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Jim Cole
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Ambient Visions' Focus on Innertones Jim Cole began
practicing harmonic overtone singing in 1991, initially inspired by the
Harmonic Choir's Hearing Solar Winds. He
founded Spectral Voices and then, intrigued by the reverberant cistern
recording of Pauline Oliveros' Deep Listening, they found home in an empty
water tower. In 1996 he received an
artist fellowship award from the Connecticut Commission on the Arts for work in
overtone singing, which supported the production and release of Spectral
Voices' debut CD Coalescence. Jim has
collaborated with Steve Roach, Mathias
Grassow, vidnaObmana, Alpha Wave Movement, Mike Hovancsek and Pointless
Orchestra, Kevin Makarewicz, Mawwal, Paranoise, and Amir Baghiri. Jim is a member of the group Leland Burr and Expansion Project. His music and singing have been featured on several episodes of the TV program "The Sacred Journey" hosted by Joyce St. Germaine. |
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JC: Good to be talking with you again too Michael. We Spectral Voices have always been Alan Dow
and myself at the core, with other guest musicians joining us at various
periods throughout our history. Spectral
Voices grew out of informal gatherings of those interested in overtone singing
in southern |
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David Helpling
Jon Jenkins |
Ambient Visions' Focus on Treasure A self-taught musician, David’s ability to "feel" the music has resulted in two captivating albums that showcase his atmospheric depth as well as his rhythmic sensibility. David's debut release, Between Green And Blue, was a finalist for the 1997 INDIE Album-Of-The-Year award, and is already considered a favorite among listeners to this genre. As a recording artist, Jon Jenkins sees it as his
responsibility to reach out, grab the listeners by the ears, drag them into
another world and show them around a little bit. "I've always been
fascinated by the ability of a good piece of music to stimulate the imagination
and transport the listener to another place in their mind without ever leaving
their chair." |
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Michele Ippolito
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Ambient Visions' Focus on Michele is classically trained on piano. Her music is
influenced by classical, new age and contemporary. Using various keyboard
techniques, she composes full time and works on various studio projects with
husband Vince, musician/producer at their commercial studio in
"I like to create music that is picturesque with unusual effects giving attention to detail, that prepares the listener's mind for the full meditative experience". |
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MI: I was drawn to music at age seven when I found I had a
gift for playing music by ear. I would hear a melody and begin playing it. |
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Lorrie Sarafin
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Ambient Visions' Focus on Lorrie Sarafin first heard the haunting sound of the Native American Flute
in 1993 and was instantly captivated by its beauty Sarafin has performed throughout the Phoenix, Arizona metro area, including the Arizona Mills Mall at Virgin Records (1999), the Chandler Center for the Arts (as part of the Intel 2000 and 2001 Benefit Talent Shows), Camelback Inn (as part of the 47th Annual NCCJ Humanitarian Awards Dinner - 2001) |
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LS: This is an interesting question if only for the fact that
I’m not so sure I think of myself as a “musician” Click here for the rest of our CD Focus on Second Wind by Lorrie Sarafin |
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Terry Oldfield
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Ambient Visions' Focus on From the depths of the ocean to the vastness of space are places only select groups of people have had the opportunity to experience. For those who are looking for the feelings of awe and wonder these encounters convey there is the music of Terry Oldfield. Terry’s gifts translate the enormity and complexity of these emotions to the rest of us through beautifully woven melodies. In 2001, Terry moved to Australia and has been busy setting up his new life. Now that he is settled in and has his new studio up and running, he is keen to get back into film music. He has recently completed the score for "The Falcon That Flew with Man" and is currently working on "Project Cobra", music for the pilot to a TV series featuring some of the original "Thunderbirds" team. His most recent CD releases are "Celt" on MG Music and "Yoga Harmony" and "De Profundis | Out of the Depths II" on New Earth Records. Also, recently released on New World Music is a breathtaking DVD "Terry Oldfield's Underwater World". |
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TO: My
musical career started originally working in television in the early 80's and
the 'New Age' albums were a spin off from that work. Composing music for images
was second nature to me and my work moved in a natural progression - from
landscape, where the picture is right there in front of you, to soundscape
where the listener is invited to travel within, to an inner world of
imagination. I now live in the subtropical part of Click here for the rest of our CD Focus on Yoga Harmony by Terry Oldfield |
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Ryan Farish
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Ambient Visions' Focus on Billboard Charting artist Ryan Farish knows the ‘sky is the limit’ when it comes to his sophomore release “From the Sky” which hit retail shelves June 21st, 2005. Already establishing his name as one of the highest downloaded artists on mp3.com, Ryan raked in close to 2 million downloads by the time his debut “Beautiful” hit shelves. By the end of 2004, “Beautiful” moved on to # 1 on the Music Choice ‘Soundscapes Channel’, broke into the Top 10 Billboard New Age Charts, Echoes.org ‘Top 25 Albums’ monthly chart and “Sunshine in the Rain” was used for Innovative Stone’s documentary on the first granite building block for the new World Trade Center site. (www.innovativestone.com) Currently, his music can be heard just about everywhere on a daily basis. The Weather Channel has been a dedicated fan and programmer of Ryan’s music from day one. Currently 6 songs from the new album “From the Sky” are in rotation on The Weather Channel’s ‘Local on the 8’s’ forecast; as well as the themed intro song on “Storm Stories” which airs nightly. We also have dedicated support from the top satellite & digital cable radio stations including Sirius Satellite Radio and DMX Radio and terrestrial radio programs including Echoes and New World Buzz. |
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RF: Well, as far as my career, my second national record came
out this past summer, and it had been a very exciting process. I also compose
and license music for TV and Film. I create music in many genres, but
specialize in instrumental music. My records are filed under New Age, but many
times I am referred to as a crossover artist because my music does well on
Jazz charts like iTunes, as well as appeals to the electronic/chillout fans. AV: How long after the
release of Beautiful did you first start to work on what would become your
latest release From the Sky? RF: Click here for the rest of our CD Focus on From the Sky by Ryan Farish |
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Jeff Pearce
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Ambient Visions' Focus on Since his first cd release in 1993, Jeff Pearce has been at the forefront of guitar based ambient music. And over the course of eight solo releases, Jeff has refined his art and his approach to the electric guitar. Jeff's music has been featured on such syndicated radio programs as "Echoes" and "Music from the Hearts of Space", as well as numerous regional radio shows. Jeff's music has also been featured in special projects for Mercedez-Benz. Reviews of Jeff Pearce's music have appeared in such magazines as Billboard, Downbeat, Alternative Press, Guitar Player, Tower Pulse! and New Age Voice. In the year 2000, Jeff's cd "To the Shores of Heaven" was voted the favorite ambient cd of the year by New Age Voice magazine, as well as by the listeners of the "Echoes" radio program. Jeff is an active live performer, having played everything from house concerts to all day festivals. Jeff's 2002 cd "Bleed" was debuted at a Gathering concert in Philadelphia. In early 2004, Jeff scored the soundtrack to the "Luminous Dimensions" DVD by "ambient animator" Michael DuBois. Jeff's most recent cd is "Lingering Light" on the Jeff Pearce Music label. |
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JP: The Chapman Stick (www.stick.com ) got it's start when Emmett Chapman was playing his guitar in 1969. He was inspired to reach over and tap a string on his guitar, then he propped the guitar up more vertically and tapped the strings. That was the start of what has to have been a long journey for him. He started building instruments specifically for his playing technique, and humbly called these instruments "Sticks". I know if *I* invented something cool like that, I'd be tempted to call it the "ultra-cool-mondo-terrific string machine"! So it's good he was the one who named it. Sticks have never entered the "mainstream" of the music world like the piano or guitar, but there have been many players over the years to play the Stick; Tony Levin is the person who a lot of Stick players point to as their first encounter with seeing/hearing a musician play the Stick. The bass player from Dream Theater plays a Stick from time to time, and there are a lot of musicians outside of the public eye who are quietly exposing a lot of people to the Stick. |
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Kit Watkins
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Ambient Visions' Focus on Kit's solo career began in 1980 with the self-produced album Labyrinth, released on his own Azimuth Records label. The album won him 5th place in Keyboard magazine's Annual Readers' Poll Awards for keyboard album. He recorded and performed with drummer/percussionist Coco Roussel during this period. During the 80s, Kit continued to produce solo and collaborative albums, some released on his own label, while others were picked up by larger independent labels. In the early 90s, Kit formed a new label, Linden Music, which released a number of his new recordings, as well as CDs by Robert Rich, Jeff Greinke, and David Borden. His music style has changed focus from album to album, and has gradually veered away from the progressive rock of his youth into more subtle and mysterious forms of expression, such as ambient-jazz and world-fusion. His influences include artists such as Brian Eno, Mickey Hart, Mark Isham, Joe Zawinul, Harold Budd, Wayne Shorter, Steve Reich, Joni Mitchell, Jon Hassell, Eberhard Weber, Jeff Greinke, Robert Rich, Jan Garbarek, Steve Roach, Wendy Carlos. |
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KW: The web site www.KitWatkins.com is an ongoing project, so that keeps me busy. These two new projects also have given me plenty to do -- especially "The Gathering" DVD. AV: Your latest CD, World Fiction, was released not too long ago. What was the seed of inspiration for this CD and how did you go about beginning to do the work on it? KW: Most of the pieces on "World Fiction" (all except the two Delirium tracks) were created with the thought of live performance in mind. They were live improvisations created in my performance setup, without computer sequencing or multi-tracking. I used looping devices to build them and later edited the pieces down to make them shorter (and pick and choose the most interesting parts). These pieces have a very different quality in comparison to my more composed work -- they're very immediate and spontaneous, and a little rough around the edges. |
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Byron Metcalf
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Ambient Visions' Focus on Byron Metcalf is a drummer, percussionist, recording artist, and record producer. With over 30 years as a professional musician, he has performed on gold and platinum albums in the pop and country fields and in recent years has been experimenting with the use of drums, percussion, and other sounds to induce nonordinary (altered) states of consciousness in both ceremonial and therapeutic contexts. Byron's 1998 CD release HELPERS, GUIDES & ALLIES continues to receive enthusiastic reviews in the shamanic, trance dance, and therapeutic communities, and was rated #4 in Backroads Music's 1998 Best of Year Selections in the World Music category. Byron collaborated with award winning recording artist and sonic innovator Steve Roach on the critically acclaimed 2-disc epic THE SERPENT'S LAIR (Projekt Records, Sept. 2000). NOT WITHOUT RISK was Byron's second solo project. WACHUMA'S WAVE (Spotted Peccary, 2003), a collaboration with German artist Mark Seelig (with Steve Roach), was chosen by Backroads Music as the #1 Release of 2003 in all categories. |
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Kevin Dooley
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Ambient Visions' Focus on zerO One (aka Kevin Dooley) first came to public
attention in 1998 with the release of his first (self-titled) CD on the Waveform label. A student of electronic music since the 70s (Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream, Jean Michel Jarre, et al),
Kevin has been composing and recording various genres of music for over 20 years. In addition to his ongoing solo projects, Kevin has
played in several electronic groups, recorded and mastered numerous CDs ranging in style from
rock to hip hop and for a short period played the Howitzer cannon with the Kansas City
Symphony. The zerO One project marked a significant change in
Kevin's musical philosophy. "zerO One was my attempt to strip the music of all but the bare
neccessities," reflects the artist. "Up until this time my music had been far more lush and layered. My
goal with this music is that each individual part be capable of standing on it own, with no
extraneous details left." Kevin continued to develop his new musical approach and, two years later, in 2000, released his second Waveform CD, "protOtype2." It would be over three years before the release of the third zerO One CD, "psy-fi," on the Spiralight label. |
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zerO One: I’ve been playing music since I was about 8 years old zerO One: I started on Psy-F in the fall of 2001 |
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Laura Sullivan
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Ambient Visions' Focus on Laura’s appreciation for our environment blossomed in the wilderness setting where she grew up and continues to influence and inspire her compositions to this day. Her 2003 release, Pianoscapes for the Trails of North America, included a song inspired by each of the National Scenic Trails, such as the Appalachian, Continental Divide and the Pacific Crest. Pianoscapes continues to be well received in retail sales, featured programs and radio airplay and debuted at #5 on Apple Itunes, sustaining a rank in the Top Ten downloaded NEW AGE CD’s for over 3 months. RJ Lannan of the New Age Reporter writes of this release: “Laura Sullivan’s music shimmers with an effervescent vitality.” A portion of the proceeds of this CD are currently benefiting the National Arbor Day Foundation’s tree planting programs. In the spirit of this effort, included within each CD jewel case are tree seeds of the Blue Spruce which the listeners can plant in Laura’s unique program called “Buy a CD & Plant a Tree.” |
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LS: I grew up on a farm in AV:
Your latest
CD, Mystical America, was released not too long ago LS: I’ve always been enthralled by places that have spiritual
significance, mystery and mystical intrigue |
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David Wright
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Ambient Visions' Focus on Writing in the magazine 'Dreamsword', Mueller said of 'Reflections' that, "Of all the demos I have received, this was the first and only one I liked and still like". David also found the time for involvement in the album 'Phase One' by Enterphase. Subsequently, the USA duo of Jeff Filbert and Fred Becker joined the AD Music label. This sowed the seeds for the future and the forming of AD Music Ltd. Although all of this would have easily counted as one years output for most people, a second album, Albania - The Korce Project was also released. This was planned as part of a fund raising drive for the impoverished children of Albania. However, circumstances beyond the control of the artist led to the cancellation of the project. |
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AV:
Before we get down to questions about
Continuum, could you tell our readers a little bit about yourself and how
you got started creating the style of music that you do now? DW: I’m 31 year old with 20 years experience and music has been
an important part of my life for as long as I can remember I’ve been creating music since the early 1980’s but didn’t
release my first commercial CD, Marilynmba, until 1991 I’ve always enjoyed long, impressionistic style music |
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Gregory Kyryluk
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AV:
Before we get down to questions about
your latest CD, could you tell our readers a little bit about yourself and how
you got started creating the style of music that you do now? None or very little of what any of these guys recorded in
the late 1970s and 80s sounds remotely dated |
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Mark Seelig
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Ambient Visions' Focus on After many years of therapeutic and academic training Mark left the scholarly world behind. The influence of Asian mysticism and spirituality, along with the musical traditions of India have turned his life around. After receiving classical training on the violin from age 8 through 14, followed by guitar playing and singing, his musical focus has shifted again at age 42: During a deep vision quest, Mark felt encouraged to take up the North Indian bamboo flute 'Bansuri' at a rather late age for picking up a new instrument. He is now studying with the Indian Bansuri Maestro R.K. Bikramjit Singh. Mark's music and work is offered hoping to make a small contribution to raising consciousness: May we all learn to face our shadows, honor our skills, and live in harmony with each other and the universe. |
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AV:
Before we
get down to questions about Disciple, could you tell our readers a little
bit about yourself and how you got started creating the style of music that you
do now? MS: Several years ago I went through a very severe health crisis
caused by heavy metal poisoning. Along with some regular methods of clearing
the body from toxins, I had also engaged in shamanic vision questing to
understand what had happened to me. During the journeying I would frequently listen to classical
Indian music played on the bamboo flute ‘Bansuri’, and in one of my visions I
felt that I was told to pursue the healing quality of this music by taking up
the Bansuri myself. From that point forward I devoted as much time as possible
to studying the devotional aspects of Indian Ragas. |
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Thom Brennan
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Ambient Visions' Focus on Thom Brennan began his brand of electronic music in the
early 1980's. Inspired by the landscapes he lived with in the American
Southwest and In addition to an ongoing series of solo works,
collaborations with ambient composer Steve Roach appeared on the 1988 Fortuna
release "Western Spaces", and the Projekt compilation
"Amplexus". Recordings have been released on Rubicon Records (Canada), Phonogram (France), IC Records (Germany), Amplexus / Arya (Italy), Projekt, Fortuna, Space For Music, AtmoWorks, and his own RainGarden Music. |
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AV:
Before we get down to questions about
Silver, could you tell our readers a little bit about yourself and how
you got started creating the style of music that you do now? TB: I developed an interest in electronic music in the mid 70s |
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DAC Crowell
Kurt Doles |
Ambient Visions' Focus on From here ('here' being February of 2004) I'm hoping to have my fully-implemented studio, The Aerodyne Works, completed in a final form within a few months. That's been a long time in coming, too, but there's definitely light at the end of that tunnel. I'm hoping to get back into performing my music more as well, although I know the 'lack of venues problem' is going pose some difficulties there. And I want to get into longer works...deeper, also. |
The Sea and the Sky
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AV: Could you tell our readers a little bit about yourself and how you got started creating the style of music that you do now? DC: Well, I live out in rural Illinois, in a very small town, along with my companion of 15 years and my tech assistant. We have a century-old house here, of which the top floor is the almost-completed Aerodyne Works studio, which is where Kurt Doles and I cut “Mercury” for Suilven Recordings and also where I finished up “The Sea and the Sky” for Magnatune. The studio is sort of the culmination of building up a massive pile of equipment and such, which started about 25 years ago in Nashville, which is where I’m originally from. I started learning music around age 3, kept at it over the years, then started working in the compositional side of things in the late 1970s.
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Chuck Wild
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Ambient Visions' Focus on Early live and studio experience with the Capitol Records’ group “Missing Persons”, and studio work with Frank Zappa, Michael Jackson and many others have helped Chuck to develop high production values. Spending many studio hours over the years with five time Grammy winning engineer Bruce Swedien and famed producer Ken Scott has inspired Chuck to explore unique and subtle gradations of sound and feeling in his music. |
Liquid Mind VII: |
AV: Your latest CD Liquid Mind VII: Reflection was released not too long ago. What was the inspiration for this project and when did you actually start work on it? LM: Liquid Mind VII is the first album I've
recorded for Real Music. It was recorded from December 2003 through the summer
of 2004. Terence Yallop, one of Real Music's owners, has always been a
supporter of Liquid Mind. He told me that he meditated to Liquid Mind every
day for many years. When I decided to close my label due to an increasing
quantity of work, I decided that Real Music would be a wonderful home for
Liquid Mind. As for my inspiration for this album...the titles of the seven
albums are a reflection of the progress of my own healing.... first Ambience
Minimus (simplifying my life), then Slow World (slowing down the pace, working
a bit less, more time for life), etc. Liquid Mind VII: Reflection is the most
introspective album I've done, and the first where I verbalized in the liner
notes what I was thinking as I wrote and recorded the album. Learning to listen
in the silence of my soul has been a difficult at times, but I press on
nonetheless. Click here for the rest
of our CD Focus on Liquid Mind VII: Reflection by Liquid
Mind |
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Pete Kelly
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Ambient Visions' Focus on Under the pseudonym ‘Igneous Flame’, I have released three
critically acclaimed ambient albums, ‘Tolmon’ (2003), ‘Intox’ (2003) and
‘OXANA’ (2004) I live in |
8 Shades of Sound |
AV:
Your latest
CD, 8 Shades of Sound, was released not too long ago PK: At the beginning of the New Year in 2004, my chillfactor10
records labelmate Nick Kemp (who records under the ‘Darkness within Darkness’
name) played me some vocal improvisations that his friend Mary Whitaker had
sung over some of his material
Click here for the rest
of our CD Focus on 8 Shades of Sound by Pete Kelly |
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Jamie Bonk
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Ambient Visions' Focus on composer-producer-programmer. And not necessarily in that order. But if I have to label my music, I'd call it contemporary instrumental. Maybe not the most common or widely used title for a genre, but I think it fits my music best. I draw on new age, jazz, world, pop, classical and just about anything and everything else in my playing and writing.At this point, I've played probably thousands of gigs -- concerts, clubs, in-stores, private events and yes, even weddings. -NAV's Airwaves Top 100 longest charting CD (18 consecutive months) - The longest charting CD in the top ten (8 months) and the longest charting CD in the top twenty (14 months) - Reached the #1 position on the NAV charts - NAV Radio Album of The Year (1999) |
My World |
AV: Before we get down to questions about your latest CD, could you tell our readers a little bit about yourself and how you got started creating the style of music that you do now? JB: Where to start... I'm a guitarist/composer/producer, and I have released three mostly instrumental records. I say 'mostly' because my latest release, "My World", has a couple of vocal tunes on it. Some quick background info... I started playing piano at the age of four and then later picked up the guitar after seeing Johnny Cash on TV. I studied classical guitar and jazz throughout high school and ended up going to Queen's University and getting a BMUS in composition. After Queen's, I did a fair amount of freelance work in Toronto -- demos, records, filmwork, etc. -- as well, I taught guitar in just about every style. The first CD I released was my self-titled debut and it came out in 1997 in Canada and 1998 in the US.
Click here for the rest
of our CD Focus on My World by Jamie Bonk |
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Erik Wollo
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Ambient Visions' Focus on Erik Wøllo has been composing and performing music for films,
theatre, |
Blue Sky, Red Guitars |
AV: Before we get
down to questions about your latest CD, could you tell our readers a little bit
about yourself and how you got started creating the style of music that you do
now? EW: I started to play the guitar at the age of 11 Gradually I became more interested in ambient soundscapes
and the idea of creating music for a recorded media like tape, vinyl or CD Click here for the rest
of our CD Focus on Blue Sky, Red Guitars |
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Richard Bone
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Ambient Visions' Focus on Recent projects include Richard's latest rhythmic recording
entitled The Reality Temples released June 30, 2004 on the Spiralight label.
This disc debuted at the #6 position on the New Age Reporter Top 100 chart for
August airplay and has been nominated for the 2004 NAR Lifestyle Music Awards'
Best Electronic Album. Orlandomaniac Music released Untold Tales on April 15th
-- a CD of nineteen previously unheard vocal demo tracks Richard recorded
during his early Survival years of 1979 - 85. Other 2004 projects included a
various artist compilation CD from Spiralight Recordings called Ambienism Vol.
One featuring a new track of Richard's entitled "Stillness Repeating"
that was released March 15, 04. |
The Reality Temples |
AV: Richard it's so nice to talk to you again. It has been a few years since the interview we did for Ambient Visions but you are just as active as ever. You have a new release coming up on Spiralight Recordings called The Reality Temples, what directions are you journeying with this latest release? RB: I first became obsessed with music at the height of the psychedelic 60's. However, the records that grabbed my attention from that era were not the fuzz toned guitar LPs but rather the ones that explored studio wizardry of the time. Anything that used primitive electronics, backwards parts and moving sounds back and forth across the stereo field, were the records that moved me. The Reality Temples is my attempt to take some of that era's ideas and incorporate them into my style of writing.
Click here for the rest
of our CD Focus on The Reality Temples |
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Robert Rich
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Ambient Visions' Focus on Rich has performed in caves, cathedrals, planetaria, art galleries and concert halls throughout Europe and North America. His all-night Sleep Concerts, first performed in 1982, became legendary in the San Francisco area. In 1996 he revived his all-night concert format, playing Sleep Concerts for live and radio audiences across the U.S. during a three month tour. In 2001 Rich released the 7 hour DVD Somnium, a studio distillation of the Sleep Concert experience, possibly the longest continuous piece of music ever released. Rich has designed sounds for television and film scores, including the films Pitch Black , Crazy Beautiful, and others. He also works closely with electronic instrument manufacturers, and his sound design has graced the preset libraries of Emu's Proteus 3 and Morpheus, Seer Systems' Reality, sampling disks Things that Go Bump in the Night and ACID Loop Library Liquid Planet. Rich has written software for composers who work in just intonation, and he helped develop the MIDI microtuning specification, which was accepted as an industry standard. As a mastering engineer, he has applied his ear to numerous albums in recent years, and his studio was featured in the September '99 issue of Keyboard Magazine. |
Somnium |
AV: Where did your interest in the realm of sleep and music originate? Was this a personal interest or were there some studies involved that moved you along this path? RR: The two interests grew concurrently from an interest in altered states of consciousness, the potentials for the mind to journey beyond traditional realms of thinking. I was still a teenager when these interests began to coalesce, and I had not had the opportunity to explore some of the chemical routes to these states. That's a good thing, since I started to realize early on that nobody needs drugs to journey inward. The tools are built into our consciousness. I was already playing music when I entered college, and I played my first sleep concert in my freshman dormitory, before I decided to study psychology. Later, when I began to focus on sleep research, everything fell together nicely. It all came from a common interest in trance and altered states. |