Ambient: Autumn of Communion - Folk Etymology (2019)

Folk Etymology is a concise yet intention-driven ambient work, weaving ancient medicinal concepts with modern electronic ambience.

79 / 100

Another ambient project under Neotantra is Autumn of Communion, which surprisingly isn’t handled by just one artist, but is a collaboration between Lee Norris with Metamatics, Mick Chillage, and Nacht Plank since the summer of 2012. Naturally, many albums have been released, but for now, I’ll be trying just two. The first is Folk Etymology, released in September 2019.

After several listens and some digging, the three tracks offered here appear to be tied to ancient forms of medication—and of course that theme fits perfectly within an ambient album like this. “Ayurveda” and “Rasayana” are clearly Sanskrit terms, while “Splendor Solis” comes from the title of a 16th-century alchemical text by Salomon Trismosin. Autumn of Communion here does not rely solely on a single stream of modern ambient pads, but also incorporates electronic synths and elements of field recordings to reinforce the hypnotic, mystical, esoteric, and meditative atmosphere.

Looking for meditation with a magical/mystical aura? “Ayurveda” and “Rasayana” are your main options, while “Splendor Solis” is colored more prominently by synth keys, giving it a more esoteric and transcendental feel. However, the entire album is perfectly suited for meditation or yoga. Let peace take over and heal every symptom.

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