Chris Conway CD - In Balance

...chris conway in balance cd
.

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Paradise Music PMCD038

Beautiful relaxing ambient music played on a host of
instruments. A calming and peaceful journey in music.

hear soundclips

1	Toward Unity	mp3
2	Breathing	mp3
3	Balance	mp3
4	A Journey Within	mp3
5	Freedom	mp3
6	Wisdom	mp3
7	Peace	mp3
8	Unity/Brahman	mp3

instrumentation

Chris Conway -

synthesizers, piano, tin & low whistles, voice, acoustic & electric 9 string guitars, zithers, theremin, temple bells, gongs, harmonizer, samples, percussion

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background
at the time	Each of the tracks within this CD flow into one another and gets calmer and more peaceful as the album goes on, mirroring a yoga session. The music can be interpreted anyway the listener chooses, of course, but it was originally conceived as a journey within, - beginning with a glimpse of where we hope to be at the end, - followed by meditating on breathing, - achieving and feeling balance, - then a journey deeper within though many layers, - leading to a feeling of freedom, - then feeling the wisdom that the freedom has given, - leading to peace, - then to Unity. Oneness with everything. Totally in balance. CC says of In Balance - "I decided to approach this ambient album differently from Guiding Light and have discrete tracks which flow into one another rather than one big piece. I was also using a new virtual synthesizer (though mostly for touches here and there) - the Spectrsonics Atmosphere, which added some different flavours."
influences	Robert Rich, Stephan Micus, Ralph Towner, Eduard Artemiev, Christian Hoy Knudsen
technical	recorded onto hard disk at Oblong Studios, Leicester, UK
hits	Breathing
CC's fave track	Freedom
Retrospect	Getting the right flow and feel to this album was a lot of the work. Getting enough musical variety for music listeners balancing the need for continuity of feel for those using it for Yoga and Meditation. It was worth the effort.

if you like this album
you might also like

Aramara - Spa Gold

Chris Conway - Guiding Light

track by track

1. Towards Unity. 0.59
(synthesizers, vibraphone and vocal samples, electric 9 string guitar, effects)
Voices beckon the listener in, and give a hint as to where we will end up.

2. Breathing. 7.49
(voices, electric 9 string guitar, synthesizers, temple bells, harmonizer, gong)
Temple bells herald the breathing section. The opening bass notes are a recurring motif through the album - I call the Balance Theme. Breathing I symbolised with 6 breathy voices which grow as this piece grows. Temple bells and gongs add to the air of ceremony. The ambient sound and electric 9 string guitar give an aquatic feel to this piece - like breathing freely underwater.

3. Balance 7.06
(voices, zithers, tin whistle, synthesizers)
This piece just sits in a timeless balanced suspension. The peaceful sound of two zithers occupy the foreground, with bass synthesizer balanced with tin whistle, each giving the other windows to shine. 3 voices singing "Om" bookend this section - they return now and again throughout the album.

4. A Journey Within 11.30
(piano, low whistle, voices, synthesizers, percussion, vibraphone & tabla samples)
This long piece is a multistage journey. Solo piano first, then joined by vibraphone adding gentle motion. After "Om", a bass drum joins - like a heartbeat. At the next "Om" - the vibraphone is replaced by undulating synthesizer - a deeper part of the journey. Another "Om" and the tabla drums enter - like footsteps. We are moving confidently now. Then the low whistle enters for a flight - looking down on it all. Slowly all the other instruments fade away on a final low "Om", and we are left alone with the low whistle.

5. Freedom 5.59
(low whistle, theremin, synthesizers)
The low whistle after it's reverie takes off and is joined by a rich low lead synthesizer which takes the flight higher where it is joined after a time by a descending theremin (which sounds similar) - the two circle around each other and intertwine. Flying free. The theremin is an electronic instrument invented in 1920 played by moving your hands through the air - a perfect freedom for me as a musician.

6. Wisdom 7.35
(acoustic 9 string guitars, voices, synthesizers)
After "Om", an ambient sound begins which immediately to me suggested a feeling of ancient wisdom. Two rippling acoustic 9 string guitars delicately rise out of this sound giving a flowing feel to the music. 3 voices join and grow stronger, ending in "Om"s.

7. Peace 2.03
(voices, electric 9string guitar, synthesizers, temple bells)
The aquatic feel and Balance Theme from Breathing returns - this time accompanied by variously harmonized sung "Om"s. This is a brief corridor of peace heralding the final section.

8. Unity/Brahman 7.18
(synthesizers, vibraphone and vocal samples, electric 9 string guitar, effects)
We have arrived at the place we glimpsed in the opening track. Long suspended shifting chords of voices and electric 9 string guitar glide like clouds with echoing vibraphone sounds rising out from underneath. All spiralling down to one note - one voice. Unity.

Total time 50.17

reviews
Mike C, Devon, UK	induces calm and inner peace.
Trish Smyth YFH RCYP - Yoga Teacher and Yoga Video presenter	The perfect accompaniment to yoga, captures the flow and essence completely taking you on the ultimate yoga journey
bbc.co.uk Soundbites	If it’s a break from the norm, uniform sound of NME bands that seem to occupy so much of the airwaves you're after, Chris Conway’s CD may just be for you. The ambience of ‘In Balance’, subtitled Music for Yoga is lush, multi-layered and full of all the unusual instrumentation to keep even the most avid music-geek guessing about where all the sounds are coming from!