The Omega Core - Massive Black (Earth Mantra, 2011)

01 - Maleficence Approaches 1:11
02 - They Look Back Upon the Burning 2:17
03 - Trepidation 5:13
04 - Artwork Forbade 4:04
05 - Pending the Morning Sun 3:42
06 - Four Billion Cubic Kilometres of Shining Papyrus 1:30
07 - The Sun Rises 2:15
08 - Clockwork Fascinates 1:48
09 - As it Began, I Looked to the Sky 4:31
10 - Entropy 4:57
11 - Unfathom 2:28
12 - The Greenhouse of Abject Horrors 1:43
13 - Modulation of the Last 4:48
14 - Eons Away, They Looked to the Stars 3:31
15 - Far 1:29

We have oft mentioned how much we enjoy meeting new folks and bringing their music to our listening audience. Today, we have the pleasure of welcoming Matt Shepherd of The Omega Core to our family of artists, with his fascinating release Massive Black.

We find it difficult to categorize this captivating album. Certainly much of the music could be labeled dark ambient, replete with foreboding abstract sound sculpture and baleful waves of texture crashing all around. But much more lurks in this album than darkness, including movements of beautiful melody and radiant light. Somehow Matt found a way to blend all of these disparate elements into a cohesive whole that hangs together in a truly hypnotic fashion.

For this reason, we think that Massive Black will speak to lovers of many schools of ambient thought. Those who seek epic scope and haunting vistas will find much to love here. But likewise, those who eschew the darkness and instead crave concrete musical elements, even melody, will find parts of this album deeply satisfying. For our part, we find this fusion of ambient styles to be a novel and holistic form unto itself, a clever combination of pieces that yields a unity that stands firmly on its own, a whole whose value exceeds the sum of its parts. Truly well done.

Matt himself describes the album thus: "Being a fan of drone, and huge, dreamy soundscapes, I thought I'd have a bash at creating my own. I wanted to make something that would make my spine tingle, even after listening to it countless times during the 'inspiration' sessions. Massive Black isn't exactly that, as it's rather more abstract than I would have ultimately wanted, but an entire album full of ear-bending symphonic ambient might get a bit tiring after a while. You need to have intervals of peace and WHAM, into the climax."

If this album weren't enough, Matt has released a great deal of other music directly through The Omega Core's web site, and we encourage our audience to not only grab Massive Black for your collections, but to investigate his other work as well. Earth Mantra is very happy to bring Massive Black to our listeners, and we certainly look forward to Matt's future releases, both via Earth Mantra and beyond. Highly recommended.
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Aairria - Katharsis (Earth Mantra, 2011)

01 - Imipramine 10:20
02 - Amoxapine 9:36
03 - A Waterclock, A Ball-Jointed Doll, A Broken Piano 47:54

After a long time away, ambient prodigy Marcin Drabot returns to Earth Mantra with another collection of fathomless textural music, this time a trio of captivating pieces from his Aairria project called Katharsis.

We will confess from the outset that our admiration for Drabot's music extends very far and very deep. We consider him nothing less than one of the premier ambient artists active today, having created several pieces that we would call classics, essential listening for anyone who claims to love this genre. Needless to say, when Marcin gave us the opportunity to release another album by him, we literally jumped at the chance.

And what a release we have in store for our listeners. Perhaps unlike the artist's excellent 2007 Earth Mantra release Nasti, the music of Katharsis covers a surprisingly broad swath of the ambient landscape, at times dark and mildly foreboding, other times mellow and contemplative, and still other times textural and abstract. Our amazement at Marcin's mastery of so many ambient forms never ceases, and we think Katharsis makes a particularly apt introduction to his music for those who are unfamiliar, as well as a singularly welcome addition to his catalogue for those who have long enjoyed his work. Remarkably well done.

In fact, though we may never cherish anything Marcin produces as much as his magnum opus Inside My Room, Watching The Rain, a release that we consider to be the penultimate ambient composition ever made by anyone anywhere. we find the music of Katharsis to stand up very strongly against even this towering standard. Such a lovely collection of colors, mingled together so tastefully, that we have to say this is one of the best releases Marcin has ever produced. The compositions are especially well crafted, and complement each other aesthetically on multiple levels. This is the kind of music that suspends time, the sort of experience that speaks to a deeper consciousness well below the surface, something that you will want to hear again and again.

So it is with great pleasure that we announce the second release by Aairria on Earth Mantra, the brilliant and evocative Katharsis. It has been much too long since the last time Marcin Drabot has shared his music with our audience, and we hope that it will not be nearly so long until we again have the privilege. Highly, highly recommended.
Earth Mantra

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Lucette Bourdin and Phillip Wilkerson - Coast to Coast (Earth Mantra, 2011)

1 Sojourners in Transit
2 Miles to Go
3 Dream Berth
4 Vales and Shadows
5 Part Memory, Part Distance
6 Destination: Daystar

The ambient music genre possesses many strengths, among them the willingness of so many artists to collaborate together, blending their oftentimes different styles and creating whole new directions and perspectives that had never existed before. One of the many pleasures of running a netlabel is being in a position to introduce artists to each other, to encourage a sense of community amongst them, and of course, to release the fruits of such teamwork to the world.

Today, we celebrate the release of another such collaboration, this time a brilliant new work by two of the most talented musicians active today: Phillip Wilkerson and Lucette Bourdin. We confess that the mere thought of these two ambient powerhouses working together on new music had us quivering with anticipation and lofty expectations -- imagine the possibilities that could come of such a duo! Well, folks, we are very happy to report that Lucette and Phil not only cleared the bar, but vaulted clean past it into the stratosphere. Wow, what an album this is.

Their new release, entitled Coast to Coast, contains a broad variety of lush and exotic electronic ambient music. Pieces with sleek and semi-rhythmic tapestries evolve dramatically into intense dynamic textural passages, and then recede again into exquisite lightness and repose. The depth and breadth of the kinds of music that these two artists have created here simply astonishes us. The music hits on all cylinders; immediately approachable, fascinatingly diverse, evocative enough for profound contemplation, and composed beautifully. This is the kind of album that listeners will want to hear again and again, just to make out all the new details that can be heard on each successive listen. Just an amazing piece of art.

So we are deeply honored and very excited to bring to our listeners Coast to Coast, the first collaboration between Lucette Bourdin and Phillip Wilkerson. Surely among the best releases of 2011 so far, and one we strongly recommend to all of our listeners.
Earth Mantra

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:sinclair: - 0306 (Earth Mantra, 2011)

Disc 1 - 64:43

01 - Style (8:13, 19.2 MB)
02 - Untitled (6:18, 14.8 MB)
03 - Stalker (9:58, 23.3 MB)
04 - Khomuz (9:49, 23.0 MB)
05 - Linearstone (10:46, 25.2 MB)
06 - Plain (10:08, 23.7 MB)
07 - Reverie (9:31, 22.3 MB)

Disc 2 - 55:31

01 - Didge (8:56, 20.9 MB)
02 - Mantra (7:33, 17.7 MB)
03 - Insurrection (7:48, 18.2 MB)
04 - Tibet (11:00, 25.8 MB)
05 - Water (8:28, 19.8 MB)
06 - Ritus (11:46, 27.5 MB)

Ronny Jung triumphantly returns to Earth Mantra, this time with a truly enigmatic new release from his :sinclair: project called 0306.

Ronny's 2010 :retreat: release Lordes blew us away with its minimal approach to ambience, and with its understated and tasteful sound design. Though the project name has changed, these qualities remain firmly in place in 0306. Indeed, this album contains an immensity of scope and thought that we simply find striking.

Like all of Ronny's music, 0306 studies the very essence of ambient music, the abstract and hypnotic drone that forms the foundation to all meditation and, some might argue, to all consciousness. 0306 indeed plumbs the depths of drone and texture, but feels somehow more active than Ronny's previous work, with slightly more structure and identifiable repeating motifs. Additionally, Ronny embraces tone more so in 0306 than in Lordes, though of a very slow and patient sort. The result mesmerizes the listener thoroughly but adds a keen compositional edge that we find particularly satisfying.

But make no mistake: this music is fathomless, a textbook example of pure undiluted ambience. The listener who dares to experience the two full discs of music end to end will embark on a journey of spiraling contemplation, occasionally achieving states of quiet mind, but also encountering dark and somewhat melancholy places that border on the eerie. This is music that would serve just as well for mood alteration as it would for an art installation, or even as the soundtrack to a deeply psychological suspense film. Exquisite textural ambience with a strange and haunting beauty, from an artist clearly at the peak of his powers.

So we proudly unveil 0306, the sophomore Earth Mantra release by Ronny Jung. An album we strongly recommend to anyone who loves their ambient music detailed, dark, textural, and droney. We hope to hear much more from Ronny in the future.
Earth Mantra

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Rigel Orionis - Variations on Sonic Integrity (Earth Mantra, 2011)

Disc 1 - 66:00

01 - Variation One (14:05, 33.0 MB)
02 - Variation Two (12:02, 28.2 MB)
03 - Variation Three (11:25, 26.7 MB)
04 - Variation Four (11:30, 26.9 MB)
05 - Variation Five (7:19, 17.1 MB)
06 - Variation Six (9:39, 22.6 MB)

Disc 2 - 65:00

07 - Variation Seven (10:47, 25.2 MB)
08 - Variation Eight (3:44, 8.7 MB)
09 - Variation Nine (4:54, 11.4 MB)
10 - Variation Ten (7:04, 16.5 MB)
11 - Variation Eleven (11:10, 26.2 MB)
12 - Variation Twelve (27:21, 64.1 MB)


With our second release of 2011, Earth Mantra has a very special treat for our listeners - and one with a particular significance for everyone who loves electronic music. It is our very great privilege to be able to bring our listeners a new album by none other than Jim Brenholts, aka Rigel Orionis, entitled Variations on Sonic Integrity.

For those who didn't know Jim, allow us to share a little of his story. He never would have let anyone get away with calling him one, but Jim clearly was nothing less than a luminary of the ambient world. Well known and regarded for his incisive reviews and commentary, Jim also developed quite a talent at ambient composition, releasing a variety of albums over the years, both solo and in collaboration. Unfortunately, Jim passed away in 2009, leaving us only with memories and his indelible imprint upon this art form we call electronic music. Fortunately for us, however, he also had completed quite a number of unreleased works, including the mysterious and inspiring album that we proudly present to you today.

And what a release it is. This two-disc bonanza of textural abstract ambient goodness contains twelve variations on a theme, all reinterpretations of a base motif that Jim composed, recomposed, deconstructed, and reconstructed into a variety of drones and sonic journeys. As always with Jim's work, the music demands as much of the listener as it did of its composer, challenging people to not just passively enjoy the music but to actively participate in the experience, to sit up and pay attention lest something important sneak by unobserved. This is not ear candy, folks; this is mind music.

Maybe the best word to use when describing this release is "intense". All of Jim's music seethes with an enigmatic energy, containing an invisible reservoir of power around which the air seems to crackle and shimmer. And Variations on Sonic Integrity certainly has an almost fundamental magnetism to it, as if somehow Jim bottled up the forces of nature into twelve recordings and captured them in stasis for the rest of us to hear. A remarkable piece of sound sculpture, by a remarkable man.

So it is with great pleasure that we unveil Variations on Sonic Integrity. Dark ambient music that we feel is certain to send a chill down your spine and put a smile on your face. We at Earth Mantra miss Jim, and feel very honored to be able to bring his music to our audience.
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Somnarium - Frost (Earth Mantra, 2011)

01 Polar Night
02 Nimrod
03 Ice
04 The Cape
05 Midwinter

We at Earth Mantra have long been fans of the enigmatic ambient music of Michael Meara. So you can imagine our delight at the prospect of releasing something by this superb artist, a prospect now a reality with our latest release: an album by Michael's Somnarium project called Frost.

And what a lovely album we have in store for our listeners, a collection of gorgeous ambient pieces falling somewhere in between the realms of light ambience and ambient drone, with an enchanting orchestral flavor and expertly arranged layers of synthesizers, lap steel guitar, processed piano, electric guitar, manipulated vocals, and radio signals. Spanning a full seventy minutes of audio, with two tracks nearly twenty minutes apiece, this is indeed a deep dive into the mesmerizing sound worlds of Somnarium.

Motivated by a fascination with arctic vastness and the impact such extreme environments can have on the human psyche, Michael's original inspiration for Frost drew from accounts of polar expeditions conducted in the early twentieth century. Thematically, the music certainly evokes the scope and distance of such vistas, but we have to confess that we hear little coldness when we listen to Frost. In fact, we might describe this music as uplifting, or even heart warming, almost the antithesis of the stated interpretation. But perhaps this is where Meara's singular genius shines forth the most, his ability to blend two opposites into a whole that somehow exceeds the sum of its parts. No matter what the interpretation, however, the music speaks for itself.

The compositional strength and instrumentation in Frost simply blows us away. Michael aimed from the outset to utilize "a more orchestral based approach", and indeed he has created a distinctive fusion of electronic and symphonic instruments that coalesce perfectly, with voicings that delicately pull on the strings of the emotions without going over the top, and with a sound design that can only be described as beautiful. A truly masterful achievement.

So with great pleasure we unveil the twenty-fourth album by Michael Meara, the resplendent and inspiring Somnarium album Frost. May it be just the first of many Earth Mantra releases by this gifted artist. Highly, highly recommended.
Earth Mantra

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Christian Doil - Wasser (Earth Mantra, 2010)

Disc 1
01 Dropnotic
02 Dunkles Fluid
03 Fluss der Unendlichkeit
04 Hydrofeel
05 Hypnotischer Regen
06 Liquidation

Disc 2
01 Ozean
02 Regentropfen
03 Strudel
04 Tropfsteinhoehle
05 Watering Meditation

Ambient architect Christian Doil returns to Earth Mantra, this time with a double album of deeply expressive abstraction called Wasser. This starkly beautiful collection transports the listener to a universe of moisture, a detailed study of the effect of aqua upon the world, and not so coincidentally, upon our ears.

Christian has demonstrated repeatedly his exceptional talent for finding the music inside otherwise unremarkable everyday sounds. His previous Earth Mantra release Metall examined the sounds of metal, transforming them into abstract ambience of bewitching elegance. With Wasser, he performs a similar act of sonic alchemy, this time commuting the drips and drops of water into enigmatic and organic music that teases the senses and dances at the fringe of our periphery.

As Christian describes it: "I wanted to create a mental gate for traveling through water, one of the archetypes of elements. Water sounds work like a meditation; maybe our brain identifies the frequency of the water as part of us." Indeed, to the listener, this music feels quite natural and unobtrusive, a familiar and perhaps essential backdrop that soothes even as it fades into the background. Perfect music for meditation, or simply for providing a calming setting for daily life.

As usual, Christian's method of recording is almost as interesting as the music itself. In the case of Wasser, his process was to organize different objects in his bathroom, like glasses, flower pots, plastic bags, and of course the shower itself, as well as to make field recordings of raindrops on his windows. Utilizing this configuration, he produced and recorded a variety of sounds, afterward editing and modifying them into completed aural collages. The resulting music mystifies and entices, loosening the strictures of the mind and allowing the subconscious to emerge free. Old school ambience indeed, the kind of music that we love to listen to while sipping tea in front of the fire while watching the snow fall.

So with great pleasure we unveil Wasser, Christian Doil's latest abstract ambient masterpiece. Another striking album by a sound designer and ambient artist at the utter peak of his talents, and one that we hope leads to much much more from Christian in the future.
Earth Mantra

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Silvercord - Cronosleeps (Earth Mantra, 2010)

1 Delta
2 Phi
3 Omega
4 Infinity

Over the past few years, Earth Mantra has had the honor of re-releasing two classic albums by Geoff Nostrant of Silvercord. Today, we are privileged to bring our listeners a brand spanking new Silvercord album, with all new pieces never before heard and never before made available anywhere. And what a breathtaking treat we have in store.

Fans of Earth Mantra will know that we hold the music of Silvercord in very high esteem indeed, having praised it as some of the best ambient space music we have ever heard at any level. Happily, we can report that Cronosleeps not only lives up to Geoff's extraordinarily high standards, but brings a fresh new dimension to his rapturous musical point of view that elevates the bar even further.

Geoff Nostrant has always focused his art on the most uplifting and divine sounds imaginable, the kind of compositions that can unwind the most tense of people and seemingly trigger spontaneous out of body experiences, the kind of music one would expect to hear in heaven itself. In Cronosleeps, one can find plenty of celestial music and heavenly sound design, but there is much, much more here to enjoy. Between all of the enchantment and bliss, Geoff has layered broad stretches of subtle reflection, even some sections of somberness and introspection, employing some of the most effective use of dynamics that we have ever heard in ambient music. The compositional strength of this album is simply staggering.

Indeed, where previously Geoff's music always had a strong sense of romance and ecstasy, of sheer joy bursting forth and enveloping the listener, with Cronosleeps he focuses much more on contemplation, a perhaps more mature presentation of not only the happiest of feelings, but all of the emotional richness that makes us human, even the darker and more intense states of being. As a result, his work speaks more deeply and with greater authority than ever before, grabbing the listener firmly by the shoulders and demanding full attention to the astonishing music being shared. Simply put, this is a masterpiece, by any measure one can imagine.

We never would have thought it possible for Geoff Nostrant to exceed his previous work so completely, and yet with Cronosleeps such a conclusion is inescapable. Silvercord is surely one of the greatest ambient artists making music today, and we at Earth Mantra are exceptionally proud to be able to bring his music to our listeners. Certainly one of the top albums of 2010, and in our view, nothing less than music for the ages.
Earth Mantra

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Jack Hertz - Streaming Landscape (Earth Mantra, 2010)

1 Streaming Landscape

Earth Mantra enthusiastically announces a brand new album by an artist who has not previously released through our humble netlabel, this time a sleek live ambient performance by Jack Hertz called Streaming Landscape.

Any list of the coolest spots on the net for music fans would have to include electro-music.com, a community of artists and enthusiasts dedicated to the synthesizer and the vast world of sounds that such instruments yield. Among the many areas of interest on this site, electro-music regularly sponsors live festivals, both at physical venues as well as virtually over the net, where members and the general public congregate to enjoy each other's company, learn about new music technologies, and ultimately, to listen to great electronic music. One such virtual festival occurred in late September 2010, the Electro-Music Autumnal Equinox streaming concert, which presented literally dozens of performances by various artists over more than twenty-four hours. One particularly delicious set during this event was by Jack Hertz, the recording of which has now been released as Streaming Landscape.

Jack performed this music on five Native Instruments FM8 soft synthesizers and the Yamaha FS1R hardware synthesizer, with guitar loops contributed by Marc Moore, Kevin Haller and Jon Johnson. The performance is a continuation of Jack's "Freq Mod" (frequency modulation) project that comprises six FM synthesizers working together to create all the sounds, patterns and beats. In this environment, Jack leverages the great flexibility of FM synthesis to create a vast and unique palette of sounds that he can manipulate harmonically in real time. The Freq Mod sets are entirely live and improvised with all of the sounds and structures created in real time during the performance.

Musically, we feel this set is nothing less than a masterwork. Despite their digital source, the sounds bubble and dance warmly, the kind of electronic music that crosses over between the worlds of ambience and straight-up electronica, with enough elements of both to make fans of both worlds sit up and take notice. The clarity of the sounds simply blows us away. We have not had the pleasure of seeing Jack perform live in person, but we certainly will not pass up such an opportunity in the future if one presents itself. We have heard a lot of live ambient music, and this performance certainly stands tall amongst the best we have ever heard. Brilliant work.

So it is with great pleasure that we welcome Jack Hertz to the Earth Mantra family of artists and present his live ambient tour de force Streaming Landscape. A glorious live performance by an electronic artist in a serious zone, and one we think all of our listeners will enjoy immensely.
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Darren Harper - Whispers (Earth Mantra, 2010)

1 Lattice
2 Carve
3 Brush
4 Autumn Droning
5 Static Lull

As winter descends at last upon the northern hemisphere, we at Earth Mantra don our soft flannel pajamas, curl up in a big comfortable blanket, fill our cup with piping hot tea, and ease ourselves back in our listening chair for another season of delightful ambience. Our favorite time of year is the cold months, when the winds outside blow fierce from the arctic north, but inside we relax snug and warm, the perfect setting for ambient music. And amid this setting, along comes the newest release from Darren Harper, called Whispers. Shorter than his usual fare, clocking in at only forty two minutes and change, this release nonetheless perfectly mirrors our love for the winter, a wondrous sound track for contemplation as the temperature falls.

Darren describes the release as a collection of "transition pieces", which still carry a bit of summery warmth but with anticipation of autumn's chill. He reports that as he composed the pieces in September of 2010, the scenery where he lives in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains changed quickly, from mild warmth to sudden snow, something Darren lovingly interpreted in this music as "whispers of a changing season". Indeed, the sense of enigma and change can be found everywhere in these pieces, echoing the passage of time and the winter transformation of the natural world.

Musically, these pieces could be described as lighter drones, with chimes, suspended synths, piano, and acoustic guitar, but really we would simply call them sublime. The sounds drift soothingly along, like leaves blowing quietly in the wind, with a constant sense of direction but imposing no requirement on the listener to ascribe any purpose at all to the music other than repose. Ambient music comes in a lot of forms, but one of our favorites is the pure undiluted kind, the ambience that just 'is', in a very present and zen-like sort of way. We consider Whispers a nearly perfect example of such a creation, the kind of music that becomes a constant companion for those quiet times as the skies grow dark and heavy with snow.

So with great pleasure we unveil the latest release by Darren Harper, an album of great beauty and profound depth. This is a release that we are very proud to bring to our listeners on Earth Mantra, and one that leaves us hoping for much more from Darren in the future.
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Shane Morris & Dan Minoza - The Ritual Space (Earth Mantra, 2010)

1 Ritual Observances
2 Chandrakantha

In July of 2010, we were privileged to be part of an intimate electronic music gathering held in Kansas City in the USA. Called the 2010 Kansas City Regional Electro-Music Festival, this event attracted ambient and electronic artists from all around the United States, who met for a few brief days to share music and art, collaboration and camaraderie.

Amongst the live performances, demos, and lectures put on by the various participants, two ambient artists who had never played together before presented a multi-hour ambient performance of great depth and beauty. Shane Morris and Dan Minoza were those two artists, and this beautiful album, entitled The Ritual Space, is a gorgeous excerpt from that singular live concert.

Only the fact that we were in the audience during this performance makes it easy for us to accept that this recording is live, uncut, and improvised in real time with no overdubs or edits by two artists who had never before made a single note of music together. What you hear in this recording is exactly what the audience heard that day. Indeed, the music of this album calls to the listener in a way that few ambient pieces can, inviting the hearer to fully participate and immerse themselves in the sonic space that the artists have so lovingly crafted. Our belief is that this recording would stand tall amongst nearly any collection of studio pieces, but as a live performance we are simply blown away.

So many facets of this music deserve comment, but we will point out just a few of the highlights that we found so irresistible. Firstly, we found Dan's use of the extended-range Warr guitar to be revelatory. He plays the instrument with a remarkably deft and gentle touch, and his processing of the sounds carried us softly as if on a cloud. Shane's tasteful keyboard work complemented Dan's guitar masterfully, but we particularly enjoyed his use of percussion and bowed gong to create otherworldly sound textures. Shane is a multi-instrumentalist in the truest sense of the word, and it was quite inspiring to see his performance in the flesh. Finally, we must add that during their performance, a light thunderstorm developed right over the performance venue. Snug and warm inside, the audience was treated to both the exquisite music of this talented duo as well as the music of nature falling upon the roof of the indoor venue. We cannot imagine a more apt setting for such magnificent music, an experience we will treasure always.

So it is our profound honor to present to you The Ritual Space, the live concert by Dan Minoza and Shane Morris. We hope to hear much more from these two masters of the ambient form again in the future.
Earth Mantra

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Janne Hanhisuanto - Water Stories (Earth Mantra, 2010)

01 Rain Song 2:48
02 Fog at the Sea 9:35
03 Rusted Barrel by the Sea 9:57
04 This River 7:02
05 Waterology 2:51
06 Deep Blue 10:44
07 Standing Wave 6:05
08 Raindrops 1:43

We live in a wonderful time.

Sometimes the bad things that happen in this world and the pain and suffering of so many overshadow the good things that we do have. One of those good things is the music that we can now so freely share and enjoy, music of exceptional quality and enduring artistic value. Never before have so many been able to create and never before has an artist's work been so widely distributed, even to an audience dispersed around the entire planet. With this in mind, we proudly unveil Water Stories, the latest release by Finnish ambient maestro Janne Hanhisuanto, an outstanding contribution to this rising tide of artistic freedom that has touched us all.

Janne's debut Earth Mantra release, Icescapes, was critically acclaimed and very well received, and deservedly so. Janne's skill at crafting sublimely beautiful and mature ambient space music cannot be questioned. But with Water Stories, we feel he has upped the ante yet again, for in our opinion this album is simply a staggering accomplishment.

As with his previous work, the music of Water Stories exists somewhere in the crossover realm between ambient music, space music, and mellow new age, taking the best elements of each and fusing them into something altogether refreshing. Perhaps more introspective and slightly melancholy than his previous work, this music nonetheless possesses an almost aching elegance and wistful emotional appeal. While listening, we repeatedly found ourselves with goose bumps, drawn into the narrative of the album, into the water stories being told, immersed totally in the sound stage and sonic world that Janne has created. Anyone who is a fan of space music, light ambience, new age, or even symphonic music will likely find plenty to love about this stunning and delicate release.

Thematically, Janne presents a collection of tone poems inspired by water, and indeed his sound design and use of field recordings present this point of view well. We would encourage listeners to free their minds of concrete interpretations, however, as they listen to Water Stories, and instead let the magnificence flow through them unobstructed, like water through the sieve of the consciousness, and let the mind wander freely while the music plays. We would assert that this music is almost cinematic in nature, and would fit as the soundtrack to almost any story of importance. To us, this is the mark of a supreme artistic achievement, one where the listener can adapt the work to fit seamlessly into their own lives, to render a meaning as distinctively personal as each individual who listens. And Janne has achieved this in spades.

...
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