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When I took this CD out of the envelope, I looked it over and read across the titles. The other Pound recording I have heard was quite a bit tribal in nature, so I was expecting this one to be similar. Reading the titles reminded me of the late Carlos Castenada’s stories of shamanism with such names as The Crack Between the Worlds, Little Smoke, Taming the Ally, and Path With a Heart. This last track is the longest on the CD at around thirteen minutes.

The tracks listed were quite varied in length, ranging from the above mentioned thirteen minutes to two and a half minutes on the shortest song. Yet, many (not all) of these tracks flow from one track into another. Often there is some gentle field recording of crickets, birds, or water that allows the two songs to link into each other.

I started listening to it and found that there certainly were a lot of tribal / shamanic passages and tunes, but I discovered that this was used more as a flavoring that was overlying more deep space / cosmic sounds. In fact, there’s quite a bit of blending of various electronica styles on this recording.

There certainly is the tribal feel in tunes like Gatekeepers Song with its Native American sounding flute and analog rhythms of drums, shakers, and rattles, not to mention the throaty didgeridoo sections. However, this and most of the tracks also have their share of floating tempos, tranquil atmospherics, and drifting serene ambience.

This is seen in Night Magic where the transition cricket sounds give way to atmospheric washes that wander the universe. Halfway through the track, a drumming phases in to maintain the flavor without overpowering it.

Pound’s website describes the title track as being “space meditation music” and many of the tracks share somewhat in this aspect. In fact, it might well be argued that this music is better suited as something to be played after the sun sets and evening falls.

Shakers and various tribal elements, including shamanistic utterances, usher the listen into a nocturnal realm designed to facilitate access to the inner spirit. Gradually, moody tones and airy flutes enter the sonic stage, and harmonic flows establish a foothold. Percussives, evolving from erratic beats to languid rhythms, lend anticipatory punctuation to the haunting pastiche. Electronic chords rise into understated prominence, remaining secondary and acting as a pacific foundation.

Blending softly shrill sounds with deep bass rumblings creates a full-range experience, but Pound prefers the darker end of the sonic spectrum, sculpting optimism from dire aspects and seasoning that gloom with instances of light.

While the body of this tuneage consists of electronic textures and primitive rhythms, an amount of auxiliary instruments are engaged to flavor the mix. Keyboard sustains generate a heavenly fancy. Native American flutes evoke a tranquil contemplative instinct. Didgeridoo conjures an eerie demeanor. Environmental recordings inject an earthly flair, a type of grounding for the aerial excursion.

These compositions explore the prospect of stimulating strata of the brain which harbor ancestral memories, abolishing the barriers between past and present and allowing heritage to merge with modern sensibilities. Once attuned to this unilateral perspective, the listener can initiate internal expansion.

Pound’s adroit fusion of antediluvian drones with 21st century mannerisms creates an excellent dose of ambience with holistic tendencies.
www.soniccuriosity.com/sc377.htm

Mr Pound keeps up releasing music in quite a high tempo, as November 2008 saw the release of "Night Watch", music made for inner transformation and mind expansion.

The 70+ minutes on this album realm in the ambient/space genre, but infused with lots of tribal influences. Next to field recordings, Dan plays singing bowls, Native American flutes, Shamanic percussion and didj, which compliment the sedate electronic textures and morphing dronescapes.

Occasionally, the calming music reaches a higher level, as heard in the too short "Night Magic" with its warm, embracing and elevating effect.
In the 12-minute closing track, some spacious and lofty e-guitar shows up as well, making it a nice closure of this contemplative, meditative album.
www.sonicimmersion.org/review.php