The music of Ancient, Inc., is an ethno-(industrial, electronic and experimental) music that combines our love of middle-eastern music with experimental recording methods and deep sound manipulation.
The music of Ancient, Inc, is real - moving and emotional. The songs are created with real ethnic instruments including gumbri, violin, djembe and other stringed Arabic& world instruments. Found objects add special sounds, and samples are manipulated and mangled. Finally, electronic synths, beats and studio tricks warp the sounds for your contented ears.
It's member is also from the band Khamsa Khala which attained notoriety worldwide with the release "All Rites Reversed."
All albums on this page are free or have a very low price at Bandcamp.com.
Gathered and Hunted
High in textures and a feeling of place.
You are lost, are you the one invading or are you the one being tracked?
Instruments used include djembe, doumbek, cello, violin, voice, many different camel-stringed instruments from North Africa, zither, and various other devices.
Released: 2023
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Buy "Gathered and Hunted" here:
Bandcamp (pick your download format!)
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Madrasa
This is an Arabic inspired album.
Will you be able to find the recordings made in the desert of Morocco made with found instruments in an old building made of sand? A group of us found drums - mostly doumbeks, and played while others watched on. Recordings from that session are used in one of the songs on this album.
Throughout this album a mix of real instruments from north Africa blend with electronics. A pure style allows you to hear the nuances of the instruments. Location recordings and sounds from the Mid-East help you become immersed in the songs.
Patrick Q. Wright, previously a violinist for the Legendary Pink Dots, even makes an appearance on the propulsive song "Late the First Night" with his lilting strings married with the plaintive song of a man in the distance.
Released: 2020
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Buy "Madrasa" here:
Bandcamp (pick your download format!)
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Father of the Sun
This is an electronic album.
Location recordings used on this album include
• Carhenge in north Nebraska
• Pedestrian crosswalk indicator sound from the UK
• Gumbri (a north African instrument)
• The metal nickel heated enough to burn through nearly anything
My analytical side was having a blast on this album.
Released: 2018
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Buy "Father of the Sun" here:
Bandcamp (pick your download format!)
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Grimms' Tales
This album was recorded live in Denver, January, 2018.
I adore reading. There are so many fun stories in the Grimms' Fairy Tales. I read them to my kids while they take baths.
When this recording was performed live, all of the instruments were machines that 'self-played.'
Descriptions of a couple of the instruments:
• Air horn, as used on trains and barges. This was a homemade version using PVC pipe, a rubber diaphragm, and a large shop-vac converted to bow out to the horn.
• Mechanical sequencer - this has a spinning arm, similar to a clock, that hits clay pots as the arm swings around. I can change the melody by using different size pots and putting them in different positions.
• Drum machine - an old ceiling fan was converted to have a swinging mallet that would hit a large sheet of metal (an old shipping dock cover). Because the mallet was attached by rope, the rhythm is very erratic.
Released: 2018
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Buy "Grimms' Tales" here:
Bandcamp (pick your download format!)
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Rose Colored Mirror
All devices used on this album were soldered and built by my brother, many thanks to him.
Elements of these songs were played live in 2017.
This is clinical music, Ancient, Inc. reflecting on the workings of my chemical makeup.
Released: 2018
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Buy "Rose Colored Mirror" here:
Bandcamp (pick your download format!)
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Open to Closing
My kid's school went on lockdown due to a lunatic with weapons nearby. This event is the genesis for the ire found on the first and last tracks on this album.
More guns are not the answer. Accidents happen all the time, as evidenced by the last track on this album. Do not arm the teachers.
The remainder of the album explores many textures of sound.
Released: 2018
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Buy "Open to Closing" here:
Bandcamp (pick your download format!)
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Ego Transitors
An electronic, bouncy, and happy album. Even your children can listen to these songs (a couple were recorded for my kids, in fact.)
Recorded with location recordings in Colorado and London. See if you can spot them! I'm happy to share details on recording.
Released: 2017
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Buy "Ego Transistors" here:
Bandcamp (pick your download format!)
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Stone Windows
This album explores a bit more minmal and experimental side of Ancient, Inc. Let's take a close look at the elemental systems.
Released: 2016
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Buy "Stone Windows" here:
Bandcamp (pick your download format!)
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Glancing Blow of History
On this album, Ancient, Inc. combines authentic instruments with analogue circuits to break Arabic music. Neville Harson, from Khamsa Khala and Mandible Chatter, lends support on a couple of songs.
Released: 2014
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Buy "Glancing Blow of History" here:
Bandcamp (pick your download format!)
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Pride of the Charmoota
The first solo release, "Pride of the Charmoota" uses electronic and ethnic instruments warped for your beat-driven and relatively melodic pleasure. 2 tracks include singing while the others have samples or are instrumental.
Released: 2012
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Winding Winds
"Winding Winds" is the second release by Ancient, Inc. This release falls in the ambient / drone / experimental arenas. Some voices are heard and the music is still not for mass consumption.
Released: 2013
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Buy "Winding Winds" here:
Bandcamp (pick your download format!)
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Walking on my Shadow
"Walking on my Shadow" was composed from 2010-2013 or so. These songs represent the experimental and odd side of Ancient, Inc.
Sounds generated and warped heavily from voice, bricks & devices, violin,
waterphone, location recordings, upright piano and lots of fun.
Released: 2014
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Buy "Walking on my Shadow" here:
Bandcamp (pick your download format!)
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Cat Eye Kaleidoscope
As our animals get older, their perceptions change. Like us, their minds are going as is their body. What do they see? Using the sound of a few oscillators, LFO and synths, this album dives into the chemical level of our pets - sometimes at frequencies just for them.
Since composing this and posting this about a week later, we did lose one of our cats to the great beyond. Good luck to him, we miss you.
Released: 2015
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Buy "Cat Eye Kaleidoscope" here:
Bandcamp (pick your download format!)
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Libertinage : The Formative Years
A majority of the songs were recorded in 1995-2003, with some as new as 2012. These tracks represent the rawer, more abrasive sound of Ancient, Inc. As a general rule, I consider these songs the initial trajectory of this band while the sound evolved to a more nuanced level that I like to work in now. The song "Prophet" is dedicated to an old friend and the final song, "Orgy," was created on a whim with Serpent. Serpent also provided loops and initial sound files for " Stretching of the Will."
Released: 2014
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Buy "Libertinage : The Formative Years" here:
Bandcamp (pick your download format!)
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First Tape : 1993
"First Tape : 1993" was recorded on primitive gear (4 track and reel to reel) in the summer of 1993 on borrowed gear. Intended for the hard core fans of Ancient, Inc.
Instruments used include vinyl records, tape loops, samples and toys/devices.
Released: 2014
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Buy "First Tape : 1993" here:
Bandcamp (pick your download format!)
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