The life and work of Ariel Kalma is a remarkable journey in sound - an emblem of the singular thinking that makes great art. Kalma was born in Paris, beginning to play the saxophone during his early years. His musical career was kickstarted with tours and collaborations with Salvatore Adamo and Baden Powell, but before long he began to venture out on his own, creating experimental tape pieces, and instrumental works. During 1974 he traveled to India, studying the country’s classical traditions, a journey which equally served as the foundation for his developing interests in meditation, drone, and minimalist music.
Delirium Grm
As an assistant at the GRM department in the INA group during 77-79, I sometimes experimented in their recording studios. Here are some of those delirious results, digitalised from 1⁄4” analog tapes and remastered.
Rue De La Gaite
This album was recorded... Rue de la Gaité, Montparnasse, between 1976- 1979 in Paris where I lived. Brahim el Belkani from Marrakesh camped in my living room/bedroom/recording studio, and often we played music Morrocan G’nawa style mixed with Indian style and jazzy improvisations - Loy Ehrlich visited often and we recorded several sessions with other visiting friends I had met while traveling.
Dream Stars
Live recording (analog tapes) from 1977 at the Paris Planetarium, remastered in 2017. Stacked double organs and modified rudimentary drum machines mixed with lots of flanging and phasing effects and Space Echo.... 4 microphones recording a turning Leslie speaker and the result went into the 8 speakers of the Paris Planetarium. Natural sky high, No drugs were involved :-) This is a 2 track mix as there was no quadraphonic recordings at that time!
Kula Confidential
Living high up on the Haleakala volcano on Maui, inspired by the island vibes, the night skies, and that special silence.... also here are diferent archive tracks.
"I was always curious. I learned how to record. I travelled to all kinds of countries and met gifted musicians playing all kinds of instruments. After learning how to ‘go inside’, I heard all strange sound effects and silences in my head... that meant lots of recordings! I kept copies in various formats and digitalised it all. Here are some representative archives." - Ariel Kalma, 2020
