Deuter - Koyasan: Reiki Sound Healing (2006)

Deuter, whom I consider the prototypical new age music artist, puts his entire palette of musical abilities on display on Koyasan, Reiki Sound Healing, his latest release on New Earth Records. Incorporating a global mixture of instruments, including the Chinese erhu (here played by Yi Xie, all other instruments played by the artist himself), Japanese shakuhachi flute, East Indian tamboura, Tibetan bowls, as well some of his trademarks (recorder, piano, silver and bamboo flute, bells, and his always gorgeous shimmering synthesizer shadings and lush textures), Deuter takes the listener on a serene, mystical voyage through a variety of peaceful soundscapes. Regardless of the instruments used, the pace is relaxed, soothing, frequently contemplative and highly evocative. ~ newagereporter.com

Deuter is entirely self-taught, an admirable accomplishment when you consider the range of instruments he has mastered. He's most closely identified with the flute, but also plays keyboards, the tamboura (an Indian stringed instrument), cello, koto, and several others. Many of these are used to great effect on his new release, Koyasan, named after a sacred Buddhist mountain in central Japan, home to the Shingon sect of esoteric Buddhism and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Except for the title and the presence of instruments associated with Japan, such as the shakuhachi (a bamboo flute) and the koto (a stringed instrument), and more widely with Asia (in this case, the 2-stringed Chinese violin, the erhu), the music on this album is not terribly suggestive of Koyasan. The song titles are generic enough to fit nearly any new age theme you'd care to choose.

But the music . . . the music is sublime. The album features eight tracks, all but two 8 to 9 minute meditative excursions. There is no percussion, nor any noticeable rhythm, just languid journeys built on light and airy ambient washes, puffs of aural clouds through and around which circle the voices of the acoustic instruments. Unlike so many new age productions which work well in the background but can't withstand concentrated listening, Deuter's work, especially on this recording, will reward those who sit and listen attentively.. ~ amazon.com

Tracklisting:

1. Kindred Spirit
2. Hands Of Love
3. Le Velour, Le Satin Et La Soie
4. Lovesong From The Mountains
5. Sound Of Invisible Waters
6. Language Of Silence
7. Vollmond In Herbst
8. Escape From Gravity

listen to samples