David & Steve Gordon
Encyclopedia
David & Steve Gordon are a Billboard-charting New Age music
and chillout music recording artist duo, record producers and founders of the independent label Sequoia Records. Since their first album in 1982, they have recorded more than 25 albums ranging from traditional new age music and ambient
meditative soundscape
s to shamanic drumming with native american flute
, celtic music
and world music
-influenced electronica
. They are among the first artists to record relaxation music blended with sounds of nature. The Gordon brothers have described their music as an expression of their interests in meditation, Eastern spirituality, and Western nature-based forms of spirituality. A 2005 survey conducted by New Age Retailer magazine ranked David & Steve Gordon as the fourth most well known new age music artist among specialty retailers. The Gordon brothers have also produced several compilations of downtempo
recordings, including among others the Buddha-Lounge series, with six volumes released to date.
, the location that was the inspiration for the name of their record label, Sequoia Records Their second album Peaceful Evening and several more albums in a similar style followed soon after, then in 1985 they branched out into electronic spacemusic with Astral Journey and Celestial Suite.
In 1987 they returned to nature-inspired music with Garden of Serenity, the first of several releases in their Inner Music series of albums that featured longer meditative compositions . (A sequel, Garden of Serenity II, followed in 1998.) The early 1990s saw another of their electronic spacemusic releases with Music of the Tarot.
Beginning in 1994 with Sacred Earth Drums, David & Steve Gordon branched out into world fusion music, adding African, Middle Eastern and Native American drums and percussion plus Native American flute
and Incan pan pipes to the mix, along with acoustic and electric guitars, synthesizers, and continuing their use of sounds of nature as musical elements. The song titles and liner notes portrayed the story of a mythical shaman who journeys to the spirit world to find healing for his people and for the Earth. Sacred Earth Drums became the top-selling drumming album in the New Age market for both 1994 and 1995 and by 2002 had sold over 300,000 units. Following a sequel in 1996 titled Sacred Spirit Drums, their 1999 release Drum Medicine entered Billboard's Top New Age Albums chart in April, 2000, and also in 2000, received the Coalition of Visionary Retailers Record of the Year and Best World Album awards and the New Age Voice Native Heart Award and was listed in the top 5 albums of New Age specialty distributors for two years.
From the mid 1990s and into the 2000s, David & Steve Gordon produced albums by recording artists Zingaia
, Sophia Songhealer, EverStar and Jaya Lakshmi. Through their record label Sequoia Records, they released albums by recording artists Gary Stadler
, Wendy Rule
, Shajan, Christina Lux, Alquimia and Gleisberg; and several compilations of meditative and world-influenced New Age music including Musical Healing in 2001 and Perfect Balance in 2006.
In 2006, the Gordon brothers released Soothing Sanctuary, ambient music with nature sounds, a re-version of the earlier release "Sanctuary" (so stated in the liner notes) with new arrangements and remastering. Also in 2006 came Shaman's Vision Journey, featuring shamanic drum beats and mantras in the languages of cultures from around the world, including Mayan, Sanskrit, Lakota and Tibetan chants. In 2007 and 2008, they released a pair of 25th anniversary retrospectives, Sound Peace, focusing on meditative selections, and Earth Drum, a collection of drum and native flute tracks packaged with a DVD of wilderness scenery from national parks around the USA set to the music of the compilation album. Earth Drum was awarded the 2009 Coalition of Visionary Retailers awards for Album of the Year and Best World Album.
Also in the early 2000s, the Gordons introduced a second record label imprint, Sequoia Groove, specializing in chill-out music compilations, including the Buddha-Lounge series that charted in Billboard in 2004, Cafe de Luna, Hotel Tara, and others; and world music influenced electronica artists including Tya, and Achillea (featuring Jens Gad
of Enigma
). New recordings by the Gordon brothers in the chillout genre were included in several of these compilations, and in 2008 they released their first album of downtempo electronic music, Yoga Planet, followed by their second album of chillout music in 2009, Nirvana Groove.
David & Steve Gordon released two albums of world drum and percussion music in 2009, an upbeat recording titled Drum Cargo: Rhythms of Fire, and an album of quiet drum beats with crystal bowls and native flutes titled Meditation Drum, that according to the liner notes is intended to encourage meditation and relaxation. In 2010 they returned to Native American flute
music with the album Gratitude.
New Age music
New Age music is music of various styles intended to create artistic inspiration, relaxation, and optimism. It is used by listeners for yoga, massage, meditation, and reading as a method of stress management or to create a peaceful atmosphere in their home or other environments, and is often...
and chillout music recording artist duo, record producers and founders of the independent label Sequoia Records. Since their first album in 1982, they have recorded more than 25 albums ranging from traditional new age music and ambient
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
meditative soundscape
Soundscape
A soundscape is a sound or combination of sounds that forms or arises from an immersive environment. The study of soundscape is the subject of acoustic ecology...
s to shamanic drumming with native american flute
Native American flute
The Native American flute has achieved some measure of fame for its distinctive sound, used in a variety of New Age and world music recordings. The instrument was originally very personal; its music was played without accompaniment in courtship, healing, meditation, and spiritual rituals. Now it...
, celtic music
Celtic music
Celtic music is a term utilised by artists, record companies, music stores and music magazines to describe a broad grouping of musical genres that evolved out of the folk musical traditions of the Celtic people of Western Europe...
and world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
-influenced electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
. They are among the first artists to record relaxation music blended with sounds of nature. The Gordon brothers have described their music as an expression of their interests in meditation, Eastern spirituality, and Western nature-based forms of spirituality. A 2005 survey conducted by New Age Retailer magazine ranked David & Steve Gordon as the fourth most well known new age music artist among specialty retailers. The Gordon brothers have also produced several compilations of downtempo
Downtempo
Downtempo is a laid-back electronic music style similar to ambient music, but usually with a beat or groove unlike the beatless forms of Ambient music. The beat is sometimes made from loops that have a hypnotic feeling...
recordings, including among others the Buddha-Lounge series, with six volumes released to date.
Career
The Gordons' first album, Misty Forest Morning, was released in 1982, featuring mainly piano and acoustic guitars, with some synthesizer and sounds of nature they recorded in Sequoia National ForestSequoia National Forest
Sequoia National Forest is located in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains of California. The U.S. National Forest is named for the majestic Giant Sequoia trees which populate 38 distinct groves within the boundaries of the forest....
, the location that was the inspiration for the name of their record label, Sequoia Records Their second album Peaceful Evening and several more albums in a similar style followed soon after, then in 1985 they branched out into electronic spacemusic with Astral Journey and Celestial Suite.
In 1987 they returned to nature-inspired music with Garden of Serenity, the first of several releases in their Inner Music series of albums that featured longer meditative compositions . (A sequel, Garden of Serenity II, followed in 1998.) The early 1990s saw another of their electronic spacemusic releases with Music of the Tarot.
Beginning in 1994 with Sacred Earth Drums, David & Steve Gordon branched out into world fusion music, adding African, Middle Eastern and Native American drums and percussion plus Native American flute
Native American flute
The Native American flute has achieved some measure of fame for its distinctive sound, used in a variety of New Age and world music recordings. The instrument was originally very personal; its music was played without accompaniment in courtship, healing, meditation, and spiritual rituals. Now it...
and Incan pan pipes to the mix, along with acoustic and electric guitars, synthesizers, and continuing their use of sounds of nature as musical elements. The song titles and liner notes portrayed the story of a mythical shaman who journeys to the spirit world to find healing for his people and for the Earth. Sacred Earth Drums became the top-selling drumming album in the New Age market for both 1994 and 1995 and by 2002 had sold over 300,000 units. Following a sequel in 1996 titled Sacred Spirit Drums, their 1999 release Drum Medicine entered Billboard's Top New Age Albums chart in April, 2000, and also in 2000, received the Coalition of Visionary Retailers Record of the Year and Best World Album awards and the New Age Voice Native Heart Award and was listed in the top 5 albums of New Age specialty distributors for two years.
From the mid 1990s and into the 2000s, David & Steve Gordon produced albums by recording artists Zingaia
Zingaia
Zingaia is a musical group in the genres of contemporary World Music, New Age music and Ethnic electronica. They have released three albums and have appeared on six compilations, including the Billboard charting album Buddha-Lounge 3....
, Sophia Songhealer, EverStar and Jaya Lakshmi. Through their record label Sequoia Records, they released albums by recording artists Gary Stadler
Gary Stadler
Gary Stadler is an American New Age pianist, composer, songwriter and producer, specializing in contemporary Celtic-influenced themes and atmospheres. Stadler's six albums generally focus on imaginative concepts loosely based in Celtic mythology, especially stories of the realm of Faerie...
, Wendy Rule
Wendy Rule
Wendy Rule is an Australian musical artist. She was born in Sydney, but now lives in Melbourne.She performs regularly, including several recent tours of the USA and Europe.-Musical style:...
, Shajan, Christina Lux, Alquimia and Gleisberg; and several compilations of meditative and world-influenced New Age music including Musical Healing in 2001 and Perfect Balance in 2006.
In 2006, the Gordon brothers released Soothing Sanctuary, ambient music with nature sounds, a re-version of the earlier release "Sanctuary" (so stated in the liner notes) with new arrangements and remastering. Also in 2006 came Shaman's Vision Journey, featuring shamanic drum beats and mantras in the languages of cultures from around the world, including Mayan, Sanskrit, Lakota and Tibetan chants. In 2007 and 2008, they released a pair of 25th anniversary retrospectives, Sound Peace, focusing on meditative selections, and Earth Drum, a collection of drum and native flute tracks packaged with a DVD of wilderness scenery from national parks around the USA set to the music of the compilation album. Earth Drum was awarded the 2009 Coalition of Visionary Retailers awards for Album of the Year and Best World Album.
Also in the early 2000s, the Gordons introduced a second record label imprint, Sequoia Groove, specializing in chill-out music compilations, including the Buddha-Lounge series that charted in Billboard in 2004, Cafe de Luna, Hotel Tara, and others; and world music influenced electronica artists including Tya, and Achillea (featuring Jens Gad
Jens Gad
Jens Gad is a songwriter, producer and guitarist. He was previously the co-producer for the musical project, Enigma. Currently, he is releasing albums under the name of Jens Gad Presents for his new instrumental work, and also under the name of Achillea, for his new world-influenced music which...
of Enigma
Enigma
An enigma is a type of riddle generally expressed in radical or allegorical language that requires ingenuity and careful thought for its solution.Enigma, aenigma, or enigmatic may also refer to:-Music:...
). New recordings by the Gordon brothers in the chillout genre were included in several of these compilations, and in 2008 they released their first album of downtempo electronic music, Yoga Planet, followed by their second album of chillout music in 2009, Nirvana Groove.
David & Steve Gordon released two albums of world drum and percussion music in 2009, an upbeat recording titled Drum Cargo: Rhythms of Fire, and an album of quiet drum beats with crystal bowls and native flutes titled Meditation Drum, that according to the liner notes is intended to encourage meditation and relaxation. In 2010 they returned to Native American flute
Native American flute
The Native American flute has achieved some measure of fame for its distinctive sound, used in a variety of New Age and world music recordings. The instrument was originally very personal; its music was played without accompaniment in courtship, healing, meditation, and spiritual rituals. Now it...
music with the album Gratitude.
Full length albums
- Misty Forest Morning, 1982
- Peaceful Evening, 1982
- Radiant Sea, 1983 (out of print)
- Beside the Laughing River, 1984 (out of print)
- Still Waters, Clear Sky, 1984 (out of print)
- Astral Journey, 1985 (out of print)
- Celetsial Suite, 1986 (out of print)
- Garden of Serenity, 1987
- Oneness, 1988
- Music of the Tarot, 1993
- Sacred Earth Drums, 1994
- Sacred Spirit Drums, 1996
- Garden of Serenity II, 1997
- Ancient Power (Steve Gordon and Deborah Martin), 1998
- Drum Medicine, 1999
- Drum Prayer (Steve Gordon), 2002
- Sacred Drum Visions, 2002
- Heart of Peace, 2003
- Garden of Serenity III, 2004
- Pillow Music, 2005
- Soothing Sanctuary, 2006
- Shaman's Vision Journey, 2007
- Earth Drum - The 25th Anniversary Collection, Vol. 1, 2008
- Yoga Planet, 2008
- Drum Cargo - Rhythms of Fire, 2009
- Sound Peace - The 25th Anniversary Collection, Vol. 2, 2009
- Nirvana Groove, 2009
- Meditation Drum, 2009
- Gratitude, 2010
Compilations produced
- Buddha-Lounge, Volumes 1-6, 2001–2008
- Musical Healing, 2001
- Cafe de Luna, Volumes 1 & 2, 2003–2004
- World Groove Mix, 2004
- Hotel Tara, the Intimate Side of Buddha-Lounge, Volumes 1 & 2, 2005–2007
- Yoga Salon, 2005
- Tropical Chill, 2005
- Chakra Healing Zone, 2006
- Perfect Balance, 2006
- Yoga Moods, 2006
- Angels Voices, 2007
- The Celtic Lounge, Volumes 1-3, 2006–2008