Jesse Maddox is an American composer and sound artist who has spent two decades writing, studying and performing music. Jesse initially recorded under another experimental moniker, Lying On Ice, but he has become known internationally for a unique blend of experimental world music and ambient recordings released under his Lessons From The Dreamtime name.
An early interest in musical and cultural differences set Jesse on a journey to collect and play as many interesting instruments as he could find. Amassed in his Colorado studio is an amazing collection of instruments from the world over. One glance around the room and it would be difficult to count how many percussion, wind, and string instruments there are. Even if you successfully completed a list, it would not take into account his collection of pianos, organs, a small collection of gongs, and his collection of classic synths. With all of those instruments at hand, Jesse developed an ear for multi-layered tracks, so thick with texture and depth, each time you listen to a Dreamtime album it reveals multiple layers hiding new melodies originating from instruments found from all the corners of the Earth.
Lessons From The Dreamtime has seen a varied list of collaborators including: the renowned bass player Tony Levin; acclaimed percussionist Alex Acuna; multi-instrumentalists Brahim Fribgane and Shoji Kameda; world music cellist Rufus Cappadocia; vocalist Kendall Flores; and influential musician/producer Rhys Fulber. Lessons From the Dreamtime’s has a range of music that varies from minimally prepared piano to dozens of percussion tracks all mixed underneath a blanket of ambient or modern orchestral instruments, with the occasional driving synth line or electronic drum track that he records live from an e-drum set.
Taking inspiration from Tim Hecker, A Winged Victory for the Sullen, Nils Frahm, Olafar Arnalds, Max Richter, and music from Peter Gabriel’s Real World Records, each Lessons From the Dreamtime album deserves a thorough listen from start to finish in the way concept albums were intended to be heard.
