The Formless Track by Arman Ray + Hyon Gak : Album Review
Arman Ray + Hyon Gakโs newest album, โThe Formless Trackโ, is an electronic record inspired by Zen Buddhism. There are twelve songs totaling over forty minutes in this collection. Chris Taylor (aka Arman Ray), a fine artist and music producer from the United Kingdom who practices Soto Zen, teamed up with Buddhist monk Hyon Gak Sunim to create a Zen-like music collection that would promote the theory and practice to a wider audience.
โMind Habitโ is the opening cut on the album. The electronic music in the song has a throwback feel. The spoken word poem over this reflects philosophically on the feedback cycle caused by causality. The second song, โDreaming With Eyes Wide Openโ, continues the melody from the previous one. The melodies and rhythms here are stronger and more energizing thanks to the use of more powerful instruments. With the fourth song, โThis Infinity of Nowโ, we experience a shift in mood. The arrangement here is tranquil as the philosophical and spiritual philosophy is being spun. On the sixth track, โStop and Goโ, the momentum slows as the music slows down. The perfect amount of spoken word complements the twangy guitars and sirens that are prominent in โDust Thinkingโ. The albumโs title track perfectly summed up the mood and sound of the whole thing. The first few seconds of โRight Here, Right Nowโ have a New Jack swing-style rhythm. This songโs arrangement is spun by a synth. Then, โJust an Echoโ sets up a rhythm suitable for dancing. The album ends with the tranquil โBone of Spaceโ, which has a prolonged period of stillness and other soothing noises.
The spoken words complement the voids between the music in each song quite nicely while boggling your mind with beautifully arranged samples and instruments.
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Review by: Paul Woodman