You are in a cave in an Indonesian ashram. Surrounded by statues of Ganesh, the fragrant smells of incense and flowers put your senses at ease as you sublimate. The sound of trickling fountains reverberates throughout your mind, breaking your defenses down into a state of pure, blissful relaxation. This is the ideal environment to introduce the freshly minted “Leaving Records for the New Age” series. Fittingly, these sounds come straight from label founder and forward-thinking steward of modern New Age music, Matthewdavid. He is your pilot for the duration of his Ashram, transporting you from one serene scene to the next. In this collection of three long-form compositions, heavy water sounds and flute mix with field recordings from Bali, sweeping synthesizers, and the angelic vocals of Nora Keyes (“Dancing Ganesh”). Though Ashram documents a special time and place in the producer’s life, it may only whet listeners’ appetites for its forthcoming double-LP followup, the contemporary New Age masterwork Trust the Guide and Glide.
