Available 11-29-13, digital download and limited edition CDr!

The long form version of Over-soul began as a seed of an idea—a track just over 9 minutes on my 2011 self-released album, “Upwelling.” I was originally inspired by my readings from various esoteric sources, and the idea that although we may see ourselves as separate, isolated and alone, in fact we all are individual expressions of one unifying, all-encompasing source, and therefore linked to that source and ultimately to one another.

Over the past 3 years, I’ve expanded and elaborated on this original idea, the result is this 61 minute long form piece, divided into three seamless expanses of driftscape: i-The Wise Silence; ii-The Collective Heart; iii-Unity—created entirely with keyboards and medicine drum.

Some titles were inspired by these writings from Ralph Waldo Emerson: 
“The Supreme Critic on the errors of the past and the present, and the only prophet of that which must be, is that great nature in which we rest, as the earth lies in the soft arms of the atmosphere; that Unity, that Over-soul, within which every man’s particular being is contained and made one with all other; that common heart. 

“We live in succession, in division, in parts, in particles. Meantime within man is the soul of the whole; the wise silence; the universal beauty, to which every part and particle is equally related, the eternal ONE. And this deep power in which we exist and whose beatitude is all accessible to us, is not only self-sufficing and perfect in every hour, but the act of seeing and the thing seen, the seer and the spectacle, the subject and the object, are one. We see the world piece by piece, as the sun, the moon, the animal, the tree; but the whole, of which these are shining parts, is the soul.” 
- Ralph Waldo Emerson 

All instruments, compositions and sleeve design, Steve Brand ©sbrand2013 
Chad Kettering/Soniclayers Mastering and Peter James, mastering and track assembly. I could not have achieved this without their help.

Steve Brand_Over-soul_Album Sampler

Meltstream really began in 2007 when Steve and Roy first met at Steve Roach's Soundcurrent Masters Workshop in Sonoita, Arizona. During the week long workshop, the group would improvise over the music of one of the artists present with Roach doing the live mixing. Steve says, "Some of the most personally satisfying and compelling moments for me, were when Roy and I would combine sensibilities. There was a richness and depth there that I wanted to re-create, hear and experience over and over.” In 2013, Roy sent Steve a handful of sounds (guitar and keyboard loops and sketches) that Steve then wove together with his own keyboard textures, field recordings, shakers, sandstone, whistles, voice, etc. 

Some titles were inspired by a dream that Roy related to Steve ("strange lights and firefly stars"), another was inspired by a photo that Roy took at the workshop in Sonoita ("My Shadow And The Morning Sun"), and others organically grew out of creating the arrangements. Roy and Steve both have a strong affinity with nature, especially the mountains, and this music grew out of those moments, immersed in nature...and sound. 

The sounds at the end of “My Shadow…” were created with sandstone collected in Sonoita by Brand and Roach in 2007, and the bird sounds at the end of “My Shadow…” were created with a bird whistle given to Brand by Mattson just after the workshop. 

Thanks to Roy Mattson and to Steve Roach...this album would not be possible if Roy and I had not met in Sonoita that September in 2007. 

Tracks: 
My Shadow And The Morning Sun | 9:56 
Just Above Treeline | 13:21 
Leeward Shadows | 16:46 
Meltstream | 14:04 
Unlost (strange lights and firefly stars) | 13:05

Steve Brand, Roy Mattson_Meltstream_Album Sampler

[RR] Re-mastered and re-worked by Brand at The Treehouse 2013-14, exclusive re-release on Bandcamp ONLY.

From the 2009 release notes:
Brand says, “I’d been an Ishq (Matt Hillier) fan for about 3-4 years. I found his music as part of my complete immersion in Ultimae material (Ishq kept showing up in the ‘If you like this, you’ll like this’ area of iTunes). I bought ‘Orchid’ and was hooked. I love Matt's atmospheres and beats, the delicacy, expansiveness and expressiveness of feeling, and his intuitive and spiritual approach to music...really feels like home to me.

Matt had some free loops of his sounds on his site at that time and I couldn’t resist—I used some in a piece and sent the piece to him, Matt kindly responded. I then suggested a collaboration. He quickly sent me a entire DVD of unique material...and here we are..very easy and organic. I think everyone will really enjoy these disks which are a very nice mingling of our individual sounds; you can hear the Ishq influence, but overall, probably a bit of a darker journey than his own work, but still spacious, organic, emotive.”

Re-mastered by S. Brand 2013-2014 and re-released on Brand’s Pioneer Light Music label. Originally released on AtmoWorks 2009, re-mastered in 2012 for Pioneer Light.

http://v-i-r-t-u-a-l.blogspot.com

Track List
1. Soft Temples | 24:13
2. Flame of Nuit |17:08
3. Nature is Sung | 34:05
4. The Voice from Home | 54:00

Steve Brand, Ishq_Spiritual Science 2014_Album Sampler

COMING 2-6-15
“Into The Current” is a 60 minute composition that stands as a document of, and tribute to, my experience at Steve Roach's “SoundCurrent Master's Class” in late September of 2007 at his then home and studio in Sonoita, Arizona. Myself and three other artists, Ben Garvie, Chad Kettering and Roy Mattson, spent a life-changing week immersed in the supportive and stimulating environment of Epona Equestrian Center and Roach's Timeroom. During those few days, we ate great food, talked much, listened deeply, shared widely and slept a little. My sincere gratitude goes out to these four men for the experience they gave me—it was an utter privilege to share that depth of time, spirit and music with them all.

Field recordings, overtone flute, bass flute and keyboard textures are interwoven to create this serene and multilayered journey into soul and memories of warm desert breezes, shaded canyons, crisp mountain streams, cool nights and deeply rooted memories.

Thanks also to Peter James for his mastering magic.

Steve Brand_IntoTheCurrent Album Sampler

COMING 03-20-2015 on all digital outlets and on pro-cdr

Tracks: 
Second Spring | 16:04
The Sun Resides Within My Body | 17:03 
Transitional Experience | 12:16 
A Drop, Becomes a Stream, Becomes a River, Becomes The Ocean | 10:40
The Fruit Of The Spring (album edit) | 11:11
Love Never Dies |  11:11

Second Spring, begun during a rare occurrence of a second Spring in November of 2012, is a nearly 80 minute collection of 5 tracks of nuanced organic ambient atmospheres comprised of voice, flutes, shakers, field recordings and keyboards.

Pioneer Light Music | @sbrand2014

Steve Brand_Second Spring_Album Sampler

Released June 19, 2015

Tracks: 
Sanctuary (disk 1) | Place Of Honoring (inner temple) | 68:43 
Sanctuary (disk 2) | Place Of Unconditional Love And Acceptance (valley) | 58:01 

Sanctuary is two long form organic atmospheres of gongs, bells, voice, didgeridoo, field recordings and keyboards. 

“As a whole, on Sanctuary, I hear a music that is at once grand and closely intimate. Gigantic universal swells and slow churnings deliver the spirit to the quieter moments of solitude with a sense of place and reality as insinuated by field recordings of the natural world. Disc one is engulfing and enveloping, while Disc two is inviting and introspective. The sanctuary here; in this music, is the union of the personal with the impersonal. The sanctuary becomes not a a static physical place where rituals are performed or prayers are whispered; but a state where the mind, body, spirit, and heart find contentment.” - Roy Mattson 

“Sanctuary, the place of honoring, love and acceptance, resides within the inner temple of one’s self.” - Unknown 

Thanks to Roy Mattson, Mark Seelig, Geoff Small, Jill, Nadja, Miette and LooLoo Brand, for the support and encouragement. 

©sbrand2015

Steve Brand - Sanctuary Album - Album Sampler

COMING 09-25-15, CDr and download on Pioneer Light Music, "Songs From Unknown Territory," by Steve Brand.

The first sketches for "Unknown Territory..." were originally begun in 09.11.11, parallel to several other projects. At the time, I had the intuitive sense that large changes were about to occur, although I had no real idea of the who-what-where-how of it all. This group of songs is imbued with that sense of mystery, uneasy anticipation, anxious discovery, hope, longing and even nostalgia for the once familiar. While creating these pieces, I had the mental picture of vast landscapes, long-abandoned homesteads leaning on hillsides, rough roads dwindling to foot trails finally leading to uninhabited vistas, ancient handmade maps indicating the edge of the known world portraying vaguely rendered mythical landscapes and inhabitants of the regions beyond. I would say a story is told in the unfolding of the tracks, from the nearly anthemic opening of “Song From Unknown Territories," followed by the mid-section, “Some Are Things Of Substance, Some Are Not" expressing the longing for familiar faces and shores, ending with the closing scenes of "Beyond The Edge Of A Flat Earth." 

Composed entirely of pads, bells, whistles and voices, "...Unknown Territory" times in at about 75 minutes and will be released on CDr in a full color bi-fold digipack and as hi-res downloads.

----

Track List:
song from unknown territory 11:22
when i’ve left behind all that i was 12:12
the long way home 11:11
some are things of substance, some are not 14:57
the pause just before the great exhalation 12:12
beyond the edge of a flat earth 12:12

----

“song from unknown territory”

how fortunate am i
orange sliver moon
window seat with rabbit
cricket just outside my window
making faces at birds
glow from the trees
cicada mustache

images of the best life
ever

terribly intimate things
i choose to share with the world
(via social media)

i was never good at pretending
that I didn’t know things I know
in order to console others

lace curtains
crumbled down old place
window looking out on holler
coins in a jar buried at the foot of the tree
leaving old homes behind

there out in the scrub
among the brambles and cocklebur
beyond the edge of a flat earth (AM I)
frontier
two wild cats jump my fence and play

finally
leaving the hive
how fortunate am i

Steve Brand - Songs From Unknown Territory - Album Sampler

Tracks: 
Changing With The Light | 8:01 
At The Speed Of Thought | 17:20 
The Path Of The Heart | 16:41 
The Crucible Of Heart (unknown territory mix) | 11:11 
Flowing Through The Heart Of Everything (album edit) | 4:57 
Let It All Fall Away (feat. Mark Seelig) | 20:00 

“The Path Of The Heart” was begun in early 2014 as the result of several live improvisations in my studio. This music reflects my realization that I often feel that my entire life has been a journey to and of the heart, my heart, my core, and it has often not been direct or easy, but it is the ultimate and inevitable journey of my lifetime—and one that connects me to ever larger sources. 

I began communicating with Mark Seelig via the internet and quickly found that we had a great deal in common, and so i was inspired to ask him to send material for a collaborative track for this album, which turned out to be “Let It All Fall Away.” Mark travels frequently for his work as a therapist, so he eventually managed to to squeeze in the recording of his contributions while at a friend's studio. Thanks to Mark for taking this track to it's emotional peak.

releases May 20, 2016 

Mark Seelig, voice and bansuri on “Let It All Fall Away” 

www.mark-seelig.com/about-mark/

Steve Brand - The Path Of The Heart - Album Sampler

.:. RELEASED 09-09-2016 on CDR and download .:.

https://steve-brand.bandcamp.com/album/leaving-the-hive-coming-09-09-2016

“Leaving The Hive” is 4 tracks and 75 minutes of spacious, translucent, organic ambience created with pads, percussion and field recordings, that explores the mystery, delicacy, resilience, intricacies, simplicity, secrets and analogies that nature holds for us, all of which will ultimately lead to deeper and more meaningful understandings of our place and potential in the larger scheme of existence. 

Ultimately, we must leave the comfort and safety of the hive of the known, of that which we have accepted as truth, to discover who and what we essentially are. 

Tracks: 
leaving the hive | 21:45 
a light spinning in a valley somewhere | 20:36 
simple things | 09:32 
climbing a mountain that never was | 22:07 

Bees on “Leaving The Hive,” benboncon, FreeSound.org. Voice on “A Light...” Miette Brand. Additional sound on “A Light...” created with Eno's Bloom app.

©sbrand2016

____

“hermetic”

wasp's nest growing in the corner
seeking hive home safety
(little warrior insistently knocks on my door)

eagle's redtail
two circle lazily nearest the clouds
softer shriek

your surprise lilies are finally blooming
four years after you've gone

flags praying flutter
flint chime ditty
crow call laugh down a corridor of limbs
cicadas make a final sound
(how we all twitch just before we shed...
or go to ground)

so many hives
so many homes
so many other times
so many other places

but in our particular nest
something more graceful
something more grand
is patiently unfolding this time 'round

(even more supernatural processes)

wait...here comes the sun
from behind that cloud...
again...gone...again...

Leaving The Hive

Steve Brand - Leaving The Hive - Album Sampler

RELEASED 04-28-17 .:. STEVE BRAND .:. "NEAR SERIES : SILENCE"
Bandcamp ONLY. Download & Limited Edition CDr in 5x7 sleeve. On Pioneer Light Music.

https://steve-brand.bandcamp.com/album/near-series-silence

tracks: 
near series : silence pl0027a 
near silence | 15:13 
near absence | 15:02 
near solitude | 18:00 
near wilderness | 15:30 

Tracks:

near series : silence pl0027a
near silence | 15:13
near absence | 15:02
near solitude | 18:00
near wilderness | 15:30

the very core of the “near series,” is essentially improvisational in nature, with major elements being recorded for, and during, live performances in 2015 and 2016. improvisational moments were captured and then subsequently woven together in a more deliberate and compositional manner. as the title indicates, the emphasis here is on silence, or near silence, and the power and meaning that can be derived from moments where we allow ourselves to be still and just listen to the world around us, and to our own inner voice.

©sbrand2017

©sbrand2017

Near : Silence

Steve Brand - Near Series : Silence - Album Sampler

RELEASED 07-14-17 .:. STEVE BRAND .:. "NEAR SERIES : OTHERNESS"
Bandcamp ONLY. Download & Limited Edition CDr in 5x7 sleeve. On Pioneer Light Music.

https://steve-brand.bandcamp.com/album/near-series-otherness

tracks:
near : otherness pl0027b 
near otherness | 15:00 
near dark | 15:09 
near abandoned | 15:13 
near past | 14:36 
near expansion (w/ mark seelig) | 16:58 

"near series : otherness" is the second of three volumes of the "near series." the very core of the “near series,” is essentially improvisational in nature, with major elements being recorded for, and during, live performances in 2015 and 2016. improvisational moments were captured and then subsequently woven together in a more deliberate and compositional manner. as the title indicates, the emphasis here is on otherness, in this case, the quality of an experience, perception or place seeming out-of-the-ordinary, heightened, unusual, alien or altered. I have experienced this feeling many times in my life, and while it can be momentarily disconcerting, it has also become a very familiar feeling and one that can serve as a signal to pay more attention to what is happening in that moment. 

all compositions brand. mark seelig, voice on “near expansion.” design and photography brand. 

©sbrand2017

Near Series : Otherness

07-14-17

Steve Brand - Near Series : Otherness - Album Sampler

RELEASED 07-14-17 .:. STEVE BRAND .:. "NEAR SERIES : THRESHOLD"
Bandcamp ONLY. Download & Limited Edition CDr in 5x7 sleeve. On Pioneer Light Music.

near : threshold 0027c 
near glow | 15:32 
near gossamer | 15:12 
near threshold | 15:32 
near translucent | 15:12 
near completion (w/ åpne sinn) | 16:50 

“near series : threshold” is the third and final of three volumes of the “near series.” the very core of the “near series,” is essentially improvisational in nature, with major elements being recorded for, and during, live performances in 2015 and 2016. improvisational moments were captured and then subsequently woven together in a more deliberate and compositional manner. all compositions brand. design and photography brand. thanks to geoff small/åpne sinn for his sublimely atmospheric contribution on “near completion.” a threshold implies a boundary, a limit, a transition, a doorway from one place to another, from something old, to something new, from a previous way of being, to a new and evolved presence—in other words, graduation. 

©sbrand2017

https://steve-brand.bandcamp.com/album/near-series-threshold

Near Series : Threshold

09/09/17

Steve Brand - Near Series : Threshold - Album Sampler

STEVE BRAND, "NEAR : GLOW" .:. AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER NOW ON txt! .:. glass mastered CD and download

Near : Glow is a long form elaboration of the track on the same name from Steve's 2017 Near Series trilogy. The piece was chosen because of it's particular cinematic atmosphere where the shadow of clouds roll over vast dark pine forests. Afternoon rain tumbles down mountain rapids and at times the utter silence can feel like pressure on your body. The second track, Near : Emergence was developed out of the Near Series sessions, and alludes to upcoming works and changes. Near : Glow is an astute study of the elements that blends nature and humanity through your speakers.

Two tracks, just over 59 minutes.

Limited to 150 cds

Near : Glow

Near : Glow - Album Sampler

RELEASED AUGUST 2, 2019 .:. BANDCAMP ONLY .:. DOWNLOAD and LIMITED EDITION, PRO-CDR HAND-ASSEMBLED 5x7 BI-FOLD BOOKLET

titles: 
near a distant retreat (album version) .:. 10:18 
moth that looks like an owl (belura)* .:. 10:28 
open like a flower (fly like a caterpillar) .:. 11:56 
the absence of field** .:. 18:42 
other intelligences, other beings, other understandings, other worlds .:. 11:07 
counterintelligence .:. 15:34 

the title, “counterintelligence,” while initially a wholly intuitive choice, i suspect is partially prompted by my sense that our culture is often far too reliant on intellect, mind and rationality, and just as often sneeringly dismissive of intuition, feeling and emotion. so, rather than a more appropriate state of interdependence, mind and heart have been forced into an oppositional and dualistic relationship. from my experience, the latter is a primary source of enrichment, inspiration, insight and the opening up of life. this music is my way of accessing and documenting, what i feel to be, the real intelligence behind all “intelligence.” 

*for harold. **title inspired by mark strand. thanks to jill, leeloo and geoff. design and photography, brand. all sounds and compositions by brand. titles inspired by other intelligences, other presences.

Counterintelligence

Near A Distant Retreat (album version)

COMING 6-14-13, “The Great Hoop,” by Steve Brand

Basic tracks for “The Great Hoop” were first started back in 2010 subsequent and prior to one of my many visits to the Cahokia Mounds, near East St. Louis. At that time, I felt the need to continue themes that I had explored in my older release, "Cahokia.” This music is inspired by the Plains Indians of North America. As with Cahokia, I am not aspiring to make Native American music, but to make music that is inspired by these cultures, their history and pre-history, the spaces, colors, flora and fauna, and wide variety of landscapes of the area I live in. During the making of these songs, the writings of Black Elk, of the Oglala Sioux, also came to mind, which I thought was incredible, since I had read then more than 15 years before—his words inspired some of the titles. 

I am not of Native American heritage, but since I can remember, I have had a deep and profound respect for the range of traditions and history of the various cultures that we call, “Native American.” My own family history is mixed and shaded by a lack of complete information (like most Americans), but I do know that at least part of my own family history is scattered across Kentucky, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Missouri, so for all I know, I share this ancestry. 

Rattles, shakers, bells, cane, bone, bass and cedar flutes, drums, voice, zither, field recordings and keyboards were woven together to create these 5 long atmospheres. 

Shane Morris contributed the coyote calls for “Hoop of the Earth” (recorded at his home in Arkansas), and Paul Casper/Frore contributed the astounding textures and percussion for “Medicine Bag Ghosts.” Jill Brand, spirit voice on “Great Plains.”

Steve Brand_The Great Hoop_Album Sampler

ABOUT .:.
Steve is a lifelong artist and musician who began releasing music in the early 90’s in the experimental genre under the name, “Augur, " with more than 20 limited edition releases on various independent labels like, Foundry, Solipsism, Manifold, A Pyrrhic Victory, Alluvial. In 2003, he began creating in the field of "ambient" under his own name. Brand describes this change in moniker and musical expression as, "part of the process of moving out of my head and more into my heart." Since then, Steve has issued more than 40 releases on Pioneer Light Music, txt, Databloem, Relaxed Machinery, Hypnos, AtmoWorks, Afe and others. His music has regularly been featured on the nationally syndicated, "Hearts of Space," as well as NPR/KCUR's "Night Tides" with Renée Blanche, Chuck VanZyl's StarsEnd.org radio, remains in rotation on SomaFM/DroneZone and frequently appears on several noteworthy release lists and playlists worldwide.

ACTIVITIES .:. 
- Selected tracks have been featured on Stephen Hill's nationally syndicated radio show "Hearts of Space" on several occasions: October 2007 "Darkwater" edition, August 2008 "Reading the Bones" edition, July 2010 "Heatwaves" edition, and October 2010 "The Crossing" edition, May 2011 "Timescapes" edition, August 2011 "Desert Solitaire" edition, February 2012 "Supernatural” edition, July 2013 "Heatwaves" edition (repeat), May 2014 "Heatwaves" edition (repeat), 2015 "Outback" edition, July 2016 "Desert Solitaire" edition (repeat), July 2016 "Summertronica 7" edition, July 2017 'Desert Dreamfields 2" edition.
- Music is frequently written about by respected ambient music reviewers John Shanahan/The Hypnagogue (https://hypnagogue.net) and Richard Gürtler (https://www.discogs.com/artist/390039-Steve-Brand).
- Frequently in the top 10 monthly releases, yearly listing of "Significant Releases" and playlists of Chuck VanZyl's, StarsEnd.org.
- Frequently listed in the top 10 of “Top 30 Artists by Listeners” and “Top 30 Artists by Spin” on the Drone Zone/SomaFM charts.
- Continues in rotation on Pandora, Spotify, SomaFM's DroneZone, and Reneé Blanche’s “Night Tides” on KCUR/NPR.

REVIEWS .:.
Steve’s music has been described as “ambient,” “tribal,” “ritualistic,” “a direct link to our ancient, and arcane ancestry,”“…not mere music, but an almost shamanic attempt at deconstructing our interpretation of reality, by connecting us to an anti-technological, primal psyche,” and “Brand has tapped into a sound or feeling that’s at the core of all things, a universal essence.” Hypnos Records says of Steve, “(he has)…quickly established himself as one of the more interesting and distinctive artists working in ambient music…”

PERSONAL BACKGROUND .:.
“For me, music is more than just notes, chords, arrangements, applied theory or an object for sale. From the earliest times, music has been our attempt to mimic and honor our surroundings. Music has also been our means of organizing, communicating and understanding our history, experiences, feelings, emotions and memories. Intuitively, on some level, we have always understood the power of music to release us from the tyranny of the commonplace, from the constraints of a materialistic and overly rational world, as well as it’s potential to create new understanding, insight, expression and ways of being. Music can unlock ancient, even timeless memories, and aid us in redefining our personal and collective present and future. My intention is to make expansive, adventurous, mysterious, uncompromising music that honors these principles and share it with as many others as possible.” – Steve Brand

Steve Brand

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