Three Grammy Nominations and Millions of Fans Worldwide Say It All!
Look back at the first 20 years of David Arkenstones career and youll find his music being influenced by every dimension of his personality: the contemporary-progressive musician; the ethnomusicologist; the Sibelius disciple; the internal time-traveler, and the deep-space dreamer.
Arkenstone has always been inspired by the process of blending technology and music to create a multimedia fusion for producing amazing sounds. By working with state-of-the-art technology David combines the highest quality electronic samples with acoustic instruments played by the finest musicians including David himself. The textures come together and form a unique sonic blend that is in high demand in todays modern television, film, commercial, and video game scores.
Technology has produced some wonderful tools for making music. The computer allows me to fully orchestrate my pieces and really fine tune them. I have always loved the sound of the orchestra, and now I believe I have refined a wonderful blend combining the best elements of the acoustic world, with the electronic world, states David.
Arkenstone has established himself as one of the best contemporary-instrumental musicians of our time. By combining the musical styles of classical, world, classic rock, and new age, he continues to create distinctive tracks that set him a part from other composers. The release of his debut recording, Valley In The Clouds, in 1987 was described by one reviewer as one of the most exquisite electronic new age recordings ever produced. Valley In The Clouds launched Arkenstones career and yielded him three Grammy Award nominations, 16 solo recordings, and over 1 million records sold.
While he is primarily a keyboardist, his skill on guitar, flute, percussion, and many other instruments, has allowed David to explore a variety of sonic textures on his recordings. His versatility is showcased in the interstellar majesties of two albums in particular; In The Wake of The Wind and Quest of The Dream Warrior. From here David went on to record the traditional power and mystery of The Celtic Book of Days released in 1998, followed by the beautifully vivid sounds of Caravan of Light in 2000.
A writer once noted that if a persons imagination could earn frequent-flyer mileage, Arkenstone would have already earned a couple of round trips to Saturn. A love for travel and adventure is just something thats embedded in my personality, says Arkenstone. Sometimes I get the feeling that Im painting as much as Im composing. I tend to envision a place where I would like to go, or an adventure I would like to take, and I let my mind run free. Ive gotten countless e-mail messages from listeners who love to take these journeys with me. Im sometimes surprised by how powerfully people respond to my music.
Of his many musical excursions into imagined lands, it seems only natural that Atlantis be on Davids current horizon. Atlantis: A Symphonic Journey is Davids most recent CD and it was released September of 2004. This music is my tribute to the majesty and mystery of the great civilization of Atlantis. Inspired by the spirit of peace and enlightenment that surrounded its inhabitants, Arkenstone has created a rich and opulent sonic picture of this forgotten land, evoking mystery and enchantment by incorporating exotic soundscapes of voice, instrumentation, and melody.
David Arkenstone continues to compose, imagine, create, and execute some of the most unique musical orchestrations in the industry today. He has a unique flair for providing appropriate and evocative music for any on-screen situation. His blend of world music and writing for the full orchestra has proven a winning combination with millions of fans around the world.
