STYLE
January 2013
Luscious chillout world and dance music.
Heaven and Earth elegantly weaves an enchanting tapestry of
modern genres: colourful indigenous performance; meandering ambience; gutsy dub
and electronica; sleepy global exotica. The range of sonic material is
impressive, programmed arps and synthesisers are accompanied by electric
guitar, bamboo flute and other acoustic instruments. But there is so much more:
from such subtle touches as a single cuckoo and low-key reversed music samples
to a soaring female Indian singer with accompanying drones and bows; echoing
children's voices; lazy slide guitar and a veritable plethora of electronic
effects. The tempo shifts pleasantly throughout the album yet always remaining
in the lower bpm range - Dub the Magic derriere tripping along with a
meditative dance beat of percolating sequencers and tablas; Crystal Skulls
insistently plodding along with a ponderous live drum sound. Intros and outros
linger pleasingly in some of the album's more evocative spots and there are
plenty of spacious, unhurried interludes where rhythms to fall away into
alluring musical clearings.
IN DEPTH
The album opens with a rippling electro-chime pattern and
spacey synthetics that beckon a misty flute breathing across a drifting,
gradually climaxing terrain. Indian hand drums beautifully complement the sense
of earthy wonder, later fading away to be enhanced by a flickery digi-rhythm
that reminds us that this is a very contemporary journey. The second track
Bouroukou ventures now into the tangled roots of heaving tribal percussion,
ethnic chants barking emphatically, a sinewy squelch bass line forging a path
in pursuit of keening guitar and synth whispers. Further tracks maintain a
mesmerising downbeat consistency; prowling, floating or bobbing restfully as
the mood shifts. Bird calls and sibilant scrapers soften the nodding dub of
Shake That Snake where the minimal melody is given a sense of peculiar wonder
by a range of reverberating effects and light washes. From Above winds the
album down with a wistful nostalgia - a swaying temple bell pattern buoyed up
by distant, soft-focus clouds of sound and a mournful string melody that
finally evaporates away into empty air.
ARTWORK
Heaven and Earth is a lush digipack release that really is
feast for the eyes. The inspired graphics created by Andy Thomas picture the
theme well: from the verdant depths of this gorgeous planet through the clouds
to the starry expanse beyond. The front cover montage has a violet, blue and
lilac cloudscape atop a muted shot of the globe in space fringed with a
profusion of intriguing vegetation and fractals bubbles as if the viewer were
looking out from among the greenery. Track titles are on the rear where the
flora has intensified into a dense forest tangled with twisting roots clinging
to the edges of a sharp fissure. Internal imagery continues this striking
blue-green colour scheme - an explanation of the project and thanks are located
here.
OVERALL
Melbourne,
Australia based
Yvon Mounier returns with his fifth solo album as the dreamily psychedelic Don
Peyote. Follow-up to the 2008 Peyote Dreaming album, Don continues his
exploration of downtempo global music with Heaven and Earth released via his
own Don Peyote Recordings label. Promotional material explains that "Don
combines crisp production with intelligent arrangements, drawing upon
indigenous, otherwordly and dub influences to create a soundscape where every
moment counts." The nine tracks here certainly live up to that claim - see
for yourself by visiting Don's Bandcamp page or discover more about the project
via the official Don Peyote website.
ARTIST'S THOUGHTS
This music project started out from a collection of song
titles that I have collected over the years. Each of the titles chosen on
Heaven and Earth reflects a personal event or experience at one time or another
that has touched me deeply during my journey through this lifetime.
My desire is to share these personal encounters with you via
a sonic voyage that draws from deep earthy rhythms with a blend of etheric and
dreamy soundscapes, to inspire the experience of our shared existence... Don
Peyote
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