Elijah Jamal Asani: ,,, as long as i long to memorise your sky ,,,

Portland-based multi-instrumentalist Elijah Jamal Asani creates meditative ambient music rooted in his connection to the natural world. As Long As I Long To Memorise Your Sky captures his 2022 Grand Canyon artist residency through field recordings and asymmetrical, intricate compositions that serve as an audio journal of the canyon's dialogue between river and desert.

Asani's anti-disciplinary approach blends intuition with intention across seven tracks that function as a sonic love letter between the Colorado River and the Arizona desert. His work echoes ambient pioneers such as Hiroshi Yoshimura and Carlos Niño through asymmetrical pacing and evocative textures. The 18-minute "goodnight in muav ♭" layers natural sounds like birdsong and rainfall with delicate instrumental touches, creating an abstract, pastoral yet cosmic atmosphere amid abstract world-music perspectives.

On "æolian shallows {& before we even open our eyes, the natural quiet sees us}," Asani generates an understated, quaint and cyclical melody on electric guitar, which presents an electro-organic soundscape, embedded with natural surroundings via field recordings.

The artist uses hardware and software, including Ableton, Roland SP-404 MKII, Boss GT-1, Vesta Fire MR-10 and Zoom recorder. Asani shapes the album's distinctive sound by blending field recordings with processed instrumental layers. The zither's delicate plucks evoke wind moving through the canyon, while reverb-soaked electric guitar adds subtle textures. Wooden blocks and soft chimes anchor the rhythmic flow, occasionally mimicking stones meeting water.

On vinyl, the album thrives as an immersive soundstage where field recordings of nature across the stereo field envelop listeners in the canyon's vastness. The LP format enhances spatial quality while vinyl's warmth complements the sepia-toned nostalgia of Asani's compositions.

Asani's work stands out for its patience and reverence for place, transforming the Grand Canyon's eroded gorges into a sonic narrative. The album balances raw field recordings with carefully curated instrumentation, creating a fluid, non-linear experience that feels both grounded and otherworldly. While its off-centered romanticism may challenge listeners seeking conventional melodies or rhythms, this complexity rewards those who match Asani's deliberate pace. The result is a vivid, contemplative work that cements Asani's place among contemporary ambient artists and testifies to the power of listening deeply to the world around us.

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