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Jonathan Widran

DEBORAH MARTIN/CHERYL GALLAGHER, Tibet (20th Anniversary Remaster)

For veteran Spotted Peccary artists, composers, multi-instrumentalists and sonic visionaries Deborah Martin and Cheryl Gallagher, the release of Tibet (20th Anniversary Remaster) gloriously disproves the old adage (and title of Thomas Wolfe’s 1940 autobiographical fiction book) You Can’t Go Home Again. Two decades after a lifechanging visit to the storied historical region inspired the original version of their masterful dual album, this completely remastered and remixed (for Dolby Atmos and Spatial audio) version takes their intricate ambiences, sonic tapestries and exotic details to a higher level.


While that can be said of most recordings enhanced by these current technologies, the elevated vibe here – masterminded by Atmos mix engineer Todd Boston – allowed the duo to present their sweeping, multi-faceted musical reflection of their experiences in an immersive way they envisioned when they released the original Tibet album in 2003. From the beginning, their goal was a totally immersive experience being in the land above the clouds.


According to Encyclopedia Brittanica, Mount Everest’s most common Tibetan name means “Goddess Mother of the World” or “Goddess of the Valley.” The Sanskrit name Sagarmatha literally means “Peak of Heaven. Boston’s incredible work began by reconstructing each track’s hand percussion, shakers, drums, bowls, harp, synth elements, live recordings, atmospherics. He then remixed it all for the Atmos immersive space. The result are eight expansive pieces which feel both earthy and divine, an homage to both Tibet’s geographic closeness to the sky and spiritual energy that has long felt like heaven on earth.


To fully appreciate the importance and majestic nature of this special re-release, Deborah and Cheryl offer us some insightful quotes. As stated on her dedicated artist page, Deborah’s passion is to visualize and create music that takes each listener on a journey through time and space. “I simply close my eyes and imagine what it would have been like to exist in another time, another place, and the music comes.” About Tibet she says, “In listening to the remastered and Atmos versions of this very special project, I realized that the music not only transported me back to the land and peoples, but it instilled in me the fact that I never really left.”



Cheryl adds, “Tibet was then and remains a transcendent experience of remarkable personal growth and creative expression, an unforgettable experience of fire and ice, seamlessly combining the hellish uncertainty of life in Tibet with unfettered light filled bliss of said life in equal measures. It’s been such a joy to revisit this unique music project, participating in evolving it into the magnificence of our original vision to the full blossoming of its true auditory potential.


The truly mesmerizing, peaceful and meditational yet wildly provocative effect of Tibet (20th Anniversary Remaster) is probably most meaningfully experienced as a end to end, 56 minute immersion from the soul-jarring, tribal, exotic and ominous (and sometimes gently quiet!) “Palace” to the intense, soaring, “wind” and chant filled “Procession.”


Still, there are fascinating entry points for those looking for individual tracks for an ambient playlist.

The soothing, dreamy, elegantly expressed “Glacier” is the duo’s clever musical response to the thrilling feeling Deborah felt viewing Mount Everest from the plane as they headed towards Tibet. “With my head in the clouds,” she says, “I wondered, What would a glacier slowly traversing downward from a mountaintop sound like?”



The heart of the collection allows us listeners to arise to the inviting experience of “Morning In Tibet,” with the sparkling chimes of the sunrise followed by exotic choral chants welcoming the duo to this beautiful land. The track’s ambience is filled with wonder, curiosity and mystery, like a soundtrack to their early explorations of this ancient realm. The haunting, easy flowing tracks “Essence” and “Seeker and Sought” are mostly powerful walls of ambient sound of varying intensities and with subtle Eastern instrumentation, allowing for introspection on the general themes of the song titles.


The other two tracks touch on two actual locations they visited. First is “Leaving Shigatze,” with exciting Camac electric harp (Cheryl) and Tibetan bowls and bells (Deborah) and other sounds floating above the seductive soundscape, bringing us to this city that corresponds to the historical U-Tsang region of Tibet. Finally, they take us to Eklabhatti, a settlement on the road to Muktinath, an ancient Vishnu temple located in Mustang, Nepal. This piece starts with a bit of wind driven cacophony before the gentle, then sweeping ambiences rush in to make the path and the eternal minded quest clearer.


If you’ve been a fan of ambient music this entire century and fondly remember the original release of Tibet 21 years ago, please do yourself a favor and allow yourself to immerse in the ultimate immersion of this remastered version. If Tibet (and by extension, Deborah and Cheryl) are new on your radar, Tibet (20th Anniversary Remaster) is a great place to introduce yourself to them, the magic of what they’ve accomplished together, and then start exploring their extensive discographies.

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