The Garden of Mirrors

Stephan Micus is an eclectic performer. He builds esoteric walls of sound with offbeat ethnic instruments and devices. The Garden of Mirrors is a set of gentle pieces constructed largely around acoustic sounds and simple percussion. Wordless chants carry the strange atmospheres to the edges of reality. At those distant points Micus shines. Such is the stature of an experimental artist. Just when Micus seems to be as far out as he can go, he stretches the limits some more. These delightful soundscapes waver between world fusion and avant-garde. There is not a lot of dissonance. This disc will appeal to fans of Terry Riley, Alvin Curran, Polly Moller, and Jocelyn Pook.