i’m a decent writer, but probably would be no good at historianizing Shpongle, tho i love Shpongle to the death… shall i try?? i could try here first, you could edit me…
granted this was a first take at it, and after a long nite with alcohol involved… but how’s some of this? i need more logistical info to go on…. edits, please??? and is it fair to say Ineffable was “highly acclaimed?” it just sounded right…. LOL
Shpongle is a downtempo/ambient psychedelic trance (or psybient) project from the United Kingdom. The core members are Simon Posford (aka Hallucinogen) and Raja Ram (one third of The Infinity Project), but they often collaborate with other artists. Their sound has sampled Eastern ethnic instruments and Western contemporary synthesizer-based psychedelic music. <i edited past this point> Posford is the reputed genius behind the synth and studio work, while Raja Ram contributes with otherwordly flute arrangements. The project was actualized in 1996 after the pair witnessed a breath-taking solar eclipse in India. The two went into the studio and attempted to duplicate the experience in sonic form, and the brilliant result was a 20-minute track, “...And the Day Turned to Night,” which was featured on Shpongle’s first album “Are You Shpongled?” and the Twisted label compilation Eclipse - A Journey Of Permanence & Impermanence. Following this inaugural feat of matching music with the sensorally tangible, they continued their unique blend of music and the natural world with the studio albums “Tales of the Inexpressible” in 2001, “Nothing Lasts… But Nothing is Lost” in 2005, and the highly acclaimed “Ineffable Mysteries From Shpongleland” in 2009. Listeners to Shpongle often find the band unmatched in meter, temperament, and fluidity, in the realm of 20th and early 21st century Electronica. Pioneers of their own brand of synth-based music, Shpongle has found a mastery consistent with such musical giants as Mozart, Bach, and Beethoven.
Raja Ram mentions on an interview that their first track was Vapours of rumours (not 100% sure of the name) in 1996 and appeared on a TIP compilation, I think it was Infinate excursions vol 1….Nice description though.
Raja Ram mentions on an interview that their first track was Vapours of rumours (not 100% sure of the name) in 1996 and appeared on a TIP compilation, I think it was Infinate excursions vol 1….Nice description though.
Yes, Infinite Excursions - Softer Psychedelic Sounds, had the track Rumours of Vapours. There was also a vinyl “Infinite Excursions Sampler” that had Rumours of Vapours from the same year.
The next Shpongle release (that I’m aware of) came with Infinite Excursions 2 - Sonic Hallucinations. That had Behind Closed Eyelids.
After those, I believe the next one was from Twisted’s ambient CD, Eclipse - A Journey Of Permanence & Impermanence. That CD opens with ...And The Day Turned To Night.
And then came “Are You Shpongled”
All of those versions from Infinite Excursions & Elcipse are slightly different from the “Are You Shpongled” versions.
Don’t forget to include The Infinity Project’s Mystical Experiences, the Mystery of the Yeti (1 & 2), and Celtic Cross… just as background information.
The project was actualized in 1996 after the pair witnessed a breath-taking solar eclipse in India. The two went into the studio and attempted to duplicate the experience in sonic form, and the brilliant result was a 20-minute track, “...And the Day Turned to Night,” which was featured on Shpongle’s first album “Are You Shpongled?” .
The first time Simon went to india was actually 2 or 3 years ago! And yes indeed first track was vapours of rumours! Though it’s surely a nice idea to edit the wikipedia page, there’s some research needed! Try to look out for all the interviews, how Si and Raj met, what inspired the creation of the project, etc.
It’s also not entirely true to say that Raj only contributed through flute arrangements, though it may have been the case for the last album as Simon put it. Raj often provided the early ideas, concepts and images for each track before Simon would start anything on the computer. Shpongle without Raj doesn’t mean shpongle without flute, but would probably rather mean no shpongle at all!
OK, i will try to do some research into interviews, that is an excellent place to start (and thank you for that direction)—and i’ll try to write more objective prose, tho that sounds like a difficult project altogether LOL but as i say, i like a writing project i’ll try again, more soon…
will post back soon…
