On this page you will find excerpts and more in depth presentations of both modern and ancient Anaphoria music. Most of the original Anaphorian recordings were done in the 1990-2000s. With more modern works nevertheless showing it undenyable influence of Anaphoria upon individual works . Anaphorian Music has been overly branded by one of its head "doctors" and "media influencers" as "organic" "earth-friendly" "eco-aware" and "environmentally responsible". Also, the compositions are "vintage" and "rare" works performed upon "handcrafted" instruments with "recycled and/or sustainable" materials "painstakingly built to exact tolerances" that are "individual artworks of beauty" in themselves. Presetations here will be presented in most recent to the older. Some older recordings are no longer public and await more accurate reconstructions but are described for their cultural signifigance. Much work has been involved with ritualistic shadow theatre and before that Film whic h we hope to present in the future.
To hear selections you can go directly to our Bandcamp page or you click on any of the highlighted titles or CD covers to access those specific recordings of interest.
A 2024 reissue of a work originally issued only as a 3" CDR in an edition of 200. 2 covers of 100 each, Archives of Anaphoria rereleased 2024 - A 20 minute piece exploring the flows of vibrancy within these like instruments. For three Vibraphones in Meta-Slendro (warning-Level starts low but increases).
Archives of Anaphoria AOA 2.5
MiniCD (3in) release
Orenda-For Three Meta-Slendro Vibraphones
Composed by Kraig Grady- 2005
Performed by Erin Barnes, Kraig Grady, and Ellysa Shalla
Recorded and Mastered by Miriam Kolar
Cover Art by Dori Atlantis
Limited Edition of 200 in Two Covers of 100 each
This 3” mini-Cd is the second of a series of pieces conceived directly for this medium.
This is the first to appear on the Archives of Anaphoria label, which plans to continue with a series of like works.
Orenda is both a Huron and Anaphorian word meaning that kind of
power that mortals can summon to combat the blind forces of fate.
While not a composition from Anaphoria, it is one that is informed by
the ambient philosophy that blossoms out of the words and sounds of those people.
The piece starts at an extremely low volume and listeners might be
warned not to increase the level on their sound-producing device.
...a deliciously strange and thrilling new work for three microtonal vibraphones-Kyle Gann, PostClassic 10/19/2006
Released by Another Timbre 2020 explores the ever popular Meta-Slendro scale on Western instruments and players
Performed by Clocks and Clouds
Kraig Grady Meta-Slendro vibraphone
Terumi Narushima Meta-Slendro organ
Recording produced by Eva Cheng
IN A PENTAGONAL ROOM is the first CD of microtonal performance duo CLOCKS AND CLOUDS. The title refers to the unique five-sided reverberation chamber in which the recordings are made. The shape and surface of the room produce sounds and decays that last as long as 12 seconds enhancing the unique sounds of the duo’s specially tuned instruments. The interaction of harmonics produced by the Meta-Slendro vibraphone and organ is captured via a special five microphone setup, resulting in what will probably be considered the definitive recording of these instruments. The album is totally acoustic and free of overdubs or enhancement. Even equalization is by-passed in order to retain the high quality of the original sounds.
Dawn Crossing Of The Bridge-beginning
Review in Sequenza 21 by Paul Muller
ANAPHORIA:ESCARPMENTS
- HEADWATERS,CASCADES, TORRENTS -
An extended except for meta-slendro Vibraphone that reflects on the nature of water on the island of Anaphoria
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Inspired by Anaphorian rainy season as well as a scale found among the Chopi of Mozanbique who also experience a similar weather cycle. originally released on either/oar recordings 2011
ZEPHYROS
2006 - A composition exploring a state of continuous beginning as if a new world is formed around every corner - for Solo Meta-Slendro Vibraphone. Originally Issued as the first track on Anaphoria: Footpaths and Trade Routes LP (approaching sold out status).
RELEASE BY ANAPHORIA'S CULTURAL LIASON
KRAIG GRADY
BEYOND THE WINDOWS
PERHAPS AMONG THE PODCORN
Composed by Kraig Grady
Mastered Bv Miriam Kolar
Images By Sophia Grady
PERFORMED BY
JESSICA CATRON- CELLO
ELIZABETH SCHENCK- SAXOPHONES
SARA SCHOENBECK BASSOON
TARA TAVI-VOICE
KRIS TINER- TRUMPET
MIA DOI TODD- VOICE
This CD marks the premiere full length CD by just intonation composer and instrument builder Kraig Grady outside of his documentation of the music of Anaphoria Island. It also is the first recording of his music in which does not also rely on his great skills as a performer or the instruments of his own design or modification. Instead in this 55 minute composition Grady has chosen 6 of his favorite instrumentalist and vocalists from their wide variety of backgrounds each because of some unique quality he finds in their musicality. Grady calls upon these player to perform pitches with extreme accuracy but also to use the wide range of timbres possible on their instruments or voices. This extremely meditative yet somewhat intense explores of one of Erv Wilson until now unexplored tunings called Meta-Meantone. This tuning has the characteristic of exploiting a variety of acoustical phenomenon ranging from equal beating chords to the reinforcement of difference tone phenomenon. The result unfolds in constantly changing new combinations of color and intensity within the minimalistic limitation of the composition. It is a totally acoustical recording and no processing effects of any kind have been added except for some overdubbing Originally designed for his own personal use, Grady considers it not only one of the few performances of his work done by others he is pleased with, but also one of his favorite compositions of his own swaying him in deciding to release this for the enjoyment of others.
Reviews
Sydney Morning Hearld
Sequenza 21
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KRAIG GRADY: HAMMER DULCIMER
Customized Four Octave Dusty Strings Instrument)
Recorded Sept 21,2004 At The North American Embassy
Of Anaphoria Island
Mixed And Mastered By Miriam Kolar
Cover Art: Renee Reynolds
Experimental Musical Research Emr 11
3" Mini Cd Total Time 21:20
limited pressing of 200 hand numbered copies (with
2 different covers)
An Anaphorian Dance Drama depicts the ongoing struggles between the mythological flying insects of Anaphoria that culminates in a thunderous sound of the low Meru Bars of Anaphoria.
credits
released February 22, 2017
Anaphorians change their names when performing secret rites to confuse evil forces. These performers chose these names in order or appearance:
Tara Tavi
Erin Barnes
Kraig Grady
Whitney Arnold
Jessica Catron
Daphne Chen
T.J. Troy
Harris Eisenstedt
Mike Robbins
Pete McRae
Artwork by Jeff Kies
Designed by Alexandra Iannetta
Originally released on Archives of Anaphoria AOA 1:0
2001
Inside the CD you get the background and history of this ritualistic
drama, so we will refrain from repeating what is printed there. Instead
we include some comments on the music from one of Anaphoria's most
renowned
ethnomusicologists, Lovogata Lubati, who not only suggested the
recording
but also was instrumental in bringing it to completion:
"Musically this dance drama exploits the properties of one of
Anaphoria's most prized tunings with its capacity to create subtle
standing waves. The sound produced, while being totally acoustic,
resembles certain electronic effects. Phase shifting, beat patterns
that accumulate into their own complementary tempos, and the play on
brain wave patterns are all natural products inherent in the nature of
the tuning and instruments. Different tempos also unfold between the
three instrumental groups as they are separated at some distance to
accommodate the dance that requires an unusually large area. It is for
this reason it became ideal to use three different recording engineers
placed at optimum positions."
Four Panel Digipak Format
Solo hammer dulcimer piece performed live at Il Corral on 9-11-2004. Always the instrument that pulls out emotional strains regardless of the paths taken. The instrument is tuned to Meta-Mavila. Erv Wilson's tuning inspired by the Chopi tuning of the Mavila village coming out of joint investigations. Originally issued on corralComp05 on the halfnormal Label. Recorded [gratefully] by Bob Bellerue
2000 - A piece written for Lou Harrison and Bill Colvig in Meta Slendro. Bassoonist is Sara Shoenbeck. Originally appeared on Sound
Cd no. 2 produced by Sassas. Also performing Erin Barnes, Kraig Grady, and Dave Shaffer
performed by
Joe Barardi
Erin Barnes
DJ Bonebrake
Scott Breadman
Kraig Grady
This 70 min large ensemble performance represents one of the island's most unique compositions. A rare combination of compellingdriving rhythms with transcendental harmonies known to ethnomusicologists for it suspension of tonal centers but comprised of divine consonance.
The
final
release in the original Anaphoria trilogy, again featuring
the peripatetic and not-really-there Banaphshu, along with more
corporeal collaborators such as Erin Barnes, finds Grady
aiming big and succeeding. Consisting of two large-scale pieces
developing into full ensemble performances, Anaphoria: The Creation is
arguably the most self-consciously epic of the three albums, caught
somewhere between gamelan orchestras, big band, exotica and Harry
Partch-inspired
microtonality. The great thing about Grady's
work, though, is that it doesn't require being steeped in those fields
to enjoy the end result -- it's eminently immediate and entrancing
material. Everything starts off quietly, but by ten minutes into the
first song it's a full-on collage from open-ended drone to any number
of chimes, bells, and whatever self-created instruments Grady
and company are being used. Rhythm and exploratory melody work in sync,
subtly but clearly building in intensity and just as carefully backing
away or evolving into newer and no less fascinating results. When the
first song turns into a full drone piece about half an hour in, layers
of sound billowing through the mix, the contrast to the rest of the
track makes it all the more gripping (and the slow rumbling gong sound
is a fine touch!). The second song is the longer of the two but no less
intriguing, following the same general approach of the first while
exploring its own particular ends -- if it generally feels a touch less
intense, it's only by a matter of degrees. Together the two make for
both an enjoyable conclusion to the original series and a grand
standalone effort. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
This release represents some of the ancient traditions in Anaphoria. Recorded in 1993-1996 by Banaphshu and Kraig Grady, this 71 min. CD presents a wide array of Anaphorian Instruments in solo as well as two of the best known ensemble pieces.
Kraig
Grady's
Anaphoria trilogy, From the Interiors purports to be a collaboration
between Grady and a native of said fictional land, Banaphshu. The truth
is more prosaically laid out in a brief note elsewhere, with such
collaborators as ex-Fibonaccis member Ron Stringer
and multi-instrumentalist Kip Boardman,
among others, assisting Grady with his enjoyable act of non-Western
music forgery. The five tracks (seven on the disc, but the first three
form part of one overall piece) get discussed in full in the liner
notes, written purportedly by Banaphshu in a style pitched somewhere
between '50s exotica and well-meaning Real World reissues of the '90s.
Cities, mythologies, and natural locations where pieces were supposedly
recorded live, all are mentioned in the notes as a way to give
background to what is being heard. Such is part of the joke of the
whole Anaphoria series, but the real success of From the Interiors and
its related efforts is how serious -- and seriously beautiful --
everything is. Hints of gamelan in particular inform From the
Interiors' pieces, played on Grady's own self-created instruments such
as the Lake Aloe (a relative to vibes) and the Fifth Mesa, a marimba
equivalent. Performances are minimal sometimes to the point of near
silence, creating a feeling of gentle meditation without sounding
anything like new age (or for that matter much like Eno-popularized
ambient approaches, for all the lengthy serenity of "Court Music of the
Mesa"). Instead, the rings and chimes throughout combine rhythm and
open-ended melody; a lovely combination. The third part of "Three
Ingressions of Ancestral Spirits" has an utterly fascinating
performance on either a y'ang-ti'chin or its equivalent, the hammered
strings simply entrancing in their fluidly performed beauty, while the
soft percussion and intentionally involved time signatures on "Gending
Boehme" make for a mysterious jam session. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music
Guide
This premiere recording from Anaphoria was compiled by Kraig Grady
and Brad Laner and Anaphoria's own Banaphshu. This musical diary of
Kraig and Brad's meeting with Banaphshu represents a unique blend of
the Ancient
and technological worlds.
"More ethnographic surrealism than microsynthetics, Grady and Laner set up a relationship -homage, critique and reflexive observation - to the practice of ethnographic recording and then construct a fresh definition of the chaotic exotic. Gently inventive, the music celebrates the marvelous, remote and unknown threaded through the familiarity of millennial urban culture" ? David Toop, The Wire.
"Decidedly alien, original and beautiful field recordings from the
mythical island of Anaphoria. Imagine the Beach Boys, gourded out of
their tiny
surfer
minds while jamming with the inhabitants of MU, and you will only be
edging towards the planet this music is beaming down from. A truly
amazing
record.
Cover art : Sonic skull ephemera that is tastefully dark." Edwin
Pouncy Resonance (UK) vol 6 #2 Aug 98
REVIEW
ALTERNATIVE PRESS SEPT.99
Dave Segal
One of the most detailed records of the early mythology of Anaphoria 1/5/2010
The Anaphorian Creation Myth:
Part cosmological, part terrestrial, the island's
creation
myth is a complex web of interwoven tales of animals and battles and
intimate
love within which three events - usually referred to as "The Three
Frivolous
Battles" - have inspired an enormous body of music, both in the "Older
Traditional Style" and the more recent "Newer Traditional Style".
Note: The following pieces are not available due to certain taboo restrictions
THE TOTTERING OF THE SPINNING WHEEL
The First Frivolous battle (Village of Lipari)
The primal goddess Aunan, spinning on a celestial spinning wheel, created the cosmos as a great harmonious web, but three of her company of deities (Sant, Cerdo and Belili) became jealous of her abilities and conspired to steal and destroy her wheel. In the battle for the wheel, it was the cosmic spiders, Marpessa and Chapalu, who held the assailants at bay, though not without damage to the axis of the wheel, which ever after spun off-kilter.
It should be noted that two recent studies (LaCoste, 1977 and Mota, 1989) conclude this is a more recent version of an older myth and both see in it an explanation for the "Precession of the Equinoxes". Neither, however, explains just how Anaphorians might have perceived this shift, but both call for a re-evaluation of traditional scientific bias against astronomical knowledge in so-called prehistoric societies.
THE GHOSTS RETURN TO THE SQUARE
Second Frivolous Battle (Town of Derketo)
Marpessa and Chapalu later weave the earth and all its living creatures out of the dew (i.e. stars) that has collected in the web of Aunan. Meanwhile, Sant, Cerdo and Belili, determined to take revenge on Marpessa and Chapalu, were able to enlist aid from the Macha people. The Anaphorians were protesting the presence of the Macha in the square of the circular town of Derketo when the Macha attacked and either (a) "ruthlessly slaughtered" or (b) "magically scattered throughout all the world" all those present. Within a month, the Anaphorians left on the island regrouped and planned a counterattack, which at first appeared quite hopeless due to their relatively small number. However, on the very eve of their planned attack, "the Ghosts of Derketo" fell upon the square, so frightening the Macha people that they not only fled the town but returned to their own kingdom. This myth is often referred to in other Anaphorian legends in which heroes/heroines "return" from where they have been scattered. In other stories, it is their descendants who miraculously reappear in times of travail. Certainly, this is one of their primal myths, and undoubtedly it has shaped the attitude toward strangers that modern researchers find so bizarre. It is a widely held belief in Anaphoria to this day that Marpessa and Chapalu will continue to intervene in the lives of their "children" until they are all returned home. As a direct result of the Great Missionary Influx of the 18th century, the story received a popular revival that is now widely believed to be responsible for the Great Missionary Expulsion of 1823.
THE BIRD'S REINSTIGATION OF THE BATTLE OF TREES
Third Frivolous Battle (City of Ravenna)
In a time when the main body of the priesthood appeared on the verge of gaining complete political control for their own selfish ends, the following event is said to have taken place. During a religious ceremony in the provincial capital of Ravenna, a lone, talking bird entered the temple, reciting the Anaphorian alphabet, but in an apparently jumbled order. The people recognized this as a sign, especially after the priests panicked and attempted to kill the bird. After several attempts in which the bird repeatedly eluded and continued to heckle them, an elderly woman rose to her feet and announced that the "gibberish" the bird was spouting was, in fact, a very old and secret sequence of the Anaphorian alphabet that had once been common knowledge but had long ago been suppressed. Failing in their effort to rid the temple of the bird, the priests themselves abandoned the place. (It has since, of course, come to be the renowned Center for the Study of Alphabetical Sequencing, and people still make the pilgrimage to the Center from all over the island bearing clues to the riddle.) Since most of these new notions were counter to priestly dogma, the priests, still maintaining a strong, though tenuous, hold over the people, resisted. Thus occurred the Great Schism, which, sadly, continues to the present. And while the bird's alphabetical sequence is now widely, even commonly, accepted throughout the island, there remains to this day a hard-core group of alphabetical reactionaries (21% of the population) who refuse to use it at all.
