Fourth World, Vol. 1: Possible Musics
Released
Throughout his recording career, Jon Hassell made music that sounded like no one else’s. It was as if he was broadcasting from a foreign country that doesn’t exist, one characterized by rhythms and textures that a Western ear might hear as “tribal,” but coming from a tribe with really advanced technology. His tendency to apply electronic treatments to his trumpet that created dense clouds of parallel harmonies that sound beautiful but also kind of queasy, and the pervasive sound of bugs and water and drums create a truly eerie sonic backdrop.