Walking Slowly Backwards

RICHARD: Walking Slowly Backwards was intended to be my second CD for Periodic Music. It was scheduled for 1992, but Periodic unfortunately suspended operations before we could release it. These pieces were recorded in realtime directly to DAT without overdubs or editing.

Included here are two-minute excerpts of all the original tracks. "10,000 Shades of Blue" and "Walking Slowly Backwards" were subsequently released on Ten Thousand Shades of Blue, XI Records XI115, and in 2001, available from iTunes.

The remaining tracks, along with two others from that era, were issued as Polychromatic Integers from the Periphery Records (OTP2011) and are now available from Discogs, Apple Music, and Amazon.

"Walking Slowly Backwards" is for vibraharp solo. "An Open Hand" is for Chapman Stick and digital delays. "The Rising Night" and "An Unknown Number" are for computer-controlled E-Mu samplers and Yamaha WX-7 MIDI wind controller. "Desert Gardens" is for Stick and samplers; "The Naga" for keyboard and samplers. "10,000 Shades of Blue" uses the samplers and a Macintosh running M, an interactive music composition and performance program originally developed by Intelligent Music.

NOTE: 10,000 Shades of Blue and Polychromatic Integers can also be found on Bandcamp.

The closing "Walking Slowly Backwards" is a quietly virtuoso performance for solo vibes; Lainhart draws long drones with the bow while coaxing gentle rolling swells with the mallets. This piece has some of the crystalline beauty of Harold Budd's Pavilion of Dreams, shot through with a darker, chromatic hue. Rewarding, engaging music that's worth your time. — Peter Marsh, BBC-UK, 2002

MUSIC:  Early Works │ Walking Slowly Backwards │ ROMworks │ Five Nocturnes │ WDFH August 25, 2005 │ KymaWorks │ BuchlaWorks