Ambient 3: Day of Radiance

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Ambient 3: Day of Radiance
Original cover. Certain CD pressings opt for a zoomed-in portion of the cover art.
Studio album by
Laraaji
ReleasedAugust 1980[1]
Genre
Length49:00
LabelEditions EG
ProducerBrian Eno
Laraaji chronology
Celestial Vibrations
(1978) 		Ambient 3: Day of Radiance
(1980) 		I Am Ocean
(1981)
Brian Eno chronology
Fourth World, Vol. 1: Possible Musics
(1980) 		Ambient 3: Day of Radiance
(1980) 		My Life in the Bush of Ghosts
(1981)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStar[2]
Louder than War8/10[3]
Record CollectorStarStarStarStar[4]
Sputnikmusic4/5[5]
Tom Hull – on the WebB+[6]

Ambient 3: Day of Radiance (1980) is an album by the American ambient musician Laraaji (alias Edward Larry Gordon), which was produced by Brian Eno.

Overview

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This album is the third entry of Eno’s Ambient series, which began in 1978 with Music for Airports followed by The Plateaux of Mirror. Eno encountered Laraaji as a street busker playing in Washington Square Park in 1979.[7]

Compared to the rest of the series, Day of Radiance features very little in the way of electronics. Laraaji uses a variety of acoustic stringed instruments such as a hammered dulcimer and 36-stringed open-tuned zither, with treatments by Eno.

Content

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The first three tracks are variations on a theme named "The Dance", and are delivered in a fast, hypnotic, gamelan-like, rhythmic pace on a hammered dulcimer. The final two tracks ("Meditation 1 & 2") are more in keeping with the "ambient" style featured on the rest of the series. These are slow, meandering beatless compositions performed on the zither with occasional dulcimer.

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Laraaji.

Side one

  1. "The Dance #1" – 9:06
  2. "The Dance #2" – 9:39
  3. "The Dance #3" – 3:15

Side two

  1. "Meditation #1" – 18:42
  2. "Meditation #2" – 7:50

Personnel and instruments

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  • Cover art and production – Brian Eno
  • Music – Laraaji
  • Instruments – treated and amplified zither; hammered dulcimer

Versions

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Country Label Cat. No. Media Release date
UK Ambient/EG Records EGAMB 003 LP 1980
US EG Records EGS 203 LP 1980
US Caroline 1573 CD ?
US EG Records EGED/EEGCD-19 LP & CD 1987 & 1995

References

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  1. ^ "From the Record Crate: Laraaji - "Ambient 3: Day of Radiance" (1980) | the Young Folks". June 12, 2018.
  2. ^ Brian Olewnick. "Laraaji Ambient 3: Day of Radiance". AllMusic. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  3. ^ Paul Scott-Bates (November 6, 2015). "Laraaji: Ambient 3 Day Of Radiance – album review". Louder Than War. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  4. ^ Paul Bowler. "LARAAJI - AMBIENT 3: DAY OF RADIANCE (PRODUCED BY BRIAN ENO)". Record Collector. Retrieved December 12, 2015.
  5. ^ Kuettel, Benjamin. "Laraaji - Ambient 3: Day of Radiance". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  6. ^ Hull, Tom (November 12, 2023). "Grade List: Laraaji". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  7. ^ Mark Richardson (August 7, 2015). "Laraaji: All In One Peace Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
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