Artist description Notes on Darshan Ambient by Deborah Garwood- Each of Darshan Ambient's CD's is a thematic portfolio of melodious soundscapes that range from the grand and encompassing "Providence" or "Vermillion Sky" to the intimate scale of "Darshan Ambient". The titles of individual tracks, always named (52-Daydream, Worm Asleep for example), give them a quality of vignettes or wordless songs within the greater whole. To tease out the sources of this unique approach, we must go back to the early youth of composer/performer Michael Allison, who grew up on American Air Force bases in Texas, Georgia and California in the 1960s. Listening to B-52s filling the sky with their industrial roar and powerful, echoing reverberation by day and night developed his ear for ambient sound in the air and space of open landscapes. At the same time, he was indelibly marked by rock and roll's influence, an underground force growing exponentially in the lives of young people during this time period. Michael taught himself guitar, learned from many other musicians over the years, and played in lots of rock bands. His virtuoso bass guitar work spiked in the creative crucible of New Yorkıs club scene circa 1980-87. Gradually, as drum machines, samplers and the like became part of the instrumental array, he gained expertise with them as well, and explored his own early introspective compositions on 4 track recordings. Michael foresaw, early on, that a producer's autonomy could someday be in his own hands; further, he was optimistic that this technological power would one day inspire people at any level of musical experience to express themselves positively, imaginatively, in music. Michael's unique and deeply felt exploration of this possibility has come to fruition with Darshan Ambient. This name represents his ongoing realization of a solo career that finally began in 1992 when he began to write and record exclusively with synthesizers, sequencers, and computers. His musical expression is dedicated to a thoughtful mix of sound inspired by rock, jazz, experimental music, and zen-influenced personal mysticism. Michael's ongoing work might even be called a sonic philosophy, a kind of aurally poured vision of spiritual beauty and peace.

Music Style Eno-fied ambient, chordal & melodic.

Musical Influences Beatles, Miles Davis, early Genesis and others too numerous to mention.

Group Members Michael Allison

Instruments Synthesizers,sequencers, guitars, basses & voice

Press Reviews DARSHAN AMBIENT- Providence- Zero Music (2002) by Bill Binkleman for Wind And Wire Darshan Ambient (a.k.a. Michael Allison) has, to my mind, created a new subgenre of ambient music. I hereby coin the term "pastoral ambient" and crown Michael the king of this newly founded domain. What is pastoral ambient music? As on the two previous releases of his that I have reviewed, the songs on Providence are almost tangibly dipped in soft pastel shades of green, gold, blue, and red, i.e. the colors of nature. The music is warm and inviting, never dark or even overtly somber, yet also utterly lacking in pretension, maudlin faux sentimentality, or emotional overkill. The images that come to mind during songs like "Canopy of Stars," "Night Fishing," "Liquid Desire," and "Soft-Land," are those of walking down a back country highway with the setting sun painting the land golden pink, or of a flock of geese silhouetted against a purple twilight sky, or of a child immersed in the wonder of a dandelion, or of the gentle swaying of prairie grass in a late afternoon breeze. That may all sound like Hallmark Card territory - but the brilliance (and make no mistake about it, Michael is brilliant to my ears) of this music lies in its utter simplicity and timeless beauty. By staying within a minimal framework (synthesized strings, piano, muted tones and pulses of sparse electronic music), Michael paints with a light-as-air brush stroke, allowing the listener to fill in as much drama (or lack thereof) as he/she wishes. These tone poems are like clouds drifting against a blue sky and you are gazing up at them; some of the cloud shapes appear to resemble something real, while others are merely billowy masses of white airborne cotton. In the same way, the music on Providence can, at one time, be suffused with deep emotion and evocative of powerful images; and at other times, the piano refrains and subtle synths are merely floating melodies that carry you away on a soft musical scent of ambiance. If you already have some of Darshan Ambient's albums, part of Providence will sound familiar, but this is no mere retread of previously visited themes. "Canopy of Stars" opens with solo piano and soon folds in gently lush synth strings, sounding neo-classical at times. The minimal composition style keeps the music from having any traces of new age sentimentality, as a simple phrase is repeated with minor variations over and over. The title cut also begins with piano and there is a hint of familiarity with such albums as the eponymous Darshan Ambient and Autumn Light. Synth strings and woodwinds soften the track even more, flowing through the piano notes like a peaceful and slow-paced stream. "Liquid Desire" is heralded by soft nature sounds and the gentle droning of a lower register synth organ. This track reminded me of Dan Hartmanıs New Green Clear Blue in its mixture of electronic and acoustic keyboards. Plucked string (guitar-like) synths add still more warmth and naturalness to the cut. The plaintive bird call now and then is never cloying or attention-getting, instead morphing into the slow pace of the music with a natural ease. Providence closes with "Hills of the Everlasting," one of the more piano-dominated songs on the CD (the piano seems to take a more foreground presence on most of the songs on this album, compared to previous Darshan Ambient recordings). Delicately rocking repeated refrains impart a classically romantic sense of rhythm to the piece and a faint air of nostalgia is added through the use of synth strings as the cut progresses. The repetitive nature of the refrain will invite comparisons to the more acoustic side of Tim Story, however there is no melancholy here; maybe a shadow of regret, but itıs a regret tinted with the realization that the right decision was made, even if the road not taken offered other rewards as well. Michael Allison's music moves me like the work of few others does. In its straightforward simplicity, economy of notes and chords, yet abundance of genuine feeling and utter contentment and serenity, listening to this artist's work is like feeling the embrace of a dear and true friend. It's like walking in the woods in the crisp air of autumn or seeing your son or daughter at play in the backyard on a summer's eve. Providence is about appreciating the beauty and wonder that surrounds us every day if we just laid down our cynicism and the weight of an uncertain future for a brief while. In short, this is music that will make you thankful for all that is good in your life. If thereıs a better way to recommend this album's worth, I can't articulate it.

Location South San Francisco, California - USA

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