Ambient 3: Day Of Radiance came to fruition after Brian Eno discovered Laraaji (aka Edward Larry Gordon) playing an electronically modified zither in New York’s Washington Square Park for pocket money. (This was around the time Eno was curating the essential No New York comp.) At that point, Laraaji already had released two LPs on micro indie labels, but Day Of Radiance substantially elevated his profile, thanks in part to it appearing on Eno‘s legendary Ambient series and being produced by the great anti-musician/theorist himself. Issuing this all-time classic has been one of Bri’s wisest decisions in a career full of them.
You can hear hints of Day Of Radiance on the 24-minute “All Pervading” from Laraaji’s excellent 1978 debut album, Celestial Vibration. For Ambient 3, Laraaji—now 82 and still going strong—recorded five tracks totaling nearly 50 minutes: three titled “The Dance” and two “Meditation.” “The Dance #1” possesses some of the most chakra-tingling and, yes, radiant timbres ever generated. Its undulating stream of electric 36-stringed, open-tuned zither and hammered dulcimer tintinnabulate like the universe’s most sanguine ringtone. “The Dance #2” offers a slight variation on “The Dance #1.” The hammering of the dulcimer sounds a bit more emphatic, almost like tambourine slaps. The track’s akin to New Age gamelan, a perpetual glee machine of unwavering beauty. Relatively concise at 3:20, “The Dance #3” is more monochromatic than the previous two pieces and chugs like a train running through a gamut of gongs. It must be acknowledged that Eno’s production here is brilliant, in all senses of the word.
Unsurprisingly, the “Meditation” tracks are more tranquil, and so beatific, they can almost nullify the ill effects of reading the news in 2026. The nearly 19-minute “Meditation #1” and the much shorter “Meditation #2” bestow a delicate, fluttery beauty; they feel like being caressed by angel wings or like bathing in a lavender-scented mist and then being swaddled in a terry-cloth onesie while a benevolent deity ushers you to Heaven’s VIP section. What I’m trying to say is, these tracks might be epitome of sonic peace, for which Laraaji and Eno should’ve won a Nobel Prize.
Count your blessings—Day Of Radiance is some inexpensive, efficacious health care in the guise of music. No home should be without it. -Buckley Mayfield
Located in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood, Jive Time is always looking to buy your unwanted records (provided they are in good condition) or offer credit for trade. We also buy record collections.
