Koyaanisqatsi.......... Music to life out of balance
Written: Sep 05 '02 (Updated Mar 31 '07)
Product Rating:
Pros: Richly textured music that ebbs and flows.
Cons: --
The Bottom Line: Koyaanisqatsi is part one of a trilogy. This work is slightly more ambient than his later work, Powaqqatsi. Naqoyqatsi will be coming out soon.
soothsayer's Full Review: Koyaanisqatsi by Original Soundtrack
If memories could be translated into sound, it would sound like Philip Glass’ music. Richly textured music that ebbs and flows, and meant to be experienced rather than dissected. If you had to accurately describe the music, you can say that it is composed of many repetitive notes, melodies, and samples all delicately layered one on top of another by electronic keyboards to create something alive and exciting.
Koyaanisqatsi is part one of a trilogy directed by Godfrey Reggio. The title, "life out of balance" in Hopi, is a non-narrative statement on the impact the industrialized world has on the Earth. Powaqqatsi "life in (negative) transformation" is Reggio’s second film. The music for Powaqqatsi is just as rich, but more lyrical, and incorporates various ethnic elements. The third film, Naqoyqatsi "civilized violence", will be released in theaters on October 18, 2002, check out www.koyaanisqatsi.org for release info, and live performances (I think, but not certain, that means Philip Glass will be performing the music alongside the film.) The DVDs of Koyaanisqatsi and Powaqatsi will be released on September 17, 2002.
Please note, I have not seen any of the films, but reading through brief snippets on the Net, I can understand why some tracks on the soundtrack are named that way, e.g., Pruit-Igoe, or Cloudscapes. But some track names I have no clue as to their reference. Please forgive any ignorance on my part, and leave comments if you seen the movie and can elaborate.
The opening notes to Koyaanisqatsi are quite dark, and ominous. Deep-throated men chanting in a whisper like voice, "Koyaanisqatsi" to the low rumbling suboctave notes of a pipe organ. A simple, yet stately melody played on flute pipes of the organ soon joins in to lessen the plague-festering feel of the music.
Dark evil abates in Vessels with a heavenly chorus of voices that pulsate richly in a style that is signature Philip Glass. Some electronic keyboard arpeggios join in to complement the voices. The music is haunting, yet optimistic feeling, like the ray of sunlight that appears when it rains.
In the film, Cloudscape takes the viewer on a journey through the clouds. The music is dreamy, like clouds themselves. Trumpets add richness to the sound otherwise it would be a boring dream.
Pruitt-Igoe was a name of public housing project built in the 1955 in St. Louis. At the time, it was hailed as a symbol of urban renewal, but instead, it became the very symbol of urban decay, and was subsequently demolished on July 15, 1972. Incidentally, the architect who designed Pruitt Igoe was the same one who designed the World Trade Center, Minoru Yamasaki.
The music for this segment of the film Pruit Igoe is very dramatic. Violins simmer restlessly like storm clouds coalescing in the sky. The music is almost hypnotic. Then suddenly, like the crack of thunder, the music explodes in a torrent of pulsating woodwinds, chorus, and keyboards. This musical section reminds me of the score the Alloy Orchestra once composed for the film Metropolis; it has that suspenseful cinematic quality to it. This music is also part of the soundtrack to Grand Theft Auto IV: Liberty City.
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The Grid is a lengthy piece with keyboards, choir, trumpet and other samples to create a richly textured mosaic of sound. The music is soaring, and almost magical, as if you just discovered something wonderful--like winning the lottery, or the successful synthesis of an elusive drug.
It is fitting that Koyaanisqatsi ends where it begins again in Prophecies. The piece reminds me of Jormungand, the Midgard serpent of Norse mythology-- the snake biting its own tail coiled around the earth in a death grip. Instead of the dark sinster sounding suboctave notes of pipe organ as heard in the beginning of the Koyaanisqatsi, the music conveys a mood of cautious optimism through a simple ascending 4-note melody repeated on pipe organ (flute, woodwind pipes). The mood quickly turns dark and somber when the melody changes to minor key, and the deep-throated chants of “Koyaanisqatsi” are heard whispering quietly again.
Other Info:
There are two versions of the Koyaanisqatsi soundtrack. The first is the original soundtrack. The other is a re-recorded version with previously unreleased material, i.e., one extra track.
Great Music to Play While: Daydreaming, Tantric sex, etc.
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