New CD
Alchemy Through Dreams
by Mortal Loom |
This album will touch people in ways they never dreamed. This was the reason this album was created. - Frederick Troy
Mortal Loom casts its sonic wizardry in its new release "Alchemy Through Dreams". Alchemy Through Dreams: a unique ethereal ambient crossover of electronica and trip hop with a taste of tribal rhythms and gothic elements. Mortal Loom's sound was developed over 10 years; this process included traveling around the world, listening to the environment, and sampling unusual organic sounds. Creating custom instrumentation is the root of Mortal Loom's style, resulting in this dreamy music that deserves repeated listening. Mortal Loom want, according to founding member Frederick Troy, to "touch people spiritually and open their minds to a journey that is kind to the soul, but at the same time mysterious and enchanting." A dynamic and involving journey through a mysterious, dream-like soundscape. Mortal Loom is a band without precedent. Special guests include Norman Mayell of the historic 60's San Francisco band, Sopwith Camel, and vocalist Judy July.
Mortal Loom parallels the traditions of successful Euro-US artists like Chris & Cosey, This Mortal Coil, David Sylvian, Dead Can Dance and Tangerine Dream. Comprised of a guild of international alchemical musicians, dreamers and visionaries, Mortal Loom have produced and remixed music over the last 15 years for many major labels and artists. They have DJ'd extensively at clubs including The Copa, Probe, Starck Club and Paragon, plus many other venues in Mexico, France, the UK, Virgin Islands, Belgium, Germany, Boston, Los Angeles and throughout their "second home" in the Netherlands (Amsterdam) and their primary US residence, the greater San Francisco area.
Mortal Loom's unique style of re-mixing and post-production comes, in large part, from Frederick Troy's 15 years in the music industry. "I worked for many years studying many forms of music," he notes," including Latin, Indian, Tribal, Classical, Dance, Eastern and European. All of these influences helped fuse the style of Mortal Loom's sound." However, Frederick Troy warns that "influence can lead to plagiarism," and confirms that Mortal Loom devotes much time to the development of unique instrumentation based on influence and experience; or as Frederick Troy puts it' " then you are always aware of your environment and what sound you are generating. If this sound has been used or overused we will create a new one." Another reason why Alchemy Through Dreams sounds so fresh is because Mortal Loom uses many recording technologies that are not available to the general music industry.
Instrumentation: 12 string steel guitar; Alesis QS 7& 8 with sampler; tribal percussion (synth & live); Rebirth & Recycle (custom German sampling software); Custom instrument samples (Violin, Bells, Water, Crickets); Roland 303, 808, 909 (Drums); live and computer generated percussion and drums; Roland XP30; Cubase VST and Pro-Tools post-production, re-mixing and mastering; proprietary digital software.
Please visit http://www.gatemusic.com/mortalloom for more information. 1-800-655-1625
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New CD
Give Me Sanity
by Karen Nunis Blackstone
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a true and fresh voice of the global village...a songwriter of deep emotion
Living the blues as a child profoundly affected Karen's unique multi-cultural folk music; being a member of a very small minority group (Malaccan Portuguese) caused her to be ignored by the Malaysian music industry establishment even as critics were hailing her "very big" voice. Being neither Malay or Chinese, her vocal talent could not find industry acceptance in Malaysia until she relocated to Japan; this, fulfilling a prophecy given by her Ceylonese granddaddy (a renowned soothsayer) that Karen "would be known wherever she was heard." After honing her vocal chops singing jazz and blues on the Nihon circuit, Karen's original songs found a welcome audience at a Buddhist temple run by a former Los Angeles punk vocalist and expanded to concert halls, smoky clubs and festivals all over Japan. Her emotive lyrics, ear-catching melodies and left-of-center rhythms combine the best of blues, jazz and rural folk sensibilities on Gime Me Sanity, supported by some of Southeast Asia's top music talents and many music club pals who were glad to lend a hand. This diverse mix of cultural influences and contemporary attitudes makes marvelous listening. Karen Nunis Blackstone, both acclaimed visual artist and emerging singer/songwriter, was born in Malacca, in the former British colony of Malaysia, and is of Portuguese, Ceylonese and Chinese descent. Her father is a gravelly voiced singer, a blues man in temperament and fortune, and Karen's family always lived hand-to-mouth due of his vices. Karen sang out of habit growing up, and was invited to join the choir of her Catholic church even though she was very young. Karen moved with her disintegrating family to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's frenetic capital and, by force of circumstances, began singing with one of the city's main rockin' pub bands to make a living. During this time she met an American university lecturer/blues harp player, Brad Blackstone, with whom she later married and moved to Akita, Japan. Now Karen splits her time between showing her artwork throughout Asia and the US, and performing both as a solo performer and as lead vocalist in various bands on the Japanese jazz and blues bar/concert circuit. This is her solo debut recording.
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