Jon Hassell - Dream Theory In Malaya: Fourth World Vol. 2
(Glitterbeat)

The second installment in Jon Hassell's revolutionary approach to minimalism is back in print, Glitterbeat's first ever reissue of Dream Theory In Malaya (Fourth World Volume Two). By and large, this album picks up where the previous effort, Fourth World Vol. One: Possible Musics, left off. Hassell's ideology of “Fourth World” as a means of conjuring spiritual and ethnic styles of both past and future is still the foundation on which the music is built on. However, the effects of this volume are much more hypnotic, and sometimes even unhinged compared to its predecessor. I honestly thought the record was skipping the first time I dropped the needle as the first sound you hear is a rather abrasive loop of Hassell's synthetic trumpet. At first it feels chaotic, but from another point of view it’s like the forest at dawn as all life forms are awakening, calling out to be heard. This sense of repetition is much more vibrant in Volume Two and the results are truly transcendent. The concept of the album was inspired by a research paper Hassell had read about anthropologist Kilton Stewart's visit to the highlands of Malaya and his experiences with the aboriginal tribe who resided there. The Senoi tribe as they were called, held extreme importance in regards to their dreams as each morning the tribe would share the dreams from the night before and try to find meaning in their shared experiences. Hassell was also exposed to a field recording of another Malayian tribe that would create rhythms and songs out of simply splashing their hands in the water, one that he seamlessly wove into the fabric of his compositions. These experiences are what led him to create the world of which Dream Theory In Malaya inhabits. Similar to the Senoi tribe, you will find yourself trying to make sense of the listening experience as you hear sounds that feel both familiar and foreign, organic and artificial all at once. Now is your chance to be the dreamer. (Adam)
Check out a track here.