LOS ANGELES
Daniel Lanois
An transcendent evening of sound and light with the legendary ambient producer
Saturday, May 3, 2024
First Congregational Church LA
7pm (doors) 8pm (performance)
with Total Blue
co-presented by KCRW + Synth History
All ages
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Join us for a very special night with Daniel Lanois, one of the founders of ambient music. He’ll grace us with a solo ambient set developed just for Reflections, focused on electronics and dubbed-out pedal steel excursions. Fourth-world fusion trio Total Blue opens the evening.
We’ll pair Lanois’ gorgeous music with a transcendent light show, illuminating FCCLA’s neo-gothic sanctuary with lush, projection-mapped visuals. Expect a truly magical, unforgettable experience from one of the defining voices of modern sound.
Daniel Lanois
DANIEL LANOIS is a producer, singer, pedal steel guitarist, and visionary sound designer, born in Quebec, Canada, now based in Los Angeles, CA.
With his production partner Brian Eno, Lanois made a series of timeless records that practically define the ambient genre. 1982’s Ambient 4: On Land. 1983’s Apollo: Atmospheres & Soundtracks. 1984’s The Pearl. Each one evokes a sense of weightlessness and gentle abstraction, bringing to the foreground a series of ethereal, yet visceral, landscapes.
Further albums with Jon Hassell, Harold Budd, U2, Bob Dylan, and Peter Gabriel further expanded the idea of studio-as-instrument, making every part of the production an integral component of the overall texture, and striking the perfect balance between avant-garde experimentation and straightforward pleasure.
His first major pop production effort was on U2's The Unforgettable Fire (1984). His work attracted the attention of Peter Gabriel, who hired Lanois to produce the album So (1986). Combined with the commercial success of So, Lanois's work on U2's The Joshua Tree (1987) and Achtung Baby (1991) made him the most sought-after producer in rock music.
Yet Lanois is a songwriter, and his solo work mines the spiritual expanse of his lived experience. With his gliding pedal steel guitar, Lanois’ albums explore grassroots music, French impressionism, electronic soundscapes, dub, Mexican ballads, gospel… in other words, a world of depth and emotion, crystallized in song and sound.
Total Blue
TOTAL BLUE is the atmospheric fusion trio of Nicky Benedek, Alex Talan, and Anthony Calonico, based in Los Angeles. Their self-titled debut was released on Music From Memory in 2024, an etheric vision of ambient soundtracks, minimal house, and shimmering fourth-world landscapes.
Painting with a lush palette of digital synths, Akai EVI wind synthesizer, fretless bass, and guitar, the trio masterfully balance texture and color, evoking wide expansive vistas that stretch from LA right out to the furthest reaches of sky and sea. This is “Total Blue” — a place of time and timelessness where echoes of history and tradition merge with rootless inhuman sonics.
First Congregational Church of LA
Located in Koreatown and opened in 1932, FCC LA was designed by Los Angeles architects James E. and David C. Allison in the gothic revival style. In addition to its beautiful campus, the church features the second-largest pipe organ in the world. The building is an ADA accessible space.
540 S Commonwealth Ave, Los Angeles, CA
First Congregational Church of LA
Located in Koreatown and opened in 1932, FCC LA was designed by Los Angeles architects James E. and David C. Allison in the gothic revival style. In addition to its beautiful campus, the church features the second-largest pipe organ in the world. The building is an ADA accessible space.
540 S Commonwealth Ave, Los Angeles, CA
First Congregational Church of LA
Located in Koreatown and opened in 1932, FCC LA was designed by Los Angeles architects James E. and David C. Allison in the gothic revival style. In addition to its beautiful campus, the church features the second-largest pipe organ in the world. The building is an ADA accessible space.
540 S Commonwealth Ave, Los Angeles, CA
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