Album Notes

Elephant Island is Adam Schabtach's debut solo CD. Like glacial ice, Elephant Island moves slowly, imperceptibly at times, but reveals shimmering layers and shifting details upon closer inspection. Both soothing and haunting, Elephant Island is a suitable accompaniment for meditation, massage, thinking, reading, or simply being.

Elephant Island was composed and recorded in one continuous improvisation on a Sunday afternoon in December 2001. No later overdubs were added, and a minimum of editing was employed. A key component of this musical event was a custom audio software system which recreates the effects of long tape-loop delay systems employed by Brian Eno, Robert Fripp, and other ambient music pioneers. Adam Schabtach created the software used for Elephant Island, as a culmination of his long-standing interest in such systems.

RADIO PLAY: Elephant Island has received airplay on National Public Radio's weekly space music show, "Hearts of Space". It has also been played in local shows by a number of radio stations throughout the United States, and by one station in Croatia.

ABOUT THE TITLE: Elephant Island is the name of a tiny island near Antarctica. During Earnest Shackleton's ill-fated attempt to reach the South Pole in 1914-1916, 22 members of his crew were stranded on Elephant Island. They waited for four months for someone to come back for them after Shackleton and five others crossed 800 miles of ocean in a lifeboat.

ABOUT THE ARTIST: Adam Schabtach began making music with computers and synthesizers in his early teens. After pursuing ostensibly more sensible career paths, he returned to his first technological love, beginning with a stint as a software engineer for Cycling '74, creators of extremely innovative software for musicians and artists. Prior to this solo release, Adam Schabtach contributed to two of the Team Metlay hypergroup CDs, "Bandwidth" and "Ballistic", both of which are also available here at CDBaby.com.

QUOTATIONS FROM LISTENERS:

"One of the most exciting ambient/drone debuts in recent memory, Elephant Island is a smooth, shimmering luminous cloud. Fantastic stuff, simple but effective. Highly recommended..."
HYPNOS

"I've been a massage therapist for eight years, and this is the first CD where, while listening, both client AND therapist are brought into a deep state of healing energy. Adam Schabtach's Elephant Island is truly a gift for anyone who wants to journey deep into peace."
Pegge Meyer, CMT
Colorado

"Elephant Island has helped create a calming and healing experience for my clients. Adam Schabtach has created consistent tones with an unobtrusive dissonance that quickly brings clients to a deep state of relaxation."
Matthew J. Rohr, CMT
Minnesota