Laraaji
– Ambient 3: Day Of Radiance (Glitterbeat Records)
LP
/ CD / DL
Out
Now
8
/ 10
New Age pioneer has classic album
re-released.
Edward Larry Gordon (aka Laraaji) is defined as
a true ‘outside the box’ musician. At a
time when Brian Eno was establishing ambient music as a genre, Laraaji too was
exploring the sounds and textures of classical minimalism. The story goes that whilst playing the zither
in Washington Square Park he opened his eyes from a meditative trance state to
find a note from Eno inviting him to play in a project he was working on. The project was the legendary Ambient 1-4
series, and a partnership was born.
Like Eno, the simplicity of the sound created
by Laraaji here is deafening in its complexity.
Layer upon layer of looped and repeated melodies create a wondrous cavalcade
of near angelic sounds. Split into two
‘movements’ the album was recorded in just a couple of sessions. Side 1, containing The Dance #1-3 is the
speedier more pulsating of the two with rushes of flowing sounds bearing the
larger input from Laraaji. The second
side with Meditation #1-2 has larger influences from Eno and follows a more
ambient, slow form.
The resulting album is five tracks of quite
outstanding content and quality, and propelled the profile of Laraaji higher
and higher allowing him to experiment further into spiritual and ethereal
soundscapes – “such music allows for thinking, feeling and imagery to reconnect
to a deeper sense of integration, union, oneness”, he explained.
Perhaps unlike Eno, Laraaji used few electronic
instruments, instead performing with acoustic counterparts such as a hammered
dulcimer or a zither, and on Meditation #1 and #2 Eno skilfully highlights the
decay-rate of the zither making it sustain for much longer than the instrument
naturally would.
On The Dance #1, #2 and #3 the ‘regular’
instruments are slowed down to create deep, resonating and distorted sounds
which lend themselves perfectly to the final result. Sitting between Music For Airports, The
Plateaux of Mirror and the final album On Land, Day Of Radiance is the perfect
and natural accompaniment to the Eno Ambient series and its re-release deserves
to once more highlight the amazing talent of Mr Gordon.
Links
Glitterbeat Records
Laraaji website
Laraaji on Twitter
Laraaji on Facebook
Brian Eno review
Published by Louder Than War 6/11/15 - here
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