April 22, 2019

William Basinski - Watermusic II



             Arpeggiatic Pacific currents turquoise blend into sky and descent through the fresh water ocean.  Like glass ripples up above impossible to distinguish layers of atmosphere from the liquid purity; peacefully partially submerged partially floating.  Delving into drinkable, breathable water.

              Sun rays penetrate through fluid curtains.  3D 1990’s Final Fantasy death aquatic burial.  Ancient wisdom saturate all encompassing currents and streams.  Totally lose sense of body, sheer density and soothing of the water dissolves physical and ego boundaries and we become a gelatinous unity.
               Undulate through cross current pockets of velvet fuzz feeling subtle warmth like a kitten laying in the sun.

               Flow somewhat deeper somewhat more still where light shies.  Bodiless, ambiguous form transperse experiencing cool and warm simultaneously.  Sensations cease to be put into words, formless unity grows and we become part of all.  Divided and peacefully overtaken by water, our cells now solution with the entirety of existence via water.  Such as all colors of light spectrum combined become white, so do all experiences combine into  spiritual wordlessness and cosmic All.

               In between collective experiential existence, more feelings specific to your ego briefly emerge and pass like roaring rapids.  The time spent with old friends, two, five, maybe ten years ago.  Where you were then versus where you are now.  Every life you’ve touched or influenced.  Every bit of interconnectedness: Close friends spent time with daily, shop clerks you were friendly with but never knew on a deeper level (a smile can mean a lot).  The countless anonymous strangers you passed on the street, the unknown people who’ve overheard your inane conversations with friends, how even our clothing affects the people we experience day to day but never directly interact with.  The lettuce, tomatoes, chicken, cereal, clothing, entertainment goods, the people behind the scenes who make that happen.  The farmer in Mexico who grew that tomato for you to eat.  He’s middle aged now, knows how to use all sorts of complicated farming tools and machines.  He has a wife and children he’s supporting.  Probably got a significant spot in his community.  But he was young once, growing up and getting an education, helping his parents in any way he could.  An entire infinitely complex story behind that one person who brought you the tomato.  Within our egos we are bound by the web of interconnectivity.  These experiences wash over us like the Pacific currents.  Then, dissolve again into the egoless white light prismatic combination of the cosmic All.

               The water becomes more still yet and we nearly motionlessly drift amidst this breathable, drinkable, heavy comfortable fresh water oceanic liquid.

               Slight ascension at a leisurely speed, like we are exiting the life stream.  Bodily feeling gradually returns, our physical outlines solidify once more, vague feeling of warmth present.  Pleasant steady upward drift.  Light becomes stronger and the surface of the water is within eye sight.  Distinction between divide of ocean/sky becomes visible.  Turquoise blues, pastel blues, liquid curtains.


               Tonally the piece centers around C major.  There’s a super low bass note of C humming in the background that seems to meander between C and A.  It’s hard to hear it clearly, there’s just a low presence that jellies itself between those two notes.

               One of the main riffs is a sustained A, B, down to G.  Then repeats as A, B, up to E.  This is sometimes doubled in a super high octave.

               Another main wave is a quickly descending sloshy arpeggio.  It’s very transparent, very fast, and the notes blur together really well so it’s hard to tell exactly what’s going on.  I think the notes are something like B, A, E, A, all descending.  This theme pans between both ears and fades in and out throughout.

               Less active parts I’ve noticed are a sustained E note, a subtle E to F trill, and another trill of A to B, this one very high pitched. 

               I’m sure there’s more to this song than these few parts.  The way it’s mixed is so gelatinous and difficult to discern.  Super cool stuff =)

April 9, 2019

Chihei Hatakeyama – Mirror



1.  Ferrum

               Alka-seltzer currents in a vast diamond ocean, colors separated blend smear through each other.  Aqua greens through tourmalines, brisk blues through lavender hues.  The ocean is a countless number of living creatures celebrating life in dance.  Each particle exists of itself but also as the whole.  So as each speck of ocean is a conscious being, it has a collective consciousness which belongs to all the ocean.

               Micro bead of liquid life thrashed upwards from aqueous projection soars in the air tumbling in slow motion, the universe’s code reflected on its surface.  Light + water = blue prints for all that exists.  And then innocent drop catches onto bird mid flight, rides its feathers and goes onward to another world.  Water droplet absorbs into bird’s skin, now they are one.  Transformation, interconnectivity, interdependence.

               Swath of birds silently seated on saline throne.



2.  May 15, 2010


               Ambiguous water decanting from the sky.



3.  Splith
              
               Venerable monks candle glown Om in dimly lit cavernous architecture.  Browned stone, deep darkness.  Effervescent children playing outdoors atop chilled snow dusted mountain.  Resounding character from each chant meld into universal being, swirled like a spiritual ice cream.

               The sound, palpable as hot butter opens the oversized monastery door.  Children continue playing.  The cumulative chant travels down the mountain, wraps around the trees, passes by the small animals, and onto the road, far, far away.  What tiny echo remains from the projection spills into the streets of a 3rd world country.  Homeless parents and children bundled up, run down shacks for living.  The Buddhist Om surrounds them and subtly offers a glimpse of hope.  The people of the town receive blessing.



4.  October 3, 2009

              
               Ancient woman sweeps her stone front steps.  Tall grass and trees shroud her home.  She sees the town below in ordinary routine.



5.  Renitency


               Children sitting on the dock of a small stream after school.  Inscrutable object floats downwards, and ominous feeling from it.  They spare a moment for its attention, then continue on their elementary conversation.  Object floats past view and the thought is no more.


6.  July 4, 2008


               Cat exploring the outdoors; nooks and crannies around the property.  Small urban inlets.


7.  Alchemy


               A breeze from off shore welcomes itself to the town.  Spiraling to playfully shove off a woman’s straw hat, and providing relief for the over exerted working man in overalls.  Tide of the sky.  It blusters through 2nd story clothes lines, offers a boost to the bike rider peddling goods.  Gusts a fleeting memory, then passes it by, to a reminiscent young man.

               It climbs the snow strewn mountains, upwards through the trees and passed the small animals.  It wisps by the children playing atop, then through the oversized monastery doors.  It extinguishes the candles inside the temple.  Then the chanting stops.  A minute passes and the monks step outside the door.  They laugh wholeheartedly.

March 21, 2019

Takashi Kokubo - Oasis of the Wind II ~ A Story of Forest and Water ~





1.  Awakening of the Forest

               Crisp crickles and crystal callings, the forest stretches, sighs, and opens its eyes.  Groggy and genki, pure morning light filters through the canopy.  Gentle sun softly encourages microcosms of life by warming the ground.  Total peace, Complete harmony; this is the forest of all being.  From here is derived the gelatinous ambiguous ethereal form of consciousness that wiggles itself unendingly, only perceived by some.  From here, this vegetative portal, new beings transform from death to spirited life and every moment is a divine celebration.

               Flora sways to and fro in dance, water sings in endless harmonies, the air breathes melody.


               Harmonically this song is straight forward.  It’s a vamp between Db major 13 and Gb major 13 for the entire 18 some minutes.  Various melodic themes are subtly introduced, each theme focusing on a specific note grouping.  The following themes I could identify:

               -“Main theme”, the metallic chime sound is C, Db, C, Ab, Eb, Ab, F.
               -Bass theme for Db major is Db, Ab, Bb, Db and then sometimes down to a lower Db.
               -Bass theme for Gb major is lower Gb, higher Gb, Db, Eb, Bb.
               -Oboe sound theme is C, Db, Eb, C, Ab, Bb, over the Gb major chord usually.
               -Marimba theme something like Eb, Db, C, Db, possibly harmonized in 4ths or 5ths.   There’s a lot more happening in this theme than I was able to decipher.

               -Various half step trills either creating a major 7th or lydian effect.


               In summary, each theme is sensitive to chosen notes, following strictly to either their exact melodic idea or if departing, not adding too many note variations.
              





2.  Memory of Summer

               Suspended in the lilting air, transparent indigo nearly palpable thoughts, dreams, and memories whisper. 


               This track is divided into 3 sections, ABA.  The first section (A Section) is comprised of a bass riff going between G sus or G major type of thing, then after a while to an F major type of thing:

               -G D A D, G D A D, G D C D, G D B D.  

               -F C A E, F C A E, F C G E, F C G E.

               These two chords bop around a while.  What also stands out the most is the synth pad which seems to be playing a descending harmony, starting on high G note, then descending F#, E, and finally D.  I think it’s voiced as follows:

               -B E G, A D F#, G C E, F# A D.  These are all triad shapes happening over top of the G bass.

               After this G and F section, the song takes a break, then returns with the same ideas transposed down a whole step, F and Eb.  As far as I could tell, everything is played the same just shifted down.  This is the 2nd (B) section.  After a little bit of time here the song goes back home to the A section before winding down.





3.  Distant Blue Star

               In space, surveying the entirety of the universe.  Kaleidoscope of sacred geometry and cosmic entities.              

               The final track lulls us to peace with a I, V, I, IV chord progression in Db major.  Db major, Ab dom 13, Db major, Gb major.  All themes are very ambiguous, but I caught some emphasis on the 13th scale degree over the Ab7, so that was cool =). 


               There are the echoed marimbas half step trilling, airy almost non-existent synth pads that transcend the 4th dimension, and various living wind breathes invigorating the atmosphere.

March 14, 2019

Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto - Vrioon


 
 
Look around from outer space, blue globe below.  Zoom, zoom, zoom inwards, pick a country, pick a town, pick a building, pick a person.  

Plunk.  Wake up in bed, early white light consciousness.  Inspect arms, legs, body, get up and go to the mirror.  Unrecognized face looks back, the reflection of another.  Fallen into the body of another person.  White walls, white bed, white blankets.  Pull back curtains, reveal bustle city below, picture cumulous sky above.  Head throbs, no pain, silhouette of the body, Plunk.

Blink, Blink, close to the floor.  Look around, inspect arms, legs, body, fuzzy brown black and cream spotted fur.  Look up, familiar person standing by the window with the curtains pulled.  Waggle out of the room, out of the green door way into the hall way.  Apartment building hall way.  Woman in French work attire and beret opening the door.  Head throbs, no pain, silhouette of the body, Plunk.

Blink, blink.  Look down, see’s curious beagle below.  Gentle pet.  Au revoir to the poochie.   Heads towards elevator.  Notices women’s clothing on self, notices red velvet gloves, feels fancy necklace.  Reflection from sleek silver hardware of elevator wall.  Ding, elevator opens, walks through open spaced marble flooring out to taxi.  Sky threatens to gray.  Gets in taxi.  Pine forest touched with lingerie cigarettes.  Driver effortlessly flows like liquid weaving around traffic.  Reverse sifting from the body being inhabited.  Pulling, stretching, silly putty bubble gum elasticity.  Zoom out, zoom out, zoom outwards.  From person, to building, to town, to country.
Look around from outer space, blue globe below.  Space station throne and large entirely glass building.  Watching all from above. 


Haze, comfortably cloudy semi conscious bliss of pale green butterflies lilting round and round.


Spitter spatter, sky rains while merry go round spins emptily.  Swings in motion with no one on them.  Children’s laughter heard fading away but no one in sight.   Plunk.  All time freezes, all motion halts.  Conscious hopping space being comes from a rip in reality and inspects the play ground.  Poking at the slide, magnifying glass on the swing, scribbling note pad nearly illegible cursive equivalent of alien language.  Space distorts for a moment, all things glitch and lose focus.  Time stop nearly back to normal.  



Explore the back end of the playground, enticing barky thorny vines feel their way forward like an indulgent sin.  Sneak past them, through the portal into darkness.  Caught in a plagued forest.  A wafting smell emanates from further into the woods.  Trip into the mud splash not paying attention, only to the smell.  Shrill yellowed eyes peer from all angles, watching ever the moves you make cautiously through the haunted woods.  Broken scatter-bouts littered here and there.  Terrible evil exists here, but pushing forward to the smell of supple desserts.  Owl hoots from unknown location, comforting is the only normal sound of fauna.  Light fragments darkness, up ahead an exit on a straight forward path.



Step out of the dungeon-esque forest to an opening.  A melancholy, still field presents itself.  Washed colors, masked by a heavy mist.  A heavy feeling of sadness seeps inside every aspect of this field, the trees, the bushes, the water of the pond.  Walk around and explore.  A rock wall in the far back depicts some type of ancient story, a traumatic past associated with the land.  The Forgotten Meadow, unkempt and untouched by time.

A lone fish splashes the pond; a crying echo.  A key floats on the surface, glistens just barely on the un-rusted parts.  The inscription “XII Amu Dahlia” on the key.  Take the key to the rock wall.  It locks in place into one of the pictures, lining up with a calamity from the sky.  A stone to the side moves over slightly, enough space to squeeze behind.  Damp, dank and dark, a mudded pathway leads underground.  The passage way opens up, living quarters of an ancient civilization.  Further down the passage way, a vast, vast opening.  An underground town, forgotten ruins from long ago.  Span the entirety of the buildings..realize a familiarity.  It’s the same city as the beginning.  Panic and shock strike.  Left in silence and awe, witness the underground horizon of the lost city.