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Phew! But if anyone is capable of following up on a statement like that it's ATOI's Richard Sun. One of the original pioneers of ambient room technologies in the San Francisco scene and a long-time spiritual devotee, magickal initiate, yogi, herbalist, and massage therapist, his personal presence -- never less than intense, sometimes bordering on the sonorous -- makes you want to nod your head at statements which from the mouths of less weighty individuals might elicit a smirk. If you don't agree with his perspective that Ôin thee imagination (specifically the magical imagination) lies thee world's salvation' -- you can at least admire his commitment. Ambient music, like concept rock before it, is known for recklessly flirting with high-falutin' concepts without really having any depth of knowledge beyond a quick glance at some hip books' sleeve notes. The ATOI was conceived the other way around. Before Richard was exposed to House music and met up with his classically trained music partner, Seofon, he was a musician dedicated to the spiritual, New Age-style lifestyle. In Ambient music Sun found an outlet which he believes can synergistically combine both.
'My first exposure to house was Toontown's Psychedelic Apocalypse back on New Year '92. I came up with Dan Mapes' Digital Media set-up to do the visuals and ended up selling herbal smart drinks. After seeing that event and having my mind blown by the energy of 7500 people partying and communicating in a new, open context, I moved up from Santa Cruz and have pretty much dedicated all my time since then to the concept of ATOI.' That dedication manifested itself as a series of unusual and experimental Ambient parties at different events which incorporated open-mic spoken word and a slew of live instrumentation; the ground-breaking Imagination event, back in September of '92 when the back room of Townsend was turned, for the first time, into a huge chill space, with mattresses and cushions stretching across the dance floor from wall to wall; and the creation of ceremonies at larger raves. If you saw the healing ceremony at Malachy's first benefit, the Native American ceremony at Cool World, or the Neo-Pagan ceremony at last year's Beltane, you've seen Richard's work.
The Mystery School CD is a culmination of that work and the beginning of a new phase. In its lush, layered textures you'll find a density and evocativeness that place it on a par with any Ambient CD that I've heard. Mystery School conjures rich astral landscapes that are in stark contrast to much of the synthesized minimalism that is becoming seriously overworked in the rest of the genre. They move from the spartan title track -- "Mystery School", reminiscent of Orbital's "Belfast" -- to the melodic "Magickal Child", effortlessly. ATOI use voices extensively, and sampled snippets of magickal consciousnesses like Israel Regardie, Aleister Crowley, Sai Baba, and Yogananda appear dotted throughout. 'A concept for a song will usually come to me in a dream state as a kind of mantra. Then it's just a question of putting all the pieces together on the physical place with Seofon. I meditate a lot because that's where I get my inspiration from.'
ATOI treat song creation as a two-way dialogue, often finding the songs will take on a life of their own. The impressive sonic landscapes are matched with excellent cover art, and I have a sneaking suspicion that ATOI's CD will get a lot of attention -- which is exactly what they hope. ATOI may not be to everyone's tastes, but they've convinced me that they're for real and don't mean anything less than what they say. If you are prepared for an (aromatic) blast of magickal indoctrination, check them out pronto. If not, well, you could be seriously missing out. ATOI will be crafting some more experimental environments soon, but most of their work is going to be in the studio. 12"s and another CD are on their way, along with a project by ATOI Seattle, a 'branch of the ATOI' featuring DJ Michael Manahan, called Integratron.
'ATOI is not just us. It's an umbrella concept under which we want to combine as many different projects as possible, all of which are seeking out limitations and defying them. The ATOI can include you, it can include me -- the important thing is not the personalities but the message.'
And the message is? 'Ritual -- the focus on public ceremonial exploration of magick and sound. A commitment to activate the world's imagination.'
(article & interview by Mark Heley for Clublife Magazine #2)