Michael Stearns 'Within - The Ninth Dimension' ( Earth Turtle Music ET2011) During the spring of 1998, Barbara Hand Clow commissioned Michael to write this music for use in her workshops. Once he completed Barbara's version, he rearranged the compositions and added material for this new recording. The music encompasses nine dimensions of the Earth experience, stretching from the molten center, to life and sounds from the planet's surface, out to the distant galaxies. One of the pieces, Seven, was composed on a Serge synthesizer, the instrument that first drew me to the music of Michael Stearns. This is the first piece recorded entirely on the Serge Modular since Michael's earlier release from the 1980s, 'Planetary Unfolding'. Other compositions on this remarkable collection feature the same bell samples Michael last used on the highly praised 'Baraka' soundtrack for Ron Fricke. Michael Stearns takes the listener on what becomes a most pleasant voyage through the ancient soundscapes on this release. These compositions share grand atmospherics and long drones which reach mantra like states at times- they seem to pierce to the inner core of being. 'Within' is hypnotic, life flowing and senusous music. Ambient in texture, soft yet strong rhythms weave themselves throughout the tracks and give way to a sonorous waxing and waning of dreamy droning and harmonics, interjected with quiet sonorities of tuned percussion, percussion and occasional vocal-lyrical samples. There is a hovering of mystique in the means by which Michael Stearns envelopes the listener with the various synths and samples he incorporates into each piece. The textures are smooth and flowing - an unrelentless aura of atmospherics prevade an optimistic yet timeless interlude. Highly recommended. Review by Ben Kettlewell information: website: http://www.michaelstearns.com

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