It’s the summer of 2016 and there are, as always, major events going on in the world. Negativity is at an all-time high in the news media and it appears that frustration is driving the populace to the brink of post-industrial insanity, causing one to think, surely nobody really wants to live an apocalyptic nightmare. It’s like, one hundred degrees of crazy out here.

With this in mind, a week after the release of his contemporary, ambient EP and audio-visual project, Contemplating: Sound For Mind And Body, Junie Morrison decides that it’s time to take the idea of soothing, perhaps healing music, to another level.

As Morrison puts it, “I wanted to conceptualize an escape from the tensions and atmospheric pollution, even if it’s only a temporary psycho-acoustical one.”

Donning his BoyInSea persona once more, in order to re-establish calm both in his own mind and in the air around him, Morrison sits down at his recently purchased Roli Seaboard to cut a new album. Aided by his trusty Korg Minilogue, his hardy Push 2 and a crap-load of modular synths, he spends the next few weeks composing an album reminiscent of African Spirit Music infused with a distinctively futuristic vibe entitled, Abstractia.

Morrison says, “My thought is that, it’s okay to have positive thoughts. A positive vibe is just that, it doesn’t have to be comedic or silly, it can be serious and profound. Musicians, if they choose to, can drive a tonal wedge though the noisome pestilence; the stench that often accompanies our contemporary societal lifestyles, before it’s able to feedback on itself. Because, part of the problem in our society is the feedback loop. Once we get caught in that loop, it’s almost impossible to find a way out. At times like these, we need a pause, a moment to stop and consider where we’re going, maybe check out the direction we’re pointed in, and make a decision that’s best for us, personally. Music with a positive tonal structure provides us with the opportunity to create a platform that we can use as a springboard into visualizations which, if used correctly, will bring us closer to clearer thoughts. Once there, we have access to a kind of clarity that helps us logic things out.”

These ideas are definitely reflected in this project. Morrison has conceptualized an even deeper afrofuturistic vibe with his latest BoyInSea offering. He has drawn on tribal influences from around the world, both ancient and progressive and has recreated them on Abstractia, weaving them into intricate patterns throughout his melodies. Let’s face it, Morrison has created a new world here, a world in which you can sense the magical presence of nature; the elements of water, fire, air, earth, and where haunting voices call out to you from a distance, chanting their messages of peace and tranquility. The tracks are beautifully arranged, abstract at times, all the while communicating with you through zen-like meditative tones and atmospheric highs and lows, even animal sounds, some of which are reminiscent of whale song, echoing over squishy beats, funky bass-lines and slippery synths. Abstractia is harmonic bliss, it is music for the soul.

Released on his indie imprint, JunieFunk Recordings, Junie Morrison presents you with the first two tracks from his latest BoyInSea release Abstractia, as an A/B Flip; the title track, Abstractia and Shaker Song.

– Anna B. Sheriff

Buy Abstractia on Bandcamp