CHARLEMAGNE PALESTINE & SIMONE FORTI
Meditative Sound Environments
A companion to Charlemagne Palestine and Simone Forti's revelatory "Illuminations" set, "Meditative Sound Environments" is a further exploration into mystical atmospherics from two pioneers, building experimental forms over a bed of Indian classical music and raga drone styles. Incredible, really.
Before the California Institute of the Arts got its name, it was known as "Dream School of the Future" and had been established by synth pioneer Morton Subotnick. Palestine was an early contributor to the school's program, and moved from New York to California at its invitation. In the summer of 1970, Simone Forti asked Palestine to collaborate on a soundtrack, and the resulting sessions make up "Illuminations" and "Meditative Sound Environments", two sets that dig out communication methods from folk forms, linking Forti's Italian and Jewish roots with Indian classical music and contemporary experimental modes.
"Mostly other artists were doing very structural works while our performances were totally like we were on magicness drugs," explains Palestine. "Our performances had certain fixed elements like the piano or some electronics ... we liked to do it in a resonant spaces. It became more an approach than a piece, because there were never two Illuminations that were alike." So while "Meditative Sound Environments" is thematically linked to "Illuminations", it's fundamentally not the same. The opening track features 16 minutes of devotional drone that matches both artists' echoing vocals to a single synthesizer tone. There's a childlike wonder to the piece, and Forti notes that the music was shaped by her early memories of singing Italian folk songs in the Tuscan hills with her cousins, as well as Palestine's time as a devotional cantor. But there's as much influence gleaned from Forti and Palestine's unifying interest in Indian classical music - particularly the work of Pandit Pran Nath.
'Concert of Sound & Movement' is a percussive piece that revolves around bells, accompanied by foot stomping and sparse vocals in the final third, but it's the second part of all-vocal "Illuminations" highlight 'Wed Oct 13th 1971' that makes this set an essential purchase. Like the first part, it's a breathtaking dive into free improvisation that takes animalistic noise-making and elevates it to pure sonic experimentation, playing with reverb, form and tone. The final piece 'Simone Tape' is the series' most unashamedly beautiful composition, and the one most clearly indebted to Indian classical music - a layered vocal improvisation that's meditative and incredibly moving.
View more
In Stock (Ready To Ship)
A companion to Charlemagne Palestine and Simone Forti's revelatory "Illuminations" set, "Meditative Sound Environments" is a further exploration into mystical atmospherics from two pioneers, building experimental forms over a bed of Indian classical music and raga drone styles. Incredible, really.
Before the California Institute of the Arts got its name, it was known as "Dream School of the Future" and had been established by synth pioneer Morton Subotnick. Palestine was an early contributor to the school's program, and moved from New York to California at its invitation. In the summer of 1970, Simone Forti asked Palestine to collaborate on a soundtrack, and the resulting sessions make up "Illuminations" and "Meditative Sound Environments", two sets that dig out communication methods from folk forms, linking Forti's Italian and Jewish roots with Indian classical music and contemporary experimental modes.
"Mostly other artists were doing very structural works while our performances were totally like we were on magicness drugs," explains Palestine. "Our performances had certain fixed elements like the piano or some electronics ... we liked to do it in a resonant spaces. It became more an approach than a piece, because there were never two Illuminations that were alike." So while "Meditative Sound Environments" is thematically linked to "Illuminations", it's fundamentally not the same. The opening track features 16 minutes of devotional drone that matches both artists' echoing vocals to a single synthesizer tone. There's a childlike wonder to the piece, and Forti notes that the music was shaped by her early memories of singing Italian folk songs in the Tuscan hills with her cousins, as well as Palestine's time as a devotional cantor. But there's as much influence gleaned from Forti and Palestine's unifying interest in Indian classical music - particularly the work of Pandit Pran Nath.
'Concert of Sound & Movement' is a percussive piece that revolves around bells, accompanied by foot stomping and sparse vocals in the final third, but it's the second part of all-vocal "Illuminations" highlight 'Wed Oct 13th 1971' that makes this set an essential purchase. Like the first part, it's a breathtaking dive into free improvisation that takes animalistic noise-making and elevates it to pure sonic experimentation, playing with reverb, form and tone. The final piece 'Simone Tape' is the series' most unashamedly beautiful composition, and the one most clearly indebted to Indian classical music - a layered vocal improvisation that's meditative and incredibly moving.