Circle of Celebration

NOUS with Laraaji and Arji OceAnanda. Ten pieces of gently rhythmic new-age tapestry — wordless vocals, dubwise undulation, and cascades of actual laughter.

Christopher Bono invited ambient music and laughter meditation pioneer Laraaji and his frequent collaborator, sound healing practitioner Arji OceAnanda, to join the NOUS collective for the afternoon of the fourth day of recording. They then joined the group for two live NOUS performances: Basilica Hudson (Upstate NY) and Baby's All Right (Brooklyn). The three met at Ananda Ashram near Monroe, NY in November 2013, during a nada yoga workshop with Roop Verma. They bonded over shared reverence for the teachings of Vietnamese Zen monk Thich Nhat Hanh. Essay by Mat Smith, Electronic Sound.

Credits

Christopher Bono — Keyboards, Electronics, Percussion, Vocals, Producer, Editing, Mixing

Laraaji — Vocals, Zither

Arji OceAnanda — Vocals, Percussion, Ambient Sounds

Thor Harris — Drums, Percussion, Xylophone, Custom-built Instruments

Kevin McMahon — Percussion, Producer, Engineering

Anthony Molina — Synths, Bass

Cecilie Hafstad — Vocals, Percussion

Grey Mcmurray — Guitar, Percussion

Greg Fox — Drums, Percussion

Shahzad Ismaily — Electronics, Guitar, Bass, Drums

Jen Kutler — Assistant Engineer, Percussion

Press

“Circle of Celebration is a stirring ode to the power of collaboration, but also, in simpler terms, to music's role as a vehicle for sheer joy.”

Loud and Quiet

“Hearing his (Laraaji) baritone soar over this endlessly groovy, locked in composition from Christopher Bono's NOUS project is a joyous flash of life.”

Tome to the Weather Machine

“Textured and bucolic, its 10 pieces are gently rhythmic tapestries of new age melody, wordless vocals, dubwise undulation and, pleasingly, cascades of actual laughter”

Mojo

“It is hard to express exactly how uplifting this music is, how it creates a bright, lucid, dreamlike space and maintains excitement and calm somehow simultaneously”

Dusted

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