about the record

An immersive long-form composition in two parts that seamlessly blends a collage of spoken word, field recordings, and drones with elements of dub, jazz, fourth world, and ambient music.

Son Of Chi is a project by Rotterdam-based multi-instrumentalist, composer, and producer Hanyo van Oosterom. Van Oosterom’s prolific career spans multiple decades and genres. Among countless projects he has been involved in, he is known for founding the Dutch ambient collective CHI in the early eighties and for his prolific collaboration in recent years with CHI co-founder Jacobus Derwort as Chi Factory. Following Derwort’s passing in 2019, van Oosterom decided to close the CHI circle with the birth of Son Of Chi.

Sonically, the world of We Carry Eden is fully immersive, rippling with depth and shimmering in detail. Motifs, ideas, and fragments arise and disappear like passing thoughts, drawing the listener deeper and deeper inwards. For those familiar with Oosterom’s work as Chi Factory, the depth and meditative nature of the work will come as no surprise. However, it is Oosterom’s skill with grooves that shines equally bright here—his infectiously dubby basslines and percussion rise up from the ether, grounding the listener to the earth. We Carry Eden at times invokes the fourth world landscapes of Jon Hassell, with whom Oosterom has collaborated, but as a whole it remains the unique work of an artist fully in tune with their vision.

Thematically, storytelling traditions lie at the heart of We Carry Eden, with van Oosterom’s long-time collaborator Omar Ka playing a central role. Ka, hailing from the West African nomadic Fulani tradition of storytelling, responds to the collage of field recordings and sounds collected by Oosterom. His voice is woven throughout We Carry Eden, creating a narrative that binds the multiple sound sources of the album together.

As with much of van Oosterom’s musical output, inspiration is drawn from the Greek island of Patmos and the wisdom and prophecies of the Native American Hopi Tribe. Since his work with CHI in the early eighties, van Oosterom has often incorporated quotes from Hopi Elders into his music. Gods, spirits, animals, and humans all exist in one unchangeable relationship tied to nature. We Carry Eden is rooted in this philosophy, serving as a peaceful message of beauty, harmony, and respect for the wisdom of the Elders and ancient traditions.