Evolving from the transcendental ambient explorations of their previous collaboration Source of Compassion, Howard Givens and Madhavi Devi contemplate the spaces beyond the horizon and the star-packed night skies with a new single release The Celestial Expanse, a deep-field listening experience of layered, interwoven synths blended with electronic and acoustic sound sources that are both organic and otherworldly.
Press release by Beth Hilton
Givens and Devi are well versed in this form of ambient electronic music, each having dedicated many years to the style, while refining their expression of it through previous works such as Tibet and Life Flows Water.
Their new collaboration The Celestial Expanse is mastered in stereo and is also available as a Dolby Atmos/Spatial listening experience. The Celestial Expanse is a deep-field listening experience. Deep Field Audio reaches deeper into sound to explore the unknown. Galaxies soar endlessly, musical chords are juxtaposed at specific frequencies, what lies inside those boundaries is the Universe itself.
In their previous collaboration, Source of Compassion, Howard Givens and Madhavi Devi seamlessly morphed from live studio recording techniques to multi-instrument choreography, including modular and analog synths, digital synths, samples, and acoustic elements to explore a mindful relationship with music, spiritual practice, and the self-healing arts. These two seasoned artists seamlessly merge their musical expressions; balancing the serene, pastoral and non-rhythmic, with the occasional intensity of evolving pulses and beats, all of which draw on the heart-mind energy that inspires the collaborative space and is at the source of spiritual discovery.
For Howard Givens, the art of music, live or recorded, is all about an illusion that intends to convey the listener to another state of experience. In addition to being a co-founder of Spotted Peccary Music, he is directly involved with creating, recording, and producing the subtlety of sounds generated from various electronic sound sources including hardware analog and digital synthesizers, software synthesizers and samplers, and effects processing, and blending them with acoustic sounds including piano, drums, guitars, percussion, ethnic and other worldly instruments, and environmental sounds. Other Albums by Howard Givens include The Bodhi Mantra, Being of Light, Life Flows Water, and the single Spirit Holy Rising (all with Craig Padilla), and as a member of the collective Brain Laughter, In the Land of Power and Not Far From A Distant Sun. He has also recently collaborated with Madhavi Devi and Craig Padilla on their live performance/release Precipice of a Dream as part of Steve Roach’s SoundQuest Fest 2021.
The official video for The Celestial Expanse launches a three-part video series of fractal visualizations created by her “to produce this VERY intricate fractal exploration of numinal space”, thus unifying the complete visual-music expression that is the foundation of art for Madhavi Devi.
Electronic musician, harpist, and meditative sound painter Madhavi Devi (Cheryl Gallagher) produces and performs music with the intention of supernal inner growth and development, composing inspiring sound-spaces reflective of mystical vibrations and light from the center of being. Her critically acclaimed releases feature rich textures and nuanced melodic structures that are evocatively moving and intimate, and yet celestial in scope. Nature sounds, various acoustic percussive elements, and subtly crafted electronic sub-components all add eloquence to her sonic palette and choreography. With several releases over the last couple decades, Madhavi Devi continues to explore her innate sensitivities towards musical conversation, evolving sound as a vital connection to personal discovery. Madhavi Devi also has released The Truth of Being, and Tibet (with Deborah Martin). In addition to her music, Madhavi Devi is an active visual artist, whose original work is featured on the cover art for The Celestial Expanse, as well as The Truth of Being, and Source of Compassion.
For more information and music samples, see ambientelectronic.bandcamp.com/album/the-celestial-expanse.