Review Summary: Ambient Zen Musick
I place the headphones on top of my head and lay down on the wooden deck. Relaxing my eyes, the cotton plagued sky above me becomes filled with a haze. I'm made aware of the trickling water passing through the headset. Synthesizers ring, bringing forth the next addition to this obscure environment. There is a sensation of free flight, sheer weightlessness as I accept the new direction. I'm being lifted, rising directly upward into the night. I question if this is admissible, yet I know there's little I can do to alter my destination. Sequencers climb up and down, stretching past my face. It's apparent that the laws of gravity are no longer plausible in a place such as this. Guitar tapping can be heard in the distance but the sources of the strings remain unperceived. While auras of different colors fall to the surface, the noise begins to fade and my vision returns to the remote sky.
The resonance of a bell marks the induction of something immense. I can feel the energy circulating and I wait for what lies ahead. Strings of ambiance calm my thoughts and I am reminded of my existence. The tuning of the synthesizers is raised, and almost immediately I am conscious to the changes happening before my eyes. The loop repeats, yet visually it is pulsating and it emits intensity. Once more the sequencers come in waves. My body is radiating with euphoric inhabitants, and worries are any place but here. The synthesizers dance across the horizon, mere scatterings of energy. Alas they fade, and my passage arrives at close. I come in contact with the timbered surface and once more I am well acquainted with earth.
Note: In 1979 Steve Hillage released a highly influential album for the psychedelic and ambient genre. Modern day, his impact has been felt and he stands as one of the forefathers of ambient electronica. Rather than characterizing all of the instruments and effects used in his music, I decided to portray the experience and emotions felt while listening to "Rainbow Dome Musick" as a whole. Don't forget to listen for the glissando guitars in track one, they're beautiful.
