Music
Inside...
Musical Starstreams
Welcome to our monthly column where we share impressions and uniquely
evocative (meaning it will hopefully "touch you" in
a special way) recordings, worth seeking out and sampling. Here
are three new albums deserving of your attention.
Rusty Crutcher - Serpent Mound (Spring Hill Music EG8500)
(50 min.)
Rusty Crutcher continues with another of his brilliantly conceived
"Sacred Sites" series, offering us music from some of
the most fascinating places on the planet. Serpent Mound
is without a doubt Rusty's finest work to date. Crutcher travels
to the Great Serpent Mound in Adams County, Ohio and lets his
music convey the feel of its Native American roots. The album
includes piano, synth, Lakota flute and other exotic instruments
and percussion, making for a decidedly pleasant listening experience.
The last track, "Breath of Night," is especially enjoyable.
Al Gromer Khan - Space Hotel (New Earth 9601) (60 min.)
Here's a notable release from German born keyboardist and sitarist
Al Gromer Khan. Like his previous works, he again conveys a subtle
Eastern feel with his music. Space Hotel is minimal, sometimes
in the spirit of early Brian Eno, as during the opening of the
Gurdjieff inspired "Utopia-al Kahira," while at other
times it intelligently conveys Khan's own unique understated style.
With previous releases on a number of labels, Space Hotel
is Khan's first from the German and Boulder-based New Earth Records.
A tasteful recording.
A Produce - Inscape & Landscape (Trance Port 106) (68
min.)
A Produce is a talented synthesiser artist based in Los Angeles.
His music is very much in the atmospheric, light trance flavor
of those like Tucson-based Steve Roach and Belgium's Vidna Obmana.
Inscape & Landscape is without a doubt A Produce's
most mature and seasoned work to date. Particularly interesting
is collaborator Scott Fraser's guitar driven masterpiece, "The
Golden Needle," also soon to be released on an upcoming Waveform
compilation titled Slumberland. This album is worth the
effort it may take to find it, but with its continued success,
A Produce may yet become a household name in a home near you.
Please always remember that ultimately what constitutes "good"
music involves the personal taste of each of us. If we
direct you to an album that you didn't know existed and you end
up enjoying it, then we both feel a sense of accomplishment. As
always, your input is welcome. Feel free to write in care
of this publication.
FOREST is the producer and host of the nationally syndicated
weekly radio program, MUSICAL STARSTREAMS and can be reached at
PO Box 1409, Mill Valley, CA 94942. E-mail: forest@well.com, on the web at: www.obsolete.com/starstreams. Musicians or labels wishing to send material for review or airplay are advised that
because of the huge volume already received, only compact disc
releases will be considered.
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