Lotus Rising

Lotus Rising – Spotted Peccary Music SPM-2806

The music heard on Lotus Rising by Chronotope Project is all electronic. They are lots of sequencer patterns designed to gently flow, like thoughts on a stream in the late springtime. You can hear lots of flowers and warm sunshine. The mood is consistently smooth and easy, nothing punchy or urgent is heard. Perfect for sustaining a relaxed feeling, meditative and free from distractions. This would work in the spa, acupuncture clinic, and at bedtime.

Lotus Rising presents…

…electronic musical reflections on Zen Buddhism by Chronotope Project, from Eugene, Oregon. The music heard on this album is mostly synthesizer and gentle sequencer patterns. Jeffrey Ericson Allen is performing on synthesizers, cello, Irish whistle, 24 string harpejji, hand percussion, and mixing in some natural field recordings. A harpejji is a stringed musical instrument that can be played electronically or acoustically, and it has a wide flat isomorphic finger board. Most will tap it like a Chapman Stick, some will strum it.

What you will hear on Lotus Rising is pretty much all electronic music, lots of soothing sequencer-based rhythms, with some samples such as vocal intonations in places. The mood is smooth and easy, nothing punchy or urgent is heard. It is going to create a space for decompression Also, in my opinion it would work well as a background for a massage. Therefore, Lotus Rising is perfect for sustaining a relaxed feeling, free from distractions.

We are in a small boat, the water is warm and quiet, and the air is glowing. The gently persistent pace is quietly exciting as it’s a strange new experience. The boat is powered by thought and the breeze is transient, sometimes there is no breeze but just for a moment. Meanwhile, the dawn is slowly breaking, and the melody is like smoke, present but elusive. A cello emerges to accompany the synthesizer for the last part of the journey, “Crossing the Great Water”.

”Lotus Rising” is a breathless…

…sparkling mirage, there is no pulse or beat for most of the song. There is an ethereal glow that emerges like the sun from behind a cloud about three minutes in and takes form. A flute floats above the glow and there are a rainbow of vocals that brighten in the gentle sequencer pattern that comes in the last few minutes as the song progresses.

Back to the deep darkness of sitting “Zazen” and attending to breath, and an ethereal synth glow brightens as it emerges, small transient synth sparklers gather into almost a melody, mostly just nodding to a serene dawn, confident and growing. Another dawn breeze puffs away the deep darkness and a new thought begins. There is life all around. The song dissolves back into just sitting and attending to breath.

Fade to black and a new song begins, “Opening the Hand of Thought” which has a slightly percussive sequencer pattern, hints of deep hand drums are accents over the synthesizer pulse. They are accompanied by the slow sustained glow underneath the rapid swirling tiny snowflakes and occasional tinkling chimes. As the song takes shape there is a symbol catching some accents and the glow becomes warmer until the last minute which fades back into the void.

Another glowing meditation takes form…

…playful notes almost become a melody or pattern, but they become woven into the ethereal synth atmosphere and never take form. This is “A Prayer for Tenderness” and it has a sincere persistent ascending pace. Another song begins after this one fades. There is a melody coming together, repeating and developing oh so gently. The “Gateless Gate” has appeared, hesitate before proceeding, just to try to hear more about what lies ahead and to clarify what is on either side of this gate. Also, the percussion is growing more solid, new textures are added.

The new land past the gate here has more clues to the puzzle, but no solid answers. “Mountains are Mountains, Rivers are Rivers” follows, the mountains are vertical, and the rivers are horizontal. All is slow and sparkles with deepening synth colors. Finally, an “Homage to the Three Jewels” takes its position at the end of the album. Also, in the distance the monks are chanting in the temple on the far side of the valley. The three jewels are (1) the Buddha or fully enlightened one, (2) the Dharma, the teachings of the Buddha, and (3) the Sangha, which is the monastic order that practices the Dharma. There is no hurry. There is only light and darkness.

You can buy Lotus Rising at the store of Spotted Peccary Music and Bandcamp.

Written by Robin James, March 14th, 2019