Laraaji

Today we’re listening to Laraaji, an American multi-instrumentalist and composer. We’ve recommended his music twice before. Laraaji was born in Philadelphia and raised in New Jersey, and studied piano & composition at Howard University.¹ After college he moved to New York City, briefly pursued stand-up comedy, and delved into the healing properties of music. We’re first playing his 1987 LP, Essence/Universe, whose two titular tracks are each about 30 minutes in length. Laraaji plays the autoharp through multiple reverb modules, producing “heavenly tone clusters that stretch out into infinity.”² We’re also playing his 1991 album, Flow Goes the Universe, on which he recorded zither, mbira, and synths at studios in England, New York, and Tokyo.

Essence/Universe - Laraaji (60m, processed vocal notes at the end of track 2)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Bandcamp / Tidal

Flow Goes The Universe - Laraaji (67m, no vocals)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Bandcamp / Tidal

We wish you a great start to your week.

1. The New York Times

2. Bandcamp