Full performance video just got posted, from the very lovely Active/Passive Festival. The album is nearly complete. This video shows a more simple version of the songs and energy, which was performed at the other summer festivals 2023 too. The New Forms Festival performance in December showed some of the developement and richer layers and details, bringing cues closer to what the album will fully reveal.
ambient/etc monthy event series
the new ambient/etc event series was launched NYE to great success and excitement. 002 is announced and future editions plans are well underway. the first saturday of each month @ the deli, is the mode. following low indigo on instagram or facebook will keep those interested up to date, or checking in the profile at tickit works too.
the full set of recordings are also up from the first night too.
'ERAS' Album with Randy Raine-Reusch
"Seven suites of deep and sprawling sonic meditations built around ‘call and response’ improv sessions between Randy Raine-Reusch and Michael Red.
Slow and tempered recordings of Asian flutes, African harps, temple gongs and a myriad of obscure instruments from Randy Raine-Reusch's deep collection mutate and ebb into swirling gossamers of tone. Sonic incantations stretched and magnified further by Red's Sends. An otherworldly play between light and shadow worlds; at times idyllic and light-filled, at times dark and eerie– all engrossing. Dream-reality reconciliations weave between the spectral world of Michael Red's sound processes and the direct physicality of Raine-Reusch's playing. The tension across the pieces builds between the live playing and processing techniques, dutifully revealing a growing familiarity with collective transcendence through sound (bigger than the sum of its parts). Real-time interactive dream music.
Initially realized over the course of a few days in Randy’s instrument museum in Vancouver BC [December, 2014] 'ERAS' is made up of processed, and sometimes multi tracked, improvisations between Randy and Michael. Through these sessions Randy would choose instruments he sensed possibilities within, and Michael then revealed and sculpted these possibilities. Both resonating, sensing sonic structures, environmental nuances, and further worlds in each other’s art, all within the moment. Being present for each other, they acted on
instinct, trusting a first thought, trusting each other; committing, responding to that commitment, then mutating and letting go. Always moving forward, synthesizing and letting the living moment lead the way. The recordings were left to distill and mature for many years before the composers felt it was ready. With minimal judicious edits and a very light dusting of FXs, both careful to preserve the direct and intuitive process that permeates the recording, ERAS now emerges."
Recap of the Souns performance at Lobe
"a little re-cap and note to say thanks to Lobe and all their staff for hosting my first (live) expressions in the world of 4dsound. thank you to everyone who came out and made it a nice little sold out show (this honestly meant a lot to me).
thanks to pendamental for a beautiful and very flowing first experience in collaborating, and being down to flow in the way i hoped for - with very little pre-chat, and no meet-ups or practice, so we can capture a more pure essence of our creative combination, from it’s very beginning (before over-thinking and second-guessing can happen).
it was all recorded, and will be put into the library, making it play-able in other 4D contexts around the world. 🔮
and there definitely be more and more of this kind of thing happening in the future as well. 🌿 "
Multi-Channel Sound Design for Circle Wellness Spa
Deeper into modes of facilitating transformational sound, this project leaning more into the realms of relaxation and rejuvination.
Varied ambient & nature sounds through an array of speakers spread across the experience for Circle Welness Spa. Highly customized and scrutinized mixs of classic and contemporary ambient music, together with treated exclusive & found field recordings from nature. 2 hour program or 90 minute shortened version.
Souns 'Drop Cities'
Souns live performance recording from ‘Drop Cities’ (Feb 19, 2023), a special 2 day festival put together with great care by Hotham Sound, released on bandcamp, and youtube.
live video projections by C130, live camera footage mixed and treated by SPINY JIM and live broadcasted on RedGate TV.
audio materials used: mackie line mixer (using in house reverb) standard microphone mod’d rigsmith dub siren mod’d monotron delay cell phone playing prepared mix of nature sounds (randomly sampled) pioneer rx2, live looping and manipulating tracks:
- Parisa DUB (ambient)
- Discovery DUB (raw loop)
- Discovery DUB
- Playing with Roses (unreleased)
energy & thoughts present:
- recently learning about and connecting with sacred datura flower
- no direct physical practice or plans made for the performance. instead focusing on feeling grounded and present and clear, and responding to the natural energy of the space, time, audience and self
- deeply reconnecting with an old friend, rmm, at the event and the 3rd act of the night, alexi baris, directly influenced the set (added elements of noise and dramatic gestures)
- engaging with the idea that ones inner world is a direct reflection of ones outer world, and engaging the space and audience in that way (both a two way interaction and reflection, and also an intentional one way signal path of inner calm & even to the external world)
- the summed energy from the earlier day and night before (the city, quiet morning coffee, impacted by ’maamawi’ performance & surrounding energy the night before)
courtyard series and tsimka collab announce
"one of a current musical collaborations i have going on right now, which i feel so good and whole about, rich with depth and learnings and new/next/needed energy.
tsimka and i started with a simple remix in 2020. and now were past the halfway mark of working on a full release together (somewhere between a long EP and a shorter album). full of natural sounds and words and energy of the west coast.
friday aug 12th will be our first time performing together and first time revealing the sounds we’re been working on. there will be an opening solo set from me (contemplative soundscapes and quiet rhythms), then an intermission, then the two of us together. early evening sit down show, in the little outdoor courtyard of the fire hall arts centre (follow link for tix and more info). 🌻"
Gateway
Souns on 'Calliope' Compilation
joining the likes of loscil and mount maxwell, a souns track joins the ranks of a compilation on hotham sound for a very worthy cause..
support & listen here: hothamsoundrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/calliope
Mount Dilaudid DUBS
We Beat a Different Drum
souns track 'second story' leads the latest compilation from subtempo records, celebrating 5 years for the label. typeface designed by morgane vantorre and all proceeds go to grey area.
Souns live @ VMF
Souns live @ Vancouver Mural Festival. Big Thanks to Public Disco, who did an incredible job at putting this together (deep in the pandemic). WKNDRS did the live painting. To jump straight to when the Souns set starts at 28:38 - click here
CRYSTAL CREEK 2019 ~ THANK YOUs
very fair to say year one was a success. further allignments coming for what's next. for now..
MASSIVE thanks to ..biyaals for the beautiful and potent welcoming and all energy surrounding ..dee and erin and the whole kitchen crew, johua, floyd and sophia, for serving up nice things and a nice price ..keegan and lacie for holding down the door & info booth, together with some help from sindy. ..jumbo and che on security and love vibes ..kerri and hannah for aaaall the extras and filling in the gaps ..mimi, sara, kevin, aleks, malisha, spark, heather, daniel, karen, ray, paul and the rest of the volunteers (thanks so much). zam zam for help organizing ..pascal for warmly leading harm reduction (thanks to staysee for some support in the lead up) ..kellei and kristaps on first aid, and anna and any others that supported ..simon and adam ‘siadic’ on sound and calmly handling some curveballs, with much appreciated support from jesse ..jacob ‘frumlater’ on sails, power, all things infrastructure and handy. essential. could not have happened without. ..bracken for the beautiful logo design ..eli & tangible for the surprise AV installation ..eugene on guidance, together with key energy and considerations from edna, magda, jamie, sindy, dee, kerri, jen, zam zam, jason, sophia, bracken, dionne, karen. other channels thru other channels. see you, feel you, thank you ..all the amazing workshop facilitators. joe, jen, velcrow, nova, mieka. incredible work, thank you. ..all the artists who helped soundtrack the trees and water and everyone’s experience. TOP top shelf world class vibes and sounds, tucked away in a tiny special pocket of earth. countless highlights and peak emotion. commodity, frumlater, hushhush, sinerise, tusk, surround, matsya, ra/sol, spark, vasho, hotsprings, rhi, zam zam, teeqwa, sj sugar, mandai, ray black, which nancy, eli muro, self evident, joe nice, lvt, brontron, siadic, handsome tiger, prince sho, seffrika, team lounge, binhex, hasselhoff. ..crystal creek and ALL great goodness surrounding and interwoven. ever thanks and recognition. ..dhyana, who helps oversee crystal creek and graciously gave us use for the weekend ..EVERYONE who lent and extra hand or gave extra energy and helped things along :) thanks! ..and to anyone that may have been missed. THANK YOU!
to the future. to hope. to togetherness. full spectrum
CRYSTAL CREEK 2019
AUGUST 30 - SEPT 1 // SUNSHINE COAST // tickets and info here// favebook event here.
souns (re) [isla19]
(re) is now fully available on extra-warm cassette or digital download. just under 100 minutes of deep ambient and soundscape music. THANK YOU Isla.
basscoast 2018
one of the most anticipated events every year. happy 10 year basscoast
new souns ..soon
the next souns release, (re), arrives june 23. limited edition cassette and digital.
just under 100 minutes of deep meditative ambient textures and tones and slow morphings. working with themes and methods of healing sound and sacred frequencies. almost the entire ‘lights’ album combined with half of the ‘scenarios for the real self’ album - all re-edited and refined and re-mastered, in some cases to such a degree that a lot of it sounds like brand new work. the title “(re)” is partially short for “(revisted)”.
it feels perfectly at home to release with ISLA for this one. daniel rincoin (label head / NAP) is a pleasure to work with. and the work was originally created all pre-ableton (a lot of it on hardware), all while firmed rooted and living in east van (12th & st. catherine, heatley & keefer) - very ISLA. (re) carries a size-able resonance (maybe it’s an east van thing) with the rest of ISLA’s body of work so far - perfectly below radar, perfectly free-spirited exploratory, and that comfy insular alone-while-together feel that comes with the weather/social climate this side of the world.
tracklisting:
side a: 1 red (re) 2 orange (re) 3 yellow (re) 4 green (re) 5 blue (re) 6 indigo (re) 7 violet (re) 8 rain (re)
side b: 1 white (re) 2 open tones (re) 3 frozen ocean1 (re) 4 frozen ocean3 (re) 5 frozen ocane2 (re) 6 frozen ocean4 (re)
very much looking forward to the release event at index gallery, which is actually a co-release with sean evans (who’s music i really believe in). it fits as well that deep sea mining syndicate be the imprint for sean’s album debut, who i also put an album out with and have plans for another release with in near future too. all is in sync.
music for dance
taking on three musical commissions for dance performance this year. one centered around a free public summer solstice event for the little chamber music series that could, one for a project called 'gateways' for olivia c. davies, and one for a mixed-media piece being created by sammy chien which also features music from barry truax.
subtempo 1.0 compilation
souns 'aquamarine' full album out today
out now on subtempo records
'open face sun' video by vasho pekar
limited edition merch from yasmin lever: prints / t-shirts & sweaters
press: ravelin magazine, resident advisor, exclaim!, northern transmissions, the province 'album of the week', skope, radioECO, dslo.
hope you enjoy