Son Of Chi

Music From Memory is delighted to announce a new album from Son Of Chi entitled ’We Carry Eden’, an immersive long-form composition in two parts that seamlessly 𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙, 𝙛𝙞𝙚𝙡𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙙𝙪𝙗, 𝙟𝙖𝙯𝙯, 𝙛𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙩𝙝 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙢𝙗𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙘.

Sonically, the world of ‘We Carry Eden’ is fully immersive; it ripples with depth and shimmers in detail. Motifs, ideas and fragments, arise and disappear like passing thoughts, drawing the listener deeper and deeper inwards. For those familiar with Oosterom’s work as Chi Factory, the depth and meditative nature of the work will come as no surprise; however it is Oosterom’s skill with grooves that shines equally bright here; his infectiously dubby basslines and percussion rise up from the ether, grounding the listener to the earth. ‘We Carry Eden’ at times invokes the fourth world landscapes of Jon Hassell, (with whom Oosterom has collaborated) but as a whole, it remains the unique work of an artist fully in tune with their vision.

Thematically, storytelling traditions lie at the heart of ‘We Carry Eden’, with van Oosterom’s long-time collaborator Omar Ka playing a central role. Ka, who hails from the West African nomadic Fulani tradition of storytelling, responds to the collage of field recordings and sounds collected by Oosterom. His voice is woven throughout ‘We Carry Eden’, creating a narrative that binds the multiple sound sources of the album together.

As with much of van Oosterom’s musical output, inspiration is drawn from the Greek Island of Patmos and the wisdom and prophecies of the Native American Hopi Tribe. Since his work with CHI in the early eighties, van Oosterom has often incorporated quotes from Hopi Elders into his music. Gods, spirits, animals and humans, all existing in one unchangeable relationship tied to nature; ‘We Carry Eden’ is rooted in this philosophy, serving as a peaceful message of beauty, harmony and respect for the wisdom of the Elders and ancient traditions.