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by Kay Gardner
***
 The
word drone is defined as a continuous low humming or buzzing
sound, or as a single sustained tone. The title of this CD
album, Drone Zone, is a great play on words and very
descriptive of this music. The good news about this album
is that it creates spatial fields of sound that induce trance
states. There is a Zen-like quality to the simplicity of this
music, with some Yin/Yang interplay between musical movement
and silent stillness.
The not-so-good news is that, even though
there are some interesting movement between harmonies and
discordance, there are also some very distinct melody limitations
when working with a one-note baseline. So.some listeners may
find the lack of melodic movement inadequate for sustaining
attention or interest, while others may find this album very
useful in creating ambient sound spaces for just relaxing
or perhaps for use as a massage therapist's background music.
(There are even some suggestions in the CD jacket for ways
to listen to this music to maximize its healing benefits.)
In Drone Zone, composer Kay Gardner
explores the concepts of organic sounds and primitive world
music. The liner notes/ insert booklet make for fascinating
reading about ancient cultures' concepts in utilizing long
uninterrupted tones as the basis for healing music. Kay Gardner
and her fellow musicians utilize such interesting instruments
as bamboo flute, tamboura (similar to an Indian sitar), ocarina,
rainstick, bow chime, Scottish pipes and didjeridu throughout
the album.
This album may be ordered from The Relaxation
Co., PO Box 305, Roslyn, NY 11576 or 800-788-6670.
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