Ambient Voice

Ambient Voice places Dean Frenkel’s haunting harmonic vocals over and within works by outstanding Australian composers, among them Mark Clement Pollard, George Dreyfus, Andrew MacGregor and Invention in Time.

Dean Frenkel vocal harmonics
Tom E. Lewis didjeridu
Christopher Young clarinet
Linda Laasi vocals
Gongworks Gamelan gamelan
Kate Adam marimba
Ariel Valent vibraphone
Robert Schubert clarinet
Zoë Black violin
Isin Cakmakcioglu violin
John Lynch viola
Rachel Atkinson cello
Matthew Wilkie bassoon
Andrew MacGregor shakuhachi
Tom MacGregor keyboards, textures
Graeme Shilton alto saxophone
Julie Raines harp
Peter Neville vibraphone

Dean Frenkel composer
Mark Pollard composer
Kate Adam composer
Ariel Valent composer
George Dreyfus composer
Andrew MacGregor composer

Frenkel treats the voice as an instrument, laying overtones across gamelan, shakuhachi, bassoon, marimba, vibraphone, harp and saxophone so that each source piece gains a second, floating line.

A bonus film shows him demonstrating vocal harmonics live with Tom Lewis on didjeridu, Christopher Young on clarinet and Linda Laasi on vocals.

This project arose from an original concept to record an ambient/world music album with strategic placements of harmonic vocals over and within a selection of outstanding compositions and recordings by Australian music artists. I anticipated that the musical compositions would add complexity to the sound of harmonics, while the harmonics would simultaneously contribute a unique and evocative sound to the music. My confidence in this concept came from myriad experiences of combining vocal harmonics with many instruments and music types. For me, Ambient Voice is more than an autobiographical journey of sound, it is a connection of pre-industrial with contemporary music with an added multicultural context.

— Dean Frenkel

Reviews

it is Frenkel's haunting, otherworldly vocals that will lull you into a state of meditation, sleep or blissful calm. At last, something of merit in the New Age section. ★★★★

— Stephen McKenzie, Melbourne Weekly

isn't it amazing what people can do with their voices ... amazing sounds ... a euphoric soundscape.

— Philip Adams, ABC Radio National

get outta here!

— Afternoon Show with Mel and Charlie, Triple J

a very special talent

— Andrew Denton, Enough Rope

it's wonderful. I don't understand it [but] it's wonderful.

— Glenn Winslade, Opera Australia

a symphony of sound

— Harb Gill, Herald Sun

extraordinary vocal work ... a very powerful effect ... amazing stuff

— Peter Clarke, 774 ABC Melbourne

[Frenkel's voice] sounds like a hammond organ!

— Jon Faine, 774 ABC Melbourne

It's fantastic

— Michelle Nicole, jazz vocalist

magically ambient

— Stonnington Leader

The music just washes over you.

— Derek Guille, 774 ABC Melbourne

Artists

Dean Frenkel

Dean Frenkel combines ancient Tibetan throat-singing technique with modern composition, creating a distinctive hybrid form. He used that technique to set a world record for the longest continuous vocal note.

Mark Pollard

Australian composer Mark Clement Pollard has an eclectic style that draws on improvisation, jazz, pop, minimalism and the indigenous musics of South-East Asia.

George Dreyfus

One of Australia's best-known composers, especially for the theme from the television series Rush, George Dreyfus was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany at Victorian Parliament House for services to music.

Andrew MacGregor

Andrew MacGregor is an Australian composer and shakuhachi player.

Audio preview

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Tracks

Mirror of the Sky / Sea (Originally: Bathing in Stillness) Dean Frenkel Mark Pollard 6:07
Summer Waves (Originally: Summer Etude) Dean Frenkel Kate Adam Ariel Valent 10:32
New Year's Dawn (Originally: Sweet Light of Day) Dean Frenkel Mark Pollard 7:16
90 Mile Dream (Originally: Odyssey for a Lone Bassoon) Dean Frenkel George Dreyfus 6:44
Symphony of the Earth (Originally: Gratitude) Dean Frenkel Andrew MacGregor 10:57
Walking on a Sea of Moonstone (Originally: The Travelling Dimension) Dean Frenkel Kate Adam Ariel Valent 9:13
Wishmaker (Originally: Between Home and Heaven) Dean Frenkel Mark Pollard 10:23
The Wisdom of Bones (Originally: Nature) Dean Frenkel Kate Adam Ariel Valent 7:03

Performers

Dean Frenkel · vocal harmonics
Tom E. Lewis · didjeridu
Christopher Young
Linda Laasi · track 5
Gongworks Gamelan · gamelan · track 1
Kate Adam · marimba · tracks 2, 6 and 8
Ariel Valent · vibraphone · tracks 2, 6 and 8
Robert Schubert · track 3
Zoë Black · track 3
Isin Cakmakcioglu · track 3
John Lynch · track 3
Rachel Atkinson · track 3
Matthew Wilkie · track 4
Andrew MacGregor · shakuhachi · track 5
Tom MacGregor · keyboards, textures · track 5
Graeme Shilton · track 7
Julie Raines · track 7
Peter Neville · vibraphone · track 7

Composers

Kate Adam

Kate Adam is a marimbist and composer. Her marimba writing appears on Australian ambient and contemporary recordings.

Ariel Valent

Ariel Valent’s vibraphone colours ambient soundscapes and baroque-jazz crossovers alike, whether co-writing Invention in Time pieces that drift like tide and light or locking into a rhythm section under Elizabeth Anderson’s harpsichord.

Where to listen

Ambient Voice is available for streaming through Spotify and Apple Music. It can also be purchased through the iTunes Music Store.

Ambient Voice is available as a CD. It can be purchased online through Buywell Music or the Australian Music Centre which both offer online ordering.

Product details

Catalogue number: MD 3240
List price: $25.00 AUD
Total playing time: 68 minutes 15 seconds
Producer: Dean Frenkel
Thomas Grubb
Mixing Engineer: Dean Frenkel
Thomas Grubb
Venue: Move Records Studio
Release date: 2001
Categories: Australian, Classical, Cross-cultural, Vocal
Genres: Vocal & Opera, Contemporary Classical, World & Cross-cultural
Barcode: EAN 9314574324020

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