With all that has been going on in the world lately (the biggest understatement of all time), I’ve found a considerable amount of comfort in ambient music. This amorphous form of squiggly air reliably acts as a reliable mental reset, with soothing soundscapes that help me re-align my bruised and battered mind with my inner biological processes and that of the surrounding nature. To me, ambient is acupuncture in musical form (especially at first), where it takes a moment to get settled in much like the initial brief discomfort of needles. In other words, while it takes active effort to get in the proper mindset to enjoy ambient, the payout is always more than worth it as you’ll gradually melt into a sensation of absolute bliss, but only if you let it. Nowadays, we all need as many mental resets as we can get, so I jumped at the opportunity to present to you the exclusive premiere of Shifting Heigo‘s “Everett”.
Shifting Heigo is a musician originally from Spain, now based out of the UAE working with other electronic musicians at the New York University Abu Dhabi; an institution well regarded amongst musicians in the Middle East for its support in electronic/experimental music. He is set to release his upcoming album To Model Phenomena on May 9 via SowoodRec. The mind behind Shifting Heigo had this to say about the story of the sonic landscapes that this album contains:
‘To Model Phenomena is a scientific concept that describes a computer’s ability to emulate, regardless of whether the emulated phenomenon exists outside its circuits or is purely imaginary. Modeling communication platforms enables us to interact with each other or with computers. Modeling behavior patterns, nuclear fusion, or, as in the case of scientists from the Human Brain Project, a virtual human brain, allows us to simulate cognitive processes such as perception, memory, and decision-making, providing insight into the nature of human thought. In this record, the phenomena modeled are those moments when the mind leaps into the void, confronting new paradigms. For instance, when science, art, or mass media introduces new information, propelling us into a transformed reality.’
From the moment you hit play on “Everett”, you’ll come to realize that this is more on the electronica side of things as opposed to ambient, yet it still has that ambient backbone that allows you to ride the cathartic wave all the same, just with some additional textures along the way. The repeating bass beat, acting as the heartbeat of the song, gives you something to grasp on to as you float on past eerie vibraphone and granular synth effects. Collectively, it makes for an hypnotizing experience overall, especially if you shut your eyes and disconnect your brain from all your senses other than your hearing of course. Doing so grounds you (at least it does for me) in such a way that brings hyper-awareness to all the autonomic biological processes in my body that I never have to actively think about in order to function properly; it just happens yet I am the one making it so. It reminds me of a particular quote by Alan Watts that I hold close:
‘In other words, that the so-called involuntary circulation of your blood is one continuous process with the stars shining. If you find out that it’s you who circulates your blood, you will at the same time find out that it is you who is shining the sun, because your physical organism is a continuous process with everything that is going on. Just as the waves are continuous with the ocean, your body is continuous with the total energy of the cosmos, and it’s all you, only that you are playing the game that you are only this bit of it.‘
“Everett” does not start nor end in the same manner, and that appears to be the mantra for the entirety of the upcoming To Model Phenomena, suggesting that it’ll be a linear stream of consciousness that’ll exist beyond outside what we perceive to be reality based on its conceptual origins. If this sort of music/experience is your jam, then Shifting Heigo is someone you’ll want to keep an eye out for indeed. So let me make that a little easier on you by providing quick access to the relevant webpages and limited socials out there (Preorder | SowoodRec | Instagram). Now it’s time for me to check out and imagine my physical body as a singular red blood cell pulsing through the arteries/veins (or capillaries) of the world we live in! This body we’re living in needs to see a physician or some sort of oncologist at the very least, as it’s all sorts of messed up…
