Wednesday 17 June 2015

Various Artists 'Vajra Mind: Meditative Soundscapes' Review



Artist: Various



Title: Vajra Mind:


Meditative Soundscapes



Label: Desert Trax



Released: 3rd June






Compiled and mixed by Amani (one half of the Desert Dwellers) this release exhibits the ambient side of the Desert Dwellers, Liquid Bloom, Variant Field, Rara Avis, Bluetech and Shamans Dream. Collated from the Desert Trax catalog from 2001 to 2015 and featuring some exclusive tracks and remixes aimed specifically at relaxation and artistic creativity over a 2 hour duration.

As soon as you press play you will discover that Amani dives deep fusing atmospheric synths, field recordings, flutes and Arabic instruments with some choice selections from the Desert Dwellers mystical arsenal spanning the first half an hour. At this point the artist selection is interuptted with a collaboration by Bluetech and Shaman's Dream. However, unless your concentrating on the tracklist you would never notice as the piece maintains a perfect harmony and doesn't interupt the flow.

The rest of the album flows in a similar vein with subtle changes of atmospherics, tanpuras and sound fx where the occasional loop, didgeridoo or snake charmers flute awakens you from a dream like slumber to set you adrift again. It's very easy to lose track of where you are on this journey, even if you're already familiar with a number of the tracks and there's an ever present danger of falling asleep. Personally, I like this direction it's more of a return to the original Desert Dwellers vibe and there's definitely a time and place for this in my life. Amani without a doubt achieves the calm to help unwind after a stressful day.

Reviewed by Woodzee.

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