ekstasis by mark cook steven leak

This is our second album of soundscapes.

the music for “ekstasis” followed very shortly on the heels of our previous album of soundscapes. in 2023, Mark sent me a lot of music comprised of Warrguitar phrases, some solos, and bits of percussion and synthwork.
I had carte blanche with whatever he sent, and I had developed something of a comfort level working with Mark’s music. So I cut and paste, reversed, added treatments of all kinds and layered the results so as to construct the five pieces of music you get to hear on “ekstasis”.

The music on ekstasis carries a lot of "weight" in that I think it opens out sonically, so much of the expression of Mark and my experience of living in this time. How very hard it is, and also how it is so very necessary for each of us to bring our own experiences and expressions of the human condition to bear on this world.

My hope in rebuilding and remixing Mark's music is to afford listeners the chance to feel the golden thread of hope that is always present even in the most unlikely and challenging of times . . . .

It’s very powerful to have a musician of the stature of Mark open himself up creatively to allow this sort of project to unfold. It’s a really magical experience that I believe further opened both of us musically….

As I’m writing this, i'm listening to track 1 of ekstasis entitled "the dark, the flowered way". I'm hopeful that both the title and the music point to the journey that this music suggests of passing through a dark time in which the flowers of hope and goodness are still very much present.

steven

"This electrifying unit translucently morphs the days of prog-rock yore with an ultramodern scope." All About Jazz

Herd of Instinct is a progressive rock band based in Texas. The band has released six albums on Djam Karet's Firepool Records.

herdofinstinct.wixsite.com