Kiva

Ron Sunsinger, Michael Stearns, Steve Roach | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 26, 1995)
• Original Release Date: September 22, 1995
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Hearts of Space
• ASIN: B000000X6Z
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #285,155 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Spirit of the Jungle, The Spirit of the Arbor, July 25, 2004

By 

Frank MacEowen "psychonaut" (nomadic) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kiva (Audio CD)

This is a potent recording. Put it on earphones, turn it up loud, and buckle your seatbelt (or blast the speakers). Having participated in two of the particular ceremonies that this recording is DEDICATED TO and HONORS the spirit of, namely the Ayahuasca circle and the Wiwinyag Wacipi (traditional Sun Dance) I truly feel that this recording invokes the textural 'feel' of my own experiences. This is not a recording seeking to be a traditional "Native American" recording. Far, far from it. With Australian didjeridoo, a variety of wildlife from the Amazon, various bird-bone whistles, as well as Steve Roach's and Michael Stearns' dynamic soundworlds...this recording, punctuated with the authentic icaros, will carry you into psychic spaces, soul-places, where deep holographic perception occurs and timely insights are revealed without entheogens, though I assure you it is potent used in that expression. But, as is usually the case, with Steve's music...the music IS the medicine.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Among the top 10 sacred psychedelic CDs, September 20, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Kiva (Audio CD)

While certainly not most people's cup of tea, this is one of the most powerful pieces of sacred music ever recorded. This is late 20th century electro-acoustic music created by artists intimately familiar with the ancient plant medicine traditions of the Americas. While I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, for those interested in this kind of transcendental musical experience, I cannot recommend it highly enough.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not quite a classic, but sounds better every time you listen, June 19, 2003

By 

Michael Rittenberry (Nashville, Tennessee USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kiva (Audio CD)

Michael Stearns and Steve Roach are both highly esteemed members of the electronic music world, but this album stands as an interesting sidestep for both of them from their respective immense catalogs of material. It is a nearly seamless blend of the modern techno-tribal ambient and the ancient shamanic tradition. The album flows well from track to track, even if the two-minute "passages" tend to be repetitive. Each of the Kivas represented are quite good, but my personal favorite is still the first, "Calling in the Midnight Water." It perfectly mixes heartfelt singing with field recordings, desert sounds, and simply beautiful drifting synth soundscapes.

It is far from the best material released by any of these artists, but is certainly not the weakest, either. If you are feeling musically adventurous and don't mind being challenged, give this a listen... and you will be rewarded.