Dream Theory in Malaya
Encyclopedia
Dream Theory in Malaya : Fourth World Volume Two is a World music
album by Jon Hassell
, released in 1981. It is the "sequel" to his collaboration with Brian Eno
, Fourth World Vol. 1 : Possible Musics
, which was released the previous year.
/ adventurer-ethnologist
Kilton Stewart about the Senoi
, an aboriginal tribe Stewart first visited in 1935, who lived in the highlands of Malaya
(as it was known before the present state of Malaysia was constructed).
The Senoi culture, he discovered, regarded dreams as an important part of life. Mornings were used by families to indulge in the custom of dream-telling
, where, for instance, a "child's fearful dream of falling
was praised as a gift to learn to fly the next night". Songs and dances learned in dreams were often taught to neighbouring tribes to foster good relations.
One of the tribes who lived nearby in the swamp regions, the Semelai, practiced the art of splashing water with the hands to form a rhythmic music. Hassell heard recordings of this on a BBC
publication - a book (Primitive Peoples) which was accompanied by a vinyl record - and used it as "a thematic guide for the entire recording", especially the track "Malay", "the centerpiece of the record".
(An early 80's EG cassette also included an extra track, "Ordinary Mind" (2:58), located between "Datu Bintung at Jelong" and "Malay".)
, Canada, with the engineering and production help of Bob and Daniel Lanois.
Hassell would experiment with "musical sketches" in the basement studio of Michael Brook's house in Toronto, who was helping him to coordinate the recording, and from there he'd commute to Grant Avenue and put things down on multitrack, along with Brian Eno who was also there. Eno's main input on the sessions was playing drums and bells on "Courage," "Dream Theory," and "These Times". These sessions also marked Hassel's first association with Lanois.
He spent a lot of time on an "invented exotic scale on top of a tambura-like drone consisting of a set of sine tones that I've tuned as a guide to keep me on the Indonesian-type tuning that nobody ever tried to play on a trumpet before". As in the previous album, Possible Musics
, his trumpet is mixed and looped and stretched so that it never really sounds like a trumpet at all.
Track 1 features digital delay, which at the time was a relatively new studio process, and is composed of rhythmic loops, short trumpet blasts and sharp intonations. Tracks 2 and 3 share a raspy, treated, looped trumpet riff, with 3 employing waves of overdubs, bass and pottery drums. Track 4 is based on a background of gongs and drums over which a breathy, distorted trumpet drones and blasts. The longest track, 5, features the "splash" rhythms mentioned above, along with Raga
-style percussion, gongs, the sounds of giggling children, and an over-riding lead trumpet. Track 6 is the most ambient of all being mostly chimes/gongs and birdsong, a year later it reappeared on Brian Eno's album Ambient 4/On Land
, retitled "Shadow". The last track has a background of distorted trumpet waves and a gamelan
-style beat.
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
album by Jon Hassell
Jon Hassell
Jon Hassell is an American trumpet player and composer. He is known for his influence in the world music scene and his unusual electronic manipulation of the trumpet sound.-Life and career:...
, released in 1981. It is the "sequel" to his collaboration with Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
, Fourth World Vol. 1 : Possible Musics
Possible Musics
Fourth World, Vol. 1: Possible Musics is an album by Brian Eno and Jon Hassell, released in 1980.-Overview:"Fourth World" is a term used by trumpeter Jon Hassell to describe a style of music employing modern technological treatments and influenced by various cultures and eras...
, which was released the previous year.
Overview
Hassell got the idea for the album after reading a paper by anthropologistAnthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
/ adventurer-ethnologist
Ethnology
Ethnology is the branch of anthropology that compares and analyzes the origins, distribution, technology, religion, language, and social structure of the ethnic, racial, and/or national divisions of humanity.-Scientific discipline:Compared to ethnography, the study of single groups through direct...
Kilton Stewart about the Senoi
Senoi
The Senoi are a set of Malaysian hunting and gathering Orang Asli peoples.-Demography:The Senoi tribes live in the central part of the Malaya peninsula, and consist of five different groups, the Semai, Temiar, Mah Meri, Jah Hut, Sema Berisi and the Che Wong, all of who speak Senoic languages and...
, an aboriginal tribe Stewart first visited in 1935, who lived in the highlands of Malaya
British Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
(as it was known before the present state of Malaysia was constructed).
The Senoi culture, he discovered, regarded dreams as an important part of life. Mornings were used by families to indulge in the custom of dream-telling
Dream interpretation
Dream interpretation is the process of assigning meaning to dreams. In many ancient societies, such as those of Egypt and Greece, dreaming was considered a supernatural communication or a means of divine intervention, whose message could be unravelled by people with certain powers...
, where, for instance, a "child's fearful dream of falling
Lucid dreaming
A lucid dream is a dream in which one is aware that one is dreaming. The term was coined by the Dutch psychiatrist and writer Frederik van Eeden . In a lucid dream, the dreamer can actively participate in and manipulate imaginary experiences in the dream environment. Lucid dreams can seem real and...
was praised as a gift to learn to fly the next night". Songs and dances learned in dreams were often taught to neighbouring tribes to foster good relations.
One of the tribes who lived nearby in the swamp regions, the Semelai, practiced the art of splashing water with the hands to form a rhythmic music. Hassell heard recordings of this on a BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
publication - a book (Primitive Peoples) which was accompanied by a vinyl record - and used it as "a thematic guide for the entire recording", especially the track "Malay", "the centerpiece of the record".
Track listing
All tracks by Jon HassellJon Hassell
Jon Hassell is an American trumpet player and composer. He is known for his influence in the world music scene and his unusual electronic manipulation of the trumpet sound.-Life and career:...
- "Chor Moiré" – 2:21
- "Courage" – 3:38
- "Dream Theory" – 5:15
- "Datu Bintung at Jelong" – 7:05
- "Malay" – 10:12
- "These Times..." – 2:53
- "Gift of Fire" – 5:01
(An early 80's EG cassette also included an extra track, "Ordinary Mind" (2:58), located between "Datu Bintung at Jelong" and "Malay".)
The music
The album was recorded at Grant Avenue Studio, Hamilton, OntarioHamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
, Canada, with the engineering and production help of Bob and Daniel Lanois.
Hassell would experiment with "musical sketches" in the basement studio of Michael Brook's house in Toronto, who was helping him to coordinate the recording, and from there he'd commute to Grant Avenue and put things down on multitrack, along with Brian Eno who was also there. Eno's main input on the sessions was playing drums and bells on "Courage," "Dream Theory," and "These Times". These sessions also marked Hassel's first association with Lanois.
He spent a lot of time on an "invented exotic scale on top of a tambura-like drone consisting of a set of sine tones that I've tuned as a guide to keep me on the Indonesian-type tuning that nobody ever tried to play on a trumpet before". As in the previous album, Possible Musics
Possible Musics
Fourth World, Vol. 1: Possible Musics is an album by Brian Eno and Jon Hassell, released in 1980.-Overview:"Fourth World" is a term used by trumpeter Jon Hassell to describe a style of music employing modern technological treatments and influenced by various cultures and eras...
, his trumpet is mixed and looped and stretched so that it never really sounds like a trumpet at all.
Track 1 features digital delay, which at the time was a relatively new studio process, and is composed of rhythmic loops, short trumpet blasts and sharp intonations. Tracks 2 and 3 share a raspy, treated, looped trumpet riff, with 3 employing waves of overdubs, bass and pottery drums. Track 4 is based on a background of gongs and drums over which a breathy, distorted trumpet drones and blasts. The longest track, 5, features the "splash" rhythms mentioned above, along with Raga
Raga
A raga is one of the melodic modes used in Indian classical music.It is a series of five or more musical notes upon which a melody is made...
-style percussion, gongs, the sounds of giggling children, and an over-riding lead trumpet. Track 6 is the most ambient of all being mostly chimes/gongs and birdsong, a year later it reappeared on Brian Eno's album Ambient 4/On Land
On Land
Ambient 4: On Land is an album by the British ambient musician Brian Eno. It was the final edition in Eno’s ambient series, which began in 1978 with Music for Airports.-Track listing:...
, retitled "Shadow". The last track has a background of distorted trumpet waves and a gamelan
Gamelan
A gamelan is a musical ensemble from Indonesia, typically from the islands of Bali or Java, featuring a variety of instruments such as metallophones, xylophones, drums and gongs; bamboo flutes, bowed and plucked strings. Vocalists may also be included....
-style beat.
Personnel
- Produced, and all titles, by Jon Hassell
- Cover painting : Alexander's Dream, by Mati KlarweinMati KlarweinAbdul Mati Klarwein was a painter best known for his works used on the covers of music albums.-Biography:...
1 - Jon HassellJon HassellJon Hassell is an American trumpet player and composer. He is known for his influence in the world music scene and his unusual electronic manipulation of the trumpet sound.-Life and career:...
– trumpet, pottery drums, Prophet 5, bowl gongs, mix (tracks 2 & 7) - Brian EnoBrian EnoBrian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
– drums, bowl gongs & bells, mix (tracks 1, 3, 5 & 6) - Michael BrookMichael BrookMichael Brook is a Canadian guitarist, inventor, producer, and film music composer. He plays in many genres, including rock, electronica, world music, minimalism and film scores....
– bass - Miguel FrasconiMiguel FrasconiMiguel Frasconi is an American composer who often uses improvisation, electronics, and experimental musical instruments. He is well known for his use of new glass instruments, and was a founding member of The Glass Orchestra from 1977 to 1986. In 1979, he received his B.F.A...
– bowl gongs - Walter DeMaria – distant drum
- Daniel LanoisDaniel LanoisDaniel Lanois born September 19, 1951 in Hull, Quebec) is a Canadian record producer, guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He has released a number of albums of his own work and has produced albums for a wide variety of artists, including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Peter Gabriel, Emmylou Harris, Willie...
– engineering, mix (track 4) - Greg Roberts – additional engineering
- Paul Fitzgerald – splash rhythm edit assist
- Andrew Timar – frog bog recording
- Jimmy de Sana – photo
- Paula Greif – design
Versions
| Country | Label | Cat. No. | Media | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | Editions EG | EGM 114 | LP | 1981 |
| France | Editions EG | 2335 226 | LP | 1981 |
| US/UK | Editions EG | EG/EEGCD-13 | LP/CD | 1987 |
| US | Plan 9/Caroline | 1537 | CD | 1987 |
| US | Plan 9/Caroline | 1571 | CD | 1990 |
| US | Editions EG | 13 | CD | 1991 |
| US | EG | 13 | CD | 1999 |
External links
- Homepage album entry
- Interview; Sound On Sound, 1991
- Interview; Perfect Sound Forever, July 1997
- Interview; Hungry Ghost
- Ground & Sky review
- ConnolyCo review
- Studio homepage
- Information on Kilton Stewart, the SenoiSenoiThe Senoi are a set of Malaysian hunting and gathering Orang Asli peoples.-Demography:The Senoi tribes live in the central part of the Malaya peninsula, and consist of five different groups, the Semai, Temiar, Mah Meri, Jah Hut, Sema Berisi and the Che Wong, all of who speak Senoic languages and...
, and their dreams : 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6