A Review of "ATLAN" by Thomas JonesA secret truth revealed: Beauty and the Beast are the samething. Soriah’s chimera fusion with Ashkelon Sain hasproduced a sprawling entity, darkly cloaked in groaningatmospheres, yet emanating an ascending light of inestimablebeauty. Atlan is a deeply organic experience. Crisp handpercussion palpitates rising drones in a cellular blood-rushof life. Long, open expanses of slowly shifting tones hanglike low clouds in a frosted mountain range. And when theQuetzalcoatl Kundalini of Soriah’s lyrical throat singingfires down the spine, everything goes astral. Quiveringstrings and chimes offer allusions to Arabo-Andaleusiantextures which run rivulet alongside Tuvan strainsthroughout the dreamscape. Dead CAN dance to such music,because this is the music of the underworld; the music ofhidden places visited by beings beyond the corporeal. Bothartists have long pedigrees; some 40 years of live andrecorded musical experience between them. Soriah has existedunder that name for over a decade, having released severalalbums and known for performing all places mystical,including trees, churches, caves. He has also beenrecognized, through international competition, as one of thetop 5 throat singers in the world. Ashkelon Sain’s TranceTo The Sun project is legendary. And his composition skillshave been honed razor sharp with his more recent SubmarineFleet. The collaboration is a match made in Omeyocan (thehighest Aztec Heaven). Each of Atlan’s 11 tracks is aunique, carefully carved sound-mosque. Like minded soulminers Terry Riley, Huun Huur Tu, SPK’(Zamia Lehmanni)andRobert Rich are good touchstones for what’s in store, buttrying to aptly describe the sonic majesty of Atlan mayrequire divine intervention.
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Two different techniques of throat singing. Both use the Xorekteer voice. I try in the new sample (Khoomeitest and Sygytest) to sing in these two styles. It's not so easy ;-)Khoomeï test : i sing with the Xorekteer voice and then i make a O with my mouth and lips. I feel that the high harmonics are harder to sing than the low. I use the tongue to select the harmonic, i've notice that it works like the Harmonica technique called Bending.Sygyt test : well, same thing. I sing with the Xorekteer voice first then i raise the tip of my tongue like when i say the letter L. My feeling is that is the same technique to select the harmonics, maybe i'm wrong ? I don't move the lips actually. I can sing high harmonics better than in Khoomeï.Well, it was my really first impressions about these two styles. I'm going to sing everyday and try to improve. It's a wonderful music and i really want to sing in Khoomeï. By the way i'm reading a book called "Where Rivers and Mountains Sing..." about Khoomeï, Tuva, culture... It's a really good book so if you're interested in Khoomeï buy it ! ;-)If you have any tips you are welcome ! Or if you just want to share your feeling about Khoomeï you're welcome too.thanksNicolas
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