"David
Antony Clark is a new kind of explorer, his spirit of
adventure guided not by sextant and compass, but by the
instruments and charts of the composer and the faint footprints
of his forebears.
In
his quest to map the soundscape of our human journey,
he roams continents, listening for echoes of ancient rhythms.
He then pours these primaural relics into his musical
melting pot and gently stirs our souls ..."
Around
one thousand years ago, voyaging Polynesian canoes discovered
a remote, uninhabited wilderness in the southern Pacific
Ocean: a land with a flora and fauna unlike any on Earth.
Tribal Blood - Manawataki Maori explores the feelings
of wonder and separation of the first people to settle
these extraordinary islands of Aotearoa/New Zealand,
a people who now call themselves Maori. With: Chief
Dancing Thunder, Piripi Rangihaeata, Lester Mohi, Apirana
Taylor, Ron
Riddell, Evan Williams.
Best
known for his neo-primal instrumental music, David presents
an intriguing four-track EP of lyric-based songs. These
range from the ironic to the autobiographical to the deeply
personal. Take a stroll through the psyche of David Antony
Clark.
From
the most ancient of times the shaman has played a fundamental
role in hunting societies around the world. Through the shaman's
intervention the harmonious balance between the spirit and
natural worlds is maintained: crops are harvested, hunts are
successfully completed, and illness is cured or prevented.
This album is dedicated to the spirits those men and women
who have sacrificed so much for humanity and aided in our
survival and well-being throughout countless millennia.
This album
features vocals in reconstructed Proto Indo-european and Tibetan.
Birdsong
Paradise: New Zealand's Natural Soundscape with Les
B. McPherson
TM11001
- 2003
"Wilderness
at the dawn of time. A primordial paradise exquisitely crafted
from the pure sounds of nature"
This
beautiful CD will take you on a journey into nature you will
never forget. In this stunning, hour-long panorama-in-sound
of New Zealand's natural world, you will visit primordial
rain forests, remote mountain peaks, placid lakes, and ocean
depths. You will hear the voices of over 70 of the fascinating
and unique creatures that make these beautiful Pacific islands
their home. Welcome into their private world where they will
capture your imagination and heart.
For
this compilation, David has chosen some of his favourite pieces
from past works. These powerfully evocative & rhythmic
compositions combine ethic voices & instruments with extraordinary
invented sounds and environmental soundscapes from around
the world.
Combining
environmental soundscapes and contemporary rhythm, David
mixes ethnic voices and instrumentation summoning powerfully
evocative images to capture the spiritual essence of some
of the world's most revered sacred sites. With
this album David uses a variety of ethnic languages and
instruments melding them with unique invented sounds. He
ranges widely - from New Zealand to Nepal, Syria to
Peru and is joined by musicians and vocalists from many
world traditions.
This
collection of music is a beguiling interpretation of an age
when history was recorded on the walls of caves. With its
loping percussion rhythms and unhurried arrangement it perfectly
recalls life when time was marked by the sun and modern technology
was a hand axe. Each
track evokes an ancestral time of shaman and tribes respecting
and honoring their survival instincts and humanity through
harsh climates with all its physical dangers. With The
Man Who Painted Caves, David Antony Clark, the artist
and historian, continues to chronicle life and history - much
like the men who painted caves.
For
hundreds of years the dream that became America was a dream
that belonged to the people of Ireland
The Leaving Of Ireland is a haunting tribute to the indomitable
spirit of the Irish and a unique musical travelogue of the
great Irish migration to North America in the mid-eighteenth
century. This
beautiful work features the sublime voice of Deidre Starr,
the plaintive voices of pipes and whistles, with subtle
evocative musicscapes and emotional narratives.
With
Before Africa, David Antony Clark shifts continents, crossing
the Indian Ocean to set down on the shores of a lake in
Tanzania, 80,000 years ago. A
dazzling variety of sounds are banged or shaken out of many
organic materials then digitally sampled to develop the
basis for Before Africa's infectious rhythms. There is a
strongly evocative sense of place and mood that pervades
this album, something that he does superbly. The primitive
rhythms of our early ancestors are captured in evocative
and melodic soundscapes. Before Africa speaks to the primal
being within us all.
Extract
from an interview with David Antony Clark on the release
of Australia Beyond the Dreamtime:
Q:
What were your impressions of Australia's Northern Territory?
David: "It was quite unlike anything I could have expected
or imagined; the barrenness, the dryness of the landscape,
the gigantic termite mounds like strange architectural structures
on the landscape. The land is so worn, so ancient. At night
the noise of wildlife was amazing - like a sensual fiesta,
the ears, the eyes, the nose all going at once ... The Aboriginal
art of Australia is amongst the world's oldest - least 40,000
years. Ubir, one of the areas that I visited, has been continually
inhabited for at least fifty thousand years, and yet has
been altered so little by its inhabitants ... Through 'Australia
Beyond the Dreamtime' I have tried to capture the feeling
of the place, and to represent the ancient presence of humans
in an impressionistic way. It's my tribute to the human
spirit."
David’s
great love and respect of all life has resulted in this
classic album of New Zealand before the arrival of man.
Beautiful, graceful melodies combined with ancient Maori
instruments result in this breathtaking work, an offering
of reverence to the sacredness of the land. Environmental
soundscapes transport the listener to an ancient world
of lost continents: a time of ancient remembering.
Born
in New Zealand's southern city of Dunedin, David spent most
of his early years on a musical diet of British folk and
rock. From the age of 15 David played regularly in bands
as acoustic and bass guitarist, touring many of the remotest
parts of the country.
Most
of David’s third decade was spent in Europe, notably in
Ireland, France, Germany, and Austria where he taught English
and guitar. A lengthy period of traveling the hippy highway
brought him into contact with the many cultures of the Middle
East, Indian subcontinent, South America and Nepal, to which
he returns regularly.
His
love of music, travel and technology combined when he encountered
Jon Mark, formerly of the Mark-Almond band, and his partner
Thelma Burchell and was invited to join their White Cloud
label. David's involvement with White Cloud introduced him
to fellow New Zealand artists Philip
Riley and Peter
Pritchard: an association that continues and
develops.
David
continues to travel the world in his quest for musical and
cultural experience and to record the sounds of environments
and cultures for future generations. He has explored the
Pacific, the Far East and American continent and still his
greatest inspiration continues to be drawn from the beauty
of the natural world.
David
now lives near Wellington, New Zealand where he and fellow
White Cloud artist and business partner Radha
Sahar run UCA
Recording a digital production and mastering
house specializing in educational resources. He also works
along side Jon Mark as mixing and mastering engineer.
David’s
ambition is to continue traveling, spending more time in
Europe and the United States discussing and promoting his
work and pushing yet further the boundaries of neo-primal
music.
