zazz ~ soft harbinger

zazz ~ soft harbinger (inner islands, 2018)

"Zazz is the long distance collaborative project of Ang Wilson and Braeyden Jae. Out of mutual admiration for each other’s musicality and expression, the project came to life when the two decided to develop a creative dialogue through sound, sending files back and forth with no pre-determined aesthetic or agenda. That space of not knowing and openness nurtures the trust and respect that guides the project. It allows for an honesty and presence that can be difficult to tap into when the course has already been charted. 

Soft Harbinger follows the thread of gentle and pastoral work that Braeyden has pursued with his project, softest, and that Ang has been known for, both with their solo project, teasips, and with Electric Sound Bath. Soft Harbinger is the debut album from Zazz and it’s a beautiful opening." ~ inner islands

Vernal equinox is definitely a good day to share some peaceful music with the world and honestly I can't think better place to look for it than Inner Islands label. For many years now it keeps this delicate flow of acoustic sensations which adds something meaningful to our world. Just a little bit of harmony... 

When David Bohm, one of the quantum physics pioneers, discussed his theories with attendees, he described our world as a hologram and the difference between hologram and usual picture is that each part of hologram keeps the whole picture. So if you tear a regular photo you'll have fragments which can't really tell you what was captured on the original (especially if it's really small fragments), while each piece of broken hologram will have same picture in it, just more blurred than original. Each tiny piece of it will be same, just less detailed... When I read about it in my childhood, guess my life was irreversibly changed that moment. If the Universe is holographic in its nature, it means each tiniest part of it is the universe itself. And of course I knew about it before – metaphorically, from tales, myths, from poetry... But this was science, huh! 

But yes, your yoga teacher or psychologist are right when they say each person is a universe. But important part here (from physics) is that if even smaller part contains the whole picture, it can be so blurry that you'd never tell that something's there. It's hidden, it's out of reach. Parts must be connected, integrated and here lies another trick moment – there is a big difference between a part and a fragment. A bunch of letters may create some words but you need a concept of harmony to create poetry of it. Rhythm. Waves. Patterns... There is no music in the world until the listener appears. A mind with an idea of harmony. And that's the hologram, the picture of the whole, the music made of natural noises, the very beginning of it. 

Of course we don't need to go metaphysical to enjoy music. We even gone so far that we can see harmony in something which was considered dumb noise only a few decades ago. I guess that's inevitable process, that's seeing the bigger picture. Following the patterns of harmony. I'll leave the question about nature of the harmony itself because I'm trying to talk about music here and music is obviously my favorite thing in this Hologram. Simply because it doesn't need words to make you feel these things. It always connects you with other people, events, places and sensations, you become something bigger than you was. And in case of Zazz it does that thing so delicately, that you may lose any thoughts just after few minutes spent inside these blissfully repeating patterns of universal harmony... If each musical track is a hologram then these two sides are filled with so many things that you'll need an eternity to explore them all. It's just like a window into the wider space. Wide as world itself. 

listen ~ support

channelers / softest / braeyden jae

channelers ~ essex (inner islands, 2016)

«Essex is the 2nd album by Channelers (Ashan, gkfoes vjgoaf, etc). Expansive minimalism. Bridging the synthetic and organic. The repetitive fissle of a stream, the fluidity of its motion, and the clarity of its composition. The collection utilizes a diverse palette, devoting a unique ensemble to each piece. As a whole, it promotes a neutral space in favor of nurturing one’s physicality. Channelers is Sean Conrad, based in Oakland, California». inner islands

When it comes to Inner Islands, I never have doubts about the quality of music presented. Well-established provider of lovely ambient tunes and blissful new age meditations, Sean Conrad – is the man behind the Islands and also behind the Channelers alias. Being a huge fan of everything Sean does I fell in love with "Essex" from the very first minutes. Opening with 11-minute "Rest" composition, it immediately sets the mood to relaxed, so it's not really possible to do something else than nap while it unfolds with beautifully crafted loops. Gentle instrumentations reminds Ashan a lot (another Conrad's project), but stays wordless and beatless most of the time. I always wondered how he manages to create these endless, so nicely selected loops, because they aren't annoying even after very long period of time, they just give you space – to dream, to feel, to stay in peace with yourself and the environment. I'd call it meditation, but this music is not just a tool for certain purpose, there is always something more, about the life itself, about every single day and simple activities like cooking, drinking tea or maybe just looking out the window... When you wake up and see bright sunny morning outside after few weeks of cloudy greyness, this tape will be a perfect start to the day!

listen ~ buy

softest ~ six wishes (inner islands, 2016)

«six wishes is the 2nd full-length release from softest (braeyden jae, WYLD WYZRDZ, etc). The sounds from this project are invariably in sympathy with the name of their maker. Gentle rain on a dark green landscape. A warmth to gather yourself around. The pieces, instrumentally, are comprised of guitar, synths, keyboards, discreet sampling, and field recordings. softest is Braden McKenna, based in Salt Lake City, Utah.”». inner islands

It was a bit surprising to see Braden returning to his softest alias after immense number of releases as Braeyden Jae, but listening to the tape you'll immediately understand the decision. Softest side of Braden's guitar rumble brings here same kind of magic heard on "Essex" tape – slowly unfolding spirals of guitar bliss mixed with pleasant synth pads and field recordings, and once again Inner Islands release makes this world little happier. Usually Braden's ability to hypnotise comes from the same source as Sean's – nicely selected loops and almost invisible change of their flow during the composition. But this time something else comes into play – carefully picked echo intertwined with thorough layering creates another level of perception. And at certain moment it gains more effect in the mix with field recording natural noises. Beauty of the melodic lines drowns in reverberation and tape hiss – just to be born again, to change its state but to remain itself, like rain over the landscape, exactly. Isn't it what we all want?

listen ~ buy

 braeyden jae ~ fog mirror (whited sepulchre, 2016)

«On Fog Mirror, SLC based musician Braden McKenna, has crafted a weighted, textural album of architectural drone punctuated with stirring washes of crackling static and arcing tones that gather like visible precipitation on an early morning windshield. Fog Mirror is braeyden jae's most deliberately paced, emotionally resonant record to date; the aural equivalent of watching a thick gray blanket envelop some distant, cliffed coastline». whited sepulchre

You may know Ryan Hall, who started Whited Sepulchre as founder of the fellow blog Tome to the Weather Machine, charity netlabel Heligator Records and co-founder of Denver-based Goldrush Music Festival. First two releases at his new label Whited Sepulchre are Fog Mirror vinyl and Braden's cassette split with Ant'lrd. Fog Mirror starts at the territory where softest ends – lush of pink noise covers every melody and every riff produced by Braden's guitar and melts all magic loops into thawing crunch of late spring snow. Overall composition here acts like variable high-level wind, changing directions and power, but always staying way too high to notice any small detail. Everything drowns in everything. Forests, lakes, mountains... Reverb takes part in it too, gaining subtle melodies to the level of this wind, giving them almost astronomical scale, wrapping whole planet into cocoon of dense magnetic fields, cosmic rays, gliding at the atmosphere, meteor showers... At the same time someone standing at the bus stop far away from city, hears thunder, sees lightning and thinks of the endlessness of time, of connection between people, of home... Breathing clean air charged with electricity. Someone small in the endless corridor of the two mirrors facing each other: mirrors of perception and thoughts about it, surfaces of feelings and contemplation on them. Music permeates these surfaces, but can we do the same? Or it will another reflection, or reflection of the reflection, finally faded in the fog? Infinite is not something big, it's here, right now – in every gaze, in every touch, in every tiny drop of fog... Music knows it.

listen ~ buy

kaliska

 kaliska ~ dark river / welcome light (inner islands, 2013)

~ the final album from kaliska. an acknowledgement of the constant contradictions of life, living, etc...deep minimal beats and guitars that sound like synths. ~

ojalá que éste no sea de verdad 'the final album from Kaliska'... más allá de etiquetas, modas, reinvenciones rítmicas y revivals, siempre tuve la sensación de que Inner Islands nos enseñó a disfrutar de otro tipo de belleza, de un lenguaje inédito el día que apareció el primer disco de Gkfoes Vjgoaf o este vídeo de Garrick y  Braden sentados alrededor de sus cachivaches en la playa, al atardecer, dejándose llevar por la música en un emocionante mantra sin fin. una esencia casi espiritual que Lawrence Martínez plasmó en imágenes en 'the range of light', el vídeo más bonito del mundo, y Rafa en palabras en esta entrañable entrevista a Braden. fue como si el color más irresistible de la gama cromática se nos hubiera plantado ante los ojos justo cuando ya creíamos gastadas todas las combinaciones posibles, como si descubriéramos una belleza especial y particular, diferente, como hace años lo había sido Jewelled Antler. Stag Hare, Ashan, Kaliska, Wyld Wyzrdz, Nearone, River Spirit Dragon...una gran familia que nos regaló y nos sigue regalando minutos de arrebatadora espiritualidad, un nuevo concepto de placer musical donde los beats y las guitarras parecen sintes, o palos de agua, donde los ritmos más cadenciosos, las atmósferas más cristalinas, los arreglos más radiantes y los más orgánicos, y esa debilidad por los espacios naturales, el agua, los bosques, tejen múltiples y diversas texturas, siempre impregnadas de energía positiva y mucho amor. otros colores, otros olores, otros sabores, un arcoíris de sonidos con los que Inner Islands, The Path We Make y The Gentle Ways ya se ganaron el cielo. y Laaraji, la influencia invisible, sobrevolando la música de Kaliska, y su querida isla del antílope, y la conmovedora y triste historia del pingüino. por eso me daría pena que ésta fuera su última cinta-ofrenda musical. siempre nos quedará Ashan y Stag Hare, pero echaríamos tanto de menos su emocionante pulsión, sus cánticos, la sensación de movimiento, de trance, y la cara de felicidad constante de Braden que siempre me transmite puro entusiasmo. 'dark river/welcome light' es otro disco-mantra sinuoso en ritmos y melodías. las canciones fluyen una tras otra, las voces surgen de otro plano, lejanas en el tiempo, dibujando estructuras que casi se desvanecen al soplar, tan etéreas y cristalinas que parece imposible que se sostengan. notas lanzadas, literalmente, al viento. o sea, tan bonito como siempre, tanto que es imposible no agotar elogios. la guinda para seguir manteniendo viva la llama: dentro de muy poco Inner Islands publicará 'time immemorial', que es ni más ni menos el nuevo disco de Oliwa, 'the sky tree' de Tuluum Shimmering, 'all a river' de Silver Antlers, 'earth magic life' de Ashan y sí, un split de Ashan y Kaliska. y todas las espero como agua de mayo. y nueva cinta indescriptiblemente bonita de Stag Hare en Space Slave Editions.

foto: lawrence martínez

 listen ~ buy

kaliska

 kaliska ~ what world? (inner islands, 2013)

"a series of subtle textural shifts and cycles that reveal and conceal the albums melodic repetitions. It is inspired by Haruki Murakami's 1Q84 and Judith Butler's Imitation and Gender Insubordination." braden j mackenna 

collage: 'vertedora de ríos' de andrés gamiochipi

listen ~ buy

kaliska

[...] trees :: do you remember the “depressed” penguin? he ran towards the unknown, surely knowing that he would die. I envy him, the determination to left the community. maybe we should dedicate one song to the adventurous penguin!
braden :: Of course I remember the “depressed” penguin. I’ll make a song for the penguin and send it to you when it’s done. ;-) [...]

recupero esta pregunta de la entrevista que le hicimos a braden j mckenna el año pasado. en ella hablábamos del pingüino que werner herzog filmó en el imprescindible documental "encounters at the end of the world" (werner herzog, 2007). puede sonar a tontería pero ese pingüino me rozó con las alas esa cosa llamada corazón, de ahí que poder inmortalizar esa caricia a través de la música de braden suena a regalo del cielo. "letting go" y sus casi 20 minutos de bucle ingrávido musican a la perfección la percepción que me transmiten estas imágenes y que bien podrían resumirse así:

"this penguin dared to dream, he ran towards the unknown just so he could understand the unknown. he threw his life away to answer the ultimate question, what lies on the other side. this penguin was beautiful, and I will never forget it as it has touched my spirit in a way no other penguin ever could. he ventured forth into the dark, so that he could shine his light and open the way for all penguin kind."

download "letting go" ~ kaliska

soft sounds

va ~ soft sounds (calm in trees, august 2012)

01. patiente (waiting for the summer) ~ sunny dunes

02. wake up in summer ~ sparkling wide pressure

03. faraway trees ~ loner deluxe

04. song for nana ~ luminous craft

05. dominican black abbey ~ the driftwood manor

06. soft sounds ~ muffin

07. emery blagdon saves your mortal soul ~ brendan codey

08. a grave affection ~ tim kinsella

09. bull doze blues ~ henry thomas

10. you're going to leave the old home, jim ~ lulu jackson

11. summer oscillating ~ j. hanson

12. the store ~ mirror to mirror

13. spetses ~ panabrite

14. khi ~ high wolf

15. deeper into meadows ~ black eagle child

16. palolo ~ charlie wilson

17. in the park ~ deep magic

18. crystals in time ~ nibiru communion 

19. hummingbird city ~ orphan fairytale

20. kid island ~ mpala garoo

21. what comes after, part. 2 ~ long legged woman

22. edna ~ dead drums

23. goon the dooms star ~ ladyshapes & braden j mckenna

24. asyndeton ~ hobbledeions

25. veranda ~ monster rally

26. tape studies ~ günter schlienz 

27. rescue of prisoners from cannibals ~ x.y.r.

28. stained glass sequence demo ~ motion graphics

29. song of the whale ~ jd emmanuel

30. flown the other side ~ good shepherd

31. leaves on the breeze ~ shep and me

32. ceramy ~ kandodo

33. ~ ~ happy tendry

34. moonlight mind ~ imperial topaz

35. guider ~ braden j mckenna

foto via amhpics & kevin hsia

download

braden j mckenna

braden j mckenna ~ surfs down smile up (moondial, 2012)

coming soon...

mientras, un botón de muestra, otra delicatessen luminosa y cristalina con inconfundible sabor inner islands...kaliska goes to the beach, o a la isla del antílope, y al encuentro se unen stag hare, gkfoes y beach boys. supongo que aquí es donde se acaban las palabras, lo mejor es bajar y tararear la preciosa guider, pero preciosa de verdad, que braden nos deja en su página de soundcloud

 click! 

"Guider will you guide me?
There's is no trail to see,
And I just wanna go somewhere.

The guider told me
There is no path to see
And your going nowhere.

Healer will you heal me?
There's someone I need to be
But I"m not sure who.

The Healer told me
There's no one you should be
Listen to your heart."

kaliska

kaliska ~ the path we make (inner islands, 2012)

"walking a personal path, howling at the moon" braden j mc kenna

hoy es el cumpleaños de ana, el momento perfecto para publicar esta conversación con braden j mc kenna, una de esas personas que de no existir habría que inventarla. de nuevo volvemos a intentar descubrir a través de preguntas más personales el por qué de una música tan especial y de la importancia de un sello como inner islands. "the path we make" es el último disco de braden (aka Wyld Wyzrdz aka Coyote Dreamer aka Kaliska), recorramos ese camino con el propio braden.

trees :: i must admit that sean (ashan, gkfoes vjgoaf), stag hare, high wolf and you, are creating the most spiritual music in the outer regions of the world we are living. how is your relationship with the "real world"? ie the world in which we must work to pay bills, mortgage for a house, etc ... how do you deal with the madness floating around us?

braden :: I’m still figuring out my relationship with the "real world". I’ve done a pretty good job the past few years not worrying about money. I try to only work part time to keep my energy free for creating art and music, running the record label and exploring. but lately money and bills and stuff like that have become more real. as I get older my lack of temporal security is becoming more obvious. as for right now I’m just trying to keep a balance, doing what I need to do to survive as a human in the world today.

trees :: where did you grow up?, what was your first contact with music? what led you to create your own music?
braden :: I moved around a bit as kid, but I mostly grew up in Utah and Washington. I was born into a mormon family, my first experiences with music was singing hymns in church as a child. I started playing the guitar at age 15 and first learned to play punk rock. later, as a teenager I got really obsessed with "the glow pt. 2" and that pretty much sparked the desire to record my own records.

trees :: the microphones!!! I got quite impressed with this record too, and of course with “song islands”, specially with“I lost my wind”, have you lost your wind sometime?
braden :: Ya, I’ve lost my wind before. I think most people do from time to time.

trees :: I think you're making the most organic sound out there. do you think it’s affected the place in which you’re living?? or maybe it’s more mental than physical?
braden :: I think my art is equally affected by all of my experiences. whether it’s spending time in nature or meditation, interacting with friends and other humans, going to work, playing video games etc… my art is a reflection of my life, whatever that may consist of.

trees :: what’s your favourite place in the world?
braden :: I am learning to not have favorites, so this is a tricky question. ;-) I resonate with a lot of different places. I recently went on a backpacking trip with my father in southern Utah, the desert there has a very strong power. I’ve also been eating at a local tibetan restaurant called Shambala on a regular basis. that place has such a good vibe and the food is so tasty. but ya, I guess any place can be your favorite if you are in the moment.

trees :: how is the process in creating these mantras?, and technically how is the recording process, and what tools you use?
braden :: my process for creating music can be different from album to album. In reference to my most recent album "the path we make", I was coming out of a period of intense anxiety and emotional distress. so I was kind of in a weird space when I started recording that record. I had made very basic versions of the songs and would meditate on them for hours. the sounds of that album brought me a lot of comfort and peace, it helped ground me. as I got deeper into those sounds it became clearer to me what the album meant to me and I completed the record accordingly.
on the technical side I record music on my laptop. I’m currently using logic pro. my process generally consists of making a solid drone and few loops first, then outlining a basic structure. I then sit on that for a while to try and figure out what is going on. I improvise a lot in the recording process, making loops out of the magick moments. I use a lot of repetition in my music, so a large portion of my time is used making subtle mixing changes throughout the track and honing in on the best possible song structure. It kind of feels like sculpting or painting.

trees :: I often say that humans today have lost touch with nature, its link with the spiritual world. an idea that always comes to my mind when I hear your music. I find it the perfect soundtrack playing in the ideal world, the one i feel plenty, that my head imagines. how do you reach a sound so organic?
braden :: my process involves a great deal of electronics, so I’m glad it still has an organic feeling. when approaching a recording I try to be as honest with myself as possible, only keeping what really needs to be on the record. I want to make music that is totally open and honest, music that comes from a loving place. I want my music to feel human. I guess my intention in creating the music could lead to the organic feeling you have experienced.

trees :: the world is going through probably one of the worst moments of history, rather than the end of the world I think we are about to enter a new dimension of thought. what moves you going out of bed every morning?
braden :: I’ve gone through a lot of changes that past few years and with that have come a lot of amazing experiences as well as many challenges. despite the natural ups and downs that come with being a human there is something deep inside that wants to survive, something that is curious about what tomorrow brings. I still feel like I’m learning what it means to be a human, you know still discovering my self. I also have a very strong desire to keep creating art, so far that’s been enough to get me out of bed.

trees :: "make an island of yourself, make yourself your refuge; there is no other refuge. make your island truth, make truth your refuge, there is no other refuge." (digha nikaya, 16) this words remind me the philosophy of inner islands. am i wrong? what led you to create a music label?braden :: those words definitely dialogue what Inner Islands means to me, but I guess there is not a single specific meaning to the name of the label. Inner Islands is a reference to experiences I’ve had on Antelope Island, as well as the process of personal exploration. I also just think the name sounds cool. ;-)
I had previously ran a label called "magic goat music" for a few years. but as my life began to change, it felt like it was time for a new beginning. I wanted to start a label that had a much more focused intention, I wanted a new record label to reflect the newness of my life.

trees :: absolutely, the name sounds cool. talking about names, where wyld wyzrdz or kaliska comes from? “antelope island” I don’t know where is it but I want to live there! tell us more about this suggestive place.
braden :: Honestly there wasn’t a whole lot of thought behind the name WYLD WYZRDZ. I decided to spell it wrong and use all caps so it would look cooler when written down. I was originally going to use Coyote Dreamer for my new project name, but earlier this year another artist started releasing music under that moniker, so I decided to use Kaliska to avoid confusion. Kaliska means coyote chasing deer. The music I am making with Kaliska is intended to be the sound of survival truth. I feel the image of a coyote hunting a deer fits that pretty well.
Antelope island is an island on the Salt Lake. It’s a special place to me. I’ve had some experiences there that have shifted the way I think about myself and the world I live in. If you ever make it out to Utah I’ll take you there. ;-)

trees :: the other day I saw "encounters at the end of the world" (werner herzog). really amazing, it really struck me (beyond the antarctica's beauty) the co-incidence of extremely interesting people living there. that leads me to think about your relationship with sean conrad (ashan, gkfoes vjgoaf) or garrick biggs (stag hare), how did you meet?
braden :: I’ve seen that film, I really vibe with it. I’ve known stag hare for a while; we started to become friends about 5 years ago. we are both from Utah and our artistic and social paths eventually crossed. stag’s music was very influential in me starting to explore drone-based music in my own recordings. I’ve had a lot of meaningful experiences with stag hare as an artist and as a friend.
I met sean in the summer of 2010. he had just gone on tour with stag and ended up staying at our place in Portland. there was no getting to know you period. sean was instantly familiar. the first time we hung out stag, sean and I recorded the river spirit dragon album. I’ve only spent about three weeks in person with sean, but I consider him one of my closest friends.

trees :: do you remember the “depressed” penguin? he ran towards the unknown, surely knowing that he would die. I envy her, the determination to left the community. maybe we should dedicate one song to the adventurous penguin!
braden :: Of course I remember the “depressed” penguin. I’ll make a song for the penguin and send it to you when it’s done. ;-)

trees :: introduce us sean and tell us his favorite breakfast :)
braden :: the best way to know sean would be to spend some time with him. but if you don’t have that luxury I’d recommend paying close attention to his photos, drawings and music. he is a very sincere artist and puts a lot of himself into the gifts he creates. I don’t really know what his favorite breakfast is, but when we went on tour last summer we mostly ate cereal with warm rice milk that was left in the backseat the car.

trees :: introduce us garrick biggs and tell us his favourite way to spend a sunday morning :)
braden:: garrick is an alien house cat who spends most sunday mornings fast asleep.

trees :: ana wants to know what about looping "being here" from laraaji :D

braden :: oh no! has ana been spying on my last.fm account? I developed tinnitus over a year ago. when it first started the constant ringing in my ears caused me a lot of distress. I would lay in bed and get really freaked out, my head would begin to hurt and I wouldn't be able to sleep. I started to listen to music while going to bed to help mask the ringing in my ears. the track "being here" by Laraaji became my comfort track, I'd just play it on repeat and go to sleep.

eventually I started doing meditation to change my perception of silence. I still have the constant ringing in my ears but I am in a much better emotional place with the situation. I can now fall asleep fine while still hearing the ringing in my ears, but I'm currently living in a house with five other people and I am a light sleeper. so if people are up late and being noisy I use the laraaji track to help me drift into dream land. It's kind of like a drug to me, as soon as I hear the song my body knows it's time for bed.

trees :: musically what caught your attention lately?, what do you think about "dolphins into the future", "taped sounds"?, and what labels you recommend?
braden :: I’ve been vibing on erykah badu quite a bit lately, but she’s a usually in rotation. I’ve recently been getting back into gamelan music. I’ve also been getting into “from there to here” by sunhiilow, really into the blend of darkness and light on that album. recently I’ve discovered the band medicine. I’ve been digging their album titled “the buried life”. the guitar sounds are so warped. I’m living in the house where “seven feathers rainwater” is recording their new album; it’s sounding really good. so stoked for people to hear that when the time comes.
I’ve only heard a little bit of “dolphins into the future”, but I have been down with what I’ve heard. and honestly I know of “taped sounds”, but am not too familiar with what they do. as far as label recommendations, my buddy seth from “seven feathers” is gearing up to get “moon dial” going again. there are a handful of high quality releases that should be out within the next several months.

trees :: oh! I really love “dancers of bali – gamelan of peliatan” you should listen to it! I’ve heard hear hums “opens”and sounds bit different than the usual vibes on inner islands. How’s the way you decide to release one record? what about the near future releases?
braden :: ya, hear hums is a bit different than the classic Inner Islands sound. recently I felt it was important to expand the vibes of the island. there are a few more releases lined up that will shake up the vibe too. mainly I just want to work with open and honest people that are making music from a loving place. I like to work with people I know personally, but have recently been venturing out to releasing music from people I only know through internet communication. It’s kind of scary for me to do that, but I feel it’s important for me to branch out if Inner Islands is going to grow.

trees :: what was the last great movie you saw?, what about the last great book you read?
braden :: last night I watched “where the dead go to die”. It’s a cg film that was written, animated, and directed by jimmy screamer clauz. the film is totally fucked. super dark and crazy, the film never lets up. I was totally drained by the time the film ended. It really explores a lot of the darker aspects of humanity and the psyche. despite being into it I would have a hard time recommending the film to too many people.
I’m not the most avid reader in the world. I’m currently going through a collection of short stories by haruki murakami titled blind willow, sleeping woman. this is my first time reading the works of murakami and I’m really feeling it so far.

trees :: do you feel a strong affinity for any animals? and trees?
braden :: my spirit animal is the coyote, which can be a tricky thing. ;-) I really love cats and make it a point to chill with every cat I come across. I also resonate strongly with deer, antelope and horses. I’m a fan of trees. when I was going through some pretty bad anxiety over a year ago while I was living in Portland I’d go on walks down to the willamette river and put my forehead on the trees. It was good medicine, in a matter of moments I’d begin to feel grounded and normal.

trees :: trees are friends :) I have no more questions, I only want to tell you one thing. thanks for existing, “from a stone” is probably one of my 5 favourite records ever.
braden :: oh gee, thanks. I’m really glad you are resonating with that release. “from a stone” is very special to me. I really feel like trish’s vocals on the album took it to another level. before I go I’d like to thank you for the wonderful questions. I’d also like to give a shout out to my dear friend andrew alba. he is an amazing visual artist. his work can be found at stones in a river and moonfaced.

no sé a vosotros pero a mi braden me devuelve la fé en el ser humano. felicidades braden y felicidades ana!!

download | buy

the range of light

"Follow your heart
You will be free
Free just to love
Free just to be"

click

ashan

ashan ~ to return to (inner islands, 2012)

"hello friends, getting to the good stuff! today, this full moon, marks the release of the first album by ashan, 'to return to'. inner islands has wonderfully released this album digitally and on cd. it is about messages of love, listening to the heart, giving is receiving, celebration, and many ineffable things. so i shall say no more and let the music speak for itself." sean conrad

hace unos días, sean nos envió un correo alertando de la inminente publicación de su primer disco rebautizado como "ashan", coincidiendo con la luna nueva de febrero. ana habló de hacer una crítica pero como la cascada de adjetivos grandilocuentes que le hemos regalado a su música se ha secado, hemos preferido para esta ocasión tan especial hablar con el propio sean, acercándonos un poco más al hombre tras el nombre. parafraseando al propio sean, dejemos que música y respuestas hablen por sí solas.

microphones in the trees (trees) :: what music was in your house when you were little?

sean :: my dad playing the piano. like rachmaninoff, bach, chopin, rock ‘n’ roll stuff. and we’d listen to madonna, jewel, the beatles, and around christmas this series called ‘celtic christmas’. 

trees :: what moves you to make music?
sean :: lately it’s been because i have a feeling or experience that i want to share with others. from my heart and spirit. it comes out as sounds and images mostly. it’s really just energy. i feel love for this world of individuals and want to express that.  

trees :: what would be the ideal effect of your music upon the listener?
sean :: whatever they take away from it is ideal. 

trees :: do you have a ghost story?
sean :: my current understanding of ghosts is that they are clusters of energy that might not have a physical form, but we know they’re there because we can sense energy. i think our (as humans) psychic abilities are pretty underplayed for the most part though. but with ghosts.. i’ve definitely felt presences in my bedroom as a kid, often sitting in my desk chair. i told it to go away and it did. but sometimes it would return and i’d have to ask it again. 

trees :: do you believe in another life (s) beyond the one we're living?
sean :: i think there are beings that exist in different dimensions that aren’t like this one. like how our world/dimension is created by our senses (touch, sight, etc), i’ll bet there are other dimensions based on other senses. there could be “aliens” on our planet but we can’t perceive them with our 5 senses. perhaps with our psychic sense we can. 

trees :: how mystical are you?
sean :: 0%. i’m not at all mystical. totally real and true. i don’t want to mystify anything in my life. but there’s another sort of idea about ‘mysticism’ that has to do with magick and spirituality, which seems different to me. i’m way down with magick. earth is a very magickal place. i’m seeing it more and more every day. it almost seems like humans forgot about their magick and their power to consciously work with energy. for instance, there is a lot of magick in intention and pouring your energy into making something happen. that manifestation is magickal to me. 

trees :: a memory of your childhood.
sean :: learning how to ollie on a skateboard in front of my parents’ house with my friend harrison. it was a cloudy day in the mid-afternoon. 

trees :: what do you think about the consciousness of non-human animals?
sean :: they are certainly conscious beings.. if that’s what you mean? 

trees :: yes, for sure. i know they're conscious and sentient beings like you and me. what about eat them?? i mean, most of time i hear people who loves animals (specially dogs, cats, horses, dolphins, panda bears, etc...) but at the same time they could eat a cow, or a pig, a turkey, etc... i can't understand the way they separate their moral value. i always think human animals suffer moral schizophrenia.
sean :: hehe, i like your term. yeah. i think it’s a lack of compassion on both ends. it seems when people have a lack of compassion for themselves that is the limit of their compassion with others. if we can not show ourselves love then it is much harder to do so for some creature we have never met and probably never will meet. also, i don’t think that most people know about factory farming and what really happens there… 

trees :: favorite films and why?

sean :: princess mononoke is one of my favorite films. it speaks many volumes about animals (including humans), spirits, magick, ignorance, awareness, intention, way more, and the interaction between all those. there’s so much to say, hehe. this is perhaps not the best place to get into it. but if you’ve seen it then perhaps you know what i’m talking about. if you haven’t, and that sounds interesting, then perhaps check it out. 

trees :: hehe i know what you talking about!! princess mononoke is a great film absolutely. i love all studio ghibli's films but my favorite could be "my neighbor Totoro". have you seen? i've got a soft spot for cats =)
sean :: indeed i have seen it! it’s one of my favorites as well. earlier today i was just talking about the scene where the cat-bus is walking on the telephone wires. and just a couple days ago i was standing in my garden with my partner rosa recalling the ritual that totoro and the girls do to grow the trees. 

trees :: where "gkfoes vjgoaf" & "ashan" names came from?
sean :: ‘gkfoes vjgoaf’ came from trying to think of band names, coming up with nothing, and then surrendering to the energy i was working with and saying, “what are you called??” and then closing my eyes and typing, “gkfoes vjgoaf”. but now i feel like i’m dialoguing with different energies. ‘Ashan’ is a word/force that my dad’s friend bo gatewood came across while doing some channeling work. it means, “the vibration of creation, of harmony, of unification, and of love. used as a greeting, blessing, and an expression of love. to be spoken or said mentally to attune oneself to the rhythms of the universe.” that’s an excerpt from a book called ‘Ashan: The Gentle Way’ that flowed through bo. it came before i was born and my parents named me ‘sean’. i think they were subconsciously dialoguing with ‘Ashan’. so it feels like a pretty homely name to me. maybe like a deeper version of my given name.

trees :: introduce us braden J mckenna (wyld wyzrdz, coyote dreamer, inner islands) and tell us his favorite breakfast :)
sean :: braden’s favorite breakfast is a deep one ;-)
it’s hard to introduce through words. i feel like i was introduced to braden through playing music together. the day we met we had a really deep jam with our mutual friend, stag hare. i also go really deep with braden’s music. i’m excited for his new energies, Coyote Dreamer*, to be released into the world. he also runs a music label/family, called Inner Islands. it’s rooted in love, peace, and coming from the heart and spirit. he’s a spirit friend for sure.
and back to totoro, braden's family has a cat named catbus. hehe.

* coyote dreamer - the path we make, will be released on cd, april 16th 2012. check inner islands for updates!

trees :: way to spend a sunday morning? 

sean :: today is sunday. i spent the morning sharing a coffee with two great friends and going deep. it was wonderful! 

trees :: i think dreams are mirrors of ourselves, with our desires and our fears, do you think they have a determinate role in our lives?
sean :: i dunno about a determinate role. but for me they’re totally just extensions of our waking life. just not so much basis in the limitations we normally put on the possibilities of events and physical forms. i like what you said about mirrors of desires and fears.

trees :: imagine your house is burning in flames and you only could save 5 records, what would they are?
sean :: at the house i’m living at right now i don’t even have 5 records. just a couple gkfoes lp's. i’d probably let them burn though.

trees :: physical detachment rules??
sean :: are you asking if i have rules about physical detachment? if so, not specifically. but i do like to keep things simple. i’m living in melbourne, australia at the moment and all my records are at my parents’ house in los angeles. there is much abundance in the world though. it’s up to us to let it in. so many beautiful things to breathe in and breathe out.

trees :: neil young recently said: "piracy is the new radio, because it's how music gets around". are you agree? 

sean :: that makes sense. music gets around so many ways. 

trees :: favourite tree to put a microphone and play some notes.
sean :: i’ve never done that. but it sounds like fun!

trees :: how did you know the song of my soul?
sean :: sometimes i know the song for my soul. i didn’t know that i knew the song for yours??

trees :: haha, i've got a theory about relationships. i think some people are connected through invisible red threads. no matter where they live, finally they meet because "they have to". causality, not coincidence. i think we're talking because "we have to". i'm wrong?
sean :: i don’t believe in coincidence, other than that is co-incidence. all things are happening together in harmony :-)

trees :: thanks!! i feel like we were talking in the "real world"

sean :: this has been wonderful talking! muy bonito!

pues eso, bonito muy.

 download "gentle magick" & "how sweetly i am loved"

cover art: sean & rosa

fotos: sean

wyld wyzrdz

wyld wyzrdz ~ acceptance (inner islands, 2012)

mil gracias a braden por enviarnos el último y precioso regalo musical grabado bajo el nombre de wyld wyzrdz. en the road to acceptance canta, evocador y directo al corazón. en as we flow, que es como un disco dentro de un disco, perdemos de vista el mundo 

"Wyld Wyzrdz was a musical outlet for Braden J McKenna between 2008-2011. The wizards have been set free. Much love and peace."

...y en marzo 'the path we make' de kaliska, el nuevo proyecto de braden

download

wyld wyzrdz

wyld wyzrdz ~ from a stone (inner islands 2011)

"Braden J. Mckenna is also known as Wyld Wyzrdz and he is definitely some sort of sonic wizard. His sounds are so peaceful and soft and on his cassette “From A Stone” he guides you through places known and unknown. A blissful soundscape leads up to a flowing river, the stars emerge in the sky and you are left to contemplate." suave citation

alegría. excelso, glorioso, tela marinera, de la vida...y todos los adjetivos y expresiones que se nos ocurran. otro de los discos favoritos de este año, otra maravilla de Braden. touching stars!

foto: lukasz wierzbowski

"it will be for sale on cassette and digital download via Inner Islands on 9/26/2011", mientras:

mushroom river ceremony & touching stars

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wyld wyzrdz

wyld wyzrdz ~ positive texture (moondial 2011)

"When I started recording as Wyld Wyzrdz I was in a much different place than I am now. The albums between 2008-2009 were made quickly and represent an exploration of sound, an era of figuring things out. In late 2009 my life began to shift rather drastically, and by early 2010 I was a new human. As a result the world of the wizard evolved with me. My intention for making these recordings changed and Wyld Wyzrdz became more of a reflective practice, a space for sharing my inner journey. The beginnings of these changes can be heard with the Antelope Island 7” and Positive Texture c45, while Free Magick is the full embodiment of my newness. After further exploration with From a Stone and Acceptance I found myself at a place of peace with Wyld Wyzrdz and a feeling of letting go has come to me. After these albums are released I will continue my journey as Coyote Dreamer." braden j mckenna

"...all of McKenna's work reflects the quiet passion and sincerity that can easily be overlooked by his enigmatic creative process. It doesn't matter how the music was made. Wyld Wyzrdz and all of the other channels McKenna inhabits exhibit experimentalism and artistic expression in a very digestible form. Relax, meditate, cleanse your nostrils..." inyourspeakers

me gusta su expresión de absoluta felicidad. gracias, braden

owl photo: ramona flume

buy / download

wyld wyzrdz

wyld wyzrdz ~ free magic (inner islands 2011)

"The pieces that comprise Free Magick are best understood as destinations on an unseen map for an unseen world, or places of the heart. During the recording process I entertained energies within and outside myself that were new and fascinating. Because of this I do not feel that it is solely my album, but rather collaboration with the unknown. It stands as my most sincere work to date, a true reflection of my inner journey and a statement to the magick of mystery." braden j mckenna • wyld wyzrdz

"...oceans, bees, whales and wind bolster the already pastoral feel of Free Magick, while electronic sounds try to sound organic." tome to the weather machine

foto: luke byrne

bandcamp / buy

dragon's garden & forest light

gkfoes vjgoaf + river spirit dragon

gkfoes vjgoaf • the joy of awakening [inner islands, 2011]

listen & buy

water voices

*
river spirit dragon • river spirit dragon [inner islands, 2011]

group channeling from
stag hare +
sean conrad (gkfoes vjgoaf) +braden j mckenna (WYLD WYZRDZ)
slow building, always moving. space out.

listen & buy

*
photographs by our dear friend sean conrad