elijah jamal asani

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elijah jamal asani would like to extend an invitation to slow down. To linger a little longer. To follow the wind’s lulling whisper, and let your gaze discern where the land meets the clouded horizon. 

Documenting time spent in the Grand Canyon as an artist in residence, asani collected sounds (“the melody that the bottom layer of the canyon walls and the river played for each other”) from the environment with reverence, to place nature at the forefront of his celestial musings. 

The finished work for asani is "an audio journal comprised of the sounds & sentiments captured on that fortyfourth night inside of the canyon; An echo of the softness etched upon those muav stones; an aide-memoire on the long-lost creation story between the river, the desert floor, & all the elements in between that remain intertwined for as long as they decide, forming what we call the grand canyon.” 

Blending intuition with intention in a delicately woven collage of guitar, field recordings, percussion, piano, and zither, ,,, as long as i long to memorise your sky ,,, is a vivid stroke of abstract romanticism patiently wandering through ethereal ambient compositions. It’s an engaging use of space devoid of linear time, fluid and flowing, with ripples of honeyed instrumentals and new age invocations. Keys buoyed by long tails of delay, awash in a sepia tinged nostalgia, everything passed through an otherworldly texture.

Written, recorded, and mixed by elijah jamal asani, ,,, as long as i long to memorise your sky ,,, features Aaron White on Native American flute (track 6) and was mastered by Andrew Weathers. The record shimmers with the spiritual vibrancy of Marion Brown’s collaborative work, heightens perceptions of the surrounding space like Hiroshi Yoshimura’s kankyō ongaku music, and has the loose yet deliberately comforting feeling of hearing Carlos Niño commune with friends.

Contemplative, meditative, cast in delicate hues, ,,, as long as i long to memorise your sky ,,, is a brilliantly fading memory.

elijah jamal asani is an anti-discilplinary nigerian-american artist bred in chicago & based near the river wimahl. as a multi-instrumentalist ,, he navigates soft nuances through new colours & infinite ((sweet)) everythings.