Forrest Fang - The Oort Cloud Meditations (CD)

Release Date: 09/22/23

A free-floating, transparent and gently unfolding electronic ambient space. Limited edition of 300.

• CD in 4-panel digipak
•Limited edition of 300

The Oort Cloud is a vast spherical hull of ice proposed to reside on the outer rim of our solar system. Nothing in this cloud has yet been seen, though it may contain icy objects including comets once close to the sun. This imagined place is the inspiration for ambient musician Forrest Fang'sThe Oort Cloud Meditations.

While many of Fang's releases are a hybrid of electronic and acoustic instruments, his latest remains predominantly a free-floating, transparent and gently unfolding electronic space. Using synthesizers to a greater extent than on previous releases, Fang organically transforms their tones into undulating harmonic gestures through ambient treatments and processing. The five far-reaching movements proceed at a relaxed pace; drifting atmospheres ebb and expand gradually, encouraging the mind to wander untethered.

'I created this album over an intense three months,' says Fang. 'It started with a simple experiment that continued to evolve and spilled over into new pieces as the results grew more interesting and more sonically complex. I created electronic sounds that revolved around each other semi-randomly with room for harmonies to develop organically from these interactions. I used melodies sparingly, subtly introducing alternate tunings at times to reflect different moods.'

The work's open-ended textures are at times reminiscent of Brian Eno's generative soundscapes but more dynamic in nature.

Our visit to the Oort Cloud ranges from distant celestial skies to internal spaces. Clusters of thick harmonious tones form their own vibrating cloud; it momentarily hangs in the air before receding into silence.

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