alternative music

     Ray Lynch is one of the top-selling "alternative music" composers, with album sales in excess of 2 million copies worldwide without the benefit of performing. But limiting Lynch to a single category may be a mistake. Over the past 15 years the classically trained, multi-talented musician has crafted a sound and style that transcend the narrow limits of the genre. Many of Lynch's most ardent fans do not classify themselves as "alternative" music buffs, but leafing through the unending stream of his fan mail, one finds letters from all walks of life. A trucker in Ohio insists " Deep Breakfast " is just the thing for soothing the rigors of the long haul, a judge from the Circuit Court in Indiana states that " Deep Breakfast " is thoroughly enjoyable and refreshing, a clergyman in Vermont says the album " No Blue Thing " is a constant companion.

     The ever-popular "Deep Breakfast" , an alternative music classic and New Age music's first independently released Gold album is a great example of an alternative album. A classically trained guitarist and lutenist specializing in early and Renaissance music, Ray Lynch was one of the first serious classical musicians to embrace the use of alternative music technologies, pioneering their application in combination with a full range of acoustic instruments, to create melodic, highly emotional musical recordings. Ray Lynch has created a unique blend in his music, having mastered both the Alternative / New Age and the Classical realms.

Though he's one of the most influential artists in "new-age pop" and adult-alternative circles, Lynch has extensive formal music training . . .. Growing numbers of listeners seem attracted to his vibrant electronic textures and heartrending melodies.

Linda Kohanov, All Music Guide

Ray Lynch comments on his own brand of alternative music: "I simply try to produce music which is well made, moves me (and hopefully others), and somehow reflects 'the intelligence of the heart' ".

It was ten years ago and I was just nodding off to sleep when a New Age station in Chicago played " Celestial Soda Pop ." I didn't sleep at all that night for all the wonderful imagery it conjured up; I hadn't heard anything so rhythmically and melodically clean and subtle and 'alive' on the radio. I listened in vain for the credits to the song afterwards; there were none and I figured it was just a chance meeting, never to be repeated. The music lingered in my mind, though, and I found myself listening everywhere for it, humming whatever I could remember of it, and imagining what I couldn't hum. Anyone who's ever met and then lost an intriguing acquaintance knows what this feels like.

David Bowden, Writer

quintessential alternative music. Not many alternative music albums can state that they have sold in excess of 168,000 copies, but Ray Lynch's first commercially released album, written in 1983, has done exactly that and is alternative music at its best. The mood is meditative and soothing, with rich, evocative strings accented by soft Tibetan bells. Distributed and promoted by word of mouth alone, this album was an underground success, and was actively promoted by such indie / alternative music channels as the long-running nationally syndicated radio program "Music from the Hearts of Space". It is still widely used for meditation, relaxation, and all healing therapies. Featuring flute, piano, guitar, recorders, cello, and keyboards. Ray, commenting on The Sky Of Mind :

The Sky of Mind (1983) was created after I realized that there was a small (but robust and growing) alternative market for something called "new age" music. I wasn't sure what that was, but SKY seemed to fit in okay. Aside from the fairly obvious "classical" connections, this album was influenced to some extent by the ambient music which began to appear in the late 70's (especially Brian Eno's work) . . .. Of my five albums, SKY probably fits most comfortably into the assumptions that are made about so-called "new age" music. However, I think that those who respond to it do so not because it is "laid back" or "meditative", but rather because they can feel both the devotional and the melancholy qualities that were so much a part of my life at this time.

This masterful alternative music album offers a musical depth, structural sophistication and emotional richness that summarizes Ray's classical background. It marks the completion of a major phase of his artistic work. " The Vanished Gardens of Córdoba ", the most orchestral piece Ray has done, expresses the majesty and the melancholy of incarnation, the paradox of human existence with both the promise of possible transcendence and inevitable mortality. Passionate and stirring melodies with members of the San Francisco Symphony on flute, English horn, oboe, solo strings, guitars, piano, brass, and his trademark richly textured keyboards.

free alternative mp3 download:
The Vanished Gardens of Córdoba (complete track)   

the alternative music album
Nothing Above My Shoulders but the Evening

more info: about this alternative music CD and more free alternative mp3s