Ochre is part of a new form of tribal hypnotic electronic music evoking the spirits of the oldest of mysteries. Caves can be dangerous places. Fear starts because there is a total absence of light beyond the entrance. Cave systems comprise some of the last unexplored regions on Earth. Frore (a creative project of Paul Casper) & Shane Morris, have so far released on Spotted Peccary Music : Ochre (2023), Horizon (2021), Eclipse (2017), Blood Moon (2015), Shane Morris with Mystified has released Epoch, Evolution, and Emergence. Also recently (2023) there is a solo album by Frore that is titled Biome.

Some of the instruments used to create Ochre include analog, digital and modular synthesizers, frame drums, udu, gongs, shaker, and the chromatic flute. An udu is a plosive aerophone, a sort of pear shaped clay jug with a special hole in it, and is played by slapping one’s palm onto the udu. A frame drum is a drum that has a drumhead width greater than its depth and is possibly one of the most ancient musical instruments. The drumhead is stretched over a simple frame. The synergy between these two instruments, udu and frame drum, are some of the key dynamics to the unique sound of Ochre.

We are in a cave, flickering light from a burning torch reveals a pattern on the wall, a collection of symbols, a scene, a memory. The sound paints sweeping vistas for the listener, this album has a thicker presence than some of the previous albums from this duo, the percussion is taking on new more complicated directions, the two very different musicians fuse into a totally unique trance and drone sound, the frame drum takes us out into the wider cavern areas, ethno-ambient austerity traveling trance guys chanting in a big cave, with buzzing percussion while above us all a percussive melody weaves back and forth endlessly, and what more than what they paint in ochre remains.

The sound is slowly emerging from the cave to the surface, I hear wooden voices or grumbling. “From Spark to Flame” (8:52) will take you there, the drums bring order from out of the chaotic jungle and the light increases as the trance boogie gathers, just let it take you up there. Imagine breathing the air that has remained down here from so long ago, and the first who came exploring new areas and discovering “Formations” (5:54), the sustained drone tones that flow in and out flickering shadows on the cave walls as the tones catch and then fade. “Into the Dust” (11:29) expands the frame drum drama, the dancer’s circle rotates, extending time through all the changes. I can hear that the echo is deep, and I am helplessly swaying in the tempo. Now a slight metal sound which eventually forms a melodic pattern, all very sparse. “Hidden Meaning” (7:09) goes spiraling into the distances beyond. It takes you there.

With some barking drum beats, metal being tapped and allowed to reverberate, flute and sustained echos, ferric colors tingle through the atmosphere. The beat takes over and the fires burn providing precious light, “Ochre” (12:52) carries us all as the marchers climb the inside of the mountain. I hear a slow growling and ringing that leads into a cosmic abyss, I swear that we are flying somehow, because the air is so big. “Waiting for Eternity” (9:13) until the voices of the cavern dwellers creep into the atmosphere, what music they make!

Frore seeks to fuse technology with historic imagery and sound design. “It never gets old for me, to imagine how far back our ancestors go. The terror of life, but more importantly, the awe they must have felt observing the natural world around them.”

Mastered by Howard Givens at Spotted Peccary Studios PNW, Ochre is available for streaming and downloading, including high resolution studio master formats. The project’s images and layout were designed by Daniel Pipitone, Spotted Peccary Studios NE. Experience this digital new release, Ochre, now on your platform of choice: https://orcd.co/ochre-spm and at Bandcamp.

Tracklist:
1 From Spark to Flame
2 Formations
3 Into the Dust
4 Hidden Meaning
5 Ochre
6 Waiting for Eternity

Links:
Music Smartlink: https://orcd.co/ochre-spm
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/live/xnnVDh5k47Q?si=fj7Jo7b8L_UEL2DZ
Spotted Peccary Album Page: https://spottedpeccary.com/shop/ochre/
Bandcamp: https://frore-shanemorris.bandcamp.com/album/ochre
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spottedpeccary/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spottedpeccary

About Frore:
The music of Frore has been featured on the Hearts of Space radio show, the Star’s End radio show and is frequently played on Stillstream.com, the ambient radio channel among other outlets. Paul has a unique approach to ambient music, always seeking to fuse what he calls “primitive sounds” with current technology. Paul isn’t sure why he uses so many world fusion and tribal sounds in his Frore music project. As a child, he always wanted to discover lost indigenous tribes in the forest, loving the mystery and excitement surrounding such a concept. To Paul, his music makes him realize how nothing much changes with people, that music is a fundamental human impulse and an attempt to make sounds to “fight off the loneliness.”
https://www.facebook.com/Froremusic

About Shane Morris:
Shane Morris is a percussionist, synthesist, and composer of ambient electronic music. Inspired by nature, patterns, and systems, he shapes ethereal realms, polyrhythmic grooves, and tribal soundscapes using a variety of acoustic and electronic instruments, processing, hardware and software. A solo artist since 2008, Shane’s interests span most areas of the ambient genre from dark to light, space to melodic, beatless to beats. Shane is an avid live performer and improvisor playing regularly at City Skies and Electro-Music festivals, as well as numerous live internet performances. He also holds a BA in Anthropology and Music with an emphasis in “Trance” and has been playing music professionally for nearly 20 years. SHANEMORRISMUSIC.COM

About Spotted Peccary Music:
Portland-based Spotted Peccary Music is North America’s finest independent record label with a focus on deep, vast and introspective soundscapes. For over three decades, the artists of Spotted Peccary have been on a mission to develop, produce, publish and release ultra-high-quality, deep-listening experiences that engage the listener and exceed expectations. Every release is carefully prepared in a variety of high-quality formats from MP3 to high-res studio masters. In 2023, they were named Best Independent Record Label by the HIMAwards. Explore more than 200 titles and 50 artists released over 38 years of excellence at SpottedPeccary.com and AmbientElectronic.com.