blowupmagazine.com by Gino Dal Soler (Italian)
NEW AGE/MINIMALISM - Ariel Kalma
Open Like A Flute * 2LP Black Sweat Records *12t-1h:26 min:19 sec
Non so quanti di voi hanno visto il bel documentario realizzato in un abbacinante bianco/nero da Matthew McGuigan (lo trovate facilmente su You Tube) e prodotto dalla RVNG per promuovere l’uscita della splendida raccolta “An Evolutionary Music”.Ecco, in quei 23 minuti, Ariel Kalma ormai settantenne appare in ottima forma ma soprattutto sembra aver conservato la naiveté e lo stesso spirito sereno degli speranzosi anni 70, vissuti tra Parigi e l’India, quando con la musica si pensava di poter cambiare se non proprio il mondo almeno se stessi. Ariel sta vivendo ora un momento particolarmente effervescente. I suoi primi capolavori: “Les Temps Des Moissons” appena ristampato dalla Wah Wah e “Osmose” qualche tempo fa proprio dalla stessa Black Sweat, senza contare la citata doppia raccolta RVNG, (mancherebbe all’appello ristampe il pur notevole “Interfrequence” del 1980) stanno godendo di una meritata riscoperta, che abbraccia trasversalmente tanto il pubblico new age, quanto quello ambient e minimalista. E’ di nuovo la Black Sweat Records a tirar fuori dagli archivi del musicista francese, oggi migrato in Australia, questo doppio vinile di materiale composto tra il 1981 e il 1984, ed inizialmente apparso soltanto su cassetta in due differenti versioni. La sua visione appena più edulcorata rispetto agli esordi, rimane intatta, offrendo a chi ascolta una propria idea di “sacred music”, pan-etnica e cosmica insieme. Dosando pezzi dal lungo e profondo respiro con altri più brevi ed immediati. Troverete così una ancor fresca e primigenia new age in Pagnifico, First Light, Boreale, Puja o Libra Moon, mentre balsami etnomagici avvolgono Japanese Island e Bush Breath. I 15 minuti di Saxman, sono invece più devoti al minimalismo degli esordi con delays e loop di sassofoni e tastiere in libero volo. La lunga Open Like A Flute, tra flauto e tambura, è una personale immersione nell’universo dei Raga Indiani, e per Ariel Kalma oggetto di studio e meditazione. In tutto dodici pezzi tessuti insieme come un arazzo radioso e multicolore.
othermusic.com by Ryan Naideau
A heavy-duty double-LP reissue of a rare cassette and other obscurities from 1982-84. French by way of NYC composer Ariel Kalma's particular vision of ambient music was not only proto new age in scope, but was also predominately focused on traditional Indian motifs and the circular breathing techniques in meditation music. This is a practice he began perfecting as early as 1976, documented on the excellentAn Evolutionary Music compilation which uncovered rare gems from his time at Pierre Henry's GRM (Groupe de Researches Musicales). On his website Kalma tells stories of encounters with snake charmers and Indian spirits which he credits as influencing his sonic experiments. He's a truly deep, prophetic kinda dude whose catalog we've been excited to revisit as well as discover.
Open Like a Flute is a series of long-form, positive vibration pieces that are said to "relax, daydream and infuse the brain with cleaning frequencies for the well-being." A peaceful set for sure, Kalma is the sole performer on these lengthy tracks, infusing waves of synth with overdubs of electric piano, drums, organ, jaw harp, voice, bells, harmonium, soprano sax and plenty of flutes. In fact, flute is the main focus here, with much of the melody being held out for long stretches then fading softly into a heady abyss. A must have for fans of I Am the Center, La Monte Young, rare synth albums and Terry Riley. (April 23, 2015)
normanrecords.com by Robin
I’ve got a good feeling about this. Ariel Kalma and his legion of ambient press officers like to go on about analog warmth and flutes and texture, as if easing you into a warm bath next to a series of differently scented candles. What sweethearts. My heart goes out to them, and also the people who make bubble bath.
Baths aside, ‘Open Like a Flute’ offers a glimpse at Kalma’s infatuation with Indian music and electronic layering. Kalma had a compelling musical approach, one that was constantly in conflict; his interest in flutes and other sharply intoned instruments met a tucked in bedrock of ambient texture and sustained tone -- drawn out sounds that were opposed, in their subliminality, to the immediate gratification of acoustic instrumentation. This record unfolds delicately, trying to balance foreground and background into one seamless paradigm. As the long-form suite of “Pagnifico” opens up, Kalma’s synth starts to tinker with potential melodies, while his flute-playing delves into the opposite, drawing out notes and offering beguiling motifs.
Kalma occasionally wants to point to the juxtaposition in his process, with the short vignette “Bush Breath” bringing together harsh strums with underlying flute. It leads into the ten minute drone chapter that is “Open Like A Flute”, which stresses the stasis in Kalma’s electronic works. For Kalma, New Age was found in sounds bubbling on an ever sleeping surface. It sounds lovely, of course, and I’m ready to get out now.
soundcolourvibration.com by Paul Gregory
Calmness and serenity come pouring through a fabulous record by Ariel Kalma called Open Like A Flute. Reissued from Black Sweat Records, the double LP album will be available tomorrow on March 31st, 2015. The original tracks were composed from 1981 to 1984 and released on tape in two different editions, but this is the first time the album will be available on vinyl complete with a gatefold cover. Ariel Kalma was born in Paris, France, learned how to play the recorder at age 9, and took up the saxophone at 15. He has since branched out in the instruments he plays, and mastered the circular breathing technique he picked up from a snake charmer in India to enhance his playing experience both health-wise and sound-wise. The sounds on this album evoke a deep spiritual sense of harmony, peace, unity, calmness, and oneness. Listen to the album below and experience for yourself the blissful and ecstatically beautiful Open Like A Flute.
2LP version of Ariel Kalm’s Open Like A Flute is available to purchase from Forced Exposure by clicking here.