February 2018 playlists for our weekly one-hour themed broadcasts.
Byron Metcalf is a master world-percussionist whose music I’ve enjoyed immensely for many years. On They Were Here, he teams up with fellow shamanic practitioner and vocalist, Jennifer Grais, with whom Byron first recorded and performed, in collaboration with Steve Roach on his 2004 album Fever Dreams II. Comprised of seven compositions spanning a little over an hour, They Were Here explores the bonds that have long existed between horses and humans – paying musical homage “to the eternal spirit and mystical healing abilities of these treasured (but quickly disappearing) icons”. Like the very nature of these beautiful creatures that inspired it, the album’s musical essence is elegant, mysterious and powerful – as fervent trance-shamanic drumming melds with atmospheric textures and the often-sound of horses running wild. Jennifer’s resounding voice possesses a gothic-tribal quality that's stylistically similar to Lisa Gerrard – with her expressively soulful wordless singing and seemingly extempore ecstatic chanting serving as the perfect complement to these deeply immersive, organic-electronic soundscapes.
On Wednesday, January 31st, we’ll be simultaneously treated to a Supermoon, Blue Moon and Total Blood Moon Eclipse! So naturally of course, what better music to pair up with such a fascinating and rare celestial event that hasn’t occurred in 152 years than something primal, ominous and hypnotically otherworldly? Well I’ve got the perfect soundtrack to recommend for watching the event unfold!
Let There Be Light is the second collaborative release by multi-instrumentalist Tom Moore and international flutist Sherry Finzer. Continuing along the musical path of their phenomenal debut album entitled Whispers from Silence, the talented pair create sublime ethno-ambient passages on their fantastic follow-up release. Comprised of nine compositions spanning fifty-five minutes, Let There Be Light is a sonic exploration of nature’s most omnipresent element, as the duo weave electronic and organic instrumentation into a musical mandala of seemingly Zen-like mysticism and transcendent tranquility. Despite the album’s title, the pair elegantly contrast the light with shadow by blending in darker shades of mystery throughout – thereby imparting a perfectly balanced semblance of yin and yang.
2440 Millennial is the second volume of a project called Music Uniquely Yours by Texas-based composer Tony Clark and released under the project name of Renascence. Conceived with the intention of inviting the listener on a peaceful, relaxing journey, the album’s title was inspired by the Millennial generation – particularly one individual named Juha – to whom this album is dedicated. Composed on electronic keyboard and synthesizer, the approximately 40-minute album is comprised of four immersive soundscapes that traverse ambient, minimal and experimental space music terrain.
Gaia is the seventh album by Jon Richards and follow-up to his fantastic Earthlight album – both and others having been released on Medwyn Goodall’s UK-based record label, MG Music. Noted for his brand of electronic fantasy and nature themed music, Jon explores further musical ground with Gaia, interweaving styles of cinematic electronic, ambient and space music with added subtle touches of rock throughout its seven compositions, of which span just over an hour.
With 2017 soon wrapping up, here at JOURNEYSCAPES we look forward to bringing you more great music in 2018 in the form of our weekly one-hour broadcasts and 24/7 streaming station.
As some of you may have noticed, we've just revamped our website design and will continue making some minor tweaks and adjustments throughout the pages in the upcoming weeks. In addition, we're especially excited to announce the launch of a brand new weekly, one-hour radio broadcast and accompanying blog called AURAL AWAKENINGS.
eRa has released a new album on Decca Records entitled The 7th Sword. A musical project spearheaded by the French composer Eric Lévi, eRa blends Latin chants, Medieval-style phonetic choirs, English-sung lyrics and some world vocals with contemporary electronic and pop-rock arrangements. Their self-titled debut release in 1997 spawned a major hit on French radio called “Ameno”, propelling the accompanying album and subsequent releases to international success.
