Suspended Memories (Steve Roach, Jorge Reyes, Suso Saiz) - Forgotten Gods (1993)

Ya hemos hablado de los etnomúsicos mexicanos, donde el multiinstrumentista Jorge Reyes es seguramente el exponente más identificable y conocido. Y aquí se viene acompañado, o quizás acompaña, a un colaborador con el que ya había trabajado, me refiero al otro etnomúsico español llamado Suso Saiz, y la cereza de la torta: el norteamericano Steve Roach, quien siempre ha estado interesado en los músicos y la música de otras culturas. Los tres haciendo una especie de etnomúsica ambiental y atmosférica. Y seguimos así con parte de la larga carrera de Jorge Reyes que aquí sigue con su propuesta de revivir música precolombina pero acompañado por otros dos grandes músicos, y juntos se lanzan hacia terrenos suaves, introspectivos, intimistas, minimalistas y oníricos.

 

Artista: Suspended Memories

Álbum: Forgotten Gods
Año: 1993
Género: Electrónica / Ambient / World Music
Duración: 64:03
Nacionalidad: Internacional

Simmering beneath this collection of half-formed dreams, existential shadows, mercurial hallucinations and tender silences is an understanding between three people that can't be put into words.

Linda Kohanov

Este trío desarrolla su música en una atmósfera en la que la improvisación y la búsqueda tiene preponderancia sobre cualquier otra sintaxis musical, un álbum suena realmente genial cuando tengas el estado de ánimo adecuado para adentrarte a los terrenos suaves, introspectivos, intimistas, minimalistas y oníricos que proponen los músicos... ahora, no escuches esto si lo que pinta es poner un crudo rockanrol.
No hay resultados, no hay planes, al igual que los artistas de jazz que improvisan libremente a través de cierta ideas trazadas y en base a un lenguaje musical común, pero tampoco es jazz lo que están tocando, Roach, Reyes y Saiz practican una forma de improvisación colectiva casi intuitiva
La guitarra de Saiz se mezcla con el sintetizador de Roach tan bien que se convierten en una sola voz, que junto con el juego de los instrumento de Reyes se mezclan en una mixtura etérea de sonoridades inusuales. Los diversos tambores, flautas y silbatos añaden una calidad intemporal a la música. Esto suena como un ritual musical subconsciente suspendido en nuestra mente y nuestra imaginación, que nos despierta memorias antiguas y trabaja a un nivel muy espiritual, siendo un disco para relajarse y contemplar las imágenes que surjan de él, pero de ninguna manera pienso que sea un disco para escuchar en cualquier momento, salvo que estés realmente pirucho. Es una danza de trance con cantos, tambores primitivos, y la percusión de ritual chamánico moderno.

The music rises up from the darkness and howls at the moon. An ancient voice chants in serpentine ecstacy, only to subside and hover next to silence. In those moments when the sound dissolves beyond recognition, the subconscious leaks through, whispering of faded visions painted on stone, of memories suspended by the passage of time, of gods long forgotten. This is the world where Steve Roach, Jorge Reyes and Suso Saiz create their music. There are no scores, no plans, in the initial stages of composition. Like jazz artists who extemporize freely through a shared musical language, the members of Suspended Memories connect on an intuitive level of pure sound. But it isn't jazz they're playing. Roach, Reyes, and Saiz practice a form of collective improvisation from another time, another place, maybe one that never really existed before, except in the shrouded landscapes of a shaman's dream.

Steve Roach

Un disco que habla de dioses olvidados mucho tiempo... traídos hasta tus oidos desde el polvo de los siglos, para que lo pueda sentir la zona más primitiva de tu cerebro. Texturas exuberantes suben y bajan por debajo de la pared de ritmos lentos y tranquilos, aunque en general oscuros e inquietantes. Sonidos tribales y étnicos, llamadas chamánicas combinadas con sonidos electrónicos modernos adornan un disco atemporal, que podría haberse grabado hace siglos (si ellos hubiese sido posible) o en un lejano futuro, porque aquí la música se mueve en un terreno distinto al habitual, en un nivel inconsciente y casi casi subliminal.

 

 

Si no les alcanzó mi descripción del disco, aquí tienen más, aunque todas en inglés...

Back in 1991, Steve Roach, Jorge Reyes and Suso Saiz met at an outdoor concert in a cave on Lanzarote Island. They were asked to perform together in place of a last-minute cancellation. They exchanged musical phrases before they exchanged words. They performed another concert together -- this one, again outdoors, in Mexico -- before they gathered at Roach's TimeRoom in Tucson. Magic transpired in that studio in January of 1992. For seven days, three individual soundworlds became one. Saiz spoke very little English. Roach speaks less Spanish. Reyes was available to translate if the need arose but words became obsolete as music transcended all language barriers. Suspended Memories, Forgotten Gods came out of those sessions. It is one of the finest electro-tribal albums of all time. Saiz's processed guitars fused with Roach's synthesizers. Reyes' pre-Hispanic acoustics provided balance and deeper spirituality. This project is, to quote Linda Kohanov's liner notes, "music of instinct, trust and friendship." It comes from "kindred spirits [of] different deserts." It is a peerless CD.

AllMusic

Steve Roach has always been interested in musicians and music from other cultures. Here we find him teamed up with the enigmatic Mexican multi-instrumentalist Jorge Reyes, and from Spain, composer/electric guitarist Suso Saiz. The trio is recording together as Suspended Memories.Roach is featured on analog and digital synthesizers, rhythm programming, sampled percussion, voice, didgeridoo, distant percussion, and Lakota Plains Flute. Reyes plays clay water pots, prehispanic clay flutes, ocarina, bamboo flute, whistles, voice, and various percussion and drums. Saiz plays processed electric guitars, shortwave radio, and distant percussion. This trio has developed in an atmosphere in which improvisation, melody, and originality of conception are strongly encouraged. The album sounds really great when the volume is turned up. That way you can really feel the ominous power and all the nuances in the music. This spatially intriguing collection begins with "Different Deserts," which is actually four pieces in one. Perhaps they are four separate, imaginary, musical deserts. Primal drums echo as if they're emanating from distant canyons, while expansive ethereal swirls of sound glide across the horizon. It's a subconscious musical ritual suspended in our imagination, full of textural diversity, compelling contrasts, and insights. Saiz's guitar blends with Roach's synth work so well that they become one voice, melding into an ethereal blend of unusual sonorities. The various drums, flutes, and whistles add a timeless quality to the music. "Snake Song" shifts and moves from side to side like a cobra following a snake charmer's Ney flute. It's a trance dance with chanting, primal drums, and percussion creating a modern day shamanic ritual. This piece is reminiscent of Madrid, Spain's guitarist Luis Del Gado, and his album La Flor De Piedra. Saiz creates some really tasteful textures in the mix with some amazing controlled feedback on his guitar. "Night Devotion" showcases Roach's slowly breathing synths, with a great interplay between his expansive chordal washes and Saiz's ethereal guitar excursions. The next cut, "Saguaro," is named after the towering cactus of the Arizona desert. With its sparse, expansive ambience, it brings to mind one of Roach's earlier collaborations, Western Spaces. Saiz again adds some wonderful textures with looped guitars and various other treatments. "Mutual Tribes" and the title cut continue with this musical ritual that intrigues and captivates the listener. Here the three musicians are locked into a communal mind-sync, utilizing primal blends of percussion and voice, and the aboriginal didgeridoo to enhance the ambience of the compositions. The standout cut is "Distance Look." It comes at you with walls of sustained guitar, expansive colossal waves of Roach's ethereal shifting chords, and the perfectly subdued percussive talents of Reyes. This piece really showcases how well these three musical visionaries communicate their musical ideas in real time.

Ben Kettlewell

The music rises up from the darkness and howls at the moon. An ancient voice chants in serpentine ecstacy, only to subside and hover next to silence. In those moments when the sound dissolves beyond recognition, the subconscious leaks through, whispering of faded visions painted on stone, of memories suspended by the passage of time, of gods long forgotten. This is the world where Steve Roach, Jorge Reyes and Suso Saiz create their music. There are no scores, no plans, in the initial stages of composition. Like jazz artists who extemporize freely through a shared musical language, the members of Suspended Memories connect on an intuitive level of pure sound. But it isn't jazz they're playing. Roach, Reyes, and Saiz practice a form of collective improvisation from another time, another place, maybe one that never really existed before, except in the shrouded landscapes of a shaman's dream.
Reviewed by The AmbiEntrance: "Three musical forces come together from different parts of the world... this is a brilliant collaboration between American synthmaster Steve Roach, Spanish guitarist Suzo Saiz and Mexican ethno-percussionist Jorge Reyes. The resulting atmospheres are thick with the dust of the ages and the sonic powers that dwell within. This global gathering reflects the concept that though we may be from different deserts, we are in fact mutual tribes. The opening drumbeats of different deserts immediately announce that the listener has entered a more primitive zone. Lush textures ebb and flow underneath the wall of beats, which slow to a more sedate pace and then again. This long-running track (12:20) effectively sets the stage for the tribal/ethnic sounds to come in the ensuing 64 minutes. snake song stands out as the only track to prominently feature wordlessly chanting voices. The shamanistic calls are underpinned by the persistent drumming and, eventually, a deep oscillation of modern electronics. Long wails from various wind instruments further adorn the airspace. night devotion softly swirls into a peaceful state of being. The guitar work, though light, is more overt here, strings ringing over the subtly shifting backdrop. Mostly percussionless, a slow claypot rhythm is added later in the track's course. Similarly serene, saguaro opens to wavering tonal mists and various bird-like cries, chitters and chirps. Could be the soundtrack to an awakening desert dawn, the air still cool and smooth. With a growl, mutual tribes rises like a fiery sun, pounding down with hot beats and rays of sound. The piece is dense and billowing, like the haze of heat emanating from the baked earth. The hazy suspended memories, forgotten gods is lighter, yet still murky and dreamlike. This "title track" is a soft, beatless drift of synth and muted guitar swirls, while scritchy little background rustlings add an edginess to the proceedings. At 3:48, ritual noise clocks in as the shortest piece. Slow, deliberately pounding drumbeats are overlain by strange flute-like warblings and keyboard washes. distant look lives up to its title as processed guitar chords are stretched across a vast sky like a rainbow. Slight percussion and echoing synthesizer breeze down a long vally. This track carries the listener through different atmospheres on its journey... from airy space to denser, flute-flavored swells to a sudden shimmering dissipation. The rhythmic clattering of ceramic or shell precedes shaman's dream, which evolves into a soft swell of sound. Rippling tones and primitive percussive devices decorate, until all merges into a final dark welling moan of some not-guite-forgotten god. I love this stuff. If you want to pin some more adjectives on Forgotten Gods , try "immersive", "tribal", "atmospheric", "ancient yet modern"... and don't forget "excellent", "highly recommended" and rated Two Thumbs Up by the AmbiEntrance."

Hypnos

I don't claim to be a visionary, but for years I've been predicting the imminent arrival of a "spacejazz" movement among the more accomplished spacemusic artists.
This music wouldn't sound anything like jazz, but would share some of its musical tactics and recording strategy, like working quickly with lots of improvisation, and a fairly simple production process. But in place of the documentary recording style of jazz, spacejazz would paint freely and creatively with the imagery, electronic studio tools, and advanced sound design of spacemusic.
Forgotten Gods, though not the first, is a sterling example of this genre -- a natural and fortuitous meeting of three talented musical psychonauts at exactly the right moment in their respective careers.
Each member of Suspended Memories has dug up the roots of his cultural inheritance, seeking the shadowed origins of the musical experience on the path to discovering a valid ritual music for today. Each has recognized the necessity of creating a super-charged ambiance that transports both musicians and listeners to a plane of psychological intensity that cannot be achieved simply by bombast or by volume.
National music writer Linda Kohanov (she also happens to be Mrs. STEVE ROACH) was on hand to witness their charmed early meetings, as well as the extraordinary fluidity of the recording process which she describes in the liner notes.
With its rich blend of elemental rhythms, mutated voicings and expanded fourth world tribal spaces, Forgotten Gods succeeds admirably in the quest for an improvised spacemusic. Like jazz, you can listen to each of the players and consider their moment-to-moment artistic choices. Like avant-garde work it achieves something wholly new, yet it also manages to satisfy the tonal, rhythmic and textural demands common in other forms of polar music. That's not bad for starters, but under the surface lie the powerful stirrings of an authentic ritual music for a secular age.
Empty your mind, turn down the lights, turn up the volume. Listen for an hour and I think you'll agree that Forgotten Gods hits the mark with a resounding bang, shake, rattle, and drone.

Valley-Entertainment

Suspended Memories, Forgotten Gods album for sale by Steve Roach was released Mar 10, 1993 on the Hearts of Space label. Personnel: Steve Roach (vocals, flute, didjeridu, synthesizer, percussion, programming, sampler); Jorge Reyes (vocals, whistling, flute, bamboo flute, ocarina, drums, rainsticks, percussion, sound effects); Suso Saiz (electric guitar, percussion, programming, sound effects). Suspended Memories, Forgotten Gods songs Audio Mixers: Steve Roach; Suso Saiz. Suspended Memories, Forgotten Gods album for sale Liner Note Author: Linda Kohanov. Suspended Memories, Forgotten Gods CD music Recording information: Timeroom, Tucson, AZ. Suspended Memories, Forgotten Gods buy CD music Editor: Suso Saiz. Photographer: David Muench. Unknown Contributor Role: Suso Saiz. Imagine, if you will: rusty drones ricocheting off ceramics etched out of an earth more than 2000 centuries old; crooked nylon strings swaying, hypnotized, with a reptilian swagger; stagnant winds of burnt sienna dust whipping around a tribe whose ritual-play is a feeding frenzy of chipped stone and rotting wood pipe.

CD Universe

Y cuando termina el disco, uno se queda pensando que así deben sonar los paisajes del sueño de un chamán, en su viaje a través de las diferentes atmósferas de su subconciente. Un disco que es un ritual musical que intriga y cautiva al oyente. Recomendado para noches de instronspección y contemplación, en las que el alma desea viajar por terrenos ancestrales y místicos... si te va la onda, llevate el disco porque para eso está especialmente bueno, sino a otra cosa mariposa...

Lista de Temas:
1. Different Deserts
2. Snake Song
3. Night Devotion
4. Saguaro
5. Mutual Tribes
6. Suspended Memories, Forgotten Gods
7. Ritual Noise
8. Distant Look
9. Shaman's Dream

Alineación:
- Jorge Reyes / Drums, Flute [Bamboo, Prehispanic Clay], Ocarina, Percussion [Clay Water Pots, Turtle Shell], Rainstick, Voice, Whistle
- Steve Roach / Didgeridoo, Flute [Lakota Plains], Percussion [Distant, Sampled], Sequenced By [Rhythm Programming], Synthesizer [Analog, Digital], Voice
- Suso Sáiz / Effects, Electric Guitar, Percussion