Deep Roots, Hidden Water

Deep Roots, Hidden Water is being presented in a very special remastered edition – a new and fresh perspective on a classic timeless work recreated with the care and discernment afforded the music with an authentic 24 bit remaster dedicated to unveiling all of the intent of the original recordings with sensitivity and grace.

Deborah Martin, a top selling, award-winning artist on the Spotted Peccary Music label, together with special guests Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel, King Crimson) and Coyote Oldman (award-winning Native American flute duo) create an electronic sound world filled with lyrical synth melodies, pulsing string trances and lush chordal movements in a painstaking restoration that is even more hauntingly beautiful and sublimely powerful than the original release version could convey.

Deep Roots, Hidden Water is a profound listening experience and a must for anyone seeking to journey into a sound-world of depth and serenity.

Deborah Martin continues her passion of exploring the depths of time and space through the process of creative layering of structured studio recorded compositions and live recordings of instruments, nature sounds and vocals, blending them into a world of electronic expression.

Artist Notation:

“My original intent was to create a sound-world filled with layers invoking a dreamlike sense of floating in time, a depth of feel, but at the time we were working on this project the technology would not allow us to go further with the sounds created and we were forced to make some concessions on the final outcome of the original release. I am thrilled that we now can present this new remastered version that captures the essence of the music’s intended expression and vision.”

– Deborah Martin

To listen or purchase the remastered edition of Deep Roots, Hidden Water click here

Hypnagogue Music Reviews

OCTOBER 7, 2010
Re-released by the Spotted Peccary label, Deborah Martin’s 1999 album Deep Roots, Hidden Water is a moving work in a symphonic New Age style touched with Native American overtones. Exhibiting both grace and grandeur, this disc moves from moments of sweeping-vista musical dramatics to stretches of quiet contemplation. Aided by musicians such as Tony Levin, the duo Coyote Oldman, Jon Jenkins and others, Martin realizes a depth and diversity of sound that sets the disc apart. Throughout Deep Roots… there are touches that elicit a strong response for the way they rise above the rest of the sound: the smooth bass line that anchors the title track as it winds along like a stream; the frame drum rhythm that lends its pulse to “Crossing Plateau”; the throaty, earth-ancient voice of Levin’s bowed bass grumbling its way through the gorgeous narrative of “The Strength of Stones.” The soul of the disc really shines in the songs of the flutes here, offerings provided by Coyote Oldman (cedar flutes, medicine whistle and Incan pan pipes), Mark Hunton (Native American flute) and Greg Klamt (Chinese flute). These are the living breath of the piece, soaring sounds that take immediate hold of your soul and set it in flight. All in all, Deep Roots, Hidden Water is beautiful work that shines in this well-deserved remastered version. It’s a reminder of why Deborah Martin has been an ambient/New Age mainstay for almost 20 years.

Sylvain Lupari – Guts of Darkness

I had been seduced by the musical approach of Deborah Martin on the very beautiful Erik Wøllo album, Between Worlds released in 2009. Enough to investigating a little more her musical universe, which is described on Internet as being New Age. It is thus with little apprehensive ears that I approached Deep Roots Hidden Water, an album that was out of print and which Spotted Peccary remastered in a beautiful special edition including a digipack booklet in 2010. The album includes 10 tracks that bring us into prohibited spiritual territories, on structures semi-ambient and strongly tinted of a mysticism orchestral approach at the same time lyric and tribal.
Well sited behind its synths, Deborah Martin has fun to modulate a pallet of sampling that sounds like a mini symphonic orchestra, a chamber orchestra. And it’s this way that Deep Roots Hidden Water opens. Haunted by Water and A Dark and Silent Place are molded on samplers of soft violins, oboes and cellos which creates soft atonal melodies built on intuitive dream. There are no rhythms, like everywhere on Deep Roots Hidden Water, but only a lyrical orchestral fusion that flows like a timeless poetry. The structure of the title track is identical, except for Tony Levin bass which shapes an indecisive soft rhythmic on an amalgam of poignant violin strings and noble oboes. Fine Tabla percussions open the mystic One Sun. A slow and bewitching track which evolves on a soft oniric structure, where angelic voices caress soft and warm astral winds on synths with celestial trumpets fragrances. The more we go deeper into Deep Roots Hidden Water the more we are entering a further complex musical world. Crossing Plateau is a track without rhythms, apart from the bass pulsations which shape a soft tempered surge provided by a synth with incantative murmurs and orchestral veils besieged by sound elements as heteroclite as fascinating. Blue Lake brings us at spiritual doors of First Nations people with soft tribal flutes which amalgamate their songs on a synth with slow dark surges which form hemmed loops in an ethereal fog. Chords of a solitary guitar roll in loop and throw a little light on this dark track, but very revealing of indigenous spirituality.
One could describe The Strength of Stones like a strange ghostly western with his acoustic guitar and its synth with raucous breaths which modulate sonorities like an out of tune violin. Evolving in an ambiance both weird and mysterious, The Strength of Stones is the ballade of a black knight getting out of a dark and still unknown world. Voices on the Rim fills our ears deeply with this fusion of flutes, Indians and traditional, which blow soft atonal melodies on a slow curtain of an ancestral fog. The Brilliance of Stars is very poetic with its synth to slow movements of serenity which cross a discrete flute with light breaths. Across Sky is the only track where we can hear a form of movement behind a dense curtain of orchestral layers which shape a soft symphony for solitary dreamers. A solid and intense title, Across Sky finishes where Deep Roots Hidden Water had begun.
A dark orchestra in dunes and phantasmagoric woods of an extinct civilization! Here is the best way of describing this strange, but graceful, ambient album that is Deep Roots Hidden Water. I don’t believe for a minute that this 2nd album of Deborah Martin soaks in the insipid facility that is New Age. Too much dark and atonal for that! But Deep Roots Hidden Water is a stunning musical voyage at the same time dark, intriguing, mysterious and surprisingly melodious. As these melodies which emerge from the unknown to taunted our ears.

Bill Binkelman-New Age Retailer

The re-release of a specially remastered edition of Deborah Martin’s Deep Roots, Hidden Water is cause for celebration by fans of this under-appreciated artist. She is joined by some of her Spotted Peccary label-mates and other respected artists, such as bassist Tony Levin and the duo Coyote Oldman on flutes, pan pipes, and medicine whistle. From the broad-vista, sweeping grandeur of the opening two tracks through the tribal rhythms and haunting tonalities of “One Sun,” the shimmering ambience of “Blue Lake” (highlighted by Greg Klamt’s Chinese flute), the alien sonic landscapes of “The Strength of Stones,” and the blending of deep space music and flute on “Voices of the Rim,” Martin and company are your guides for magical music travels of unparalleled excellence.

Todd Zachritz

This is a remaster of an early work (1999) by ambient composer Martin, who wowed me this past year with her outstanding “Between Worlds” collaboration with Erik Wollo.

. . . . it’s still a strong album worthy of attention from fans of ambient and space music. This one’s more electronic in nature, and,
with the opening cut, “Haunted By Water”, it even approaches a classical structure. “One Sun” brings around some tribal drums for a
more nuanced, natural approach, and this is Martin’s strength — wedding sparse electronic elements with organic, worldly textures.
“The Strength Of Stones” is a certain highlight, and an effective and mysterious collision of sounds. With former King Crimson member
Tony Levin’s moody, snaking bassline, this track is a memorable and exotic slice of fourth-world atmosphere. Levin features throughout
the album, and the tracks with his involvement also benefit from a more rounded and diverse sound palette. “Voices On The Rim” works
well, too, being a Native American-inspired piece. The closer, “Across Sky”, is a synth-strings flight of fancy, leaving the ground for a
more airborne journey.

. . . . a lovely and refreshing backdrop for some reflective meditation and relaxation.

Ambientrance

Stately, classical ambience is infused with a naturalistic sense of wonder, courtesy of Deborah Martin and friends. Martin searches for an ancestral source of self, plumbing Deep Roots, Hidden Water in this musical quest.
More insight can be gleaned when you read Martin’s exclusive AmbiEntrance Interview, of course.
Flute sounds and a rolling bassline add an almost-medieval lilt to the symphonic aura of haunted by water, which is not as spooky as the title may imply. Though it may be a dark and silent place (2:47), lush and layered, swelling strings fill this area with comfy warmth. The string and brass flow of deep roots, hidden water recieves additional bottom line empowerment from King Crimson bassist, Tony Levin. Light tribal rhythms plod beneath one sun, which rises from a hazy synthcloud, becoming stronger and glistening with distant bells and rays of brass.
A slow, cyclic shimmer is accented by bass, bells and the ‘garden weasel ‘ in crossing plateau, which makes a slow-motion trek through a wonderously ephemeral atmosphere. Spotted Peccary’s Howard Givens and Jon Jenkins toss their effects and loops into the aqueous depths of Martin’s blue lake which ripples with electronic waves and Mark Hunton’s and Greg Klamt’s flutey breezes. I think this might be a first… Seven (!) bass parts (including Levin’s electric upright bass) provide the heaviness necessary for the strength of stones. Deep and surging with resonant feedback, the piece is surprisingly light given its elemental weight.
Airy synth passages lead toward voices on the rim (9:31), which are the ethnic flutes, whistles and pipes of Michael Graham Allen and Barry Stramp (who are perhaps better known as Coyote Oldman). The majestically moody piece evokes an ancient natural wisdom through its electro/tribal radiance. Spacious and drifty synths reflect the brilliance of stars, magically expanding across the listening space with twinkles, sweeps and ambient guitar waves. Like a particularly lovely sunset to close a tranquil day, across sky rides upon stratospheric synthesizer streams, skywardly pouring in a symphonic wash.
Jaded or impatient listeners may feel Deep Roots, Hidden Water is too new-agey, but Deborah Martin’s lovely arrangements transcend any narrow classification, and will especially appeal to those wanting a breath of sweet serenity. An 8.3 for consumate artistry.

Jim Brenholts, AllMusic.com

Deep Roots Hidden Waters is a set of deep Native American ambience from Deborah Martin. It is one of the defining moments in Spotted Peccary’s quest to define modern native music. Martin’s sound-design skills are in top form on this CD. She plays the musical elements off each other to embrace the atmospheres. The stellar cast of supporting musicians contributes much to this project and the ambient textures flow smoothly. The minimalist timbres surround deep listeners; the ethnic acoustics top the soundscape deftly. Martin has achieved a true crossover form on this outstanding album. This CD will appeal to fans of Coyote Oldman, Douglas Spotted Eagle, and Spirit Nation. It is essential for fans of e-music, Native American music, and new age music.

Bert Strolenberg, Sonic Immersion

‘Deep Roots, Hidden Water ‘ is the second album by multi-instrumentalist Deborah Martin, which is now re-released as an authentic 24-bit remaster, 3-panel digipak with a new cover.
The detailed restoration has lifted the sensitivity and grace of the original music to a new level, stressing its warm and clear sound design. In addition, it makes the beautiful impact of the impeccable sonic panoramas come much closer to the listeners ear.
‘Deep Roots, Hidden Water ‘ contains ten tracks of dreamlike and heartfelt instrumental music, an exploration through the depths of time and space. One can now actually feel the intrinsic, vibrating power hidden in this inviting, beautifully moulded soundworld of gentle flowing textures, orchestral and chordal movements, for which Deborah worked together with Tony Levin and Coyote Oldman next to several musicians within the Spotted Peccary label.
Highly imaginary and thought provoking, these smooth and evocative compositions are indeed an imprint throughout the ages and the contemplation of the past and present together as one.
‘Deep Roots, Hidden Water ‘, the lingering legacy of the ancients, is highly recommended!

John Collenge, Progression Magazine (issue 61)

This 24-bit reissue of Deborah Martin’s second album brings new clarity and depth to the evocative synthesist’s vision of, in her words, ‘a soundworld filled with layers invoking a dreamlike sense of floating in time. ‘ Certainly, this is serenely floating meditative fare yet with texturing and subtle stylistic variations sufficient to beckon active listening.
Opening track ‘Haunted By Water, ‘ for instance, has a symphonic neoclassical vibe that continues through subsequent pieces ‘A Dark And Silent Place ‘ and the title cut, before tribal/spacey atmospheres intertwine on ‘One Sun. ‘ Two special guest artists bring even greater diversity to Martin’s sound palette: Native American flute duo Coyote Oldman assists on ‘Blue Lake ‘ and ‘Voices On The Rim, ‘ while King Crimson’s Tony Levin performs heavily resonant bowed bass on ‘The Strength Of Stones ‘ (my favorite piece here).
If you’re game for an ambient disc that will bliss you out without inducing slumber, Deep Roots Hidden Water ‘ is your ticket.

Terry Wickham, Fears Magazine

The music Deborah Martin makes is always grounded with the feel of world history or elements of our planet Earth.
This Special Remastered Edition puts both of my feet on the ground, while letting my mind soar up into the sky. It’s almost a contradiction of sorts but that’s Martin’s special talent.
This album features highly skilled musicians such as Tony Levin on bass, Jon Jenkins’ loops, Coyote Oldman’s flute/medicine whistle/Incan pan pipes and Greg Klamt on Chinese flute.
The flutes in ‘Voices On The Rim ‘ really create rich texture and because of this made it my favorite track on the album. It runs nine and a half minutes and will sooth your soul.
Deep Roots, Hidden Water is a calming disc that will get you into a clear state of mind. You won’t feel the pressures that every day life can give which is not only healthy but important.

This interview was in 1999 referencing the original release

Deborah Martin Interview With AmbiEntrance

Multi-instrumentalist composer and writer, Deborah Martin shares with us a bit of behind-the-scenes from her newest release,
Deep Roots, Hidden Water.

AmbiEntrance: What were your first musical influences? How were you drawn to becoming so multi-instrumental?

Martin: My musical influences began at a very young age, where as a child I spent many hours listening to the music from my parents vast collection – classical, jazz, blues, gospel, gregorian chant,to name a few. Because I grew up in such a diverse atmosphere of musical styles, there is not one particular style or form to attribute my creativity to. I would say it is a combination of everything.

I have always been drawn to music, as a fish is drawn to water. I cannot really explain it, but it is simply natural for me to take an instrument and play it. Perhaps this would explain the diversity of instruments I use to write with. I envision a sound that I want to create and I just find the instrument or object that will allow me to capture that sound.

AmbiEntrance: You didn’t mention rock, pop or country… were you untainted by those pervasive forms? Who do you listen to for fun today?

Martin: I did also listened to country music (traditional), R&B, Motown, etc., in addition to the other styles of music that I previously mentioned. When I want to listen to other music these days, I put on a soundtrack, classical, or other independent artists who have sent their music for me to listen to.

AmbiEntrance: With all the nature references in your titles and American Indian instrumentation, I’m guessing you’re a bit of an environmentalist… how much so?

Martin: The reason for references to nature in my compositions is because I am drawn to the earth and the elements of wind, water, and fire. I am mesmerized by the heavens – our universe and beyond as we know it. I work with American Indian instruments because of the very nature of the instruments – they are all made by hand. I care very much for our world and the future of its existence, for protecting the environment for the future.

AmbiEntrance: Do you play live often? Given your inspirations, it seems an outdoor concert would be called for. Where would you most like to perform if you had your choice of venues?

Martin: I have not played live recently, although I do enjoy it very much. I am most interested in concert performances. An outdoor concert would be a wonderful way to present this music. A mountain retreat, by a stream, or where there are a lot of large rocks would be ideal. I wouldn’t rule out a concert hall either.

AmbiEntrance: You’re no stranger to working with other musicians… (besides playing with Steve Gordon and Edgar Perry on Ancient Power) you’re now joined by Tony Levin, Coyote Oldman, Howard Givens,Jon Jenkins and several others… Do you prefer the multi-artist approach to solo work, and why?

Martin: I do like working with other artists, especially when we are all on the same creative path. However, there are times when it is better to create in isolation which is normally what I do. This way I can capture the essence of what it is I’m trying to create. Then I will ask other artists to contribute what they feel the composition needs.

AmbiEntrance: Can you tell us briefly about your collaborators?

Martin: Tony Levin, Howard Givens, Jon Jenkins, just to name a few, are artists in the truest sense. To share what we are, and who we are, with each other, is a great thing. They are my friends. It is always a pleasure to work with other artists who share the creative vision that is the driving force behind what we do.

AmbiEntrance: When working with other artists, do you record together or separately? What’s your “management style” concerning others’ participation with music you’ve written?

Martin: We usually record together, unless conflicting schedules don’t allow for that. It’s better to record together so that the energy of the moment is captured in the recording. Unless I have a specific written part to be performed on the composition, I feel it’s best for contributing artists to record what they “feel” about the composition – the music lets you know what it needs.

AmbiEntrance: What if someone wants to add a bit which you just plain don’t like… how would you handle that situation?

Martin: So far that situation has never happened. If an artist were to contribute a part to a song that was not really going in the right direction for that song, we would discuss the part, listen carefully to it, and then try to figure out how it would or could fit relative to the composition. After that, it would simply be a matter of deciding a) whether the part would work or not; b) whether the part needed to be revised, or; c) whether the part was even necessary.

AmbiEntrance: Tell us a bit more about The Strength of Stones which you wrote with Tony Levin. Five parts bass and one part electric guitar?

Martin: I wanted to create a song using only bass. The Strength Of Stones is just that. I need to clarify there is NO electric guitar in this song. Due to an error in graphics, the electric guitar part was incorrectly numbered – that part is on the song Blue Lake NOT The Strength Of Stones. I apologize for the mixup. There is a total of seven bass tracks on the song.

AmbiEntrance: You also write poetry in your liner notes; do your engage in other writing, or just for your CDs?

Martin: I love to write. It is from my writing that some of the ideas for songs come, either from a story, poem, or song lyrics.

AmbiEntrance: I don’t hear any animal noises, but the liner notes credit you with playing the “garden weasel”? What is it and how is it played?

Martin: A garden weasel is a gardening tool used to aerate the ground for planting seeds or fertilizing. It is made of steel with very sharp spiked ends on it, and when you shake it it creates a bell-like sound, or a ringing sound. A friend of mine, Jerry Marotta had one, and I asked him about it because I was fascinated by the sound it made. He told me he bought it at a gardening center, so of course I immediately went out and bought one. (I bought mine at Home Depot)

AmbiEntrance: I hear it (the garden weasel) now (in Crossing Plateau); do you do any yardwork with it or is it strictly a musical instrument? Do you keep it with your other instruments?

Martin: No yardwork yet with the garden weasel. It is a gardening tool, but for now I am only using it as a music instrument. It is kept with all of the other hand instruments.

AmbiEntrance: Speaking of other instruments, what all do you play and how many do you own?

Martin: Guitar, keyboards, bass, percussion, and whatever other instrumentation I can come up with (blowing through straws, rubbing stones together, etc.)

I have a Martin D-35, various percussion hand instruments, several Taos Drums of varying sizes, and various pieces of electronic equipment. I am in the process of obtaining another guitar, and I am looking for a vintage bass.

AmbiEntrance: Do you feel there is a “gender barrier” in ambient/electronic music? Why are there so few female artists?

Martin: I do not really know the answer to this question. I believe there can be a gender barrier in any career field, not just for women, but for men. I cannot speak for women in general as to why there are so few female artists in this genre of music. I think each artist creates what they are compelled to create, and then that music ends up wherever it gets categorized. There may be many other female artists who write ambient/electronic music, we just don’t know about them.

AmbiEntrance: Do you feel your femininity should be regarded as an integral part of your music, or ignored, or what?

Martin: Because I am a woman, femininity is a part of who and what I am, but I do not consider that to be the driving force in my music.

AmbiEntrance: What do you have planned as far as future releases?

Martin: I have started working on a new solo project, although it is too soon to tell what direction it is going in. I will also be working with Steve Gordon on another joint project, because we had so much fun doing Ancient Power. I am currently adding some instrumentation and orchestration to a few song ideas that Tony Levin recorded while at Spotted Peccary Studios and we’ll see where that ends up at a later date.

This interview posted June 25, 1999 | Interview Index

AmbiEntrance © 1999-97 by David J Opdyke