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Guest
artist ~ Myristica
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 Asher
writes:Mei-Ling Grey
recording as
Myristica creates delicate, spacious, magical musical vignettes that
somehow manage to be both simple and natural, and yet complex and
subtle at the same time. I like the timeless, wistful, 'natural child'
quality in her compositions, the plaintive melodies that reach for joy
but sometimes hint at sorrow, the great poise and integrity in her
textures and arrangements and the charm, beauty and balance inherent in
her soulful musical expressions. There
is a fragile, faraway playfulness in her music, as she succeeds in
bringing the rarified celestial dimensions a little closer to earth...
building a bridge to the stars and the heavenly bodies, and all the
radiance and higher feeling that they symbolise.
These
pieces are reflective and meditative... deeply relaxing and soothing. I
listen in my car, I recommend them for healing and meditation
workshops, and I know mother and children love their beguiling sense of
calm. They are also great chillout pieces... harmonisingly ambient!
Myristica creates music to nurture the emotional heart.
Mei-ling
introduced herself to me last year, knowing and liking my albums and
also those of Anthony Phillips, co-founder of
Genesis... my mentor and early producer. As soon as I heard her pieces
I knew I had met a kindred spirit, a fellow composer who plays the
piano from the heart, and who seeks to heal her own heart through the
power of music, and to reach out to others in this way, so I am very
proud and delighted to introduce Myristica here as a
guest artist!
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"There is an
energy in your music and rhythms that allows for an
opening between the worlds!"
~ George Pascanu, Romania |
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Autobiography
"Music
has been in my life from as early as I can remember. My
father always had something playing in the background. I grew up with
the sounds of Ennio Morricone, The Tornados, The Beach Boys, Chris
Rea,
Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Elvis, ELO, Andrew Lloyd-Weber, Paul and Barry
Ryan, The Righteous Brothers to name but a few.
I had the great pleasure of discovering the piano in 1979, aged three,
during a visit to a friend of my mother. I saw their polished piano
standing there in the front room and was immediately drawn to it. I
instantly fell in love with the sounds that surrounded my ears as I
gently tapped the keys. From that day forward I have been mesmerised by
the piano and the beautiful sound it creates. I remember sneaking into
the assembly halls at Primary and Secondary School, where the
piano always lived, and played quietly to myself, hoping I wouldn't get
caught although it was worth the risk. We didn't have a piano at home
so ten crafty minutes on the school piano were precious!
I began writing music (by ear) the day I received a little electronic
Casio PT-20 organ one Christmas, from my parents. I cherished being
able to hear it whenever I switched it on. I was always so disappointed
when the batteries ran out. It would take days, if not weeks, for my
mother to replace them. Those days seemed very long and drawn out and I
felt like a lost soul until my little keyboard had power again. For me
it was like opening a door into a new world every time I played it.
I started recording my first demo's at the age of twelve, when I got an
upgrade to a synthesizer and discovered the joys of producing
electronic music. My parents responded to my passion for writing music
and fuelled that fire by encouraging me to study music and take part in
'Music on a Summer's Evening' concerts at secondary school. I got my
first taste of performing aged thirteen, whilst playing my
first
completed song 'Time goes by' in front of 400 parents. I loved every
minute, from writing the music and lyrics, to auditioning, rigging up
the
keyboard and performing. I joined one or two rock bands at the same
time. It didn't last long as there wasn't really a need for a synth
player, especially with the covers they chose. I was thrown out after
failing to attend rehearsals and decided to go solo from there on. I
eventually moved into home editing using software such as FastTracker2,
at the same time the World Wide Web became visible in everyone's homes.
A
new world of music opened up in front of me and I was able to access
great sounds to play with. I would burn the midnight oil perfecting
three-minute tracks, and then upload them to my website to share with
fellow
composers. I joined one or two internet-based music groups and from
them I expanded my knowledge of how to generate new soundscapes.
I then took a break from composing to devote my time to my children and
soak
up the surroundings of the beautiful Sussex countryside where I still
reside.
I have now returned to the wonderful world of writing music with
different ears from the ones I used ten years ago. My tastes in music
have varied over that time but now I relate to music that helps heal
and
soothe the heart, which is where my new sounds come from. I surround
myself and my soul with the sounds of Asher Quinn, Anthony Phillips,
Brian and Roger Eno, Enya, and a plethora of film composers including
John Murphy, Ennio Morricone, James Newton Howard, Rachel Portman and
Yann Tiersen.
My real name is Mei-Ling Grey. In musical circles I go by the name of
Myristica, which is the name of a tropical Asian evergreen tree. The
Myristica Fragrans is cultivated for the aromatic seed it produces -
nutmeg. This is my favourite spice especially when sprinkled on warm
rice pudding. Utter comfort food. It's like a hug in a bowl! I love
music that creates the same effect and I hope that when you hear my
music you will feel as if you've been hugged or wrapped up in a warm
musical blanket!
Nowadays my intuitive music is influenced by the sun, moon and stars,
life, love, the universe and all the simple things that fill my heart
with peace."
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