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6CD set
Background
Further releases have followed a similar pattern: a previous solo improvisation was taken apart and reconstructed in a new alignment in an attempt to create a 'door' through which the essential nagual element might enter and give life to the music. "When we cut up the past, the future leaks out" (William Burroughs).
The 6CD Set and the Hexagram
Being in Mongolia, with little access to live recording facilities led me to experiment with electronically altering extant material in an attempt to present the 'nagual' element (see 2 = 1 = 0 for details about the 'nagual'). The first release in this 6CD Set, which I've named N O X (the mystical 'Night of Pan'), used a ten-minute track from The PIANO Sessions as its source material. The 'nagual' realisation resulted in an hour-long work, presented in an unbroken whole on N O X CD1: Aum-Ha.
I have chosen the six-pointed Hexagram to represent this combination of extant source material and electronic manipulation, with the nagual being the hoped-for result of this union. The upward-pointing triangle is the original source, the downward-pointing triangle is the manipulation, and the hexagon in the middle is the 'door' by which the nagual enters as a result of this mutually destructive act...
The Series
The six albums that make up the N O X 6CD Set are as follows:
Altan Zul: Altan Zul (52'09").
This album presents an extended sound manipulation of a piano improvisation originally recorded in April 2006. Altan Zul is a Mongolian name, roughly translating as "golden light". This piece, derived from sections of the track "Chord Colours" on the PIANO Sessions: Volume 4, is an attempt to represent the "sound" of the sun - a continuous, ever-changing swirl of sound, gloriously violent and exquisitely beautiful at the same time.
Shingwa: Shingwa I (30'00"), Shingwa II (32'24"). Total time: 1hr 02'24".
This album presents two sound manipulations of improvisations originally recorded in May 2000. Shingwa is the supposed name of an ancient underground city bordering Mongolia and Inner Mongolia (currently part of China) in "Hollow Earth" folklore. Mongolian monks in the area of the South Gobi are believed to know the whereabouts of a tunnel that leads to the vast cities below. The music has subterranean, otherworldly qualities that give the impression that one is hearing an ancient, alien music of great majesty.
Aum Ha: Aum Ha (1hr 4'29").
Aum Ha is the two-word last line of Chapter Three of Liber AL vel Legis. This piece is the result of a digital error that occured whilst stretching a short musical excerpt in time but not pitch. I found the resulting "glitch" to be very interesting, and the wholly unexpected "breathing" effect reminded me of the "Ha" sigh of "Aum Ha".
Solongo: Solongo (1hr 00' 00").
This album presents an antiphonal, three-voice exploration of a digital error (I prefer the term 'nagual' element). Solongo means "rainbow" in Mongolian, and was written after witnessing a majestically arching double rainbow after a particularly violent thunderstorm over our apartment in the Sansar district of Ulaanbaatar during the awesome "thunderstorm week" at the beginning of July 2006.
Kharaa: Kharaa (1hr 00' 00").
This album presents an hour-long extension of a three-second event in a Melodica improvisation. Kharaa, meaning "vision", is the name of a river in the Northern Mongolian aimag of Selenge. It is also the name of a cheap popular brand of Mongolian vodka distilled in the area. The "visions" created through exposure to this powerful, ever-flowing "spirit" served as the inspiration for this work.
Magtaal: Magtaal (1hr 04' 35").
This album presents an hour-long extension of a one-minute spoken word event. Magtaal is a Mongolian praise song, honouring the spirits of the four directions. This particular praise song is dedicated to Khan Garid, the "Thunderbird" guardian spirit of the Bogd Khan Uul mountains to the south of Ulaanbaatar. Khan Garid is said to be able to cover the sun and moon with its wings and to be able to fly into outer space.