswell, New Mexico, a recent stop on my Thanksgiving tour of the riparian canyonlands, high altitude meadows and desert cenotes of the American Southwest.
“Inter-Dimensional Music” floats through the Far West Texas air at 93.5 FM from 9-11pm (CST), and is often available streaming live online at www.marfapublicradio.org.
Moonlight on Ranch Road 2810, aka Pinto Canyon Road (more at Into the Green)
Join me, Arthur Vaultkeeper Daniel “Chambo” Chamberlin, and deeply embedded Marfa boho David Hollander as we return this Sunday night with a fresh two hour broadcast of New Age, ritualistic drone and long-goner psychedelic vibrations. We’ll be transmitting from 9-11pm (CST) on KRTS Marfa, 93.5 FM if you happen to dwell on or around the Marfa Plateau of Far West Texas. Otherwise intercept the smoke signals from our wi-fires at marfapublicradio.org.
Scope the playlist from last week’s show after the jump. Continue reading →
To those not yet in the know, all the true heads check in at the Crystal Vibrations audioblog for the cream of the crop in Nuevo Age jammage. CV is Greg Davis‘ thing mostly, if we’re going on number of posts, and his thoroughness with regard to the history and cultural relevance of New Age music suggests that the man has curated a staggering collection of some of the most mundane sounds ever conceived. (Davis, if you don’t know, has been creating very pleasant albums of sorta tribal ambient electronic stuff since the early ’00s.)
Keeping that in mind, the truly hype shit when it comes to New Age tunes is outta this world, and stands out as even more of a treasure given the genre’s overarching treacly nature. A reclamation and a reappropriation of the blissfully soporific is in effect here, engineered by the aforementioned Davis, along with likeminded pals such as White Rainbow‘s Adam Forkner.
So yeah: We’re STOKED that he’s back with his first post since early April. Namely, to quote Davis, “a real soother” in the form of David Parsons’ 1980 album, Sounds of the Mothership. The awesome picture up top sums it up: The best possible version of “bidi-puffing white dude hanging out by a waterfall, getting mellow on the sitar” you can imagine. Plus the requisite Tangerine Dream-style warbling synth drones and occasional cricket chirp and birdsong. So chill.
Video of White Rainbow, ARP and Lichens’ improvisational accompaniment to Doug Aitken’s “Migration” Installation.
Adam Forkner, the guy behind maximum bliss-out drone project White Rainbow, has six different outlets by which enthusiasts of his inner space sounds can follow his activities. For those fans — such as your contributing editor — who were mostly oblivious to this WR media empire, Forkner has provided a digest update of his most recent activities on his old fashioned blog, or “Life Log.” Of particular interest:
• Upcoming shows with drone-happy lovebirds Windy & Carl take White Rainbow up and down the West Coast in late May 2009, with stops in Seattle, his home base of Portland, Big Sur and two shows here in Los Angeles. The Arthur Atwater office is raising its STOKED level to Red.
• Tracks for the next White Rainbow full length, New Clouds, have been delivered to the mastering dude, with a tentative September 2009 release date on Kranky.
• A WR collaborative EP with Stag Hare is due out “as soon as humanly possible” on Marriage Records.
• Stag Hare you ask? Stag Hare is a crunchy fellow from Utah, and his self-released album Black Medicine Music was the best ambient trail mix of 2008. Thanks to Forest Gospel for being the first to hip us to these nuts and berries desert ragas. Don’t sleep. Though its rustling drum pattering and Juniper-scented driftscapes may have pleasantly soporific effects.
• And new White Rainbow music is available RIGHT NOW and FOR FREE by way of audioblog Raven Sings The Blues, which posted its first compilation, RSTB Presents Vol. 1, back in mid-March. The comp also has top ranking earth psych and noisenik sounds from Wet Hair, Plastic Crimewave Sound, Sic Alps and more. Go get it here.
• Forkner is considering “qutting pizza” for his health. We feel you bro.
And that’s just the White Rainbow stuff. Click here to check out the full post with info on all of his doings.
We’ve been hungry for new White Rainbow jams for awhile now, so here’s a few other Forkner curated emanations that we discovered deep in the Gooogles …
Arthur Magazine 