After a year of writing and improvising, Portland, ME's Qi Hammer took to the studio of Adam Langellotti (Sore Eros, Sunburned, New Parents) in Turners Falls, MA to record their debut album Jhana. Most of the tracks were recorded live, with minimal overdubs, by the trio of Matt Brown (Leaf Peeper), Jeff Griecci (Billerica), and drummer Croix Gallipault. Langellotti joins on "Jhana 3" (bass, synths), "Nina" (Rhodes), and "Vanishing Point" (congas), while Shannon Ketch (Bunwinkies, Viewer) brings his Turkish flute to the latter.
Like the meditative state it's named for, or a heavy trip up to camp, it's all here in these five tracks - a network of peace and stillness against which ferocity and terror sometimes play. "Jhana 1" is a kind of mission statement: loop-based hypnotism, simple melodies to lull, free drums rumbling above and below. "Jhana 2" evokes the sea and the more terrifying things that live in it. "Vanishing Point" lands like a cross between kraut and Ra, while "Jhana 3" reaches peak lysergic bliss. "Nina" (written by Gallipault and built around an extremely slowed down sample from Ms. Simone) gathers it all together and brings the qi home to rest.
Jhana is dedicated to the memory of Tanner Olin Smith, who played in Qi Hammer intermittently before his passing in 2017. Thanks also go out to Evan Jackson and Shon Mahoney, who've played with the band and helped develop material, as well as Mariah Bergeron, Corey Anderson and Ed Kniseley, who provided an art/light/aroma installation for a Qi Hammer performance. With original artwork by Jeff Griecci, and mastered by Caleb Mulkerin (Cerberus Shoal, Big Blood), Jhana is brought to you lovingly via cassette and digital download.
credits
released July 24, 2018
All Music by Qi Hammer
Matt Brown - Sampler, Keys, Percussion
Croix Galipault - Drums, Sampler, Percussion, Synthesizer
Jeff Griecci - Sampler, Synthesizer, Light Theremin
Additional Performances on Vanishing Point by Adam Langellotti - Bass, Keys, Percussion and Shannon Ketch - Turkish Flute
Recorded & Mixed by Adam Langellotti in Turners Falls, MA
Mastered by Caleb Mulkern in South Portland, ME
This album makes you feel like a better world is possible and somewhat close at hand. It isn't, clearly, we're stuck in dystopia, but it's so beautiful to dream. Fabio Viola
Haunting and enveloping ambient music designed to replicate a state of meditation, the latest from Voel soothes & transports. Bandcamp New & Notable Sep 26, 2020
The songs on “Avenues and Remembrances” are hushed and delicate, soft, surging songs that can be both tranquil and pensive. Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 23, 2018