NADES AND THEIR SUBSEQUENT MEANINGS

A tribute to Eyvind Kang

Eyvind Kang is an American composer born in Oregon State, 1971. His distinct sound includes elements of Punk, Jazz and Classical, as well as Traditional Folk Music. It would appear that Kang's individualistic style has forced him to invent new musical terminologies to apply to his work. In place of the traditional term for a classical 'movement' or 'piece', Kang substitutes the word NADE. The enigmatic quality of the word resonates with the over-all aesthetic of his music. But what exactly is a NADE? Kang himself refuses to comment on its meaning, so we are forced to speculate.

A list of works which include the word NADE in their titles is as follows; "Theme from the first NADE", "5th NADE/Invisible Man", "Theme from the sixth NADE" (all three from the debut album 7 NADEs, 1996); "Jewel of the NADE", "Mystic NADE" (both from Theater of Mineral NADEs, 1998) and "Harbour of the NADE" (Virginal Co-ordinates, 2003).

As we can see, Kang's first album was called 7 NADES. There are purported to be 7 chakras in the human body, these chakras are joined up by subtle channels, called nadis. I believe that Kang's compositions are musical interpretations of these energy centres, and that NADE is a variation of the Sanskrit nadi.

In any case, his music is certainly awe-inspiring. On the album Virginal Co-ordinates, that he released with Mike Patton – on Patton's label – we hear a song that is both beautiful and haunting. To me it is the sound the Gods use to sing the Universe into being. It is at once a powerfully driven and regrettably sad piece of work; it is the Innocent Eye Crystal See;