Back in 2005 I began a limited edition subscription series of CDs called Inside and Outside. It consisted of 5 volumes (6 CDs total) of environmental ambient. The story about this music can be found below. This CD (#6 along with #7) picks up where the subscription series left off 7 years ago and fits right in with the older material. With the release of this new material, we are re-issuing the other CDs and offering them as either separate releases or all together in a box set.
On a cool autumn evening in early October of 2001, I unknowingly recorded a most sublime natural ambience outside of my window from midnight to 1:15 AM. It wasn't until some 2 years later, around February of 2003, that I stumbled on this gem while going through some older recordings. I put the disc on and was totally taken to another time and place, late summer/early autumn. It was a particularly nice evening amid the post-9/11 stillness, and the blend of crickets, frogs, and other nighttime creatures created a very special environment, one which totally broke me out of the cold, isolated silence of winter. I immediately began creating music to accompany this natural ambience. Over the next 3 years I created perhaps 20-25 different variations on the music that would end up on Inside and Outside #5. It was these discs that was the driving force behind the idea of the Inside and Outside series. However, it wasn't until the summer of 2005 that the series actually began to take shape. I then began to revisit "environmental ambient" in general and it wasn’t long before I had the discs that would become #1 and #2 ready. That’s when the idea of releasing the music as some sort of series or set of discs began to be entertained. So I decided to make it a monthly subscription thing which would run through the end of 2005 and into 2006 (containing 5 volumes total). Originally the set was limited to 25 copies. To my surprise and delight, all 25 sets sold out in the first week after the release of #1. If you were not one of the original 25, you have missed out on one of my favorite sets of music that I’ve done. Over the last couple of years I’ve been tossing around ways to re-release this material. One idea had me creating a double disc of edited tracks. Another idea had me putting together an mp3 disc (or 2) of the entire series, but then I began to create what would become #6 and #7 (not originally part of the series) and that’s when I knew I had to re-release the entire thing, and continue on with the series.
Photography is another one of my great passions and with the series, I wanted to include some of my photos, many with an environmental flavor. The original series had a variety of photos and other prints that were created especially for the series. With the re-issues, I’ve include a couple of the original photos but for the most part, I’ve included many new photos and the covers and designs have been completely re-worked. I think the end result is a much better overall look and feel.
I feel I’m fairly safe in saying that most musicians rarely if ever re-listen to music they’ve created after its release. For me, the big reason for this is the sheer amount of time put into the work of getting it ready for release. By the time it’s released, we’re generally sick of it. It’s at that point that the CD is not being "released" so much as it’s being "kicked out." With the material on the Inside and Outside series, I can honestly say that is not the case with me. I actually go back and listen to this stuff quite frequently. The 2 discs that make up #5 along with #6 and #7 are on regular rotation, usually around bedtime. Perhaps it’s the nature of environmental music in general but I love the way that I can get totally lost in the environment and be transported to wherever it takes me; summer, spring, autumn. So with this in mind, I hope you enjoy listening to these discs and the other discs in the series as much as I enjoyed creating them. I will no doubt continue this series as the inspiration arises
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