New Age-Ambient Instrumental Review: Rudy Adrian-Reflections on a Moonlit Lake

Release Date: March 22, 2024

Label: ‎Spotted Peccary

Website


New Zealand artist Rudy Adrian said Reflections on a Moonlit Lake is a quiet accompaniment for the listener as they rest, read, meditate, or sleep. If your first impression of the cover art is any indication, that statement would hold a lot of truth. As I readily discovered, the music is a wondrous combination of the new age and ambient sounds, and sounds of nature are also interspersed with some of the tracks.

“Dawn Across the Southern Ocean (Remix)” is an excellent example of that, with birds chirping (seagulls) and waves rolling over your consciousness to calm and ensure that what you are hearing is peaceful and healing. One of the points made in promoting the recording is that the music is a formidable respite for the restless mind. That statement is so true, and the music helps with the necessary elements that calm the mind. My philosophy is if you calm the mind, the body and spirit will follow.

 

Rudy started making electronic music while studying Forestry Science at the University of Canterbury and, in the following years, completed a degree in botany at the University of Otago. It is interesting how one thing leads to another, and everything is connected. Whether we are aware of that happening or not, it is accurate, and sooner or later, that realization does hit home if you are not initially experiencing those feelings or thoughts.

 

Three of the songs are extensive, including “The Belt of Orion” at 6:11 minutes, “Rising Moon” at 7:51 minutes, and “Summer Night Rain” at 7:59 minutes. While “Tantalised” is the shortest track at 2:48 minutes. The longer tracks have exceptional artistry and sound, and I quickly found the significance of each piece as I listened and absorbed all the textures and colors. Ambient always sounds that way to me. It is like an artist with a blank canvas painting the soundscape as I listen intently and let the music take me to whatever space in time in my mind or body wants to go. That, to me, is a meditative state.

 

“The Belt of Orion” is significant in name and meaning for those of you who are stargazers or have any knowledge of astronomy, history, and ancient civilizations that use the skies for many purposes here on Earth. I was enjoying the serenity and blissfulness of the track so much that over six minutes of it did not seem enough. I felt I was being carried away into the ether and beyond to the stars. I believe the artist would be glad to know how it affected me, and I hope that many listeners would have the same experience.

 

“Rising Moon” is soft, flowing, and anticipatory all at the same time. Watching a rising Moon is one of the wonders of our solar system. That could also apply to the sun and solar eclipses as well. You can hear the movement of the music. The short, elapsed time of a ringing bell enters here and there as the music has a deep and steady tone that will allow for meditation rather quickly, or you can listen to relax. If you let it work that way, it is over seven minutes of healing.

 

“Summer Night Rain” and lightning sounds are the perfect backdrop for lulling a person into a meditative state or relaxing enough to fall asleep. Once the crackle of the lightning stops for a few minutes, the cool rain falls as the music begins to enhance that natural sound and beauty. The ambient tones, sounds, and colors perfectly merge nature and music. They are interlinked for nearly eight minutes of spirituality and a connection to the world outside your thoughts that never seem to stop inside your brain. The chatter will dissipate, and all the music you hear will empty your mind and let your soul open and be refreshed. It is like eliminating one kind of energy and reenergizing with another. Towards the end of the track, the rains stop. However, the sound of water moving in the river or a babbling brook occurs. That sound is also very relaxing.

 

Reflections on a Moonlit Lake was a wonderful experience. I enjoyed listening and sharing my feelings and thoughts, which is the entire experience I can appreciate for this music lover.


Please Note: As a special 30-day promotion, a limited edition CD of MoonWater will be included for free with physical shipments of Reflections on a Moonlit Lake, available exclusively through Bandcamp and the Spotted Peccary Music web store. 

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck-NAMR Founder

March 11, 2024


Tracks:

01. Mirror Island 3:10

02. Dawn Across the Southern Ocean (remix) 5:32

03. Papanui Lagoon (remix) 3:50

04. Lunar Shadow 3:47

05. Tantalised 2:48

06. The Belt of Orion 6:11

07. Midnight Angel 4:15

08. Within the Darkness 4:10

09. Rising Moon 7:51

10. Reflections on a Moonlit Lake 4:51

11. Summer Night Rain 7:59






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