Release Sheet for SPACE HOTEL II

SPACE HOTEL, the first part, appeared almost a quarter of a century ago.
When first discussing SPACE HOTEL with my friends Bhikkhu and Waduda at NEW EARTH RECORDS, we concluded that there had to be eople out there in the whole wide world with whom it might be worthwhile to share these sentiments.
They saw something in my humble work. They agreed with the specific state of subtle euphoria I had been into, had the sensitivity and the sensibility to release it. And it became an global hit album.

This new SPACE HOTEL, called SPACE HOTEL II, consists of eight tracks, some of which are in a sort of song mode in which I aimed, as always, trigger at making silence audible. Other tracks are in the classic ambient style.
All the tracks want to lead the listener from a personal emotion into a
universal sphere, a space, called Hal by the Sufis, and Bhava by the
yogis thus SPACE HOTEL. The possibility of neutralizing environmental noise through including precious elements is still the prime motivation: power created through the principle of reduction and minimalism. The hotel is an allegory for life itself, and about feeling at home. We hang around
for a while, and move on.

A L  G R O M E R  K H A N

performing artist on sitar & surbahar  

composer  -  author  -  visual artist

WEBSITE under CONSTRUCTION

 

 

Tariqa by Al Gromer Khan

Catalog Number: NE-2

Album Description

Tariqa means “The Path” in traditional Sufism. My own path, that of the universal trans-cultural modern age seeker, however, the Tariqa of music, so to speak, consisted mainly of running away from noise. I never wanted to go electric in live performances. And when with the synthesizer, New Age, Space music and Ambient came along, it was never endless drones or overpowering science fiction “soundscapes”.  Instead, that which provided for me a magical translation into a world of subtle sonic poetry were softer, shorter pieces in a confined interior. Ambient, the sonic wallpaper, according to ambient prophet Eno – that which “allows the listener to work, read or fall asleep”, wasn´t really mine either, for the sitar is a jealous mistress. Because, you see, in an intimate interior ambience, where a declaration of love is made, she wants your attention fully.

For years it has been a recurring dream of mine. It has overwhelmed me during the REM phase of midnight sleep. In this dream I am playing a piece of music of such immense beauty and grace that it cuts through all the levels and obstacles of the music business like a hot knife through butter. And despite the quiet soles on which it came along, it was a melody of such cheeky idiosyncrasy, perfection, of irresistible power and sweetness that without marketing and sponsorship on the marketplace it was able to forge its way. Never happened, of course. But finally, much later, when I managed to create a few pieces which, in spite of all the self-criticism and phases of despair, I couldn’t tell you how these tracks had come about, couldn´t say just how I had done it, or who was helping me behind the scenes: It was not merely through the transgression of cultures that it happened, more like inside steering, simplicity, and keeping the volume low.

And when, sometime during the Mid-eighties, Vilayat Khan, the King of Sitar, called me his own, and upon my further enquiry as to whether some magic Indian sorcerer had provided him the power of that magic melody that made the listeners brake out in tears of joy, he simply replied “My religion is music.” – Al Gromer Khan

Track Info

1. Dior |  (9:31)

2. Solace | (5:02)

3. To Wounded Souls |  (2:55)

4. Silent Zikr | (6:29)

5. Crush | (3:21)

6. Slow Drum from the Old Mountain | (4:25)

7. Caeli Caelorum |  (4:00)

8. On Atlantium  |  (9:41)

9. To the Honor of My Soul |  (5:01)

10. Parade |  (4:45)

 

 

 

REVIEW 'AMBIENT RELIGION' by John Shanahan, Hypnagogue Podcast

"I've long enjoyed Al Gromer Khan's signature sound – sensuous sitar lines that curl in the air like snakes of delicate smoke mixed with a blues-tinged, slow-handed rhythmic sense and quietly breathing synth pads. It's all at play in his latest outing,“Ambient Religion,” giving its listener a solid hour to do nothing but chill. From the easy grooves of “Avec Bilaka” to the almost static, carefully controlled structures of “Console” and “A Room for H.G.,” Khan delivers his usual deeply contemplative ride. Deep breath first, then off you go..." -- John Shanahan, Hypnagogue Podcast

 

 

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