ritual ambient
|
|
No other genre is so in touch with its spiritual side as ritual ambient. With roots in ambient, dark ambient and pagan beliefs and rituals, this genre has been a gateway to altered states of consciousness, mainly for the artist but very much also for the listener. Around the world, many sound artists have been experimenting with ancient instruments and ancients ways of making music in order to reach this magical atmosphere, somewhere between wake and dream.
Akoustik Timbre Frekuency is such a project, and also the brain behind the Sombre Soniks label. With this release he takes a step back from the darkest regions of the ambient genre and into a lesser known world. With percussion, flutes and an array of mysterious voices, he has surely created something mystical and enchanting. Shamanik Sessions Vol. I is a long ritual, divided into five elaborate parts. Listening to this will indeed take your mind to regions it has never been to, even if it's only in your thoughts.
'Uniting Thee Earth Mother And Thee Sky Father' drives on these minimal but energetic tribal drums and voices. Although there's little variation in this track, the whole is quite immersive and probably dream-evoking. I will try that tonight when I'm trying to get some sleep. 'Greeting To Thee Night Spirits' is exactly what the title predicts. Sounds of strange, mysterious creatures, luring in the darkness of night. You can somehow compare it to the noctuary at a zoo or, better yet, a nightly ritual somewhere in the desert of ancient America.
Close your eyes, and allow your mind to wander freely with these sounds. This music is perfectly suited to do that and if you have a little bit of imagination, beautiful landscapes will appear in your mind's eye. I know it worked for me. 'Healing Ritual' is probably the best track for this activity, slightly returning the ambient approach and quite similar to what Svaixt did. Here the sound seems to come from singing bowls and create a dreamy, floating atmosphere that gently fills the room. It clearly doesn't sounds as if it comes from this world, or this time.
'Chant To Thee Spirit World' continues with the more traditional ambient style, be it still in a highly intimate and alienating fashion. This piece excels in minimalism and creates a gloomy, eerie atmosphere, somewhat colder than the previous songs on this album do but still very immersive. It's also the darkest and most fearful track on the album, especially with that spooky voice floating in and out of the already bizarre sound.
'Ceremony Of Thee Moon Goddess' ends the ritual by combining all the elements from the previous songs. This immense, 33 minutes lasting, piece is the pinnacle of the album, the 'grand finale' so to speak and in that case obviously my favorite track. Slowly it build-up. More sounds float in regularly and by the end we're trapped in a blissful whirlpool of gloomy but beautiful emotions.
So in all, 'Shamanik Sessions Vol. I' is a highly recommended album if you're into minimalistic, ritual ambient and strange, otherworldly sounds. What it lacks in variation, it makes up with atmosphere and instrumental storytelling. These aspects make the album very enjoyable for the entire duration and that's quite an accomplishment in a 1.40 hours timespan. Yes, this is another great release from Sombre Soniks and definitely one that will find the way to my media playing a lot in the nights to come...
Serge
Akoustik Timbre Frekuency is such a project, and also the brain behind the Sombre Soniks label. With this release he takes a step back from the darkest regions of the ambient genre and into a lesser known world. With percussion, flutes and an array of mysterious voices, he has surely created something mystical and enchanting. Shamanik Sessions Vol. I is a long ritual, divided into five elaborate parts. Listening to this will indeed take your mind to regions it has never been to, even if it's only in your thoughts.
'Uniting Thee Earth Mother And Thee Sky Father' drives on these minimal but energetic tribal drums and voices. Although there's little variation in this track, the whole is quite immersive and probably dream-evoking. I will try that tonight when I'm trying to get some sleep. 'Greeting To Thee Night Spirits' is exactly what the title predicts. Sounds of strange, mysterious creatures, luring in the darkness of night. You can somehow compare it to the noctuary at a zoo or, better yet, a nightly ritual somewhere in the desert of ancient America.
Close your eyes, and allow your mind to wander freely with these sounds. This music is perfectly suited to do that and if you have a little bit of imagination, beautiful landscapes will appear in your mind's eye. I know it worked for me. 'Healing Ritual' is probably the best track for this activity, slightly returning the ambient approach and quite similar to what Svaixt did. Here the sound seems to come from singing bowls and create a dreamy, floating atmosphere that gently fills the room. It clearly doesn't sounds as if it comes from this world, or this time.
'Chant To Thee Spirit World' continues with the more traditional ambient style, be it still in a highly intimate and alienating fashion. This piece excels in minimalism and creates a gloomy, eerie atmosphere, somewhat colder than the previous songs on this album do but still very immersive. It's also the darkest and most fearful track on the album, especially with that spooky voice floating in and out of the already bizarre sound.
'Ceremony Of Thee Moon Goddess' ends the ritual by combining all the elements from the previous songs. This immense, 33 minutes lasting, piece is the pinnacle of the album, the 'grand finale' so to speak and in that case obviously my favorite track. Slowly it build-up. More sounds float in regularly and by the end we're trapped in a blissful whirlpool of gloomy but beautiful emotions.
So in all, 'Shamanik Sessions Vol. I' is a highly recommended album if you're into minimalistic, ritual ambient and strange, otherworldly sounds. What it lacks in variation, it makes up with atmosphere and instrumental storytelling. These aspects make the album very enjoyable for the entire duration and that's quite an accomplishment in a 1.40 hours timespan. Yes, this is another great release from Sombre Soniks and definitely one that will find the way to my media playing a lot in the nights to come...
Serge