Continuing its ongoing commitment to offering the freshest and most cutting edge sounds from around the globe, CyberOctave Music breaks new musical terrain with Mana Medicine, its new foray into the British based, globally influenced chill out music known fondly across the pond as “ambient dub.” The compilation, featuring ten tracks by nine artists from Great Britain, Canada, Israel and Australia and Japan, was originally released by the Liquid Sound Design label in 2001 and by word of mouth became an underground classic from New Zealand to Japan and all over Europe.

Liquid Sound Design is part of Super-Producer Youth’s Butterfly Studios. Set up as a sister label to the revered trance label Dragonfly Records in 1998. Youth uses the labels as his creative electronic outlet when not producing such classics as The Verve’s Urban Hymns and working with artists from Dido to Beth Orton to Crowded House and so many others. In fact he was named the BRITS Award Producer of the Year in 1998 and nominated for Producer of the Year in the BPI Awards in 1991,1992, and 1994.

Compiled by LSD A&R/Producer Humphrey Bacchus, a veteran DJ and producer, under the watchful eye of label head and super producer Youth, Mana Medicine (“Mana” means “mind” in Hindi) has become an essential CD within the psychedelic underground. Plus it has managed to cross over into the more mainstream areas of chill out through its accessible sounds and tracks. It is the first in Liquid Sound Design’s ever evolving series of down tempo recordings, which has included Dr. Alex Paterson’s Journey Into Paradise, East of the River Ganges, Elucidations and Butterfly Dawn.

The artists featured on Mana Medicine draw inspiration for their unique twists on this rapidly expanding genre from the cultures of many different homelands, including Great Britain (Jairamji, Ott, Tripswitch, Grey Beard and Noodreem), Canada (Drift, Lisa Walker), Israel (Angel Tears) and Australia and Japan (Zen Lemonade). The collection begins with “Elephant Waltz,” a mystical soundscape featuring rainforest and bird call effects created by Jairamji, aka young English producer Charlie Roscoe. The track is a wonderful fusion of ambient dub/drum & bass, with soaring ethnic vocals and flute from Rebecca Laurence, who is part of the Jairamji live experience. “Die Ashanti,” from Zen Lemonade, has an industrial trip hop vibe, dreamy guitars and heavy throbbing percussion groove. The ensemble is the project of Gus Till and his wife, Cozi. Till, an engineer in Australia before moving to the UK and becoming part of Flying Rhino Records, was founding member of the band Slinky Lizard.

Angel Tears from Israel contributes two distinctive tracks to Mana Medicine—the flamenco guitar meets Middle Eastern flavors and thick drum groove of “Ishka” and the dreamy, soulful “D’Marot Malach,” which is Hebrew for the name of the group. Inspired by numerous travels to Israel, Angel Tears—which fuses traditional Israeli vocals and contemporary beats--is the project of Seb Taylor, an artist on Dragonfly Records, parent company to LSD.  Ott, whose “Escape From Tulse Hell” blends tribal rhythms, harmonica and a variety of electronic and organic textures, once worked at Butterfly Studios as an engineer with LSD/Dragonfly owner Youth. He has worked for and engineered artists like Brian Eno and Kelis.

Tripswitch’s “Shamanic Tea,” based on a traditional Indian love song, opens with an expansive spacescape that brings to mind new age master John Serrie before evolving into a soulful hip-hop groove. This was Nick Brennan’s first release and has become the first in a string of many for the label.  Greybeard, whose “Aushadhi” features a fascinating cacophony of violin and tribal voices, is the work of Humphrey Bacchus, Lawrence (guitar) and Nigel Walton (edit suite).

The trippy, transcendent and highly experimental “Cosmic Jam” is the first downbeat flavored release for the label by Darren Evans (aka Noodreem) and features the guitar wizardry of Demian Castellanos. Drift is a collaboration between Adham Shaikh and Tim Floyds, whose first album was released on Insinct Records and whose discography includes music on LSD, Interchill and Dakini. Their Pink Floyd flavored song “Infusion” has a sensual rock/blues influence. Finally, Lisa Walker’s ethereal, supermystical “Orcadrift (Turtledub Remix)” was reworked by Shaikh as a solo project.

LSD grew out of Dragonfly Records, which had flourished from the now legendary Butterfly Studios, Brixton, UK. Youth set up LSD as a sister label specializing in chilled out soundscapes, sonic beats and mellow grooves. Eight albums into its catalog, LSD’s mellow, swirling downtempo beats have struck a chord with listeners worldwide, and the LSD sound has proved the perfect companion for zoning out as well as any passionate and sensual or relaxing activity under the sun. 

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Mana Medicine will be released on October 21, 2003.

For media information please contact Susan Mainzer at Green Galactic, 213-840-0077 or susan@greengalactic.com.

Label Contact: Al Risi, 310-589-1515, alrisi@higheroctave.com.

For further information please check out www.liquidsounddesign.com or www.cyberoctave.com.