World United Music: cinematic

Showing posts with label cinematic. Show all posts

Monday, September 15, 2014

David Arkenstone

About: David Arkenstone

With 3 Grammy nominations, 20 Billboard hits, and millions of fans worldwide, David Arkenstone has established himself as one of the best contemporary instrumental musicians of our time. Known for his Celtic inspired, world beat new age fusion, he continues to create distinctive tracks that set him apart from other composers.

This award-winning multi-instrumentalist has captivated audiences since he broke onto the music scene in 1987 with his debut album, Valley In The Clouds, described by one reviewer as “one of the most exquisite electronic recordings ever produced.” Thriller choreographer Michael Peters created a ballet to Valley In The Clouds in celebration of the Winnipeg Royal Ballet’s 50th Anniversary. David has earned two #1 albums - Citizen of Time (1990) and In the Wake of the Wind (1991). His much celebrated Celtic Book of Days (1998) remains one of his most popular recordings ever. Released in 2000, Caravan of Light was honored as Best Album of the Year by New Age Voice, and Sketches From an American Journey made Soundscan’s list of top ten New Age Albums in 2002. Acclaimed music critic Michael Debbage recently listed three of David’s albums – Sketches From an American Journey, Atlantis, and Myths & Legends - in his Top 30 Of The Decade.

Often compared to Mannheim Steamroller and The Chieftains, David has made over 30 recordings, has toured extensively including performances at New York’s Radio City Music Hall and the Hollywood Bowl, scored dozens of films and documentaries, and composed music for the Olympics that is used to this day. NBC Producer David Michaels, who makes frequent use of David’s music, says “David writes with fire, passion and emotion, all at once simple and complex. He’s an artist capable of constant inspiration.” Adding to his diversity, David has a worldwide following as one of Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft composers including the groundbreaking expansion, Cataclysm.

A musical storyteller, David is passionate about taking his listeners on a journey, creating sonic tapestries that evoke every emotion. Critics hail his music as “full of thunder and feeling, comprised of layers of acoustic and electronic instruments and voices, which send the listener on a joyous expedition.”

“A love for travel and adventure is just something that’s embedded in my personality,” says David. “Sometimes I get the feeling that I’m painting as much as I’m composing. I tend to envision a place where I would like to go, or an adventure I would like to take, and I let my imagination run free. I’ve gotten countless e-mail messages from listeners who love to take these journeys with me. I’m sometimes surprised by how powerfully people respond to my music.”

After coming to California from rural Chicago at age 10, David immersed himself in all the music he could find. Spending high school and college in various bands and performance groups, he then criss-crossed the country several times playing popular music. He finally settled down to concentrate on developing his own sound. David has always been inspired by the process of blending technology and music to create a multimedia fusion for producing amazing sounds. By working with state-of-the-art technology, he combines the highest quality electronic samples with acoustic instruments played by the finest musicians including David himself, often adding choral groups.

“Technology has produced some wonderful tools for making music. The computer allows me to fully orchestrate my pieces and really fine tune them. I have always loved the sound of the orchestra, and now I believe I have refined a wonderful blend combining the best elements of the acoustic world, with the electronic world," states David. While he is primarily a keyboardist, David plays the guitar, mandolin, flute, cello, percussion, and many other instruments. His impressive collection of instruments includes native flutes, drums from around the world, and harmonium.

David enjoys being out on the road and meeting his fans and is particularly fond of his Winter Solstice concerts during the holidays. "One of the most exciting things about performing live is the interaction I get with the audience,” says David. “It's very different than making a recording, where you're never sure who is listening to it. The communication is complete in live performance, plus it’s just plain fun to play these songs with my friends, and the audience senses that. A lot of the roots of our musicianship come into focus without the magic of studio editing – it's the moment, you play your best, and many times reach new heights, and then it's gone, and on to the next one."

His current project include an epic, neo-classical album – a collaboration with enchanting singer/composer Charlee Brooks – set for release in 2012. “Working with Charlee has given me the opportunity to reinvent myself as an artist yet again. We have created music that transcends what either of us would be able to accomplish on our own.” David’s score for the critically acclaimed PBS documentary Echoes of Creation is one of his most adventurous to date. Domo Records, known for its eclectic roster of world music artists, including Kitaro, recently released Ambient World to rave reviews, along with Myths and Legends, Sketches From An American Journey, Echoes of Light And Shadow, and Spirit of the Drum. Other recent releases include Celtic Chillout, Visions of Christmas, Christmas Lounge, and a 3-CD set tailored to the spa and relaxation market: Bliss, Touch and Reflections. Fans can catch David and the band in concert and at special appearances at Renaissance faires and, of course, the Winter Solstice tour.

Be sure to catch Davis Arkenstone’s new release “Native Chill” Now in online stores (Sept 17, 2014) See online store links below...

CONTACT: http://davidarkenstone.com/form.html

David Arkenstone – Official Website

Sunday, March 30, 2014

NOMIA

About: NOMIA

Minneapolis' NOMIA have been destroying the eardrums of audiences throughout the Northwest for the past 8 years with a vibrant blend of ambient guitars backed with an alternately restrained and crushing rhythm section. On their debut full length, Iron and Rust, NOMIA seamlessly merge achingly beautiful melodies reminiscent of post-rock giants Mogwai with the epic intensity of instrumental metal outfits such as Russian Circles. The result is an aesthetic all its own, straddling numerous genres while defying precise categorization. NOMIA’s ambitious debut, recorded and produced by Adam Tucker, manages to be simultaneously beautiful, powerful, and massively loud.

Contact: creativeten@gmail.com

NOMIA – Official Website

http://www.nomiaband.com/
NOMIA - MySpace

https://myspace.com/nomiaband
NOMIA – Last FM
http://www.last.fm/music/Nomia
NOMIA - Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/nomiaband
Buy Music!
NOMIA - Bandcamp
http://nomia.bandcamp.com/

Monday, January 9, 2012

Portico Quartet

About: Portico Quartet

Portico Quartet are a band from London. Their sound is made partially distinctive by the use of the Hang, a 21st-century percussion instrument. The group is composed of Jack Wyllie (soprano and tenor saxophone), Duncan Bellamy (drums), Milo Fitzpatrick (double bass), and Keir Vine (Hang and percussion). Nick Mulvey, former Hang player and percussionist, left in early 2011 to pursue his career as singer-songwriter. He is replaced by Keir Vine.

After nearly two years of playing mainly small gigs and busking regularly outside the National Theatre in London, they signed to Babel Label in 2007. Their first album, Knee-deep in the North Sea was released on 5 November 2007.

They are now signed to Real World Records. The name portico comes from when one of their gigs was rained off in Italy, and they ended up playing under a portico.

Their third, most recent, eponymously titled album was released on January 30, 2012.

Real World Records

Portico Quartet still sound like nothing you ever heard before. The Mercury nominated East London based outfit's unique brand of hypnotic minimalism has expanded to embrace new sonic territories. Drawing on the inspiration of electronica, ambient, classical and dance music as they take their strange, beautiful, cinematic, future music to exciting new vistas where the inspiration of Burial, Mount Kimbie and Flying Lotus rubs shoulders with the textures of Arve Henriksen and Bon Iver and echoes of Steve Reich and Max Richter. But all underpinned by a shared joy in collective music making as the band push their inimitable music into the future.

Contact: kerstan@riotsquadpublicity.com