Son Of Chi: We Carry Eden

‘Son Of Chi’ is the latest project of Rotterdam-based multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer Hanyo van Oosterom. Van Oosterom’s prolific career spans multiple decades and genres; among countless projects he has been involved in, he is known for founding the Dutch ambient collective CHI in the early eighties, and in recent years for his prolific collaboration with CHI co-founder Jacobus Derwort as ‘Chi Factory’. Following Derwort’s passing in 2019, van Oosterom decided to close the CHI circle with the birth of ‘Son Of Chi’.

‘We Carry Eden’ represents the culmination of diverse artistic contributions and a deep connection to ancient storytelling traditions. Van Oosterom’s long-time collaborator Omar Ka plays a central role; hailing from the West African nomadic Fulani tradition of storytelling, Ka’s voice is woven throughout the album, responding to the collage of field recordings and sounds collected by van Oosterom.

Van Oosterom and Ka’s musical partnership dates back to 1996, working and recording together on multiple projects in addition to performing and collaborating with the likes of Jon Hassell, Kain the Poet, Tony Allen, Ursula Rucker and Anthony Joseph. The pair have a deep creative connection and musical understanding. Upon hearing the initial sketches, Omar remarked, “All these random voices from different places-the birds, the goats, the children, the women, the Elders-they comfort and inspire me; they make me feel like I’m back home in my village in the desert. Somehow, all together, they seem to tell a story.”
Allowing meaning to unfold in unexpected mysterious ways, the creation of a narrative from collage is described by van Oosterom as a form of ‘dreamcatching’; in the words of American poet, artist and spiritual seeker Robert Lax (1915- 2000), who’s voice opens and closes ‘We Carry Eden’, its a way of putting yourself “in a place where grace can flow to you”.

In the overdubs, Omar responds to, the stories and translates the English fragments, including the testimony of Fountain Hughes from the documentary ‘Voices from the Days of Slavery’ (Library of Congress). Van Oosterom also integrates the voices of Hopi Elders, Sufi prayers, Fulani violins by Issa Sow and the words of Robert Lax. Lax’s quotes are taken from the chamber film featuring Robert Lax on Patmos, Greece, titled “Why Should I Buy a Bed When All That I Want Is Sleep” by Nicolas Humbert and Werner Penzel (1999).

The Greek Island of Patmos is an ongoing source of inspiration for van Oosterom, and its spirit breathes throughout ‘We Carry Eden’, not only in the quotes from Lax (who settled there) but also through field recordings made on the island, recorded around and inside the silent, simple, and inspiring house of Lax, still well taken care of by van Oosterom’s good Patmian friends Nikos Eliou and Ulf Knaus.

“We Carry Eden is inspired by all truthseekers, dream catchers, poets, mystics, artists and messengers of peace and love from all times and cultures from around the world, known and unknown. It is intended as a peaceful message of beauty, harmony and respect for the wisdom of the Elders and ancient traditions, that can hopefully inspire and comfort us in these dark times we live in. It is also dedicated to the women and children of this world. Their voices are all around these recordings. They represent the true power behind, around and within any creation. One love!” – Hanyo van Oosterom

“We must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of the river. Keep your eyes open, and your head above water. And I say; See who is in there with you, hold fast to them and celebrate. The time for the lone wolf is over. We are the ones we have been waiting for. From a Hopi prayer by Thomas Banyacya, speaker unknown.