Name: Bardos by East Forest in grounding up
Duration: 7 min 11 s
Description: BE SURE TO LISTEN TO THE TWIN RECORD, "MUSIC TO BE BORN TO" FOR THE COMPLETE LISTENING EXPERIENCE :

grounding up

Let's Release and Flow with DTO

DTOmusic.com

I Release Control by Alexa Sunshine Rose - DTO Reimagined Mix

Caught and having to atone for past sins, the ultimate self sacrifice has to be the final act of contrition!

The Final Act Of Contrition

All The Broken Souls

All The Broken Souls (Ambient Mix) [feat. Irina Mikhailova]

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https://soundcloud.com/vlambeat
https://soundcloud.com/sereno

Label:
https://soundcloud.com/elsantuariomusik

PREMIERE: V-Lam Beat & Sereno - Prehispanic Mariachi [El Santuario]

Immersive downtempo meets Spanish organic textures in 'La Floresta EP', where Mark Alow and Soble craft a meditative journey through forest-inspired soundscapes. At a pace below 100 BPM, their sonic palette blends warm analog synths with carefully layered natural atmospheres.

We hope you’ll enjoy as much as we do !

--

Composition and Mix by @Mark-Alow @Soblemusic
Mastering by Final Tone
Artwork by Saisons Musique

La Floresta

En La Niebla (Original Mix)

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The Volume Settings Folder is the work of Italian artist M. Beckmann from a small town on the outskirts of Padua, in the country’s North-East. His musical journey began in 2004 following two parallel paths; a brief flirtation with progressive and nu-metal and a more enduring exploration into Folk Electronica and Post Rock sounds, gradually leading him to Ambient and Drone music. In 2011 he launched The Volume Settings Folder, self-releasing and also appearing on Organic Industries, EKAR Records, Oscarson, Fallen Metropolis and Whitelabrecs, with the 17th edition of Home Diaries back in 2017. The project has drawn inspiration from an eclectic palette; from Electronica giants such as Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada and Autechre to the Scandinavian nu-jazz of Arve Henriksen and Nils Petter Molvær; drone pioneers such as Rafael Anton Irisarri and the Modern Classical works of Max Richter and Nils Frahm.

The creative process remains rooted in improvisation. Tracks often begin with fragments of guitar, samples, field recordings or synths, layered live using looping techniques, hardware and pedals. Recording is immediate, committing ideas in the moment with minimal post-production. For this latest album entitled ‘Corporate Shamanism’, sessions took place throughout 2023 and 2024, using an array of instruments and tools including acoustic and electric guitar, kalimba, cassette and reel-to-reel tape, hardware including an OP-1 Field, monome norns and a carefully curated chain of pedals and effects. Recordings were captured to handheld devices before being shaped in Ableton Live with only subtle adjustments.

This provocatively titled album ‘Corporate Shamanism’ is free from a strict concept, yet the album carries with it a strong sense of place and time; an impressionistic reflection of autumn and winter by the sea, filtered through nostalgia and calmness. Polaroid photographs from these colder seasons inform the mood, with the music evoking shifting coastal light, perishing temperatures and quiet transformation.

For the artist, these pieces trace connections to landscapes tied to childhood memories and the way they shift with the changing seasons. The result is a deeply atmospheric work that invites stillness, contemplation, and a lingering sense of the familiar. The title ‘Corporate Shamanism’ hints at the pressures of modern life which is a striking contrast to the nostalgic warmth of Polaroid photographs and reel-to-reel tape. Yet in many ways, this album seeks to offer a quiet antidote to an overstimulated world.

Credits
Written and produced by M. Beckmann
Mastered by James Edward Armstrong
Photography by Filippo Bordigato
Artwork by M. Beckmann
Art and design by Andrew Heath

Corporate Shamanism

Learn More

wlr194 The Volume Settings Folder - Corporate Shamanism

From A Clear Blue Sky

Throughout the spring and summer, the leaf which had begun life as a tiny bud, had grown and grown, stretching its lobes out in the sun, feeling the energy pulse through it, and sending all its goodness into the tree.

Along with all its fellow leaves, it had spent the days taking in carbon dioxide and exhaling oxygen to help all the creatures in the forest below to breathe. The leaf was situated on a branch very high up in the tree, quite near the top and could nearly see the rest of the world except for the other leaves who hustled and bustled in the breeze, blocking its view.

One day, the leaf began to notice that the chatter that went on all day between the leaves was slowly growing quieter. Looking around it noticed that some of the leaves were falling asleep and, as they did so, began to change colour. This was something different, it thought, and sure enough, from deep within the trunk of the mighty tree came a whispered message. “It’s time to rest now” 

The leaf noticed that as its companions changed colour and fell asleep, they slowly, one by one, left the tree and floated down to the forest floor. “ I don’t much like the look of that” thought the leaf, although as they floated down they revealed more of the world to the inquisitive leaf ‘Well, that’s something at least” it thought. 

One day, the leaf noticed it was the very last leaf left on the branch, and it could nearly see all of the world. “If only I was a bit higher” it thought when, out of a clear blue sky, a mischievous gust of wind appeared and picked up the leaf, pushing it into the sky, higher and higher.

The leaf was delighted “ Oh, I hope I can fly like this forever” it thought. “My pleasure” said the wind and pushed the leaf even higher.

Suddenly, the leaf noticed that since it had left the tree it was slowly feeling more and more sleepy. “ I wonder what will happen now ?” It thought. The wind, guessing the time was right, stopped lifting the leaf, and it twirled and spiralled, down and down towards the forest floor.

It landed with barely a whisper on the head of a little girl walking with her mother. The girl took the leaf from her head and said “ This is the most beautiful and special leaf ever! Just look and the colours, mummy!”

Which is what the leaf would have loved to hear but it had fallen fast asleep and like the rest of its friends, dreamed of being held fast, safe in the roots of the tree, helping to feed it and ensure that the buds would appear once again in the far away spring.

A PDF of the story is available at :
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ehGbmxaa04d8-E7DU2PJVcAEBwL75odq/view?usp=drivesdk

From A Clear Blue Sky

Never Be Forgotten

Be sure to listen to the twin record, "MUSIC TO DIE TO" for the complete listening experience : http://soundcloud.com/eastforest

Trevor Oswalt's near-death experiences catalyzed a search for answers. After two violent bicycle accidents – the second of which causing almost identical injuries to the first incident – he began searching for understanding; his path eventually lead him to volunteer in a hospice, until Oswalt, aka East Forest, felt comfortable facing his fears. 

"Everyone copes with loss and trauma in different ways," he says.  "I was searching for a way that could help me and others at the same time." 

That search birthed the idea for his next album, Music To Die To, out February 26, 2016 on Aquilo Records.  "People think that nearly everything in life stems from the fact that we know we're going to die, and that real creative freedom comes from accepting our mortality," Oswalt says. "Part of this album is literally music for people to die to, but it's also the soundtrack of my own journey toward acceptance."

Inspired by one of his idols, Keith Jarrett, and his The Köln Concert, Oswalt knew he'd improvise most of the recordings by live looping a combination of vintage pianos, his voice, and original field recordings, all with the theme of life's finite nature in mind.  Recording on an organic farm in upstate New York and a remote ranch in the southern Utah high desert, he bunkered in until he had more than enough for one album. 
"Once you get out into nature and get the ball rolling, the improvisation starts to flow through you," he says. "I love the idea of giving birth to music on the spot, to record something in the moment that won't be made again."

Armed with a surplus of material, East Forest realized the perfect bookend: Music To Be Born To, the sister album to Music To Die To. To me, birth comes from the space created by the destruction of something, not the other way around. Out of death comes birth.” 

Together, the twin releases form a perfect pair, complementing the other in not only theme, but in musical substance. The former is an optimistic glow bathed in waves of his "blissful" (NPR), ethereal sound; the latter is more direct, more organic, and more focused - embodying an increasingly-mature sound and aesthetic.  but provides a fresher start with a newer beginning.

In 2016, he's back in Portland, but is now armed with a live show that is continually evolving; sometimes performing solo, sometimes with a string section, and often with cinematic projections. With experience as a performing pianist for a dance troupe, in a hospice volunteering as well as in the Amazonian jungle searching for answers, his music is a connected journey that's been dubbed "a revelatory excursion in sound" (Under The Gun Review) that invites listeners to "go on a journey of self discovery" (Earmilk).  He's been featured on NPR's Second Stage and Tiny Desk Contest, and shared the stage with Moby. 

"We forget that we are nature. We feel so much separation in our modern life, inundated with so much information; I believe our solutions will come from the inside out. They're already here, we're just uncovering them." 

"It’s all a process of discovery.  We need to give space for that which wants to emerge  -- something needs to die for something else to be born.  Making these albums was my way of creating some space, and inside I hope to hear an answer.

WEB - http://www.eastforest.org 
FB - http://www.facebook.com/eastforestmusic
INSTAGRAM - http://instagram.com/eastforest
YOUTUBE: http://www.youtube.com/user/eastforestmusic
TWITTER - http://www.twitter.com/eastforestmusic

#eastforest #eastforestmusic

Trevor Oswalt - live looped music, field recordings, vocals
Taylor Deupree - mastering
Michael Robinson - art direction

Formats CD/DIGITAL/CASSETTE

Download

Dive In

BE SURE TO LISTEN TO THE TWIN RECORD, "MUSIC TO BE BORN TO" FOR THE COMPLETE LISTENING EXPERIENCE : 



Bardos

Soul Speak

Inside

Elephant Powered Omstrumentals

Shanti (Shavasana Dub) Omstrumental

Teardrop - Massive Attack Cover
Vocals/Ravdrum/Samples: mayiia

Teardrop - Massive Attack

Kundalini Chillout: Liquid Mantra Remixes

Aap Sahaee Hoa (Krishan Liquid Mix)

https://www.EastForest.org
TOUR DATES - https://eastforest.org/tickets

Booking - susie@groundcontroltouring.com (N. Amer., Asia, AU), 
kai.lehmann@cabinartists.com (EU)

East Forest plays electro-acoustic music coined "blissful" (NPR) and "immersive" (Wired). His work has appeared on Bright Antenna, Domino, Mercury KX, 1631 Recordings, Aquilo Records, as well as Tender Loving Empire & Universal/Decca.

He has three #1 albums that charted on iTunes as well as multiple top ten Billboard releases. He tours internationally.

team@eastforest.org
#eastforest  #eastforestmusic

Bardos

East Forest

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