(AUDIO INTERVIEW + MUSIC MIX)
For more than three decades, Howard Givens has devoted himself to music as a recording artist and owner of Spotted Peccary Music, one of the world's finest ambient labels. Last week, The Bodhi Mantra, his latest collaboration with Craig Padilla has reached #1 on Amazon's Ambient New Releases Chart thus continuing an impressive evolution since its launch date (26 June). All his work is collaborative, contributing as an artist, producer, audio engineer, and/or mastering expert to multiple projects. For example, he is responsible for mastering the majority of Steve Roach's recent releases and the albums from the Spotted Peccary catalog.
Howard Givens' style is rooted in meditative practices and classic electronic music. The consonance of these sources luxuriates in progressive harmonic layers that hijacks the perception of time and the subjective feeling of self. In his endeavor to access and express the intangible origin of sounds, Givens is venturing to alternate timescapes in which glimpses of an atemporal reality reveal. It's music that feels both part of time and beyond it.
Talking from his studio in Portland, Oregon, Howard Givens discusses The Bodhi Mantra album, answers my questions about his musical evolution, explains the preference for collaborations, and provides insights into the creative labor of Spotted Peccary Music label.
audio interview 30 min. + music mix 65 min.
LINKS:
HOWARD GIVENS - SPOTTED PECCARY: https://spottedpeccary.com/artists/howard-givens/
HOWARD GIVENS Site: http://www.howardgivens.com/