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Making Sense of the Last 20
Years in New Music
by Lloyd Barde ©2000
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A new musical style has been developed and
defined over the past twenty years, and I believe that is long enough
to consider it to be a genuine category. Yet it remains arguably
nameless, controversial within the industry, and a mystery to even
the most avid listeners and music aficionados.
Music styles emerge as reflections of the culture
and lifestyles that are transitioning during that time. The
development of Jazz in the '30's and '40's portrayed changing values,
new found freedoms, creative expression, and the liberation of
musical forms that had previously been held in a tighter, more
structured way. During the '50's, jazz opened up even further in
different directions simultaneously with key artists like Miles,
Bird, Webster, Gillespie, Sanders, Kirk, Taylor, Hawkins, etc. Jazz
is a totally acknowledged category, in spite of the many different
types of jazz, and nobody debates its existence or acknowledgement.
Similarly, the spectacular breakout of rock music
and the revolution that accompanied it in the '50's again mirrored
the changing values, new found freedoms, creative expression, and the
liberation of musical forms that had previously been held in a
tighter, more structured way! As this style moved into the '60's, it
expanded and opened up even more musical vistas, as the British
invasion, blues-rock, psychedelic flower power, heavy metal and the
like permeated every cell of the culture. New composers, new
paradigms, new visions, and new sounds all joined together, often
playing off each other. They laid down the creative friction that fed
the fires of an exploding musical expression that served a
smorgasbord to a hungry audience and fueled the fast-rising industry
that thrived on it. Rock grew through its adolescence, survived the
growing pains of the '70's and '80's, and moved quite comfortably
through the erratic nineties fully armed with hip-hop, rap, pop,
electronica, alternative and an entire army of singer/songwriters
that, once again, ably reflected the life and times of the current
culture, complete with its own changing images and ideology. Many
types of music fall into this category, and the same can be said for
Country music or Folk Music as well as Blues, Reggae and any other
styles you might like to identify. Each has the
"traditionalists," the modern envelope-pushers, the
"copycats," and those who manage to combine the old and the
new in ways that might not have been done quite the same as before.
Why am I telling you all of this? Because I find
such an obvious parallel within the musical styles that I am citing above.
So here we are again, trying to introduce and
answer the question of just exactly what is this new music that I am
offering as a new category all to itself. Before we get to the
nomenclature, let's take a look at some of the diverse elements that
are all part of this intriguing recipe. How about solo pianos, Celtic
harps, tribal didgeridoos, guitars of all kinds, intricate electronic
weavings, drumming extravaganzas, sequencer-driven electronic music,
Native American flutes, chants and Pow Wow songs, World Beat,
Afro-Pop, South American, Far Eastern, Middle
Eastern and Near Eastern flavors,
singer/songwriters, chants, sacred choral traditions, Women's
Music, Electronica, Chill-Out
music, trip-hop sounds, Ambient Dub, Ambient Space, and just plain
Ambient -- whatever that is!
A Harmonious Convergence
As levels of consciousness began raising in
Western culture, at Esalen in Big Sur, at ashrams in the Northeast,
at communes in Tennessee, at ranches in Ojai, high in the mountain
canyons of Colorado and New Mexico, and at darshans in front of real
and would-be gurus coast to coast, an accompanying soundtrack of
complementary music was certainly required. For the most part, it was
quiet, acoustic, gently eastern, and very much on the mellow side.
Artists like Steven Halpern, Georgia Kelly, Michael Stearns,
Constance Demby and Iasos were creating music in the burgeoning Bay
Area and southern parts of California, each with very different
approaches and instrumentation. Will Ackerman and George Winston were
discovering new acoustic styles that would establish Windham Hill as
a new label with a new sound. Suzanne Ciani was building one of the
world's finest electronic music studios to support her work in the
corporate commercial industry before embarking on her own journey
into romantic electronic weavings. Across the Atlantic, Brian Eno, Tangerine
Dream, Jean Michel Jarre,
Vangelis, Klaus Schulze and others were taking their rock backgrounds
into electronic worlds with extensive use of synthesizers, pioneering
approaches to sampling, early signs of electronica and other ways of
employing new technology. The word ambient was coined in regard to
music, and experimental electronic textures were being called Space
Music for the first time on American radio shows across the nation.
Interestingly, this period of experimentation and discovery changed
direction and funneled back into the worlds of rock, techno and rap
music, as we know them today.
First there was the Rhythm
When this style of music began entering the
awareness of music listeners, in the late '70's and early eighties,
its ability to relax, soothe and open up space is generally what set
it apart. Then began the beat &ldots; as artists like Gabrielle Roth,
who used live drummers in her movement workshops, and Mickey Hart,
Grateful Dead member and drummer extraordinaire, first released
titles that featured steady drumming tracks. At the same time, Brent
Lewis, also from a rock background, was tying 22 chromatically tuned
drums together for some of the catchiest beats heard up to that
point, known as "Earth Tribe Rhythms," and Michael Shrieve,
famous for his stint as a teenager with Santana (remember the
"Woodstock" movie where he "made it rain"?!), was
joining forces with German legend Klaus Schulze for a release called
"Transfer Station Blue". Others like Barbara Borden, Glen
Velez (master of the frame drum) and the renowned Babatunde Olatunji,
who is credited for bringing drums to the western mainstream, have
each made significant contributions to this world of rhythmic music.
Now you can hear a wealth of rhythmic approaches across dance floors,
on the radio, and in stores or catalogs that sell this music, whereas
before the main emphasis was removing the drums, keeping a lid on the
activity, and slowing the music down to a safe comfort zone. The roof
has been blown off, and the beats are spreading!
Where in the World
Since this melting pot of styles and
cross-cultural influences comes from the four corners of the globe,
it is no surprise that many countries sport their own influential
musical signatures in this broad musical grouping. Many African
voices have been heard on labels like Real World, Narada, and even
Windham Hill lately, with names like Ayub Ogada, Samité, Remmy
Ongala, Henri Dikongue, Papa Wemba and Wes each providing
distinctively soothing and inspiring sounds. South
American groups like
Inti-Illimani, Inkuyo, Echoes of Incas and Sukay have, to varying
degrees, incorporated Western arrangements and structures into their
own breathy, rhythmic musical portraits. A German group called Cusco
has made a career out of sampling the Andean sounds and weaving them
into their catchy, commercial, contemporary sound. Traveling further
East, we find Jai Uttal, who has four releases on the Triloka label
that join Indian complexities with Western spirit, combining vocals
from India with Sanskrit mantras and chants supported by an ensemble
that is at home in free-form, odd signatures propelled by penetrating
rhythms and excellent instrumentation. From way down under in
Australia's outback we hear the music of Adam Plack aka Nomad. Like
Jai he combines the music of a particular culture with his
westernized interpretation, and sings through his own personal
expression. Nomad's two releases range from gritty, hard-driving
aboriginal chanting and traditional song form to songs sung in
English that could parallel those of Peter Gabriel or Steve Winwood.
Recently, local DJ legend Cheb I Sabbah has constructed an even
bigger melting pot by combining his "DJ Science" with
traditional vocals and instruments from India into a heady brew of
past meets future/East meets West, all from a deeply spiritual and
danceable angle. Kirby Shelstad incorporates his studies in Tibetan
Buddhism into his recent "Dewachen: Land of Bliss," a
seamless blending of Eastern vocalizing with western sensuality and
potent musical settings. The World Beat/World Music explosion of the
past few years has been well documented, with some pointing to Paul
Simon (re: "Graceland") and others to Peter Gabriel (re:
"Passion") as responsible for the mainstream feeding
frenzy. Ultimately it is a truly world-wide phenomenon, with many
groups reaching prominence, from Zap Mama to Afro-Celt Sound System
to Transglobal Underground. Each of these combines several cultural
influences with one foot firmly planted in today's modern
eclectic/electronica movement. The common ground is composed of
drums, instruments both traditional and modern, and voices that have
the ability to shake the very world we live in.
I Hear Voices
When this music first began to be noticed twenty
or so years ago, one thing that was apparent was that there were very
few vocalists in this primarily instrumental arena. An artist named
Sophia (who was then known as Sande Hershman) had a couple of tapes
of healing, celebration songs, Singh Kaur, from the Sikh community,
had a couple of mantra tapes, and Robert Gass was leading his group
On Wings of Song in some extended chant recordings. And a select
group of singers and songwriters were issuing various tapes, but they
were few and far between. In fact, industry-wise, it was difficult
for vocalists to find much receptivity in this growing area of music,
in spite of a certain amount of interest and relative success in
selling their tapes at concerts, events, etc.
Clannad was, at the time, a little-known group
from Ireland, but from that band came an album by the lead singer's
little sister, whose lengthy Gaelic name was shortened to Enya, and
the rest, as they say, is history. Enya's first couple CDs became
million sellers, and her beloved style of endless layering of
heavenly vocals on top of ultra lush orchestration was truly an
unbeatable blend. Her spectacular videos and series of releases has
established her as an icon in today's music world, and on a global
level. Shortly after, we all discovered a Canadian singer who was
refining her Celtic roots and attracting a devoted following. Her
name is Loreena McKennitt, and on her recent releases you can even
hear Moroccan influences, as she broadens her reach into more exotic
world music elements. She is also a world-wide success with critical
acclaim for each of her seven releases and enthusiastic praise heaped
on her live shows (recently captured as a new 2-CD set "Live in
Toronto & Paris"). Suddenly there are vocalists galore, from
South Africa's Miriam Stockley, whose voice is better known than her
name, from her work with the group Adiemus (in the Delta Airlines
commercials), to Patrick Bernhardt, another Canadian who is like a
"male Enya," to Sheila Chandra, who started a style called
Indi-Pop years ago and now has a string of releases for Gabriel's
Real World label. Celtic artists, such as Connie Dover and Maire
Brennan (Enya's big sister!) seem to be everywhere these days, and Native
American singers, like Joanne
Shenandoah or Walela (Rita Coolidge's group), are also becoming more
well known.
Now there are a number of well-known vocalists in
this music, such as Kirtana, Shawna Carol, Nada Shakti, Deva Premal
(whose 1998 recording "The Essence" is one of the defining
chant CDs), Kathy Zavada, Steve McDonald, Rachel Bagby, and groups
like Vas, Ceredwyn, Flesh & Bone and others. Worth special
mention are the two releases by East Bay artist Jennifer Berezan who
combines extended chant form with world music influences and a deep
spirituality that is extremely moving and transformative. Both
"She Carries Me" and "Returning" are absolute
must-haves in my opinion.
In any event, words and voices, as well as
wordless vocals, are now not only a welcome part of this music but an
integral one. Many artists choose to place the music in the
foreground in order to trigger listeners through their emotional
being so they can focus on the music and the images created rather
than anchoring to the words. At the same time, a lot of artists have
much to say, and the ways that the messages are framed within the
musical settings are fascinating to explore.
We all need more Space
One unmistakably identifiable category that has
come out of this musical development is Space
Music. And that does not
necessarily mean "Space Out" music! Historically, there are
similarities between some traditional or classical music and the
synthesized sounds that came from the first wave of experimental
electronic composers, and the spacious feeling that one could derive
is where they connect. "Space Music" now defines and
describes an entire sub-genre, as a listening experience that evokes
the feeling of space -- inner space (floating sensations, opening
doorways to internal experiences, stimulating the imagination); or
outer space (drifting through weightlessness, passing galaxies,
hearing imaginary sounds of space). Space Music can create or conjure
up 3-D sound images with psychoactive tone colors and evocative
associations of timeless experience. It is therefore ideal for
late-night stargazing, for focused meditation, for drifting off to
sleep, or for background atmosphere in settings such as counseling,
hospitals, treatment centers, retreat spaces, brainstorming rooms,
etc. While you might have heard music like this at the local
Planetarium, Space Music is experiencing a grass roots revival of
late, with many new Space Music composers joining the ranks of the
classic artists who paved the way twenty years ago. Originally there
was Michael Stearns ("Planetary Unfolding"), Jonn Serrie,
the primary Planetarium composer world-wide ("And the Stars Go
With You"), and Steve Roach ("Structures from
Silence"), and these three remain as the cornerstones of the
Space Music realm. Roach has become the leading artist in Space Music
these days, and he continues to pioneer new styles, blending multiple
sound worlds and experimenting with fractal/mandala/groove rhythms
that co-exist with deeply, probing space textures. David Parsons, who
lives in New Zealand, also has several releases of serious Space
Music that do a lot more than float. Robert Rich is a Bay area artist
who has examined many styles from the inside, including some ethnic
instrumentation and dark, somber musical ideas that remain inviting.
Jon Mark, who played with John Mayall and others in the British Rock
scene before discovering his own musical "voice", Constance
Demby, who coined the phrase "Sacred Space Music" and
Richard Burmer are three others with a catalog of titles that have
influenced a whole new generation after them. Today's crew of
promising composers includes Jeff Pearce, Liquid Mind (great name! --
actually the works of Chuck Wild who has experience with Michael
Jackson, Patrick O'Hearn & others), A Produce (another great name
-- the work of Barry Craig), Robert Carty, Biff Johnson, Meg Bowles
(one of the few woman artists in the Space genre) and Belgium's Vidna
Obmana. Any music with a generally slow, relaxing pace and
space-creating imagery or atmospherics may be considered Space Music,
without conventional rhythmic elements, while drawing from any number
of traditional, ethnic, or modern styles. And since we all need more
space&ldots; how about getting some?
What is Ambient Anyway?
Thanks mostly to Brian Eno, the term ambient was
used in reference to music as a result of his series which debuted
with "Music for Airports: Ambient Music 1" in the
mid-'70's. His intention was to create music that was as easily
ignorable as it was listenable. Rather than sonic wallpaper, it would
have the ability to sit comfortably in the background or be immersed
in deeply. The term was somewhat obscure but useful, and was somewhat
forgotten until it returned full-force in the mid-'90's -- only this
time with a very different meaning. Ambient had come to mean music
with a rhythmic or trance-like nature, using (generally) electronic
keyboards and/or Space Music melodies or themes. Notably, it is the
consistent combination of varying elements that provides a common
thread or theme throughout ambient music. Today's ambient music,
usually referred to as "Nu
Ambient" or "Ambient
Dub," means full of rhythms, for dance or trance, body movement
or mind relaxation mode, and often sounds floaty or
"groovy," with drop-out beats, tribal treats,
ethno-primitive elements, and textural and/or cyber-phonic music.
Curiously, the previous view or definition of ambient music suggested
no rhythm, carving backgrounds that were potentially fertile
foregrounds, a la Eno, Harold Budd, Roach, Stearns, or early
Tangerine Dream. (Nu) Ambient music grew into its own genre out of
the "chill-out" rooms that became a part of the rave scene,
a place to escape the pounding, throbbing techno beats (often in
excess of 160-180 beats per minute!), where DJ's mixed together
nature sounds, Space Music tracks, and tape loops or other sound
samples. As greater skill emerged in the molding of these sound
spaces, CDs were issued which were usually compilations, like
"Excursions in Ambience," "United States of
Ambience," "Ibiza Chill Out (reviewed this issue),"
"Feed Your Head," "One A.D. (Ambient Dub)," etc.
As we watch the ever-evolving growth and fast-rising acceptance, of
this genre, we often hear terms like "mutated," or
"deconstructed" - i.e. anti-categorization at best.
Do You Hear What I Hear?
If you have been able to follow along, you will
probably notice that I have refrained from naming this music. And I
am not going to! There are many types within this whole, and the sum
is equal to its parts. The appeal of a musical style, or grouping,
with a range from massage to dance, from shamanic to tribal, from
meditative to contemporary is across the board, and brings this music
completely alive and vital. And if you are hearing what I am hearing,
you are probably well into it already, Each "type" has its
own history, its own cornerstones and "hall of fame "artists
and titles. Each has crystallized and grown, achieving greater
artistry over time, and has become more recognizable in the
marketplace. A more far-reaching answer addresses the real challenge,
which is dictated by today's machines i.e. synthesizers, and how
their use and placement is balanced by humankind's ability to
interface with the machines. Man's inherent ability to adjust
artistic integrity in keeping with the times demands sensitivity to
the roots, the spirit of the music, the calling of past generations
and the need for continuing originality. More in this new hybrid
music than perhaps anywhere else is this challenge being met; that is
why people are responding so favorably to the combining of elements
-- rhythm'n'space, tribal and cross-cultural intermixes that open the
mind and move the body.
Lloyd Barde is the owner and founder of Backroads
Music, the Source for music since 1981. He produces and writes the
Heartbeats catalog, has written music reviews for Common Ground since
1993, and has fifteen years of experience as a radio show host. He
currently resides in Fairfax, CA with his 14-year old son Robin, and
is readily available to make music recommendations by contacting him
directly at Backroads Music. For a free Heartbeats
catalog, to reach Backroads, or
to visit our Marin County warehouse:
Call 415-924-4848, or
e-mail: mail@backroadsmusic.com
Web site address: http://www.backroadsmusic.com |
