New Age Doom is a platform for experimentation and collaboration that attracts music fanatics from all sorts of backgrounds. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the lineup featured on the band’s latest album, Himalayan Dream Techno, released December 11, 2020 on We Are Busy Bodies. Here is a look at a few of the eclectic influences that have inspired the band.

Lee Scratch Perry & The Upsetters – Blackboard Jungle Dub (1973)

Through his pioneering work on dub reggae music, Lee Scratch Perry showed that reverb tanks, tape echo units and the mixing board itself can be bona fide musical instruments in their own right, opening new worlds of experimentation and expression. Dub was also likely many peoples’ first exposure to the singular joys of analog and tape delay noise – those runaway repeats that fold in on themselves to create new textures and sonic spaces. 

MONO – After You Comes the Flood (2018) 

It’s no secret we’re massive post-rock fans. Shortly after starting New Age Doom, we attended a MONO show in Vancouver, which helped set the tone for our collaboration. Importantly, this was MONO’s first tour with new drummer Dahm Majuri Cipolla, an incredibly talented multi-instrumentalist who brought a new intensity to the group, as exemplified beautifully on this track from the band’s 2018 album.  

Monks from Khampagar Monastery – Mahakala Sadhana: Dag-kye (1973)  

Discovering Tibetan Buddhist ritual music completely changed my perspective on music – I wasn’t hearing a “band” playing “songs,” but monks dedicating offerings of pure sound to wrathful protector spirits. And what a sound! The aesthetic impact of the Tibetan ritual orchestra – with its droning bass horns, piercing shawms, crashing cymbals, bells, gongs, bass drums and whirling drums – cannot be denied. – GV 

King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard – Nuclear Fusion (2017)

These Aussie rockers weren’t the first band to incorporate quarter tones (Turkish bands beat everyone to it in the 60s and 70s) but King Gizzard certainly helped increase the visibility and appreciation of alternative intonation systems in the late 2010, so massive props to them for that. This stand-out track from their 2017 album Flying Microtonal Banana pays homage to Turkish bands like Beybonlar (check out the 1972 single “Nenni” to see what I mean) and the catchiness makes it easier for uninitiated ears to get used to the flavour of 24-tone equal temperament, which is one of the same tuning systems I use in New Age Doom. – GV  

Anunnaki – Procession To Apocalypse (2019)

What could be better than 10 minutes of synths and drums? 15 minutes of synths and drums. Dave Read from Anunnaki is the one who pushed me to start my own solo synth project, Cola Wars so thanks Dave! – GM

Popul Vuh – Vuh (1971) 

Best known for their many collaborations with legendary director Werner Herzog, Popul Vuh may have been the most explicitly ‘spiritual’ Kraurock band and they’ve influenced generations of ambient and drone artists.

This sprawling piece from the band’s second album features Florian Fricke droning out on a medieval cathedral organ, accompanied by cymbal swells, frenetic hand percussion and worldless chanting. It slams the listener into the present moment and doesn’t let up for 20 minutes. Needless to say, this is perfect music. – GV

David Hykes & The Harmonic Choir – Two Poles, Ascent (1983)

Hykes’ landmark “Hearing Solar Winds” record shows the astounding musical richness that’s possible from very simple elements. Hykes’ “western overtone singing” technique (based on Mongolian throat singing) brings subtle harmonies to life in a piece that simultaneously conveys stillness and motion. By stripping away the limitations of words and metric structure from choral music, Hykes achieves one of the most sublime vocal performances ever recorded. – GV

Twink – The Coming Of The Other One (1970)

I was lucky enough to be invited to record some synths on psych legend Twink’s latest album “Think Pink IV: Return To Deep Space” which was released in 2019. Twink is a drummer who was a pioneer of the underground UK 1960’s psych movement. This is track 1 from his 1970 debut album Think Pink.  – GM

Stephen King – Maximum Overdrive 

Maximum Overdrive is a Stephen King movie from 1986 starring a very young Emilio Estevez and a soundtrack made up of only AC/DC songs. It’s about a bunch of cars and machines that are brought to life by a strange comet or something and the machines organize a revolution against mankind and basically kill everyone. My brother and I watched it about 2000 times when we were kids. I’m not sure if it’s supposed to be funny but we laughed our asses off. It also features a brief appearance by a very young Giancarlo Esposito who goes on to play Gus Fring on Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul so it gets extra points for that. Spoiler alert  – he gets instantly killed by an arcade game (you’ve had time to see it). – GM

Lightning Bolt – Ride the Skies (2001)

Huge Drums. A bass with a banjo string. Need we say more?

BONUS:

The following picks were provided by Tim Lefebvre.

Tacos At Oscars · Endangered Blood

Greeting To Saud (Brother McCoy Tyner) · Pharoah Sanders 

MESHUGGAH – Do Not Look Down