IN THE STORE | LARAAJI – OM BUNDLE

Leaving Records presents its second archival installment from legendary New Age composer Laraaji. The bundle contains four albums: Om Namah Shivaya on vinyl, and three tapes, wrapped together as Be Still and Glow.

Each privately released on cassette in the 1980s. These recordings were initially unearthed and transferred from tape by
Douglas McGowan. The reissues were curated, remastered, and restored by
Leaving Records’ Matthew “Matthewdavid” McQueen alongside Laraaji. This is the first commercial release for
each album.

LP – Om Namah Shivaya (1984)

Laraaji at his peak in the 1980s,
using drum machines and stream-of-consciousness vocal mantra to make
new-age trance pop. Om Namah Shivaya was originally released on cassette. This is its first time on vinyl.

Laraaji: “This 1984 recording, made at home on cassette, was
inspired by request for personal long play soundtrack to accompany a
delivery room child birth in Florida. It was intended to welcome a
newborn child with love, ecstatic joy, and high positivism. I used the
Casiotone M70 electric keyboard and chat sang while in a prepared vision
trance. C Major.” 

Be Still and Glow (3/Cassette package)

The three cassettes detailed below, bundled in an embossed metallic mandarin-colored sleeve.
This is available on its own, without the LP.

Cassette 1 – Sun Zither 1&2 (1984)

Laraaji: “90+ minutes of non-stop sun-drenched Zither Ecstasy. A
refreshing new sound journey through ecstatic hammered open-tuned
zither string board, through jazz-funk rhythms with improvised
rubber-tipped mallets, through rattled, stopped Zither. Chaos with
wooden chopsticks, through ethereal steel slide string sound exploration
to take the classic zither sound way out of the box. An exploratory
adventure in sustained open modal tuning, elegant electronics and
virtuoso performance mastery.”

Cassette 2 – Tonings 1&2 (1980s)

Laraaji: “Tonings 1: Shimmering celestial Zither and OM chant
continual deep induction listening for expanded inner-stillness. Tonings
2: OM chimes ladder, Kalimba (African thumb piano), hand
chimes, spontaneous laughter release, chant, & chimes distortion
(heavy at times towards end).”

Cassette 3 – Celestrana / Deep Chimes Meditation (1980s)

Laraaji: “Celestrana: Calming, gentle, continual, patient,
relaxed-pace solo electric zither feeling. Home cassette recorded
in the 1980s. Mood of contemplative stillness. Peaceful, introspective
listening.  Deep Chimes Meditation: Classic, Space, Peace, Zen,
Timelessness.”