&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
AMAZING SOUNDS No.103 / April 18, 2001
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

To UNSUBSCRIBE from the list, send a blank message to:
amaze-unsubscribe@egroups.com

You can subscribe sending a blank message to:
amaze-subscribe@egroups.com

More info here:
http://www.egroups.com/group/amaze

====================

CONTENTS:

NEWS

LUCIA HWONG. Lucia Hwong's music contains an outstanding amount of
energy, somewhat tinged with minimalist Western influences, in a
perfect fusion with her peculiar homage to her ancestral Chinese
roots.

REVIEWS:
PAUL WINTER & THE EARTH BAND: "JOURNEY WITH THE SUN" Living Music
/ Earth Music Productions
MICHAEL ECKART: "WOMAN IN A FOREST" General Media Inc. / Doll
Factory Music / Viva Music
LAMBERT: "PEARLS" Spheric Music
PETER MERGENER: "WET PLACES" Prudence / BSC Music
PAUL HEINERMAN: "PRIVATE SUN" Prudence / BSC Music
LARRY KUCHARZ: "COMPUTERCHORAL GREEN PRINTS" International
Audiochrome
PALANTIR: "EMPIRE OF ILLUSIONS" Spheric Music

====================

Note: If mail to you bounces. you will be automatically removed
from the list. If in doubt, re-subscribe. If you're already on the
list from the same email address the second subscription will be
rejected as a duplicate.

====================

Attention: Long links can work badly when trying to click on them
if they appear cut into two or more lines. In case you cannot use
them directly because of this or other reasons, we reccommend you
to copy the COMPLETE link (including each one of its fragments) at
the location window of your browser. The link must appear in its
entirety in a single line.

====================

NEWS

The album "Thinking of You" by Kitaro has been awarded with a Grammy
prize as The
Best New Age Album. If you wish to purchase this recording you only
have to use this link:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000296VY/thesciencebookbo

Terry Oldfield is remastering his album "In The Presence of Light".

"Far Beyond The Immobile Point", is the last work by Max Corbacho.

====================

LUCIA HWONG

Lucia Hwong's music contains an outstanding amount of energy,
somewhat tinged with minimalist Western influences, in a perfect
fusion with her peculiar homage to her ancestral Chinese roots.

Composer Lucia Hwong makes a kind of music which in a way can be
said to belong to the school created by Kitaro. Born in Hawaii,
although settled in Los Angeles, she is an intimist composer who
has also been an actress and dancer. The daughter of
internationally famous actress Lisa Lu, and the granddaughter of a
great diva of the Chinese opera, Lucia would be raised in a
remarkably artistic environment from an early age. Brought up in
the ancestral Chinese music, theatre and dance, Lucia was to
continue with the family tradition in the arts, taught by the best
professors, like for instance Henry Miller, a good family friend,
who helps her develop her creativity in such a way that it pours
out in her live performances. Lucia learns to trust her
imagination, going to the outermost limits, no matter where this
will lead her to.

The artist specializes in Arts at the University of California in
Los Angeles (UCLA), and then moves to New York to pursue
postgraduate studies in ethnomusicology at the Columbia
University. Hwong doctorates in music, having chosen as her
doctorate topic the operas by Philip Glass, which allows her to
contact this well known minimalist composer. With him she also
learns the art of making business in the musical arena.

Lucia Hwong's music contains an outstanding amount of energy,
somewhat tinged with minimalist Western influences that remind the
listener of Terry Riley, Steve Reich and maybe Philip Glass
himself, in a perfect fusion with her peculiar homage to her
ancestral Chinese roots. Her music does not lack, in the opinion
of some experts, a certain dose of female eroticism, which might
be reflected in her multiple textures which alternate with soft
images of an almost pastoral character, and that in actual fact
shape her personal dual nature. No wonder Philip Glass himself has
commented, with respect to her album "House of Sleeping Beauties",
released by the label Private Music, that Lucia Hwong is a young
representative of the dual tradition that does not limit herself
to borrowing from one culture or to integrating the sounds of the
other, but rather, she succeeds in achieving a melting of the
Eastern and Western cultures which turns out to be truly
refreshing and innovative, charming and evoking as well.

Lucia is commissioned the soundtrack for a documentary series on
Asia, which was to be broadcast on television. The artist decides
to visit the Tibet because of this, in search for the necessary
inspiration that would allow her to create the best music to this
end. Her efforts lead her to release her first album, which
consists in two themes. The first one, called "Tibet Suite", is
her most outstanding example of the fusion of musical styles,
namely the Eastern and the Western traditions, in such a way that
the folkloric music of her cultural heritage meets jazz in a
classicism of an exquisite make, where both styles are mutually
complemented, and where the acoustic instruments are adequately
coupled with the synthesizers she uses. The second piece is more
clearly jazzy.

In her second album, "Secret Luminiscence", Hwong makes a masterly
fusion of electronic technology and the music of the Far East, by
means of the Chinese lute, an instrument she learned to play in
her early childhood, and the electronic keyboards, which reproduce
ethereal timbres evoking an unearthly universe, all this tinged by
her sensual breathing, slow, deep, as she combines this with the
Celtic harp played by Alan Stivell, who also incorporates soft
textures to the whole. Besides those works, Hwong produces some
videoclips.

The choreographic style of her compositions, always aimed at
awakening the imagination of the listener and exploring the
different avantgarde trends, contribute to giving her music
this special air, and it is precisely this global harmony
that pervades her works what the artist has intended to
incorporate to her creations.

(By EMMA DORS)

Essential recordings:
House of Sleeping Beauties
Secret Luminiscence
Goddess Awakening Vol. 1
Goddess Celestial Realms Vol. 2
Goddess Mystical Visions Vol. 3

If you wish to purchase any recordings by this artist you only
have to use this link:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ts/artist-glance/209420/thesciencebookbo

====================

REVIEWS:

PAUL WINTER & THE EARTH BAND:
"JOURNEY WITH THE SUN"
Living Music / Earth Music Productions
Paul Winter is inspired on his concerts celebrating the solstice
to offer us 13 tracks that reflect our journey with the Sun from
an Earth perspective as well as a galactic viewpoint, without a
given time-sequence, as each piece is a musical hologram of this
voyage, in a timeless universe, where the new band founded by
Winter draws one of the best soundscapes in the World Music.
Ethnic rhythms are intertwined with melodies and vocals as well as
the wondrous sounds of the organ at the cathedral of St. John The
Divine (NY), providing the album with a special contemplative
nature which will no doubt appeal to the followers of this musical
genre.
MONTSERRAT ANDREU-MARIN

If you wish to purchase this recording you only have to use this
link:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000056C7F/thesciencebookbo

If you wish to purchase any recordings by Paul Winter you only
have to use this link:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ts/artist-glance/33888/thesciencebookbo

MICHAEL ECKART:
"WOMAN IN A FOREST"
General Media Inc. / Doll Factory Music / Viva Music
Michael Eckart, a long-time experienced producer/writer with a
deep knowledge of the musical industry, whose musical paths have
taken him through a variety of styles ranging from jazz to hip-
hop, Latin or R&B, is inspired by the paintings of Bob Guccione,
and specifically "Woman in a Forest", to offer us an incredible
soundscape where the musician paints in music what the painter
expresses with his paintings. Throughout the ten tracks included
in this CD, Eckart develops his rhythmic structures, with a touch
of pop, relaxing melodies, fresh ambiences, occasionally
mysterious or sensual, thus creationg a musical tapestry which
reflect in the language of sound what Guccione transmits with the
language of painting. This is no doubt an album that will reach a
wide audience.
MONTSERRAT ANDREU-MARIN

If you wish to purchase this recording you only have to use this
link:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004YVKS/thesciencebookbo

If you wish to purchase any recordings by this artist you only
have to use this link:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ts/artist-glance/211851/thesciencebookbo

LAMBERT:
"PEARLS"
Spheric Music
In this album the artist creates a particular universe of sound
within the realms of Electronic Music based in the extensive use
of the sequencer, ocassionally minimalist structures, and at times
reflecting the undeniable influence of the Berlin School. The
recordings, done in 1989/90, evolve around specific themes,
recurring, even with some hypnotizing quality, leading the
listener to a particular journey through incredible oniric
universes, creating soundscapes that suggest a lasting quality
that transcends age and time. Five are the long themes included in
the CD, a total running time of 71:17 minutes of good Electronic
Music which most often becomes true Space Music, an album in fact
that will doubtlessly satisfy the lovers of this musical genre.
MONTSERRAT ANDREU-MARIN

PETER MERGENER:
"WET PLACES"
Prudence / BSC Music
Peter Mergener, co-founder of the legendary electronic music
formation Software, continues with his successful solo career. In
this release, the artist is inspired by the liquid element to
offer us a unique musical experience. The sounds of nature, and
most specifically, those of water in all its forms -be it the
peaceful waves of a paridisiac beach, the furious roar of wild
water, its mystery and its majesty- introduce each one of the
eight themes included in the CD, interwoven with suggestive
vocals, bird calls and quasi-ethnic melodies, developing
spectacular electronic visions of water soundscapes with touches
of pop, at times cosmic, relaxing, full of sensitivity. No doubt
Mergener is a true sculptor of sound, whose inspired creativity
will reach a wide audience.
MONTSERRAT ANDREU-MARÍN.

If you wish to purchase any recordings by this artist you only
have to use this link:

http://gemm.com/q.cgi?rb=AMAZINGS&artist=PETER+MERGENER

PAUL HEINERMAN:
"PRIVATE SUN"
Prudence / BSC Music
This album is the fruit of the collaboration of Paul Heinerman
with Cees Van der Meulen, Bram Schenk and Pjotr Jurstchenko. The
result is a creative CD with twelve themes inspired by the sun,
the light, the romance and the happiness of the Mediterranean
Greek island of Crete. The piano weaves a tapestry of sound with
electronic, acoustic and ethnic instruments, occasional vocals
just suggested, melodic, whispered or plainly spoken, in addition
to certain touches of pop present throughout the album. The
resulting musical picture is brimming with calm, bliss, light,
peace, all that under the sun as the unique source for
inspiration, and will no doubt appeal to a wide audience.
ARIELLE MALREAUX

If you wish to purchase any recordings by this artist you only
have to use this link:

http://gemm.com/q.cgi?rb=AMAZINGS&artist=PAUL+HEINERMAN

LARRY KUCHARZ:
"COMPUTERCHORAL GREEN PRINTS"
International Audiochrome
The fourth album in the series of "electrochoral" music by Kucharz
continues to develop the minimalist music the artist created in
the seventies, while combining it with harmonies and structures
typical of the Western choral musical tradition, so as to go a
step beyond in modern electronic classical music. The nine themes
included in this album create once again beautiful atmospheres
that softly flow onwards, towards dreamscapes at times ethereal,
within a new musical minimalism with ambient touches that will
appeal to the followers of this musical style.
EMMA DORS

PALANTIR:
"EMPIRE OF ILLUSIONS"
Spheric Music
Composer, musician and sound-engineer Chistian Schimmoeller aka
Palantír (a name adopted after Tolkien) experiences with sound to
create dreamscapes of an incredible beauty, with expressive
atmospheres at times merely hinted at, full of fantasy, combining
acoustic and electronic sounds with special effects, at times
sounding very real or dreamy, thus exploring the possibilities of
music to awaken in the listener the desire to enter "lucid" dreams
or lead us to develop our own "mind movie", by invoking emotions,
impressions and soundscapes which differ from listener to
listener, in a wondrous quest towards the subconscious, in a sonic
journey through ten tracks, where sequences are interwoven with
lively rhythms, ethereal vocals, ethnic chants, dreamy melodies,
nature sounds, and meditative ambiences. This is a CD that will
doubtlessly appeal to a wide audience, and most specially the
followers of this musical genre.
MONTSERRAT ANDREU-MARIN

====================

We are preparing an international directory of record companies,
artists, festivals, radio shows, zines, webs, journalists,
associations, and other organizations & people working in the
field of electronic music, Ambient, New Instrumental,
Experimental, World Music, and so on. The inserts are free. The
persons or firms wishing to be included can send us a file of no
more than 600 words with the data they consider as being of
interest (contact addresses - snail mail, telephone number, fax,
email, URL... -) and an explanatory text on their activities in
English) to: amazings@...

We are also preparing an encyclopaedia of composers of electronic
music. The artists wishing to be included can send us a biography
(with a list of works and contact address if they wish to) of no
more than 900 words, in English, to amazings@.... Inserts
are free.

The persons or firms having a page in internet related in some way
to the alternative musics can communicate the URL, as well as a
brief description of its contents, to webmaster@..., and
we will set a link from our web to theirs (The insert of a link in
our web is free whenever it is corresponded with a similar link
from their web to our web)

====================

Our warmest greetings for our readers and until the next edition
of Amazing Sounds.

====================

For further information about this newsletter and back issues:

http://www.amazings.com/amaze.html

You can access all the contents in Amazing Sounds from the first
articles to the hottest news in our web organized as a directory,
in HTML format, with photos, and with hundreds of links:

http://www.amazings.com/ingles.html

Amazing Sounds is a professional electronic magazine free for the
readers. It is financed only by means of its sponsors. The firms
wishing to insert commercial advertisements in these pages can
contact us at:
advert@...

Recording companies, artists and other professionals of the
alternative musics wishing to send us their news can contact our
team of journalists at:
amazings@...

Our readers can send us their public comments to:
mail@...

All the texts are copyright of their authors, and their partial or
total reproduction by any means, or their re-distribution without
the prior permission of the publisher(amaze-owner@...)is
prohibited.

**********