Visuals conceived, edited and post-produced by a_mal_gam_a
A collaboration between Doctrina Natura, Halos, Josephine’s Soundscapes and Diskoan created an audiovisual depiction on the themes of Birth, Life, Death, and Reincarnation. Representing in this way the four phases of Samsara, each set tells a story for each of those themes turning their complex nature into an engaging journey. More details about the sets and an introduction to the concept can be read below by the creators themselves.
Introduction
Years ago, I don’t remember the moment of my life well, but I think we are talking about adolescence. I read a certain book that dealt with Buddhist philosophy, leaving religion a little to one side, focusing a little more on the way of seeing life. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the title. I only know that what I absorbed from those words has continued to be on my mind to this day. The concepts of reincarnation, Karma, Dharma or Nirvana had a great impact on me. This way of seeing life broke with what I had learned up to now.
The idea that it is you who, through your actions, are the one who has to free yourself from the suffering of life. Very different from growing up thinking that there is an almighty entity that manages your life and that practically has decided your destiny. Responsibility, self-knowledge, attention… and in general, the way of seeing life and relating to others is very different if you know that everything is on you.
Years later I got to know the cinema of Kim Ki-Duk through the movie “Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring” which talks about all of this. It is a masterpiece, impossible to forget. And precisely the idea of our work is born a little from all this… Concepts such as cycle, loop, life, death, start over, opportunity… I took all this, which at first were nothing more than abstract and messy ideas, and told to very close people, with whom I love working and being, and little by little it took shape. We divided the work into four parts, the four phases of Samsara, the cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth. We each create our own musical story and then put it all together, with the magnificent visual work of a_mal_gam_a. The final result is a piece that exceeds what I initially had in mind; I couldn’t be happier.
by Doctrina Natura.
DJ sets by:
- Birth by Josephine’s Soundscapes
- Life by Halos
- Death by Doctrina Natura
- Reincarnation by Diskoan
Birth
Representing in a musical and visual way the idea of a vital state prior to conception, the conception itself and the subsequent coming to life, seemed to me a very appealing challenge. The result is full of abstract, enveloping and kind of disconcerting instrumental compositions, with an organic sound palette that emphasizes the sensation of floating in amniotic liquid.
by Josephine’s Soundscapes.
Life
Life is a physical and beautiful experience on the road. An individual opportunity to transcend and continue an infinite journey in which time will disappear. A time that flies or a time that meditates and it is we ourselves who decide where time goes. Can this marked life defeat us and take us back to the beginning? They say it’s the right thing… Or, can we let ourselves be carried away by it and let it be the pause that decides when to merge into the universe? You have the key… she, endless opportunities.
by Halos.
Reincarnation
My first contact with oriental philosophy was with “Om: Creative Meditations” from Alan Watts. Since the very first idea with Alex (Doctrina Natura) of making an audiovisual piece inspired by Samsara cycle, that speech came to my mind. Specifically, watts talks about movement and the concept of soul as individual self are illusions, so the idea of reincarnation is an illusion too and what passes from life to life is Karma (movement), not an entity. So I tried to represent that illusory feeling of motion perception through music until I arrived at my favorite mantra from the amazing The Books: “Read, read on. Breathe, be calm. You’re gone, gone on.“
by Diskoan.
Short bios
Doctrina Natura
Doctrina Natura is Alex Caballero from which he combines techno and ambient. His productions are characterized by organic rhythms diluted in synthetic mantras and have been edited by Circular Limited, A garden of sound, NFEREE and Oslated. Coming up next in this year, two vinyls including remixes by artists I admire. One releasing on Virescence and the other oin Cellar Door. In addition, some originals will come out in several V.A of important labels and some remixes, like the one will be in Accents Records.
Halos
The Halos project was born in Seville, out of the need to create music on an intimate and family level. During all this time I have tried to capture all my musical influences in different aspects, creating today a hypnotic style with enveloping atmospheres in which the presence of psychedelic elements stand out above others. With the aim that the listener is immersed in a deep journey in which the meditative state is the main actor.
a_mal_ga_ma
a_mal_gam_a is a cell of musical action expressing itself through the medium of sound and image in diverse spaces and contexts.
Back in 2016, a_mal_gam_a took shape when Diskoan and Josephine’s Soundscapes joined forces to create a research platform to explore electronic music beyond conventional parameters. Their work materializes in DJ / VJ sets, radio shows and promoting/curating club-nights and festivals, such as Dance Cave, Calma events, En Pausa Festival or Avalovara, listening club.
Next March, 18th 2023, Dance Cave celebrates its sixth anniversary inviting Eric Cloutier. Dance Cave is a monthly session focusing on deep sounds in a small club in the city center. Live acts such as Grischa Lichtenberger or Carl Finlow and intense DJ sets as Joachim Spieth, Reggy Van Oers or Patrick Russell take place at a party under the slogan “Risk and effectivity”.
LINKS
Doctrina Natura: https://soundcloud.com/doctrinanatura
Halos: https://soundcloud.com/halossound
Diskoan: https://soundcloud.com/diskoan
Josephine’s Soundscapes: https://soundcloud.com/machines-desirantes
a_mal_ga_ma: https://soundcloud.com/a_mal_gam_a