NEW AGE - AESTHETICS FOR A NEW WORLD  PART 2 (2009)

It’s quite a long time past from the day my essay on new age music had been written. To be more precise it is over ten years. It is the right time to look through what happened to new age music for the time gone, how it changed and what is the most important  where it is developing to. But for all that I will not pretend to the end-to-end assessment, I just will state my particular sight.

Seemingly the pretty days of the late eighties, the early nineties sank into oblivion when one by one the striking works of such musicians from Osho’s world as Kamal, Karunesh, Prabodhi, Prem Joshua and others came out. And Master Osho himself passed away from this world in the distant 1990. Is it possible to create new music using this energy further more? I doubt whether it will be for a long time. Though some of “Osho” musicians disprove these words, Govi proceeds with issue of albums with his divine music. He will not care to respond to the silly questions like: “Where do you draw you music from?” or “What inspires you for creating your new album?”  Most likely such questions just make him angry. But he is living, he is going on with creation of his music, and  while there are such musicians like him there is a confidence in the future of Osho current. But not only Govi proceeds with the creation of new works. Miten and Deva Premal are worthy of being mentioned. Every their new album appeared presents an act of creation, a pattern of divine beauty and harmony which they bring into our world.

But not only “Osho” musicians keep on doing their work. Michael Hoppe, Johannes Linstead, Paul Avgerinos, Gandalf, Paul Speer and others create nowadays interesting, profoundly individual music. And this nominal list can be extended over and over again. But let’s have a look at the question from the other side. The world is headily changing and music is being transformed along with it.

In my opinion the “alive” current is nowadays being presented by the electronic music artists who experiment a lot with sounds, add absolutely unexpected finds to their music and are not afraid of joining together the things which seem to be non-joinable. And here is Bruno Misonne, a Belgian musician who issues an album full of sounds of taking off and coming in the land airplanes, records of pilots’ talks, air-engines noises. By these means the composer creates a staggering presence effect.  I have been listening to this album time and again, and every time it was fresh and captivating.

The Devil, an American electronic music artist created so much interesting album “Attempting Emotion” that while one is listening to it he submerges into another reality. Just the experiments with “another reality” make the electronic music artists’ works extremely interesting.

Right here I cannot but mention such a prominent figure in the world of electronic music as Richard Bone is. Every his album is the event, the experiments on consciousness, another reality, a kind of spiritual reality.

And as far as I have already proceeded to the “old guys” I provide one more example: legendary Hans-Joachim Roedelius.  Having such merits (the old chap Roedelius had a profound effect on electronic music) he could nobly rest on his laurels. But his advanced age does not hinder in creating new compositions. He keeps on experimenting. And if we take for example the jointed album “Errata” of Dwight Ashley, Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Tim Story that is a real feast for gourmands. And, for sure, a great thrill when you are listening to such uncommon music.

But not the only electronic musicians infuse a fresh spirit, although they are pioneers. Genres go on “blurring”. And once you receive the album of Greg Utech to be reviewed. And you do not realize how to characterize it: nu jazz or new age. With all this going on both of testimonials will be true and faithful. Or the album “Sangria” of Mariah Parker – what it is: fusion jazz, world music, new age or some kind of non-style music at all? It is very difficult to answer this question. The problem also lies in the fact that many musicians avoid the definition “new age” with respect to their own music. It is out of fashion now. I would even say that new age is something of the “underground” genre. Though I keep on saying that the concept which is placed even into the definition of the style makes it quite unique and applicable to any music which is really creative and “alive”. By their traditions Belarusians, and I am one of them, are used to be “partisans”. So, new age genre and its “propagandist” have found each other.

But let’s return to music. Now we’ll look at folk. At the Austrian group Ballycotton, for example. They cunningly designate a genre in which they appear “fantasy folk”. But I would characterize their music as new age. It is too little in common with traditional folk music and there are too many elements taken over from other styles plus extremely harmonious synthesis of different elements.

I would rather make a casual mention of a Norwegian world music/ambient/new age project by Green Isac. In general a combination of new age music, ambient surroundings plus inclusion of ethnic elements gives an absolutely incredible effect. This boundless field is open for further experiments, and here, beyond any doubt, a great many of original projects are to be created.

It is interesting to follow the experiments with sounds and styles made by a Canadian musician Francois Couture. He is followed by Australian electronic music artists of All India Radio. An English Field Effect project proceeds with creating of vivid new age/electronica music.

There are a number of young musicians appeared with good future before them. The guitarist Russ Hewitt, the harp-player Danielle Ballantine, a Celtic vocalist Swanyce, nu jazz project Kush, all of them are at the beginning of the way, all their best compositions are yet to come.

There is one more trend to be “covered”. Such honored veterans as William Ackerman does much for young musicians as a producer. And it should be mentioned that they do it rather successfully. Albums by Robert Linton, Dan Kennedy, and, in particular, Jeff Oster (although he could be called “a young musician” taking into consideration only his recent debut and notwithstanding his age) became a remarkable event in the world of modern music and enjoy wide popularity of listeners.

As we see, in general, the age for a musician has a conventional character. It is very evident with respect to new age music. A musician being already in “mature” age may not be afraid to experiment and create masterpieces, whereas the other may be young and kept within the bounds of conventionalities.  However it may be both in music and in the life but if we go on speaking on this idea we’ll take the risk to exceed the limits of our essay.

Who else of the modern musicians is the most “alive” in new age music?  Certainly, Paul Lawler with his interesting experiments at the turn of new age, electronica and world music. And moreover: his music is very figurative, “cinematographic”. By the way, in cinematography the future of new age music seems to be very promising, after all the genre itself assumes visual music which goes well together with video images.

I think that the “adjacent” genres will be in progress. Music/poetry, music/cinema, music/painting. Different arts will form a single whole generating something fundamentally new, and new age music will be here in the foreground.

This tendency has already been caught by the advanced labels, by the US Gemini Sun Records, for example. They started with issuing of audiovisual series where one can find CD with music and DVD with music and with video- or slide-film packed into one case. And this is the beginning only. Joining of music with video will advance.

A current situation when CD market is practically dead and all alive goes to Internet makes the musicians search for new forms of self-expression and promotion of their music. I believe that both the epoch of megastars and “stadium” concerts become a thing of the past. The future belongs to more private, intimate music which requires not great auditorium or no auditoriums at all. Such is indeed new age music.

What conclusion can be done? I believe new age music will favor us with a lot of interesting compositions. Unexpected discoveries and synthesizing of the elements which seem to be the most heterogeneous into something absolutely new are waiting for us. I wonder whether this music will be called new age.  I really do not know. But in fact this is not the most essential.

The world is changing and it will no longer be such as in previous times. So other music is waiting for us. Music of New Age…

Serge Kozlovsky
http://sergekozlovsky.com

P.S. Translated by Tatyana L. Permyakova.