My dreamiest album to date.
It's been a long held dream of mine to make an album where open stringed instruments (zithers, kantele, harp, etc) play over a bed of what I call "theremin waft". (theremin through harmonizer, delays, reverb, & filters). The theremin waft makes an undersea orchestral sound, hence my thoughts of an oceanic theme.
My friend Mo Coulson gave me a steel string Celtic harp, which gave me the impetus to make the album.
Bridget McMahon also sang on An Island Of Peace album. It wasn’t my intention but An Island Of Peace, Earth Magic Traveller, and Deep Ocean Dreams do form a kind of trilogy.
CC
trivia
The Celtic harp used was a gift from good friend Mo Coulson. She and CC have recorded 3 albumms together.
During the mixing of Moonlight Over The Water, the fade out was suddenly sounding really good. CC stopped the track and found a helicoopter was hovvering over the loft studio. CC put microphones out of the window to record it, and mixed it in the fade out.
Vlog - the making of the album.
Vlog - The Ocean Album Trilogy
Track By Track
1. Return To The Ocean Of Night
The ocean of night draws you in and dreaming begins. Revisiting the soundworld of “Across The Winter Ocean Of Night” from the Earth Magic Traveller album but this is much dreamier, with stringed instruments, voices, low Irish whistle, & theremin commingling like waves and currents. A little piano theme appears briefly halfway through.
CC - low Irish whistle & effects, theremin & effects, electric 9 string guitar, synthesizers, piano, zither, kantele, voice & effects, field recording.
Zorpinda Zorpin - voice
2. Total Immersion
Imagine immersing yourself in the warms waters and being able to breathe freely, and see the beautiful undersea world. And feeling you belong there.
CC - theremin & effects, Celtic harp, Irish whistle, electric piano, voice & effects, bells, chimes, percussion.
3. Moonlight On The Water
You see light playing on the surface of the water above you. You realise it is moonbeams making patterns, reflecting and refracting. You surface and watch the moon and the shimmering light on the water.
CC - zithers, synthesizers, theremin & effects, electric 9 string guitar, field recording.
4. Undersea Utopia
The longer your stay in the underwater dreamworld, the more you feel the joy of it. Every so often, ethereal voices call you to venture further and deeper. The colours of the creatures, coral, and seaweed seem to grow more vivid. A world apart. This is a place you know you will always return to.
CC - theremin & effects, synthesizers, electric 9 string guitar, Celtic harp, piano, electric organ, voice & effects, kalimba, steel tongue drum, bells, chimes, field recordings.
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Thanks to -
Bridget McMahon, Zorpinda Zorpin, Mo Coulson, The Freesound Project, Moog theremins, Peberdy & Musima zithers, Michael J. King kanteles,Vester electric guitars, Spectrasonics, Roland & Korg keyboards, Moog, Vocalist, Boss effects. and all at Twilight Sky Music
all
music composed, produced by and ®2023 Chris Conway