Kelly David – Meditation in Green

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Spotted Peccary Music announces the label debut of ambient electronic artist Kelly David, with MEDITATION IN GREEN, a psychedelic musical journey deep into the heart of Viet Nam’s Mekong Delta, a mysterious land where nature is the dominant force. Field recordings of water, birds, frogs and thunderstorms blend in and out of the constantly evolving minimalist sonic textures keeping the environment always close at hand. The artist talked about the album at length in an interview with Donna Jo Thornton this weekend on popular Southern California music show, The Morning Breeze.

By Beth Hilton – Spotted Peccary

“I grew up in a house where classical music reigned, especially opera, promoted heavily by my father,” David shared, “But he had a secret musical love: field recordings made in the 1930s of Native American music. I can recall waking up on Saturday mornings with Indian drums and chanting filtering into my subconscious. That origin probably explains where my fascination today with pre-Western percussion began.”

An immersive work built upon deep evolving drones and dreamlike atmospheres, MEDITATION IN GREEN blends environmental field recordings with minimalist ambient textures to underscore nature as a significant component to the work. Subtly nuanced electronic soundforms inhabit the heart of the music as percussion elements ebb and flow, slowly winding through the ethno-atmospheric currents of sound, while thoughtfully placed micro events give depth to the experience, rewarding the discriminating listener with a revealing musical landscape. Pure, honest, and undeniably introspective, Kelly David‘s masterfully crafted soundscapes bring to mind misty visions of a familiar unknown.

In an extensive interview with Robin James on Ello, David explained “Meditation in Green is the result of my exploration of Khmer temples in the Mekong Delta. Since college, I have been fascinated with the Khmer civilization. Previously, I tried to explore some of these feelings, when walking around ancient stone monuments, in my album Angkor. The Mekong Delta was the southernmost tip of the Khmer civilization, and their only route to the sea. The Delta is water, with an immense catalog of organic life there.”

Special guests heard in the mix include Hanoi-based composer Vu Nhat Tan, who recorded samples of Vietnamese instruments heard on “Meditation in Green” and “A Bend in the River.” Drew Redfield played electric guitar on “Moonlight Mekong,” and on the title track “Meditation in Green” Kim Miner provided the “processed sake babble,” Kailani Jurasek rang the temple bell, Kent Antognini provided wildlife field recordings, and Eckhart Buehler recorded the frogs.

Meditation in Green was composed, recorded and mixed by Kelly David at The Edge, Denver, CO, and mastered by Howard Givens. The album releases on August 23, 2019; the physical CD comes in an artful six-panel package with a 4-page booklet; downloadable formats include MP3, CD-quality lossless, 24-bit/96k FLAC and 24-bit/96k Apple Lossless. Visit SpottedPeccary.com or AmbientElectronic.Bandcamp.com for pre-sale, listening, and purchasing options.