The Western Lands Special 48/24 PCM Master Edition

by Arthur Durkee

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iSapien1956672 I love this record while doing housework, reading, or working on art. Really helps me get in the zone.
Favorite track: The Western Lands
Favorite track: Uplift.

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Full Digital Discography

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Get all 68 Arthur Durkee releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Gangsa, Vol. 2, All Is Calm, All Is Bright (Album 2023), Ambire Musica, Dangerous Odds: Colors of Green, Tiki Takataapui, Tempest Elegies, Bamboo, Avalanche Vortex, and 60 more. , and , .

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1.	Describing a Circle 07:25		buy track
2.	Open Spaces 05:23	lyrics	buy track
Poem & Reading: Kate Ryan
3.	The Western Lands 06:05	info	buy track
4.	Uplift 02:25	info	buy track
5.	The Red Room 06:47		buy track
6.	Night/Fire 07:59		buy track
7.	Cycles Return/Badlands 08:16		buy track

about

The Western Lands: Special 48/24 PCM Master Edition

This Special Edition is transferred directly from Sony PCM stereo masters recorded on videotape. These PCM masters were recently found in the Laughing Cat Studio archives. Transferred to digital stereo at 48 kHz/24-bit sampling audio standard.

To experience hearing the full high-resolution audio quality of these special edition masters, I strongly recommend you download the original 48/24 WAV files, rather than in a compressed audio format, which would limit audio quality.

Original tracks were recorded on eight-track analog tape, later moved to digital multi-track for mixing and mastering.

Mastered to Sony PCM digital recorder, for the original cassette release, 1994.

In 1997, additional new tracks were recorded direct to digital multitrack, to be released as an expanded version of "The Western Lands" on CD. That album version's tracks were remastered and re-released here on Bandcamp in 2018:

arthurdurkee.bandcamp.com/album/the-western-lands

This Special Edition contains only the original seven tracks mastered to Sony PCM digital, which is arguably the best-sounding digital audio recording format of its era. Finding these audio masters again was a genuine joy. Making them available as a Special Edition in high-resolution audio means they can be heard as never before. I feel that alone is sufficient reason for re-releasing these seven tracks—but also, they just sound so good that I wanted to share them.

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Several of these tracks are structured improvisations, partially-composed and partially-improvised. There is a strong influence from world music in terms of rhythmic and melodic cycles. Many of my experience playing Javanese gamelan and avant-grade classical music and jazz went into these recordings.

credits

released November 25, 2021

Arthur Durkee: Chapman Stick with Infinite Sustain Feedback System, fretless bass guitar, bodhran, tar, dumbek, RX5 drum programming, percussion
Al Jewer: flute, alto flute, sax clouds on "Cycles Return," WX7 strings loop on "Dry Sea/Farthest Shore"
Biff Blumfumgagnge: violin, effects, drums on "The Red Room"

Kate Ryan: poem, voice on "Open Spaces"

Written & Produced by Arthur Durkee
Recorded, mixed & mastered at Laughing Cat Studio
Some source tracks recorded at The Living Room
Engineered by Al Jewer and AD, with Biff B.

Album design, artwork, & photography by Arthur Durkee

Thanks to RN & DP for inspiration on "Night/Fire"
Thanks to Dangerous Odds for the loopy ideas

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about

Arthur Durkee Ann Arbor, Michigan

Arthur Durkee is a composer & songwriter who records & performs on Chapman Stick, bass, analog modular synths, bamboo & wood flutes, keys, frame drums, and voice. He has won awards for composed, notated music as well as for his recordings, & is a published poet, & designer & illustrator. ... more

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