Laraaji Ambient 3: Day Of Radiance CD

Brian Eno, after discovering Laraaji's mastery of the zither, was enamored enough with him to offer Laraaji the second chapter in his 1970s ambient series. Actually, as transcendent as Laraaji's compositions are, they also represent the most "active" music of the series' four volumes. The three-part "Dance," consisting mainly of variations on Laraaji's ringing tones, processed, looped and played out, exhibits a certain spikiness that hardly defines it (at least from Eno's strict dictum) as 'ambient.'

However, Laraaji's approach is such that he knows how to participate at the extremes of both poles. The two-part "Meditation" is a gorgeous piece of neoprene ambience, Laraaji's zither stretched so the tones seem suspended in mid-air, glistening under cool draughts of moonlight. Beautifully composed and executed, the charms of DAY OF RADIANCE seep further into the subconscious with repeated exposure.