I have been listening to Liquid Mind’s (aka Chuck Wild) music for many, many years now and have always found that when I want some music that will help me to relax or drift off to sleep, I am in good hands when it comes to Liquid Mind’s releases. Over the years I have heard many albums that attempted to mix the sound of rain or the sound of a babbling brook or the sound of the ocean’s waves into the music. There were some that were wonderful and hit the perfect balance between the music and the nature sounds that occupied the background, and there were others that did not achieve this balance and they were simply distractions from the music.
This new album is a special release in a couple of different ways. One is that the songs chosen are personal favorites that Chuck has recorded over the years at Real Music. In my opinion this is much better than a greatest hits collection (which are chosen by the artist’s record label), because these are compositions that Chuck considers to be some of his best. Another is that Chuck has taken these songs and remixed them to include the sounds of rain and the ocean because of Chuck’s affinity with the element of water; hence, the name Liquid Mind.
Ordinarily I might be worried that I’ll find the sound of rain or the ocean being slapped into the existing song without much thought as to how they would most effectively blend together, but that is not the case on Liquid Mind’s Relaxing Rain & Ocean Mixes. It is apparent from the beginning that Chuck has put a lot of thought into how these two distinct entities (song & effect) would meld in such a way as to make the final composition better than it was without the sound of water, without either element being overshadowed by the other.
One of my favorite tracks is “Journey to Peace Rain Mix.” This song is a masterpiece of music with the sole purpose of moving you to the edge of sleep and then pushing you over the edge with a gentle shove. The piece opens with the sound of rain as the predominate feature to set the mood, and then the synthesizer rises up displacing the rain as the main attraction. The result of this marriage between music and rain is one that is both soothing and comforting which creates an atmosphere that is warm, dreamy and very relaxing. Even the thunder that is interspersed throughout adds to the wonderfully serene feeling that permeates this track. There is something primal about nature sounds when used properly along with music, and Liquid Mind really takes that idea to a whole other level.
Most of the tracks on this release are long form compositions (8 minutes or better) so that the listener is able to enter into each one completely and allow it to work its magic slowly instead of being rushed along to the next song. The album has six songs taken from various Liquid Mind releases and clocks in at 61:28 making it a great album to use just before bed or maybe just after getting home from a stressful day. As always, Chuck’s impressive musicianship is on display in Relaxing Rain & Ocean Mixes but he also shows us that the lush compositions that form the basis of the mixes, in his expert hands, can become even better than what they were before without sacrificing the quality of the music simply to add the sound of water.
Liquid Mind has always been one of my favorite ambient artists and Relaxing Rain & Ocean Mixes confirms that nothing has changed. With this album you get not only a favorites collection, but you get to hear those great songs remixed with new breath infused. Most highly recommended by Ambient Visions.