Spectral Navigator [play hifi lofi] [license] [buy]

Ray Carl Daye has been involved in making music since his early teens, having been drawn to the sonic artistry of the Beatles and Pink Floyd. He played guitar in various jam bands over the years, but also acquired an interest in electronic music, enjoying the works of electronic/ambient pioneers Brian Eno and Tangerine Dream, after seeing T. Dream live in concert. His interest in sound and recording led Ray to study Recording Engineering and Music Theory at Dawson College's Recording Arts and Sciences Institute in Montreal. After graduating from the two year program, he worked at two major recording studios in Toronto as an Assistant Engineer and later, as a Mastering Engineer for a large CD manufacturer. After switching from a 4-track analog recorder to a computer-based recording system in his home studio, he realized that producing a quality recording was now more viable, and he soon began working on his own electronic compositions with greater intent. His current project is a recording of quiet ambient pieces titled "Spectral Navigator".

Spectral Navigator album:

When searching for a subject matter for his latest work, Ray Carl Daye felt he wanted the music to convey "lightness" or to be a "light" ambient as opposed to a "dark" ambient piece. With this in mind he read an article one day about the Gossamer Albatross, the first human-powered aircraft to cross the English Channel. The craft was powered using only pedals to drive a large two-bladed propeller, and was piloted by Bryan Allen, an amateur cyclist and self-taught hang glider pilot who completed the 22 mile crossing in just under 3 hours. The Albatross was designed with very long tapering wings like those of a glider, which helped to maintain the craft in the air with minimum power. This proved to be the perfect subject for Ray's new piece, originally titled "The Gossamer Run". So like the Gossamer Albatross the title track "Spectral Navigator" has a lighter-than-air shimmer to it like the wind gently pushing a glider into the spectral sky. The ebb and flow of the music has the effect of calming the listener, and is excellent as background ambience for relaxing or even when trying to fall asleep. So this release, Ray's first ambient album is 47 minutes of beatless sonic atmospheres in the style of Steve Roach and Brian Eno.