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Mandala for Chaos by Sampson-Carroll Sampson-Carroll : Mandala for Chaos.
Lush and minimal; melodic and drone-like; pastoral and edgey.


There's a line that pops up in Blues songs from time to time: "it's in him - it's got to come out". Meaning, of course, some things just shouldn't be suppressed - some things simply must be expressed. So it is with the music making up the Sampson - Carroll album, "Mandala for Chaos". No grand plan was involved in its creation. No preconceived notions regarding what might, or might not, be popular. The music simply came forth during the acts of playing. The duo had no idea what they had, until they had it.

This music comes from intuition - from the gauzy atmosphere of "Around", through the percolating "didgeridoo" and call-and-response vocal loop of "Great Lakes Chain Gang", to the minimalist grandeur of the title track. That intuitive composing brings a wealth of possibilities to the mind's eye. No preconceived aural trips here - the listening journey is as individual as the listener, and is apt to be different each time.

"Unlike a lot of drone/sparse/minimal ambient music, I enjoyed Mandala for Chaos right away (I usually need a warming up period). Of course, I like the sound of the human voice as an ambient "instrument", so take that into consideration. Sampson has an expressive voice and Carroll's guitar, synths, and assorted studio wizardry is impressive to hear. "
Bill Binkelman / Wind and Wire

"I would call the material on this disc "spiritual ambient," not only for the place it touches most, but also for it's inspired sound (though it isn't particularly religious). Washes of atmospheric synth, guitar and guitar-synth interplay with silken-threaded, mostly lyricless vocal passages, and occasional ambient chants, creating soothing textures to transport you to a more peaceful place. Meditative and enveloping, the title track, as well as tracks like "Chasm of Faith" seem almost holy, not unlike what one might hear upon entering a mystic temple."
David Strong / From Dust #4

"In just about every way as entrancing as Tetsu Inoue's defining Ambient Otaku, Sean Carroll and Jeff Sampson make the passing of time shimmer with energy. "
Northeast Performer


Songs:

1. Around-Sampson
2. Chasm of Faith-Sampson
3. Great Lakes Chain Gang-Sampson
4. After Dark-Sampson
5. Mandala for Chaos-Sampson

Listen to: the entire album.


License Lush and minimal; melodic and drone-like; pastoral and edgey by Sampson-Carroll for your project.
Play the music of Sampson-Carroll in your restaurant or store.

Release date: 8/11/2011
Sampson-Carroll lives in Colorado USA

Tagged as: Ambient, Experimental


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  3. Four Strings by Bluesboy Jag: authentic 1920's solo blues guitar
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  5. Moments Musicaux by Elizabeth Wolff: 19th century classical piano
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  7. From The Silence by Logic Gate: dreamy ambient old school electronica
  8. Goldberg Variations (JS Bach) by Andreas Almqvist: elegant classical guitar
  9. Reza Nation by Reza Manzoori: minimalist acoustic guitar compositions
  10. Transfado by Anamar: songs with a Latin and Afro mood, blended with Tango, Milonga, Morna, Rumba, Habanera
  11. Sharena by Zhaba: psychedelic power meets hypnotic Bulgarian rhythms
  12. Big Dipper by Drop Trio: groove-oriented organ-based funk jazz trio
  13. Translucent by hands upon black earth: solid, sensual, organic, languorous electronic music
  14. Guinevere by Jeff Wahl: acoustic new age and jazz guitar.
  15. Disappeared by Rapoon: Ambient/World dream field
  16. JS Bach on 8 string guitar, vol 1 by Daniel Estrem: colorful classical guitar
  17. Crux by Emmalee Crane: ambient, orchestral drone music
  18. Angelus by Zephyrus: Early Music vocal ensemble
  19. Blue Voodoo by Mark Cook: blues guitar legend in the making
  20. Daydream by Robin Stine: jazzy, bluesy numbers that immediately sound like comfortable standards

Downloads:
  • MP3: High quality MP3 variable-bit-rate files. Most people download these: they are audiophile files that play everywhere.
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  • AAC: High quality Apple Audio Codec files. If you use iTunes or an iPod, these files sound great and include CD art and artist info. This is the standard format provided by the iTunes music store.
  • WAV: Perfect quality WAV files. This format works everywhere, and is an exact audio copy of the original CD. It sounds fantastic. Album art and artist and artist info is unfortunately not possible with this format.
  • FLAC Perfect quality open source FLAC files. This is an open source audio format. It is an exact copy of the original CD, and includes CD artwork and artist info. Works great on Linux, VLC and many audio players based on open source.
  • OGG: High quality open source OGG files. This is an open source audio format. It is a compressed (smaller file size) version of the original CD, and includes CD artwork and artist info. Works great on Linux, VLC and many audio players based on open source.
  • 128k: Medium quality 128K MP3 files. These are medium audio quality MP3 files that will work on every device. The audio quality is good enough for most uses. These files are intended for cases where you want to conserve disk space.