Gem Trails: Environments Two - Mid Creek
This is the second installment in the Gem Trails Environments series, a collection of ambient field recordings layered with processed guitar, electronics and collage elements. Through my travels over the years I've collected a library of field recordings taken from a specific environment, I parse out a piece I think best represents the overall "Vibe" of that specific place and time & layer in the instrumentation to complement that vibe.
This second piece holds some personal significance in a couple of ways. The base sounds were taken from a creek in Northern Iowa, the region I grew up in for most of my young childhood. It was during a time of joy and uncertainty. My partner and I had just learned she was pregnant with our first child and with this huge life changing moment I felt a wave of emotion un-paralleled in my lifetime. The creek served has a reminder of the ebb and flow we all go through as the great big world spins around us.
Fast forward a few months and we're in the middle of the birthing process. To set the mood I created a playlist of super mellow music, mostly ambient - Brian Eno etc. and sunk this track into the mix. Every hour on the hour this track popped up into the room, reminding me of the reason I create in the first place. To say it was spiritual would be an understatement, the profound beauty in the agony of child birth is something I'm not sure words can properly describe. At noon on the dot our son was born into the world and this track Mid Creek played in the background.
This was my gift to my unborn son and perhaps someday I'll share this story w/ him.
*Recorded in Hardin County Iowa U.S.A
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“Music is the strongest form of magic.”
that it is!